Spectacular – 22 Endemics & 15 Warblers 60 Birds Species

How many single gardens can boast sightings of 22 endemics, 15 warblers & 60 birds species within 5 days!

We recently had a birding couple, Adrienne & Robert Lockett, come to enjoy the luxury of an autumn birding break with us, whilst they are stationed with the Peace Corp in Jamaica, and they delightedly spotted all of these.  Now some of those were no doubt temporarily resting in Jamaica after being blown off their usual migratory path by the Tropical Storm Nicole, but what a rich and diverse birdlife our bio-gardens attract!

Some of their favourites were: Blackpoll Warbler | Baltimore Oriole | Tennessee Warbler | Swainson's Thrush | Red-eyed Vireo | Chestnut-sided Warble | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Summer Tanager | Arrowhead Warbler| Yellow-throated Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler |  Worm-eating Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Prairie Warbler | Northern Parula Warbler | Black-and-white Warbler |  Black-throated Blue Warbler |  Palm warbler | Redstart Warbler

"We recently spent 5 enjoyable days at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. In addition to lovely and comfortable accommodation, fine food and warm hospitality, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the grounds of the hotel, including the extensive and beautiful gardens, provided exceptional birding.  We found 22 endemics, 15 species of warblers, and more than 60 bird species overall without leaving the property.
Spectacular!"  Bob Lockett, Portland, Oregon

Share with your friends

65% Powered by the Sun

 

Our eco credentials have grown and our carbon footprint decreased by the recent addition of a further 18 solar panels & 6000-watt inverter system now installed at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill.  These new additions mean that 65% of the hotel’s energy needs are now provided by the cleanest source possible that is available in abundance to Jamaican hotels.

This was provided by the Caribbean Trade and Private Sector Development Programme (CTPSDP) funded by the European Union, 9th European Development Fund for CARIFORUM Countries.

Share with your friends

Portland Jamaica Photography Competition

We are inviting you to submit your photographs taken on holiday whilst staying at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, took exploring the parish of Portland.  We love to see through new eyes the parts of the parish that we ourselves don’t always get to visit when we are running the hotel

"Fresh Almonds" 

We’re holding a photography competition that celebrates the fantastic biodiversity of Portland in Jamaica.  This region’s richness of life makes it an area of outstanding beauty, from mountain to rainforest to beach, and the flora & fauna provide food and home to our many endemic birds, marine life and of course livestock.  It’s also often forgotten that it’s this biodiversity that provides for many in Jamaica their shelter, food and even the clothes that they wear.

We are inviting you to submit your photographs taken on holiday whilst staying at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, took exploring the parish of Portland.  We love to see through new eyes the parts of the parish that we ourselves don’t always get to visit when we are running the hotelstrong

Prize

Each month we will select the best of the photographs submitted and send the winner a Buscha Browne hamper whose sauces, chutneys and jellies are all authentic Jamaican blend of herbs and spices and will help you remember through taste the land of wood and water in your own cooking.

To upload your Image

Once you’ve selected or taken your photo(s), please upload them using Facebook

Visit the Hotel Mocking Bird page on Facebook and log in with your Facebook account.  Once you “Become a Fan” of Hotel Mocking Bird Hill on Facebook, you will be able to post your Portland Bio-Diversity photos on Mocking Bird Hill’s  Wall.  On the Mocking Bird Fan page on Facebook, click inside the “What’s on your mind?” box; an option to add photos will appear.

Uploading your photo into the Mocking Bird Hill  Photo Contest indicates that you have read and understood the Photo Contest Rules and are knowingly & voluntarily participating in the competition.

Photo Rules

Judging and prizes

Photos will be judged by the Mocking Bird Hill team on creativity, spirit, uniqueness as well as taking into consideration comments in Facebook by fellow fans.  

Share with your friends

How Safe is Jamaica for a Holiday?

We are often asked by our potential guests

“Will I be safe on my holiday in Jamaica?”

