This parish, affectionately known as St Bess, is located on the south coast of Jamaica. One of its traditional claims to fame is that it is the longstanding home of the Accompong Maroons, descendants of Africans who rebelled against slavery, established homes in the mountains, and successfully held off the British. (The Jamaican government continues to observe the rights to self-determination for the Maroons). St. Elizabeth is also probably the parish that gives the most credence to the Jamaican motto – “Out of many, one people”, with a wide variety of ethnicities represented amongst the people. More recently, however, its unwanted claim to fame has been the absolute devastation wrought by Hurricane Melissa. Tourism to St. Elizabeth is a way to support hurricane recovery efforts and the local economy.
St. Elizabeth Bucket List
We are hoping to make our way to the south coast in 2026 or 2027 and we’ve got a few places on our list. We’d love to stay at Jake’s, which is a family-owned, laidback, environmentally friendly hotel situated in Treasure Beach that is set to re-open on December 18, 2025. (The family behind Jake’s are the Henzells – the most famous Henzell is Perry, who directed the first Jamaican feature film, “The Harder They Come”). Unlike other famous beaches in Jamaica, the sands at Treasure Beach aren’t the usual white sands but are still supposed to be just as beautiful.
While we’re in St. Elizabeth, a must-do for us will be the Appleton Estate Tour. Maybe we’re biased, but we believe that Appleton produces among the world’s very best rums. So we would love to go on this world-renowned tour where you can not only sample their amazing rums but tour the grounds, learn about the history of rum and sugar cane, and hear from Joy Spence, the world’s first female Master Blender. Fortunately, it looks like kids are welcome. They are currently closed after extensive damage from the hurricane but we are hoping for a quick recovery for them.
Chukka is a tour company that packages Appleton Estate with a Black River safari, so this seems like a great way to explore multiple offerings of St. Elizabeth. Black River is Jamaica’s longest navigable river, and several companies offer river “safaris”, where you get to take a scenic ride on guided tour boats and see crocodiles, birds, and beautiful protected wetlands. We hope that they will be up and running again soon.
We may try to time our trip so that we can attend the Calabash literary festival in Treasure Beach, which has been called the world’s most glamorous book club. (Angelina Jolie famously attended in 2024). Over the course of several days, authors from around the world do readings, seminars and workshops. It’s an international festival but seems very much Jamaican. All festival events are free and open to the public, so they welcome donations to sustain this amazing event. The next Calabash will be in May 2027.
We’re looking forward to ending our days at Floyd’s Pelican Bar, owned by Jamaican Floyd Forbes, which is one of the world’s most unique bar experiences – a bar that requires a 20-minute boat ride to reach. It’s stilted on a sandbar, so once you’re there, the water is only waist-deep. That said, it’s important to note that they recommend kids don’t visit. They are also actively re-building post-Hurricane Melissa.
Jamaica travels 
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