p157-162_Pt Antonio 05/24/06 5:19 PM Page 157 Destinations NATURALLY JAMAICA’S H EART & SOUL R ETREAT It’s easy to fall under the spell of Port Antonio. With its sexy vibe, this secluded area has seduced starlets, royalty Iand moguls for years. It is, naturally, perhaps the most Destination Jamaica 2006/07 • 157 p157-162_Pt Antonio 05/24/06 6:45 PM Page 158 P ORT ANTONIO beautiful part of Jamaica. Hollywood escape artists such as Bette Located in the lush and green parish of Davis, Ginger Rogers, and other high-pro- TOP ADVENTURES Portland and accented with an old world 10 filers like William Randolph Hearst and J.P. charm, Port Antonio is nestled on the Morgan. Flynn was more closely associated Caribbean Sea at the foothills of the Blue Birding in the Rio Grande Valley with Port Antonio. He sailed in on his yacht Mountains on the island’s northeast coast. Exploring the Blue Mountains Zacca, and stayed the rest of his life, making The entire region is the type of forest- Visiting Gardens at Athenry occasional forays to Hollywood for movie- ed paradise you thought was gone for good. Frenchman’s Cove making. Perhaps it was his love for the area In the windward corner, surf rolls ashore Jerk at Boston Beach that eventually brought movie-making to into hidden coves where dazzling azure Swimming at Blue Lagoon Port Antonio. waters crash against rocky headlands. Rio Grande River Rafting Films were shot and stars were created Beaches are set against the backdrop of Seeing Trident Castle here. “Clara’s Heart” and the huge box imposing mountains which spike the sky Relaxing at Reich Falls office hit “Cocktail” are all part of Port at thousands of feet. Visiting Nonsuch Cave Antonio’s reel. The area’s unspoiled charm has always Celebrities Brooke Shields, Harrison been an under the radar screen secret, ever seen. American poetess Ella Wheeler Ford, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, bewitching celebrities since the time black Wilcox described Port Antonio’s twin har- Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and and white movies were in vogue. Silver bors as “the most exquisite port on earth.” Shakira find their way to peaceful Port screen luminaries have lent panache to Port But it was neither movie stars nor Antonio. Less conspicuous visitors— Antonio for years. Today, the area’s beauty romance that put Port Antonio on the map. honeymooners, romantics, hikers and awaits eager visitors just two hours from Believe it or not, it was bananas. The town’s nature lovers — also love the area. Kingston’s airport and four hours from picturesque twin harbors were once a prin- ACCOMMODATIONS Montego Bay’s. Stopping along the way to cipal port for banana boats. The banana This is an area untouched by mass see the sights will put joy into the journey. trade was immortalized by Harry Belafonte’s tourism and light years away from the all- Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling movie “Banana Boat Song” (“Day-O”). The pros- inclusive beach resorts found elsewhere. pirate of days gone by, settled here and said pering banana business brought more than Visitors find everything from posh seaside it is more beautiful than any woman he had newfound money to the area — it brought villas, to charming family-operated bou- visitors. As the industry grew, and banana tique hillside hotels, to cozy inns, quaint Opening page: Port Antonio is, natural- boats became larger and more advanced, guest houses with character. There’s even a ly, the most beautiful part of Jamaica. visitors from Europe and North America medieval castle. Many resort properties are Romantic rafting on the Rio Grande river started booking passage. nestled along the coast, while others was pioneered by actor Errol Flynn. Soon the word got out, and sleepy lit- perched hillside overlook the sea. Christ Church in the town dates from tle Port Antonio became a hotbed for jet- Titchfield Peninsula was home to the 1840. Foothills of the Blue Mountains overlook dazzling waters of San San. setters before there were jets. Over the years, area’s first hotel. Built in 1897, it became Photos by Robert Ulrich. it quietly became an elegant retreat for the place to rub elbows with the rich and famous. During the mid-1950s, the period when the area was gaining a chic reputation, well-heeled Garfield Weston built French- man’s Cove; reportedly the world’s most expensive hotel and the first all-inclusive resort. Guests included Prince Charles and the Duke of Edinburgh who accompanied Princess Anne on her 16th birthday. They started arriving in private airplanes and toured the grounds in electric golf buggies. Today, hand-painted murals and goth- ic turrets adorn the venerable DeMontevin Lodge, a classic 120-year-old Victorian 6 structure on Fort George Street. Some of 158 • Once you go, you know. p157-162_Pt Antonio 05/24/06 5:19 PM Page 159 its decorative iron works may have