At a recent meeting of the tourism sector within Port Antonio, our local Tourism Police Liaison Officer reported on the release of Jamaica’s crime rates for 2009.  In total there were 79 tourist related crimes that were reported on the island, and these related to theft & sexual abuse.  Only 2 of these were reported in Port Antonio itself where Mocking Bird Hill is located.  To put this in context there were 3403 incidents of pick-pocketing in London, 128 of which were committed against tourists. We always advise our guests to pay the same vigilance as they do at home even though one is on holiday.

There were 1200 murders, 9 of which were in the parish of Portland that related to either domestic crime or disputes amongst neighbours.  This reflects murders in New York where less than 30% are committed by someone unknown to the victim.  There were no incidents of murder committed against tourists to Jamaica.  Currently topping the hot spot for crime within the Caribbean is Trinidad & Tobago as reported by the Barbados Newspaper, The Nation.

Sadly last year like the rest of the world Jamaica encountered a rise in shooting & knifing within schools in which children have been killed.  We also encountered a rise in break-ins due to the economic recession.

Share with your friends

The Alternative Jamaica by Caribbean Travel & Life

Have a read what Caribbean Travel & Life thinks of just some of the alternative excursions exploring Jamaica that we offer at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. It's just a snapshot of the whole magazine, we are 4 pages in on p73, click on the image below to have a quick read. 

Share with your friends

The Secret to Lifting the Lid on Romance

Here in Jamaica’s lush North East we believe romance never dies, sometimes it can be forgotten in the tempestuous maelstrom of life, but it can easily be returned to the fore, celebrated or rekindled by a healthy dose of ‘secret’ romance!  

Jamaica’s most romantic hotel, Mocking Bird Hill, can now be commissioned to give your room a secret make-over and transform it into the ultimate in surprise romance, or set the scene for the ultimate romantic proposal under starry Caribbean skies.  

Whether it is a room decked with petals, orchids, votive candles, our Swiss Dark chocolate Flirtatious Fondue and a chilled bottle of Champagne to hand, a tropical bloom-laced candlelit deck with canapés & wine at the ready for the perfect proposal, or simply on Day 1 on arrival a room prepared with flowers, wine, fondue and the most stunning array of organic goats cheeses to help celebrate your touchdown of your Jamaican holiday – romance will be in the air.

Read more about our new Secret Romance Turndown | Perfect Proposal | Step through the Door Romance on Arrival services.

Share with your friends

The Cost of Getting a Taxi Jamaican Style

A lot of visitors to Jamaica often remark about how the cost of hiring a legal cab to travel in Jamaica costs the same or even exceeds what they would pay back home; most people expect a developing country’s costs to be in line with living costs, therefore transportation should be cheaper.

There are of course cheap ways to travel around Jamaica via illegal taxis or route taxis which operate like mini buses collecting people along the way until they are full. These taxis do have some insurance, but not to the level of the charter taxis and tourism transportation companies. As we repeat to customers it is not worth taking the risk; your own travel insurance will not protect you if, as they all too do, accidents occur, and you are in effect riding illegally within a country.

Legal cabs within Jamaica do cost simply because it costs the owners of legal cab companies to provide them.  The reasons for this are:

1. Jamaica does not have its own car plants that produce cars on the island.  Due to being a former British Colony the island drives on the left, therefore to drive as a legal cab company you must have a right hand car drive.  This means that cars are imported from further afield than our nearest car-producing neighbours, the United States; rather they’re shipped from the UK & Japan which adds to the initial cost of the vehicles that are brought. In addition spare parts, tyres etc are all imported and are expensive. Costs to repair a vehicle are similar to the costs in Europe, it is just that the breakdown of the costs is different: in Jamaica the labour is the cheap component, the parts expensive.
2. Purchased cars need to be sturdy to withstand Jamaican roads.  Jamaica has some very good roads, it also has some very very bad roads.  It is vital that cars that are purchased by cab companies can withstand the latter as they ferry guests safely around Jamaica.   Taking guests up to certain areas in the Blue Mountains means that a 4×4 vehicle is needed and such luxuries cost in the initial outlay that cab companies must invest and recoup from their investment.
3. Insurance premiums for cab companies that fully cover their vehicle, driver and passengers is expensive.   Part of the reason for this is obviously that the bigger the car that is insured, if there was an accident, the bigger amount of damage that it too could inflict.
4. Legal cab drivers in Jamaica must undertake an extra test of competence that is certified by the Ministry of Transport, they have additional vehicle certification costs and registration costs under the transportation regulations set down by the Ministry of Transport. In addition, operators who transport tourists must be licensed by the Jamaica Tourist Board and pass rigorous quality control checks by the Tourism Product Development Company, another government organisation. Taxis are not metered but the basis on which they calculate their fares (per person which many visitors object to) is laid down by the Ministry of Transport. Naturally drivers that have comply with all of this and are fully insured are more expensive in regards to their salary than an illegal driver.
5. Petrol:  Jamaica does not produce its own gasoline, being an island all is imported from the US.  Therefore it is more expensive than for example the price of gas in the US or Canada.  In January the price per litre in Jamaica for petrol was JM$ 87, the equivalent of £0.60, €0.67, CA$ 1, US$ 0.98.  

