Things to do in Port Antonio
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Lady G’diver
Located at the new marina, Lady G’Diver is a full-service dive shop; dive boats leave at 11am and 2pm daily. It has a retail store, PADI instruction and equipment rentals.
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Jamaica Agricultural Society Shop
This organization has been championing the cause of the small farmer in Jamaica since 1895. Here you can buy local honey, spices and Blue Mountain coffee at a fair price.
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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 writ…
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Dickie’s Best Kept Secret
Almost too well kept a secret for its own good, Dickie’s is an unsigned hut on the A4, less than 2km west of Port Antonio that offers enormous five-course meals in two small rooms perched over the sea. Dickie and his wife Joy promise to cook anything you want (provided they can get the ingredients). Invariably, the meal begins with a palate-cleansing fruit plate followed by soup and a callaloo omelette. Just when you think you can’t eat another bite, the main course – typically garlic lobster or fresh fish – arrives. Dickie’s has only a few tables, so reservations are essential. The owners serve no alcohol, but you may bring your own.
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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.
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C
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.
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Shanshy Beach
This pretty but badly maintained stretch of sand 2km west of Port Antonio has a big, bad sound system. An area DJ collective called Big Bad Trouble International spins for theme nights including the After Work Jam on Friday featuring dancehall music; Cranked Saturdays with hip-hop, R&B and reggae; and Talent Explosion Sundays featuring local flair. Signs reading ‘No Gun Salute’ forbid the carrying of concealed weapons. There’s a restaurant and bar.
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Mille Fleurs
Come for a rum punch at the bar whose balcony offers great views of Port Antonio across the bay, then go downstairs to this candlelit gourmet restaurant for one of the best meals on the island. Nouvelle-Jamaican specialties from a changing menu invariably including a homemade pasta dish. A three-course dinner, which has a vegetarian option, ends with a trolley of regional liqueurs. The special Mille Fleurs continental breakfast costs US$18.50. Reservations required.
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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.
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Cool Runnings Beach Bar & Grill
This beach bar and restaurant is a good first stop; the proprietor represents local guest houses and can help you find accommodations. The food is well prepared and tasty – everything is made from scratch, including a wickedly rich mayonnaise. One of the signature dishes is a lovely coconut cream fish (US$8). On Saturday night there’s a beach party playing old roots reggae and R&B.
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Roof Club
This is Port Antonio’s infamous hang-loose, rough-around-the-edges reggae bar. Young men and women move from partner to partner. You’re fair game for any stranger who wants to try to extract a drink from you. It’s relatively dead midweek, when entry is free. But on weekends it hops with Crazy Saturdays, as well as on Thursday – ‘Ladies Nite.’
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E
Survival Beach Restaurant
In addition to the usual local fare, natural juices and the best jelly coconut in town, this choice shack serves a tasty dish made with coconut milk, pumpkin, Irish potato, garlic, scallion, thyme, okra, string beans and three kinds of peas, served with sides of cabbage and callaloo. Just ask for the vital I-tal stew (US$5). Tip from Oliver the owner: call in advance.
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Anna Banana’s Restaurant & Sports Bar
Overlooking a small beach on the southern lip of the harbor, this breezy restaurant-bar specializes in hearty Jamaican breakfasts, jerk or barbecued chicken and pork and, for dinner, large plates of conch and lobster prepared the local way. The curried goat is particularly good. There are two pool tables, darts and friendly, accommodating service.
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Lady G'Diver
Good scuba diving abounds: the shoreline east of Port Antonio boasts 13km of interconnected coral reefs and walls at an average of 100m to 300m offshore. Alligator Head is known for big sponge formations and black corals. Hammerhead sharks are common at Fairy Hill Bank. For dive tours, instruction and equipment, contact Lady G'Diver.
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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.
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R Stewart
In Drapers you’ll find the roadside gallery of renowned self-taught artist R Stewart, who more than likely will be working on his latest canvas at the edge of the road. His whimsical, masterful depictions of Jamaican life regularly inspire impulse buys from passersby.
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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.
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Jamaica Explorations
Jamaica Explorations at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is a tour coordination company that aims to promote ecocultural tourism in Portland and the Blue Mountains. Tailor-made guided soft-adventure tours include walking, hiking and cultural excursions to the Maroon village of Charles Town.
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Woody’s Place
This pleasant spot – with an outdoor patio and an indoor counter that doubles as a local meeting place – prepares tremendous hotdogs and burgers, grilled cheese and Jamaican dinners to order. Vegetarians are catered for by a veggie burger heaped with stewed callaloo.
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Your Place
This roadside newcomer has a small indoor dining area and an outdoor patio, both of which are great for enjoying its chicken (barbecue or stewed) or fish dishes. Be sure to order a side of festival (a fried biscuit shaped like a sausage), which is particularly good here.
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Club la Best
The newest, liveliest spot in Port Antonio, La Best assumes a different identity depending on the evening. Fridays are dancehall and ladies’ nights, Sundays groove to a mellow blend of reggae and old-school R&B, and periodic live shows occur Saturdays.
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Norma’s at the Marina
Fronting a lovely white-sand beach, this quality restaurant can be a forlorn place – but some might find the solitude blissfully peaceful. Steaks, chops and fish prepared in the continental style are served at outdoor tables overlooking the Errol Flynn Marina.
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Golden Happiness
Here you’ll find reasonable quality Chinese food, including a vast menu of chop sueys and sweet-and-sour dishes. The dining room is spartan, but it’s a good place to take in the hustle and bustle of West St – or to order take-out.
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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.
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Chill-Out
Just down the beach from Cool Runnings, this is another popular thatched beachfront eatery and bar. Try the steamed fish and vegetables liberally seasoned with allspice (US$9). Sound-system parties are frequently held in the evenings.
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