AREA INFO

Port Antonio

Brief History
Port Antonio is a tropical paradise, the jewel in Jamaica's crown. The area offers visitors unparalleled natural beauty - rugged, exciting coastlines, romantic beaches, hidden coves, rivers, and waterfalls with the Blue Mountain Range providing a spectacular backdrop. Port Antonio, the capital of the parish of Portland, has retained its charm as a quiet rural township and is home to one of the most beautiful harbours in the Caribbean. A walk through town is a walk through history, with its narrow streets linked with buildings from another era, including the Anglican stone church and Fort George (1729) overlooking the harbours, with its cannons pointing out to sea.

In the late 19th Century, Port Antonio was renowned as the world's banana capital; some claim that Jamaica's tourism was born here, when banana boats returning from Boston, U.S.A. brought the first tourists to our shores.

Please follow the link for more information about the town's history:
http://www.jamaicanmagazine.com/pagespast.html

Maroons:
At the centre of Jamaica's 500 dollar bill, is the image of an African woman with simple name "Nanny" printed below it. A slave in the 18th century who escaped to the mountains, Nanny is a Jamaican Heroine who led an army of runaway slaves called Maroons, and for years fought the British for their freedom. The centre of her mountain base was in the mountains around the Rio Grande Valley. For more on Maroons visit:
Their origins and development
The Maroons of the Rio Grande Valley

Because of its seclusion, Port Antonio has attracted many celebrities and the wealthy. Port Antonio offers an enchanting vacation experience: glistening waterfalls, small secret gems such as Scatter Waterfalls and Nanny Waterfalls; romantic coves and beautiful beaches. The magical Rio Grande River weaves its way through the deep valley and rolling hillsides, covered with lush tropical forests and picturesque banana plantations and spectacular mountain views in the Land-of look-Behind, Maroon Country. All of these are the reasons why those seeking the authentic and natural Jamaica find their way to Port Antonio. A wide variety of tastes are satisfied by the range of accommodations provided in and around Port Antonio ranging from luxury hotels and villas, to small and intimate hotels and simple guesthouses. There are no large resorts or high rise buildings to attract masses of tourists and the beauty and tranquillity of this area gives it probably the highest rate of return visitors to the island.

Find out more about Port Antonio:
http://www.portantoniotravel.com