Sights in Port Antonio
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Winnifred Beach
Thirteen kilometers east of Port Antonio, Fairy Hill is a small clifftop hamlet. A dirt road from here leads steeply downhill to Winnifred Beach - up until recently a great place to hang with 'real' Jamaicans.
At last visit, the vendors who had long done brisk business at Winnifred Beach had been evicted by the UDC and fence posts had been set up around the property. The UDC reportedly intends to develop the beach as an eco-attraction, but many local residents who have always enjoyed free access are wary of the plan. In February 2008 the government agreed to hear the lawsuit between local activists fighting to keep it accessible to local community, but at the time of…
reviewed
-
Navy Island
This lushly vegetated 25-hectare Navy Island is popular with local day-trippers on weekends…or it was when the ferries ran. In colonial days the British Navy used it to careen ships for repair and it built a small battery, plus jetties and warehouses. Nothing remains of the navy's presence. In the mid-20th century Errol Flynn bought the island. His former home became a hotel, which later fell into decay.
In early 2002 the Port Authority and the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) jointly took over the island with a view to developing the jaded property as an upscale resort and ecological theme-park.
reviewed
-
A
Folly
Thes two-story, 60-room mansion known as the Folly on the peninsula east of East Harbour was built entirely of concrete in pseudo-Grecian style by a North American millionaire. It was in private use until 1936, when the roof collapsed. Sea water had been used in the construction, causing the iron reinforcing rods to rust. Today the shell of the structure remains, held aloft by limestone columns.
It makes a perfectly peculiar locale for a picnic. Nearby stands the bright-orange Folly Point Lighthouse, built in 1888.
reviewed
-
Trident Castle
Just 3km east of Port Antonio the road circles around the deep Turtle Crawle Bay. Squatting atop the western headland is a magnificent gleaming-white castle built in the 1980s by Baroness Elisabeth Siglindy Stephan von Stephanie Thyssen. This is Trident Castle, part of the Trident Hotel & Villas resort. The architect, Earl Levy, eventually took over the property after a tiff with the Baroness. At the time of writing the castle was for sale.
reviewed
-
Frenchman's Cove
This small cove, just east of Drapers, 8km from Port Antonio, boasts one of the prettiest beaches for miles. A stream winds lazily to a white-sand beach that shelves steeply into the water. Bring insect repellent. There's a snack bar serving jerk chicken and fish, alfrescoshowers, bathrooms and a secure parking lot.
reviewed
-
B
Christ Church
Following William St south to Harbour St, you can turn left to peek inside Christ Church, a red-brick Anglican building built in neo-Romanesque style around 1840 (much of the structure dates from 1903). The singular item of note is the brass lectern donated by Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker.
reviewed
-
Cocktail Beach
At the Blue Lagoon you'll also encounter boat operators eager to take you on a short boat ride to nearby Cocktail Beach (where parts of the Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail was filmed) and lovely, undeveloped Monkey Island, a short distance away.
reviewed
-
San San Beach
A private beach used by residents of the villas on Alligator Head, and by guests of Goblin Hill, Fern Hill and Jamaica Palace hotels. Passersby, however, can gain access. It has a bar and restaurant, snorkeling equipment and kayaks.
reviewed
-
C
Town Square
Port Antonio's heart is the Town Square, at the corner of West St and Harbour St. It's centered on a clock tower and backed by a handsome red-brick Georgian courthouse topped by a cupola.
reviewed
-
D
Village of St George
On the north side of the town square is the imposing façade of the Village of St George, a beautiful three-story complex with an exquisitely frescoed exterior in Dutch style.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
E
Folly Oval Cricket Ground
You can watch cricket at the Folly Oval Cricket Ground, on the east side of East Harbour.
reviewed
-
F
Port Antonio Square
Port Antonio Square has a cenotaph honoring Jamaicans who gave their lives in the two world wars.
reviewed