For the above reasons a cab in Jamaica may seem expensive, but it is still cheaper per kilometre than many of its Caribbean Island competitors and European destinations:

• Tegel Airport–Central Berlin | 6.4km | US$ 24.00 | US$ 3.75/km                
• Heathrow Airport–St. Paul’s | 30km | US$ 89.15 | US$ 2.97/km
• Vigie Airport, Castries-Rodney Bay, St Lucia | 11.3km | US$ 25.00 |US$ 2.21/km            
• Pindling Airport Nassau–Paradise Island, Nassau, The Bahamas | 16km | US$ 32.00  US$ 2.00/km 
• JFK – Manhattan | 28km | US$ 45 | US$ 1.86/km (+ 15% tip = US$ 52.00)                
• Kingston –Mocking Bird Hill | 100km | US$ 165.00 | US$ 1.65/km                
• Paiarco Airport –Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago | 32km | US$ 20.00 | US$ 1.60/km 
• Grantley Adams Airport–Bridgetown, Barbados |13km | US$ 18.00 | US$ 1.38/km       
• Galeao Airport-Central Rio | 19.3km | US$21.75 | US$ 1.13/km                
• Hong Kong Airport– Central Hong Kong | 40km  US$ 45.00 | US$ 1.13/km                         
• Singapore Airport-Singapore | 20km | US$ 22.00 | US$ 1.10/km
• Hewanorra Airport-Rodney Bay, St Lucia |68km | US$ 75.00 |US$ 1.10/km 
• Bangkok Airport-Central Bangkok | 35km | US$ 12.00 | US$0.34/km  

Grateful thanks to Travelin Librarian & Mich Groff for use of JTB taxi license & Jamaican road imagery

Share with your friends

The Human Side of Science

Today in Copenhagen it was announced that our fragile seas and oceans are becoming acidic at a faster rate than any time in the last 55 million years – a disaster for sea-life and of course our subsequent food supplies in Jamaica – fish is part of our staple diet.

There are people on the world political stage like Sarah Palin who believe that “environmental policymaking is about weighing real-world costs and benefits – not pursuing a political agenda” which is always interesting to read particularly when the disbelievers are of the opinion that climate change this isn’t man made.  We’d love to invite her to Jamaica to experience the change in the weather patterns over the last 50 years and the impact this has had on a Caribbean island, attempting to repair itself after the fallout of another hurricane.  

Rather than emulating politicians who believe the world’s fate is out of human hands and in the hands of God, at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill we prefer to try and work towards slowing down the rate of carbon in the atmosphere by doing our bit ourselves.   

We believe that the more people are educated or experience the impact of these new weather conditions affect on developing world countries, the more people would be politicized and do the same.  

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill’s Human Side of Science Tips 

1.      Storage & packaging

Choose deposit bottles instead of card board boxes or plastic bottles.

Return packaging to suppliers such as egg trays or use re-usable plastic trays that and  just wash out and keep reuse.

At the supermarket opt for the bio-degradable cartons rather than the Styrofoam or plastic egg cartons.

Wash out plastic bags and re-use them. We even use the individual packaging from the toilet rolls!

Store food in reusable plastic boxes with lids instead of throwaway cling-wrap.  

