Treasure Beach fisherman cottage

Treasure Beach is a string of small coves on Jamaica's arid south coast, and it is nothing like the resort strip of the north. There are no all-inclusives, no cruise-ship day-trippers and no gates — just fishermen, small guesthouses, a couple of dozen restaurants, and the friendliest community on the island. This 75-square-metre wooden cottage sits two hundred metres from Calabash Bay, on a lane shared with local families.

The house is classic Jamaican vernacular: raised timber floor, jalousie shutters, a wide covered veranda, two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a corrugated-iron roof that sings in a downpour. Cross-breezes do the cooling. Solar water heating is standard here and mains power is reliable.

Foreign buyers face no restrictions in Jamaica; closing goes through a Jamaican attorney and takes six to ten weeks. Stamp duty and transfer tax are moderate. The south coast has been quietly discovered by North American and European buyers for the last decade, but prices remain a fraction of Negril or Ocho Rios.

Calabash Bay itself is a working fishing beach — nets, boats and pelicans in the morning, kids after school. Two minutes' walk brings you to Frenchman's Bay for a swim and a Red Stripe at Jack Sprat's. Sangster International (MBJ) is a two-hour drive; the small Ian Fleming (OCJ) is closer. Pelican Bar, Y.S. Falls and the Black River safari are all within easy day-trip distance.