Frequent travelers to Jamaica, long familiar and well satisfied with Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, may nonetheless find themselves seeking something a bit more “authentic.” An easy find with a quick venture east, sleepy Port Antonio is a half-forgotten cradle of the island’s famous hospitality. “Porty” is layered with verdant landscapes set against a backdrop of the Blue Mountains and comely, laid-back beaches like Long Bay and Winnifred. There, at Boston Bay, jerk-cooked meats were first conceived, and it was on the bamboo banana boats of the Rio Grande that Errol Flynn infamously seduced island girls and inspired a romantic tourist attraction.
Known in its heyday for hosting visitors like Queen Elizabeth II and William Randolph Hearst, Port Antonio was Jamaica’s original resort area. It’s more a tranquil backwater today, with no big hotels or all-inclusives – some properties are frayed at the edges, and downtown is charismatically dilapidated. But Porty remains a favorite among Jamaica aficionados, many of whom consider Portland the island’s most beautiful parish. It’s also a decidedly green corner of the island – take note that rain can be heavy in September and October.
Visit Port Antonio, Jamaica...
The only obstacle to a budget-conscious visit is logistical: There are no commercial flights to Port Antonio, and ground transfers can be pricey. If you’re comfortable driving on the left, rent a car out of the Kingston or Montego Bay airports, which is considerably less expensive than arriving via taxi.
In town, Lorna Burke’s family-run Ivanhoe’s Guesthouse is the best of several budget inns on Titchfield Hill, a historic peninsula jutting into the old harbor. The nine rooms are spotless and bright, and air conditioning supplements ceiling fans in some rooms. There’s an appealing breakfast terrace, and upper-level rooms in the four-story building overlook banana trees and corrugated tin roofs. Restaurants and night life are a short walk away. (From $40 year-round; 876-993-3043; go-jam.com)
Four miles east of town, facing the sea, Drapers San Guesthouse is an eight-room operation run by Italian expat Maria Carla Gullotta and her daughter, Jamaica residents since 1989. The least expensive rooms are a no-frills pair in an old wooden house with creaky floors, which share a tidy bathroom downstairs. A few dollars more buys a room in the main house, still furnished simply but each with a private bath; there’s also stand-alone Rasta Cottage, with a private veranda. Gullotta is well-connected in the community and can coordinate excursions and airport transfers. Rates include a full breakfast, and home-cooked dinners can be arranged. (From $60 year-round, including breakfast; 876-993-7118; go-jam.com)
Surrounded by immaculate gardens and lawns, Goblin Hill Villas offers 28 one- and two-bedroom apartment-style units – perfect for families – which occupy a pair of two-story buildings on a bluff overlooking beautiful San San Bay. While furnishings are a bit outdated, the suites are spacious and air-conditioned, and each comes with a housekeeper who will prepare meals (you’ll buy the food). Balconies fronting upper units offer sweeping views of the bay. A pool and tennis courts round out the facilities, while the “bottomless” Blue Lagoon is a short walk from the entrance. (From $135 in low season, $155 high, plus 10 percent tax; 800-472-1148; goblinhillvillas.com)
Beach Lover's Guide to Jamaica...
Frenchman’s Cove was considered “a millionaire’s retreat, where prices have no meaning,” according to the 1969 guidebook All the Best in the Caribbean. The glory days have passed, and today the 48-acre spread oozes faded elegance and rides on the coattails of its namesake beach, a beauty that served as a memorable location for the Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz movie Knight and Day, released in June. There are 17 sprawling one-, two- and three-bedroom retro-style villas built of cut stone, most with long decks facing the water; inside, decor is Spartan, with occasional touches of modernistic furniture. Twelve rooms in the great house are similarly spare; there are no phones or TVs, and front desk ministrations are slender at best. Although the jet set is long gone, the resort’s expansive, park-like grounds amplify feelings of privacy. (From $95, plus 10 percent tax, year-round, including continental breakfast; 876-993-7270; frenchmans-cove-resort.com)
WORTH A SPLURGE
In the lap of the lush Blue Mountains just outside town, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is a mellow retreat run by the German-Jamaican team of Shireen Aga and Barbara Walker. One of the region’s first Green Globe-certified properties, the hotel incorporates sustainable energy sources in daily operation. The restaurant is one of the island’s best, serving locally raised chicken and fish and island fruits and vegetables from a terrace with a view that spills for miles. There are 10 bright, whitewashed rooms – the least expensive unit is small and has limited views; more expensive rooms feature spacious balconies with hammocks and bathrooms with sleek Euro fixtures. Barbara’s artwork, a swimming pool and expansive gardens round out the six-acre property. The spare soundtrack – a crowing rooster at dawn, classical music at dusk and the rhythmic sweep of a broom in between – ensures tranquility. Rates include a free shuttle to Frenchman’s Cove. (From $138 in low season, $190 high, for the smallest units; most rooms are in the $200 to $300 range; 876-993-7134; hotelmockingbirdhill.com)
OUT + ABOUT
Jamaica’s bamboo rafts are a time-honored tourist tradition, and Port Antonio’s Rio Grande was where it began. The waterway was originally used to transport bananas from field to port, but in the 1950s, local resident Errol Flynn saw the rafts’ potential as an irresistibly recumbent tourist attraction. Outfitted with a seat large enough for a snuggling couple, each raft is poled down the quiet river by a boatman on the two-hour trip. Enjoy a country lunch with Miss Betty, who serves informal meals for $10 to $12 halfway down the river.
PORT ANTONIO ON $131 A DAY*
*per person in low season ($134 high), based on double occupancy and excluding airfare, car rental, airport transfers, tax and service charges (US$1 = 86 JMD)
HOTEL | Average $82.50 in low season ($87.50 high)
BREAKFAST | Dekal Internet Café, Port Antonio; $7 for croissant sandwich, juice and large coffee; 876-297-7566
LUNCH | Cynthia’s, Winnifred Beach; $8 for grilled, fried or steamed red snapper or kingfish with ample sides; 876-562-4860
DINNER | Norma’s at the Marina, Ken Wright Pier; $19 for grilled smoked pork chop in Red Stripe-and-guava sauce with potatoes and salad; 876-993-9510
ACTIVITY | Rio Grande rafting trip: $72 for two-person raft, plus $20 per person taxi transfer to launch point
GETTING THERE | Air Canada, Air Jamaica, AirTran, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit, US Airways and WestJet fly to Montego Bay; Air Canada, Air Jamaica, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue and Spirit serve Kingston.
TAXI | From Kingston to Port Antonio: $180; from Montego Bay to Port Antonio: $300
RENTAL CAR | Island Car Rentals from $44 per day; check for web specials; budget $12 per day for insurance; 866-978-5335 or 876-929-5875; islandcarrentals.com. Drive on the left.
TAXES | Sales tax is 17.5 percent (usually included in prices at hotel venues); departure tax is $22.
INFO | 800-526-2422; visitjamaica.com
Related Content
Pack your bags and leave winter behind. We've staked out 50 of our favorite places in the sun in this ulitmate guide to the sand and the scene.
A list of our favorite beach hotels and villas, from the 2012 edition of our annual Beach Lovers Guide.
Stuck in cold weather, dreaming of the Caribbean? This hot toddy, spiked with Jamaican allspice dram, should warm you up.