Pack picnic lunches in re-usable boxes rather than Styrofoam.

2.       Creative Menu Planning to use up Left-Overs

We have great fun in seeing how far we can use food to create new things and avoid wastage. If you do end up with leftovers, you can get adventurous and rustle up some great dishes out of scraps. Bits and pieces of cheese are great for using to make a cheese sauce or use in a quiche or pizza; Black Bean Salsa can be used to make Black Bean Chili and the leftovers of that was used to make Mixed Bean Soup.

At breakfast we offer a variety of home-made breads – and the broken bits and ends are all gathered to make scrumptious bread puddings. The dinner rolls and savoury breads we make are either toasted to make breadcrumbs or we use them make the delicious Italian tomato and bread Salad, Panzanella.

3.     Reducing Waste in Other Areas

Replace disposable utensils with washable and reusable ones wherever possible.

Use re-usable wipe up cloths instead of throwaway paper towels that can be washed in the washing machine and used over and over again.

Re-use bits of old soap, if you mix them with warm water, the solution make a good nature-safe insect spray for plants).

Check for expiry dates to avoid food spoiling soon after purchasing.  Do not buy damaged, bruised goods, bacteria  thrives in bruised areas and leads to spoilage.  

4.     Waste Separation

The more one separates one’s waste the easier it is to recycle or re-use them – you should separate: paper, bottles, tins, cartons, food scraps, and organic waste are separated.

Have a large stock pot so that all vegetable peelings go straight into the pot and are boiled to use in fresh stock or for soup each day.. It just adds so much flavour to anything rather than cooking with plain water!

When preparing fruit for breakfast, have another pot into which you can place all the skins and core etc. when cleaning the pineapple. Boil this and then strain to make fresh fruit punch.

Whatever cannot be used for juices or stock gather and compost to make rich mulch for our garden and where possible if your garden is big enough to feed your kept chickens.

Glass bottles are used as candle holders in the gardens after cutting off the tops, as flower bed borders. One can purchase a plastic feeder attachment which one screws onto bottles and converts as birdfeeders by hanging upside down.  We have used bottles to create wall lamps and are currently working on making chandeliers. Bottles can also be used effectively when building garden walls.

5.    Linen

Use cloth napkins to avoid one-use disposable paper napkins and also have lovely silver and steel cocktail swirlers that can be used as re-usable straws rather than the plastic ones.

Also try using a “napkin-pouch” ( napkin rings can be used at home) where guests can place their napkins to reuse again at the next meal if not soiled – reusing them saves a lot of laundry and lowers utility costs by using les water, heat, electricity not to mention reducing detergent usage and saving ironing!  

Torn napkins are used for polishing brass and silver.

Worn placemats are sewn together to make a rustic, colourful-looking rugs.

Old towels and bath mats are used as mops and recycled by our maintenance team to wipe paint brushes etc.

6.    Office

 Make note and draft pads by using paper that has only been used on one side.

Shred paper after using on both sides and give to kindergarten or other hobby schools or even teach your children the art of papier mache. We give our paper to a women’s co-operative that makes handmade paper.

Reuse envelopes using labels.  

Use rechargeable batteries.

Use newspapers to polish windows, glass doors and oil lamps. 

Share with your friends

Sail Fans Ahoy – Lightning Bolt Lunch & Stir Crazy Cookery Classes

Calling all sailors and Clipper Sailing Fans, you are cordially invited to the Mille Fleurs Restaurant, part of Jamaica’s No.1 Eco Boutique hotel Mocking Bird Hill for a sailing luncheon with a difference.    Not only will you receive a cookery class on how to spice up those rows of tins in the galley that send Foodies stir crazy but a special daily Lightning Bolt Luncheon will be served in celebration of the Jamaican Clipper Boat named after Usain Bolt.

These sailor specials are timed to coincide with the arrival of the Clipper Round the World Race that will be moored at the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio Jamaica from the 16th-22nd May 2010. 

