The Runaway Jamaica accommodation has been included on Essence Magazine’s list of top-recommended black-owned hotels. The luxury bed-and-breakfast is located on the North Coast of the island and is the first B&B to be successfully crowdfunded. The owners, Kalisa Martin and Jeff Belizaire, are committed to curating cultural experiences for their guests. The Runaway Jamaica is a four-bedroom, four-bath home that provides a welcoming space that guests want to visit again and again. When she decided to make the move to Jamaica, Martin was the culinary world brand director at Tasting Table in New York, a digital destination for foodies, and appeared on TV shows like “Good Morning America.” The concept of The Runaway is a community-oriented luxury B&B that additionally serves lunch and dinner. The venue targets “adventurous travelers” who want to live like locals, Martin said. As the hotel’s co-founder and executive chef, Martin handles menu development, testing of recipes, sourcing ingredients, and cooking for the guests. Her goal is to create an intimate dining experience that expresses her food philosophy. The location of the hotel in Jamaica was an obvious choice for Martin, who notes that the island is her favorite place in the world. Her parents are Jamaican, and her partner Jeff’s parents are from Haiti, but both of them were raised in the northeastern United States. After several years of living in New York City, the lifestyle and slower pace of Jamaica represents a welcome change, according to Martin, who wants to share her love of the culture with visitors.

Information and Photo Sources: Essence Magazine , Runaway Jamaica