Moon Author's Review
Jakes Boutique Resort and Beachside Villas (US$113-385 low, US$136-468 high season) has taken rustic chic to a new level, pouring on the kind of details sought out by those members of the jet set always on the prowl for the next "in" spot. To call Jake's rustic is to ignore the posh bedding and elaborate detailing reminiscent of an Arabian love lair. The honeymoon suites have outdoor showers and sunbathing decks on the roof. The most unpretentiously hip accommodation at Jake's is the two-bedroom Jack Sprat (US$177-230 low/high season), located right next to Frenchman's Beach with its iconic buttonwood tree.
The bold and classy architectural style at Jake's owes to the creativity of Sally Henzell, wife of the late Perry Henzell, who became Jamaica's biggest film icon after directing the cult classic The Harder They Come in the early 1970s. Sally Henzell has an aesthetic that blends the old colonial charm found in the island's historic buildings with a windswept rustic edge one might associate more with the Maine coast of New England.
Sometimes described as "shabby shacks," the cottages at Jake's don't neglect the modern essentials, with hot water provided in all the rooms with solar heaters. The Henzells bought the property in 1991 and opened and developed the rooms and cottages little by little. Jake was a pet parrot of the Henzells', but Jake is also a generic term used to call out to a white person.