The cookery course will use tins that are readily available at supermarkets as the teams stock up for their final leg back to the UK.  Our intention is to prepare dishes that provide not just a healthy diet but one that is delicious too.  Key ingredients that are looked at with fresh eyes to create memorable boat dinners include Butter Beans, Red Peas, Kidney Beans, Bammy, Sardines or Mackerel, Polenta & Corn Beef. 

The menu for the luncheon will celebrate the very best in locally grown seasonal ingredients that quite literally burst with vitamins and the taste of the tropics, whilst cooking techniques highlight Jamaica’s flair as the fusion island of the Caribbean.

Lightning Bolt Luncheon & Stir Crazy Cookery Class US $85

*Jamaican style Escovitsh Fish served with Bammy
*Coconut, Callaloo and Pumpkin Rice,
*Fried Plantain
*Green Mango Slaw
*Dessert Medley: Blue Mountain Coffee Crème Brulee, Rum Parfait and Homemade Coconut Ice-cream with fresh fruit Salad

Price includes 2 glasses of wine & coffee and a gift of homemade Jerk Sauce.

Paid shuttles can be arranged for crews participating at the race or for friends and family we suggest staying at our very own intimate boutique hotel.  All guests staying at the hotel will be invited to our invite only Cocktail Party that Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is hosting for the Jamaican Clipper Team.   Port Antonio’s infamous ‘Mento’ group – the Jolly Boys,  who famously used to play for Errol Flynn – and are guaranteed to get everyone up dancing. 

Please note depending on demand these specials will be held on Day 3 & Day 4 of the Clipper Boats actual arrival at the Errol Flynn Marina.

For more information, group booking rates please contact the hotel directly.

Share with your friends

Coming Home – A Sustainable Romantic Roots Celebration

 Al Fresco Terrace Dining in February, Mille Fleurs Restaurant, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill

How nice it is to go home to Jamaica and escape those long cold dark winter nights that living in the Northern Hemisphere bring until Spring-time.   The lush land of wood & water is the place to escape back to, where the knockout smell of Thyme-infused fish, Rice ‘n’ Peas brings with it the knowledge that you can relax and switch off.  But how often does ‘going home’ end up not so much a holiday but a catch-up?  How often does going home actually mean the holiday broken up into 2 with you and your family exploring a new part of Jamaica?  

Hotel Mockingbird Hill in Port Antonio could be just the place to stay for those that are considering going home to Jamaica for a family holiday but longing to combine it with a few days away and exploring part of Jamaica’s lush rich North East coast. Quieter and less commercial than some of its West End Resort brothers, the area of Port Antonio is the perfect place to explore especially if you are a Jerk fan – this is where it started after all!

Twice voted the Caribbean’s Best  Green Hotel and recently recommended by OK Magazine, a short break at intimate eco boutique Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, guarantees you and your family not just a green holiday but one which promotes sustainable tourism,  ensuring that members of the local Portland community are benefiting from your holiday in Jamaica.  Whether it is from tucking into the delicious locally produced organic goat cheese supplied to the Mille Fleurs Restaurant, captained by Jamaican Chef Melvin Laidlaw, or at the end of the day enjoying the Chocolate Tea Balls supplied by the ladies of the St Mary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, you will have the tastes of home brought to you whilst benefiting local producers. You may even want to invest in one of the beautiful recycled photograph albums made by the ladies at Fairy Hill – the perfect place to display memories of your ‘holiday’ .

For those who want to explore the Blue Mountains we suggest a day excursion led by Colonel Frank Lumsden, leader of the local Charles Town Maroons.  In between darting amongst the streamer tailed humming birds and mongooses, the ever-so-charming Colonel traces the history of the Maroons, whose ancestors , from Ghana in West Africa, have contributed so much to Jamaica’s culture. For anyone considering a holiday around Valentine’s Day in Jamaica to get back to their roots, a stay at Hotel Mocking Bird Hill could be just that as you can drop in on the nearby 20th annual Fi Wi Sinting festival – a celebration of Jamaica’s African Heritage that is held on Valentine’s Day at the beautiful Somerset Falls in Hope Bay, Portland.  

A short break holiday in February at Port Antonio's Hotel Mockingbird Hill starts at US255 per night for a Garden View Double Room.

Share with your friends

Next Page »