Port Royal

Port Royal Review

Just south of Kingston, Port Royal was called "the wickedest city in Christendom" until an earthquake tumbled much of it into the sea in 1692. The spirits of Henry Morgan and other buccaneers add energy to what remains. The proudest possession of St. Peter's Church, rebuilt in 1726 to replace Christ's Church, is a silver communion set said to have been donated by Morgan himself (who probably obtained it during a raid on Panama). A ferry from the square in downtown Kingston goes to Port Royal at least twice a day, but most visitors arrive by road, continuing past the airport to this small community. If you drive out to Port Royal from Kingston, you pass several other sights, including remains of old forts virtually overgrown with vegetation, an old naval cemetery (which has some intriguing headstones), and a monument commemorating Jamaica's first coconut tree, planted in 1863 (there's no tree there now, just plenty of cactus and scrub brush). You can no longer down rum in Port Royal's legendary 40 taverns, but a few small bars remain in operation.