I keep running across this hotel when I research Port Antonio. It seems to get good reviews. Any opinions here?

Well .... Hmmm...... This is an interesting place ! looks like a huge manor , pillars , black and white checks everywhere , filled with REAL antiques and artwork , and crystal ! The owner is an actual Countess , a real character herself , supposedly something was up between she and the other character in portie , the man who owns The Trident ( they are both older now , some sort of sordid scandal , hotels changing ownership etc.) I have known people who have stayed here , some found it spooky ( sort of The Shining thing happening , all the staff missing etc. ) Others found the quirkiness charming ! Parts of How Stella Got Her Groove Back were filmed here ! It is almost into Portie itself , so not quite as convenient to beaches if u do not have a car . Did you look at San San tropez ? You cant go wrong with Goblin Hill , or even Fern Hill . Faith .

It's a real anomaly for Porty, and more appropriate to Ochi. Faith has it right when she calls it rather like The Shining. Wouldn't be my first choice, nor would Trident...

Funny , while we were there last year , the crew and familys of , ... uhh ... hmm you know , that show ??? , were staying at The Jamaica Palace , she was lonely , and begged us to come visit , she said besides the crew there was no- one there !!

faitheie I've always wanted to at least tour it...a pool the shape of Jamaica and that setting sound pretty unusual. Trident too...I know a fellow Jamaicaphile whose opinion I trust that stayed there for two nights and reports that it's pretty neat...for a short stay. Dinner jackets and all that....not my style, but probably a fun experience anyway.

There are so many intriguing places to check out in Portland I could hotel-hop there for a couple of weeks

Hi Liza !!! Definitely a cool looking place ! What intrigued me was the history , the owner of the Blue Lagoon gave us the scoop . As I said , we did meet one couple who loved it, they found all the quirkiness charming , they were amazed by the art , crystal , etc. portie is just that , COOL ! A story around every corner ! Faith .

Thanks for the info - Goblin Hill is booked for our dates so I was looking into alternatives.

San san tropez is in a convenient spot , in between Frenchmans and san San beaches . cute little spot with a pool and restaurant . you can definitely walk to both beaches . They also rent rooms at one of the Blue Lagoon villas .... I will try to find out which one . Do you have a car ?

cartera you might look into Fern Hill, they have a couple of staffed villas there if they're open (heard they're closed for renovation but not sure if they've reopened or not). They also have standard rooms that are quite nice and $99 suites (which we stayed in).

Moon San gets mixed reviews but you might check it out, it's much closer to the water than the others.

This site has pics and you can ask them what hte deal is right now:

http://www.portantonio-onestop.com/f...l/fernmain.htm

Thanks Liza and Faithie. I'm open to getting a car but best case scenario would be not to and then get a driver for trips. I can't recall if you had a car or not, Faithie. You fly into Kingston for Portland, right? I am hoping airfare will take a dip.

I'm getting overloaded so I'll ask - assuming all were available - what is my best choice - Rio Vista, Jamaica Heights, Goblin Hill (I think they are booked) Fern Hill. San San Tropez looks nice too. With which ones could I forego renting a car?

Well they all will have drivers available for trips.....I think GH is closest to the beach of those, Fern Hill was walkable to the beach but I wouldn't want to walk back (long way uphill).

Kingston is closer to Porty, about 2 hours drive, MoBay is more like 4.

Do all of your options cost the same? That might help you make the call.

You would need a car for Jamaica Heights as well as Rio Vista ( both are very nice , BUT... definitely out of the way if you do not have a car ! , and Taxis would get expensive ). We had Derrons car service pick us up in Kingston , then that is generally who we used around town etc. Goblin Hill uses them and they have a free shuttle to take you to frenchmans , San San is not the free acess beach with Goblin Hill Villas , now it is French Mans cove . San San costs around 5 U.S. pp . If you stay at Fern Hill it is free , whats up with Fern Hill? Is it still open ? Anyway from San San Tropez , G.H., F.H. , you can walk to Frenchmans Cove , as well as San San Beach . We used port antonio onestop last year , they are from here in Canada , and SUPER to deal with , they will arrange the pick - up at airport , and get a bit better rate ,. They will book the hotel , for the same price as listed on the hotels sites . www.portantonio-onestop.com . Bob and Susan are there names and the site is super ! It is SOOOO beautiful there ! Lucky You !! San San is a cute spot , again a convenient location , along with G.H. , and F.h. , you can walk to Blue Lagoon , and both the beaches . Need to take a taxi to get tp pretty Winnifreds .

Catera:Rent a car == you'll want the flexibility, freedom and mobility anyway to get around and see things / just as you would if you were staying closer in-town. The driving's not a madhouse but the roads are twisty and steep and rarely lit at night. That said, I'd recommend RIO VISTA as a real safe haven. Then you can explore -- the drives are amazing views -- all the way to Long Bay for best beach/waves, to Winnifred's and other small pocket beaches, to Frenchman's Cove for the picture-postcard beach, to Blue Hole and San San which are lush areas -- like all this parish -- with philodendron on steroids climbing the trees , rainforest. In-town Porty:the market, Demontevin Lodge, the Chinese gambling halls, is small and enjoyable. Carolyn Barrett uses Moon San as an overnighter/base camp when she's touring with guests in area -- one she knows well if you really want to go off the beaten track. We once repped it but found guests hated it/but like everything else in Jamaica, what some people hate, others love.

Rio Vista is near the last station of the Rio Grande river tour , perched high on a bluff near the river edge , and looking out to the sea in the distance . It is highly rated , and the owners cooking is raved about , was even featured in Gourmet magazine . But you DO need a car . In truth , we found it a bit far from the things we were there to do , mainly the beaches with a few tours , trips to town etc. Whereas the san san beach , F.Cove , Blue Lagoon , BostonBeach , etc. are on the east side of the town , Rio Vista is on the west . But we had young kids who dont like to be in a car a lot !! Faith

"philodendron on steroids climbing the trees"

Ain't that the truth. It is one weird experience to look at such huge plants and realize you have a mini-version in a pot on the windowsill in your house and they are the same species!

Here's one that's taken over a tree and water tower (photo from Port Maria in St. Mary, a little west of Portland):

http://gallery.hookahheads.com/albums/album569/aae.jpg

We were in Costa Rica 2x before our trip to Port Antonio , while we were there I kept remarking on the incredible foilage and lushness . In some places it does not look real , almost like it was done for a movie set ! We recently returned from our third trip in C.R. , and Portland parish is every bit as lush and exotic as the jungles we saw there !