been on banana boats, which ferried between Boston and Port Antonio. This old world hotel sits on Titchfield Hill, near town and once a neighborhood for the wealthy. Also within walking distance from town nearby is Holiday Home with a Georgian-styled atmosphere and large wooden verandah. East of town accommodations are rich and varied. Featured several times on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” the Trident Villas & Hotel maintains its five- star appeal. Peacocks and peahens proudly prance on the Bermuda grass lawn. After its recent refurbishing, the property is better than ever. Stepping into the villas is like stepping out of the Caribbean and into a traditional English sitting room. Within walking distance from the hotel, hugging the west headland of Turtle Crawle Bay is the stately Trident Castle. This Austrian-style castle was designed by hotelier/architect Earl Levy as a private res- idence, one of the largest in the Caribbean. It features eight bedrooms, a helicopter pad, a Romanesque pool and private chapel. Two Trips to the Blue Mountains are available from Port Antonio where amazing views of mammoth stone crocodiles (Hetty and the mountains, rivers and valley await hikers and birders. Photo courtesy of Shireen John) stand guard at the entrance to this Aga/Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. gleaming structure where you can plan a wedding fit for a king. Mountains and is near San San beach. ties of a large hotel. Known for its personal Just around the bend, with the Blue You won’t find goblins at Goblin Hill. service and gourmet cuisine, the resort is Mountains as its backdrop, Bay View Villas You will find a collection of Georgian-style perched high on the hillside presenting sits hillside overlooking peaceful Turtle vacation homes set on 12 acres of rolling wonderful views of both the Caribbean Sea Crawle Bay, a marine preserve with mana- lawns and gardens hillside overlooking and the distant mountains. tees. Moving east, you see the sprawling beautiful San San Bay. Villas are nestled Only the variety of things to see and do grounds of the Jamaica Palace, with its amid Palms and elephant ear plants. rival Port Antonio’s diverse accommodations. white wall, gated entrance and swimming Dreamy luxurious accommodations ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES pool shaped like Jamaica — jump in and include picturesque villas like Bonne Amie Things to see and do in the Port swim from Port Antonio to Negril in one and Blue Lagoon Villas nestled against the Antonio region no doubt validate Jamaica’s minute. Caribbean Sea in the San San area. They reputation as the “land of wood and water.” Frenchman’s Cove Hotel is a collec- provide secluded, upscale accommodations In the Blue Mountains, which rise to 7,402 tion of stone houses in a park-like setting on amid breathtaking scenery. feet at Blue Mountain Peak, tropical forest is a 45-acre private estate above Frenchman’s Italian-owned San San Tropez is an home to more than 100 butterfly species Cove Beach. intimate villa with six suites and brightly- including the Giant Swallowtail, the largest Another pretty resort, landscaped with decorated rooms at the edge of a rainforest in the northern hemisphere with a six-inch lush greenery and sporting spectacular ocean and fronted by tropical beaches. wingspan. It is prime territory for sighting views, is Fern Hill Club Hotel, a charming One of Port Antonio’s prettiest resorts all the nearly 30 endemic bird species family-operated property. It offers tranquili- is Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, offering the including the rare black-billed streamer- ty and privacy in the foothills of the Blue privacy of an intimate inn with the ameni- tailed hummingbird (Doctor Bird). Bird Destination Jamaica 2006/07 • 159 p157-162_Pt Antonio 05/24/06 5:19 PM Page 160 To say Jamaica is “for the birds” is no exaggeration. You probably won’t offend anyone by saying it. When you come to this birding paradise, your spirits will soar. And if you’re not already a birder, you soon may be. With about 300 recorded species Driving into the Blue Mountains, to glimpse some of the most stunning (many winter migrants from North especially passing through Hardwar Gap plumage. When the snowbirds arrive in America), 100 plus local breeding birds and and Newcastle, unveils a profusion of col- December the island is awash in brightly- Wnearly 30 native birds it’s no wonder orful birds. In the mountains you will find all colored songbirds. Winter “fly-ins” include Jamaica is becoming more popular with three of Jamaica’s hummingbirds, along at least a dozen species of the brightly- birders around the world. colored North American Wood- Buzzing from flower Warblers, American Redstarts, Black- to flower and sipping nec- throated Blue Warblers, Cape May tar as it goes, the Red- Warblers and the American Kestrel.