Short answer: yes, you can work from Treasure Beach. Broadband is good enough for video calls most of the time, the cost of a month here is well below a month in Kingston or on the north coast, and the pace suits deep work. The catches are real though — occasional power cuts, a two-and-a-half hour drive from the nearest airport, and almost nothing resembling a cafe scene or a coworking space.
We host long-stay guests at our villa in Billy’s Bay, so this is written from watching people actually do it.
The internet, honestly
This is the question everyone asks first, so here is the unvarnished version.
Broadband WiFi works. Guests take video calls, run full working days and stream in the evenings without much trouble. Mobile coverage in Billy’s Bay is generally good, and Jamaican mobile data is inexpensive.
What goes wrong: outages happen. They are usually short and usually caused by a power cut rather than the line itself. If you have something that genuinely cannot drop — a board meeting, a client pitch, a job interview — have a mobile hotspot as backup and do not schedule it for your first day.
Anyone whose work depends on a permanently perfect connection should think carefully. Anyone who can absorb a dropped call once in a while will be fine.
What a month actually costs
| Item | Rough monthly cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Varies widely | Guesthouses are cheapest. Villas quote reduced monthly rates — ask rather than multiplying the nightly rate. |
| Food, self-catering | US$300–500 per person | Local markets and fish off the beach are cheap. Imported goods are not. |
| Food, villa with a cook | ~US$35–40 per person per day | Groceries, not a service charge — the cook is included at our villa. |
| Transport | US$150–400 | Route taxis are very cheap. A rental car or regular driver is not. |
| Mobile data | US$15–30 | Local SIM, easy to arrange |
The single biggest lever is the length of your booking. Monthly rates are substantially lower per night than a week, and shoulder season is lower again.
The best months for a long stay
- January to March — driest and most reliable, but peak season pricing and the area is at its busiest.
- Late April to June — the sweet spot. Weather still good, rates drop noticeably, and it is quiet.
- September and October — cheapest by a distance, but the peak of hurricane season and the quietest time for everything else.
- Late November to mid-December — excellent value, dry, and before the holiday rates begin.
For a month-long stay we would pick May or late November. See our month-by-month guide for the detail.
Where to work from
There is no coworking space in Treasure Beach. There is no reliable cafe-with-good-wifi culture either. If that is how you like to work, this is the wrong place and you would be better off in Kingston.
What there is instead: shaded terraces, a rooftop palapa, and the fact that nobody will interrupt you. Long-stay guests tend to settle into a rhythm of working through the morning, stopping when it gets hot, and picking up again late afternoon.
Practical points: bring a laptop stand if your back cares, plug sockets are US-style at 110V, and air conditioning in the bedrooms means you can work inside comfortably in July and August.
Visas and staying legally
Most visitors from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the EU are admitted to Jamaica as tourists for a period granted on arrival, and the length granted is at the immigration officer’s discretion rather than automatic.
Rules change, so verify before you book a long trip. Check the current requirements with the Jamaican High Commission or embassy for your country, and be straightforward at immigration about how long you intend to stay. If you are planning several months rather than several weeks, take advice rather than assuming.
We are villa owners, not immigration advisers — please do not treat this paragraph as the last word on it.
What it is genuinely like
The rhythm gets hold of people. A typical long-stay week settles into working mornings, a swim or a walk when the heat peaks, more work late afternoon, and dinner as the sun goes down at around six.
What people love: the quiet, the total absence of a commute, fish bought off the beach that morning, and how much deep work gets done when there is nothing to be distracted by.
What people find hard: the isolation, if you are the sort who needs other people around. Treasure Beach is a village. After three weeks you will recognise everyone, which some find wonderful and others find claustrophobic. Groceries need planning — the nearest proper supermarket is about forty minutes away in Santa Cruz. And there is genuinely nothing to do after dark.
People who come for a fortnight and extend usually do it because of the mornings. People who leave early usually do it because they wanted a city.
Common questions
Is there a coworking space?
No. Nearest options are in Kingston, roughly two and a half hours away.
Can I get a local SIM?
Yes, easily, at the airport or in Black River or Santa Cruz. Data is inexpensive.
What about healthcare?
There is a health centre locally and a hospital in Black River. Bring anything you specifically rely on rather than expecting to buy it here, and have travel insurance.
Do I need a car for a long stay?
It helps a great deal. Route taxis work for getting around the coves, but a month of grocery runs to Santa Cruz without a car or a regular driver becomes tiresome.
Is it safe?
Treasure Beach has a long-standing reputation as one of the calmer parts of Jamaica. See our honest answer on safety.
Staying at Butterfly Hill
We take long bookings and quote monthly rates on request, meaningfully below the nightly rate. The villa has five bedrooms sleeping up to ten, so it suits a family relocating for a month or a small group sharing, more than a solo traveller.
Included: private chef for breakfast and dinner, housekeeper, groundskeeper, broadband WiFi throughout, air conditioning in every bedroom, and the infinity pool. Food is extra at roughly US$35–40 per person per day.
If you are travelling solo or as a couple on a budget, a guesthouse will serve you far better than we will — see our guide to where to stay in Treasure Beach.
Send us your dates and we will quote you.