jamaica travel journal: geejam

Last week we spent seven glorious nights at an amazing hotel in Port Antonio, Jamaica called Geejam.  It is a tiny little luxury resort nestled on the side of a mountain in the Jamaican rain forest, and it couldn’t have been more perfect.  Especially because we live in a place as crowded as NYC, we really prefer to go to small hotels when we do beach vacations, and this place is SMALL.  There are only five rooms!

There is a drop-dead gorgeous private beach at the bottom of the property, and you get a bonus leg workout getting there and back because you have to take about a million stairs to get there.  But, oh man, is the hike ever worth it:

Our room was called Ska, and it was this perfect little haven that felt like an upscale treehouse when you were in it.  With the all white decor and the super cozy and comfortable bed, I felt like I was in a dreamland when I woke up in the mornings.

Geejam’s origins are actually in the music business – the two hotel owners, Steve Beaver and Jon Baker, are music industry big wigs.  Long before Geejam was open to the public as a resort, it was a working recording studio.  Geejam Studios hosts artists year-round to cut their records, and we were allowed to pop in the studio to have a peek.  A few people who have recorded here: Amy Winehouse, Drake, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, Gorillaz, and Bjork.  Guests can book recording sessions, too!  It’s a shame I can’t sing….

In addition to the amazing Geejam private beach, there are quite a few other beaches in the vicinity that you can visit.  The closest one to Geejam is Frenchman’s Cove, and one of the hotel’s drivers, Mr. Bentley (I couldn’t make that up if I tried), took us over and showed us the sites from the cliffs before dropping us off at the beach.  The beach at Frenchman’s Cove may just be the single most beautiful place I have ever seen!

We are already starting a countdown to when we can visit again!  Thank you so much to Steve and EVERYONE at Geejam.  You make every guest feel like a rockstar!