Trip report - Disturbing

Attachment 25588Attachment 25589Attachment 25590Attachment 25591My wife and I have been coming to Negril almost every year since 2001. We love it for all the reasons you do.
We always stay at The Treehouse and enjoy it. What's troubling is the beach erosion and I just thought I would post some pics. The hammock pic at bottom is from our first trip in 2001. We are in a hammock (tree has long been dead) next to the bar and there was soooo much beach in front of the bar. The beach has been slowly going away every year but this is what we saw (top pic) when we arrived at the end of March. Half the beach was gone. There used to be a volleyball court at the back end of the beach but that's where the lounge chairs had to be positioned because where they used to be, is now underwater. Distressing. Sandbags were being used to help with erosion and it seemed to be helping because by the time we left 7 days later the sandbags were almost covered.
Ok so you don't feel totally bummed we enjoyed three dives for first time - Twice! Sweet spice still has outstanding oxtail (prepare to wait an hour for it). Niah's is still standing somehow and it's awesome! The jerk sausage at Push cart is still almost worth the trip (though the power went out while we were there). Ossie's still has the best jerk in Negril IMHO.

I don't think it's erosion,just seasonal. I was the early Dec and the beach was very big.

This is how it looked at Christmas...so its actually better since then..:D
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This is what it was like 12 years ago

This is from last year. Now the water comes up almost to the treeline.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer..


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Originally Posted by Orchid

This is how it looked at Christmas...so its actually better since then..:D
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Actually it isn't. I get my early morning coffee carafe at Country Country pictured there and that sand in front is gone.

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Originally Posted by Orchid

This is how it looked at Christmas...so its actually better since then..:D
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That wall has since been removed.

The sand might be seasonal; but, I think that the Treehouse is slowly being swallowed by the ocean.

I was there Dec 7-20 the beach was very wide. When you use the photo of the Tree House bar that is very close to the water isnt a good barometer. Same with Boat Bar & Tonys Hut. Very close to the water.

Here is a picture of the Treehouse's Beach Restaurant from April, 2011


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Holly cow!

The beach is a living thing. As the sand is eroded in one area, another area gets the sand deposited. The beach in front of Sunbeach was muddy and full of sea grass in 2011. This year, you can walk for many meters from shore and still be in waist high water and beautiful sand bottom. The point Village had a very small beach in the cove between the Point and Hedo. It is now 300-400 meters wide.

The sea takeith and the sea giveith back.

Of course this doesn’t help out the owners of The Tree House.

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Originally Posted by Weathermon & Mi Lady

Here is a picture of the Treehouse's Beach Restaurant from April, 2011


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I was there end of April as well and they had plenty of sand. I recall reading several months later where someone mentioned that the sand was gone and I thought they were confused.....

A wise old Jamaican, God rest his soul once told me " Wha da sea give mon the sea take away!

The first year that we stayed at Country Country, in 2001, they had pumps in the water, trying to bring the sand back to the beach. Since then, some years you can walk around the bar at Treehouse, sometimes you have to walk through it. That just seems to be an area where its more noticeable because these places are built so close to the edge of the sea. I think its cyclical.

I have been to Negril 3 times in the last 11 months. The beach has looked different every single time.

tree house had heaps of beach when built..nowhere near the sea edge..

I'm still going.

The shoreline is ever changing. When I first started going to Negril in the mid-80's, the beach at Treehouse was 40' out from the bar. Big change but they usually still have some beach. Where I stay at the other end has also lost beach but it was a much, much larger area to begin with. Beach renourishment here in FL often gets taken away after the beach communities & governments (federal aid not uncommon) spend many hundreds of thousands of $$$, if not more. Mother Nature will do what she does as far as the beach goes. Usually it comes & goes :-)

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Originally Posted by Mark & Deana

Attachment 25588Attachment 25589Attachment 25590Attachment 25591My wife and I have been coming to Negril almost every year since 2001. We love it for all the reasons you do.
We always stay at The Treehouse and enjoy it. What's troubling is the beach erosion and I just thought I would post some pics. The hammock pic at bottom is from our first trip in 2001. We are in a hammock (tree has long been dead) next to the bar and there was soooo much beach in front of the bar. The beach has been slowly going away every year but this is what we saw (top pic) when we arrived at the end of March. Half the beach was gone. There used to be a volleyball court at the back end of the beach but that's where the lounge chairs had to be positioned because where they used to be, is now underwater. Distressing. Sandbags were being used to help with erosion and it seemed to be helping because by the time we left 7 days later the sandbags were almost covered.
Ok so you don't feel totally bummed we enjoyed three dives for first time - Twice! Sweet spice still has outstanding oxtail (prepare to wait an hour for it). Niah's is still standing somehow and it's awesome! The jerk sausage at Push cart is still almost worth the trip (though the power went out while we were there). Ossie's still has the best jerk in Negril IMHO.

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Thanks for your continued support over the years. I give big props to Moses and Trevor for working on the sand bag project. Beach renourishment projects are costly and we have never had one in Jamaica. We flew experts in from Cuba and Negril Chamber has brought in experts. We have the proposals and solutions but sadly no government funding. But at Treehouse we are on the beach- but more than beach - it's about the people.

As many longtime returning guests will say the beach changes every year. You can't stop mother nature. I've been there when the seas were at the bar and the bar was 3 ft higher than the sand and other times there was 100 yards to the sea.

I don't know about the beach replenishment project but here in NJ the Army Core of Engineers used millions of tax payers dollars for sand replenishment over the last few years only to have Hurricane Sandy take it all away...again you can't stop mother nature.

I will never stop going to the Treehouse no matter how big or small the beach is because Gail is right it's about the people !!
Keep doing what you're doing Gail !! Love the Treehouse and The TH Staff !!

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taken around 1980

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This is march this year, no beach!
According to sources that have been on the beach for years,Treehouse has been pumping sand on the Treehouse beach for the last few years and they seem to think that the bar is the problem and needs to be removed. Just repeating what I was told.

This was December 2012. The beach went from this:

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to this overnight... The power of water never ceases to amaze me.

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