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Port Antonio |
| Port Antonio is today’s grown-up playground for mature free spirits. The old seaside town has long been a favourite resort for the rich and famous who, attracted to the seclusion, the sophistication and the serenity of the place, built elegant villas in the surrounding areas. Port Antonio is one of the most accessible towns in Jamaica. Within the town itself, few places are out of walking or bicycling distance. From end to end, graceful old buildings with Jamaican gingerbread verandas and elaborate fretwork transoms evoke illusions of grandeur from a time when the banana trade was at its zenith, and movie stars mingled effortlessly with the local elite.
Starting at the market, where visitors are encouraged to support local craft vendors, a short walk through the town is a most interesting and revealing trip. Do stop at the Demontevin Lodge, the Portland Parish Court House, the ornate and amusing Village of St George shopping centre, and the old Fort George (now Titchfield High School). A short boat ride away is Navy Island, a tiny cay in the middle of the harbour with a beautiful golden-sand beach and its own tropical rainforest. On the hill just behind the town are some sights worth seeing. The Portland parish church with its brick entrance tower and tall arched windows is an impressive structure, while the vistas from the Bonnie View Hotel are sure to take your breath away.
A few kilometres east of the town, the lavish villas, hotels and private homes of the village of San San are tucked sensuously away within lush emerald forests. Here also are the world-famous Frenchman’s Cove Beach and San San Beach, together a once highly exclusive enclave of royalty and the very wealthy, now open (for a small fee) to all connoisseurs of the idyllic life and tropical splendour. |
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