The American poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox described Port Antonio as “the most exquisite port on earth”. Errol Flynn was captivated and commented that Port Antonio was more beautiful than any woman he had seen. Truly “The Other Side of Jamaica” with an authenticity that resonates in its very soul; the azure sea and the verdant hills today still mesmerise many a visitor. Port Antonio is the greenest part of Jamaica. The natural wonders, beautiful beaches, and wide variety of land excursions makes Port Antonio the perfect travel destination for couples or families – for those seeking adventure, romance or an opportunity to chill out in a place that is as close to paradise as you’ll get.

In order to ensure that Port Antonio remains a paradise, the community has rallied together to protect the environment and preserve the culture and social fabric for generations to come through a commitment to sustainable tourism.

Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland and was originally settled by the Spaniards. The town gets its name from an early Spanish governor who named the twin harbours Puerto de Anton and Puerto de Francisco after his sons. Today the harbours are simply East Harbour and West Harbour. Portland was one of the last of Jamaica’s parishes to be settled by the British. Although the town, with its twin harbours was ideal for trade and defence, reports of the difficult terrain and the constant threat of Maroon warfare deterred settlers. The parish was officially formed in 1723 after the Crown offered major incentives such as land grants and tax exemptions. The Maroons of Jamaica were notorious because of their long struggle with the British colonial authorities who had to pass more than 40 laws in a desperate attempt to control them. Peace was made with the Maroons in 1739. Sugar dominated Portland’s economy as in the rest of the island with large estates scattered across the parish. The fertile soil was ideally suited to bananas, the crop that replaced sugar after the collapse of that industry in the 19th century. It was bananas and an enterprising American who first put Port Antonio on the map.

In 1871 the American sea captain Lorenzo Dow Baker sailed into Port Antonio and took on a cargo of coconuts and 1,450 stems of bananas. The profit that he cleared in Boston quickly made him realise the potential for the area when profits from the sale of the bananas were so great that Baker soon built a thriving export business, The Boston Fruit Company. It owned 40 banana plantations and shipped three million bunches annually at its peak.

Always the entrepreneur, Baker saw the potential for tourism to the sunny, tropical destination and established the first “cruise ship” to and from Port Antonio. Not only did Baker import bananas, now he also ferried visitors from the wintry New England states to the sunny island paradise of Port Antonio in his empty banana boats. In 1905 the town’s first hotel was built on the Titchfield Peninsula and curious tourists were soon rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. This was Port Antonio’s Golden Age. The unheard of prosperity came to an end with the onset of the Panama disease that almost wiped out the banana industry that has to this day never recaptured its former prosperity. Neither has Port Antonio. By the 1940s and 50s, Jamaica and Port Antonio had been discovered by the rich and famous of Hollywood and had become a preferred vacation spot for the stars. Errol Flynn had purchased some property and a nearby island, and threw wild parties at his home, where his widow still lives. During the 1960s Port Antonio was a jet-set Mecca. Billionaire Garfield Weston built Frenchman’s Cove, at the time said to be the most expensive hotel in the world and the first all-inclusive resort. Guests included Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh as well as Prince Saluddin Kahn. The hotel is today a simple Bed and Breakfast and the beautiful beach is open to the public. These days, celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Billy Baldwin, and Shakira regularly visit the area.

Jamaica as a whole is ethnically and culturally diverse. The island’s motto “out of many one people” speaks to the many cultures that have grown together to become the Jamaican culture. Apart from the Spaniards, the British and the Africans, Jamaica is today home to people whose ancestors came from India, China, Lebanon, Syria, France, Germany and Portugal. In Port Antonio you may run into the Ramtullahs and the Singhs (India), the Chungs and the Chins (China) and the Neufvilles and the Petinauds (France) and you can climb a hill to a place called “Shotover” that was once “Chateau Vert”.

Cradled between the Blue Mountains and the Caribbean Sea, Port Antonio enjoys a mix of mountains, lush flora, white sandy beaches and spectacular cliffs that drop into an azure ocean. It is one of the few areas where one can enjoy the pleasures of the hills and the sea in close proximity.

Visitors will be delighted with a host of natural attractions. Several waterfalls, including Reach Falls and Nanny Falls will simply take your breath away with their awe-inspiring beauty. There’s also a bit of spelunking at the Nonsuch Caves. Then, take a bicycle ride from the caves and dive into the deep waters of the Blue Lagoon.