Enjoy some authentic Jamaican delights
Hotel Mockingbird Hill is all about homegrown hospitality
Asustainable,10-bedroom enclave in the hills surrounding Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountains, Hotel Mockingbird Hill welcomes guests with simple lodging and homemade comforts.
It won’t be for everyone: There is no elevator or shuffling butler, but staff is friendly and genuine in their efforts to help you make the most of your time in Port Antonio.
Little touches like “cocoa tea” (a Jamaican version of hot chocolate) left in your room for you to take home and the pre-dinner appetizer offerings like Solomon Gundy (a pickled fish pate) offer an authentic slice of Jamaica.
What you shouldn’t miss are the evening sunsets (stunning views from your up-high perch), the chance to dine among the stars on the porch patio reserved for special occasions and chats with owners Barbara Walker and Shireen Aga, whose views on the promise the country still holds are enlightening.
Price: Starting at $248 (U.S.) per night for a Garden View room. The luxury suite starts at $553 (U.S.) per night. Taxes included. Rates vary by season and size.
Location: If you’re looking for roadside carvings made in China, or allinclusives filled with tourists, you’ve come to the wrong spot. This is Port- land, Jamaica, home to white sand beaches set in jungle groves, and the lusty lore of Errol Flynn. In Port Antonio, its capital, you’ll find a bona fide Jamaican experience complete with singsong accents, local markets and small town hospitality. Once a thriving banana shipping port, today, the seaside town offers a quieter alternative to the Jamaica you might be used to.
Dining: The award-winning restaurant Mille Fleurs offers plays on traditional Jamaican flavours and spices while celebrating the bounty available from local producers (most within 100 kilometres of the hotel). Menu items change nightly at the restaurant voted number one in Port Antonio by TripAdvisor in 2014. Meatless Mondays mean you’ll go vegetarian (and like it!) at least once a week. The rest of the week, don’t miss the jerk short ribs or caramelized pineapple with homemade coconut ice cream, but it’s the hearty Jamaican breakfast options that will start your day on the right note.
Comfort and design: The hotel thrives on a sustainability model (note the chandeliers made from recycled glass) that means that water conservation is a high priority and air conditioning is non-existent. You won’t miss it, though: rooms are simply furnished with well-placed fans and verandas with gorgeous views of the surrounding 6.5 acres of tropical gardens and the Caribbean Sea.
Service: Service is old-world Caribbean hospitality. You’ll know the staff by name before long, and they’ll linger to chat when you want to. Don’t miss an opportunity to cook with the chefs and take home a few recipes.
Downside: The hardest part about the stay will be getting here. Expect about four hours in the car on a smooth, new road out of Montego Bay. Newly paved roads will also make it easier from Kingston (2.5 hours) in the months ahead. Hire a car and driver through Paradise Tours to get here from either. Heather Greenwood Davis’s visit to Port Antonio was subsidized in part by the Jamaican Tourist Board, which didn’t review or approve this story.