JAKE'S
Getting There
Nonstop flights to Montego Bay depart frequently from several U.S. cities. There's little need to rent a car, as you'll probably stick close to Jake's; the hotel offers airport transfers for $115 each way (the ride takes about 2 ½ hours).
When to Visit
Peak season is from December to April, when days are reliably balmy, with temperatures around 80° F. September and October are prime hurricane season.
THE HOTEL
THE ROOMS
Of the 45 cottages, the deluxe oceanfront doubles are the most stylishly kitted out, with patios and brightly painted wooden furniture. Large families or families traveling together should angle for Mussels, a three-bedroom, two-bath house ($495 a night). Its interior is serviceable rather than special, but it has a covered terrace the size of a living room facing the sea, an outdoor shower, and an additional private sunbathing deck at the water's edge. You can request a crib.
THE AMENITIES
A saltwater pool (with a generous shallow end) stretches from the breakfast terrace to the thatch-roofed bar. In high season, Jason Henzell's wife, Laura, teaches yoga in a seaside pavilion; there's also the new Driftwood Spa, with two treatment rooms and a "sweat hut" for Jamaican-style detox.
THE RATES
From $115 a night for a one-bedroom garden cottage.
THE FOOD
AT THE HOTEL
From the fruit salsa to the callaloo for the pepper-pot soup, nearly every ingredient comes from organic farms located within five miles of the hotel (okay, the olive oil comes from Italy). Meals are served in a sweet and simple dining room with picnic tables and a painted concrete floor or on the breakfast terrace. For day trips, request a picnic lunch (from sandwiches to lobster) a day ahead.
JACK SPRAT
Located down the beach from Jake's, this is an established local hangout as well as an island-wide attraction. The jerk-spiced seafood is eye-watering; for less adventurous palates, there's a selection of delicious thin-crust pizzas. Treasure Beach, (876) 965-3583.
LITTLE OCHIE
Hire a Jake's staffer to drive you the 45 minutes to this island institution. You'll hand-pick your fish, crab, or lobster, specifying one of its many preparations. Then sit under the thatched roof and order up sides such as festival (fried flour-and-cornmeal dumplings, like savory doughnuts) and bammy (a starchy pancake made from cassava). Alligator Pond, Manchester, (876) 965-4450.
THE ACTIVITIES
BLACK RIVER BOAT RIDES
Jake's organizes a two-hour private canoe ride along the southern coast of the island (keep cameras at the ready for dolphin sightings). It continues up the Black River, where you'll spot crocodiles as you cruise among huge islands of purple water lilies. If you have younger, antsier children, opt for the 75-minute pontoon-boat tour offered by J. Charles Swaby's Black River Safari. Jake's tour, $120 for two people (children under 8 free); J. Charles Swaby tour, $16 per adult and $8 per child 3 to 12 (children under 3 free), (876) 965-2513.
WATERCOLOR LESSONS
From January to April, Jake's artists-in-residence, Ginny O'Neil and Tom Menihan, provide private tutelage with kindness, patience, and humor—for up to four students at a time. Their cottage or yours. Book through Jake's; twoboatsgallery.com.
YS FALLS
A tractor-drawn jitney (which is, of course, a draw in itself for the kids) trundles along a road to a seven-tiered spring-fed waterfall, punctuated by shallow swimming holes. For older kids, there's tubing (approximate level of difficulty: bunny slope) in the stretch of river below the falls. Book though Jake's; $80 for transport to the falls, $14 per person for admission and the tractor ride.
Next Page: Carlisle Bay, Antigua
