# Negril.com Message Board Forums > Port Antonio Message Board >  Need Taxi Recommendation:  Strawberry Hill To Boston Bay

## mwenvlay

hi!!!

i know this particular board is rather quiet, but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions.

(i also posted a similar thread on TA, but only got two responses)

i'm looking to see if anyone has a taximan they could recommend who could pick us up at strawberry hill and take us to great huts.  it'll be myself, my husband and our 12 year old son.  we're fine with going through the mountains as opposed to the coastal route.  

i'm guessing (hoping!) the rate will be around $100, since i see you can get a cab from manley airport to port antonio for $120 and the trip would be shorter, starting from irishtown.  one guy quoted me $200, which i'm not interested in negotiating down from.

we'll be traveling last week of february and will also wind up needing someone in the area to drive us around to various things we want to do, but the immediate need is to find a safe ride to portland for a non rip-off rate.

thanks in advance!

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## mwenvlay

>sigh<

i wound up confirming a ride with warren mckenzie.  got a good vibe from him.

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## Odinson

Sorry I had no advice - we stayed at Geejam (once in a lifetime) and their guys drove us around.

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## mwenvlay

> Sorry I had no advice - we stayed at Geejam (once in a lifetime) and their guys drove us around.


did you like geejam?

the one thing that's holding me back from booking there is that i travel with my husband and our son and, aside from the villa that i can't pretend i can afford to rent, they don't have rooms with 2 beds.

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## Odinson

Geejam was pretty amazing.  Restaurant was great, service impeccable.  Loong walk down to a pristine beach.  Real rain forest atmosphere with crazy lush gardens, butterflies tangled in hummingbirds fighting for nectar.
The recording studio was pretty cool, M.I.A. checked out the day before we got there - fan of hers so I was blasting her tunes.  Got to see the Banksy wall art (I think there were 5) before they got painted over by a groundsman who thought they were just graffiti, the owner said he and Banksy were friends in the UK and he paid for his stay there with his art - no such deal for us, it is pretty expensive.  Their drivers took us all over Port Antonio and out to Reach Falls, Boston Bay, Soldier Camp, etc.
The only pool is in the villa, if that is not rented, you can use the pool. I was struck by the fact that in the same day (we flew from there to Negril) I was cool and bug free in Portland and then boiling and swarmed in Negril - the flight over the length of the island was incredible, such beautiful hills and valleys and so much green!
I would love to go back to Portland on the same kind of trip that also includes Negril but on our typical 4 night stays?  I choose Negril.




> did you like geejam?
> 
> the one thing that's holding me back from booking there is that i travel with my husband and our son and, aside from the villa that i can't pretend i can afford to rent, they don't have rooms with 2 beds.

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## mwenvlay

> The recording studio was pretty cool, M.I.A. checked out the day before we got there - fan of hers so I was blasting her tunes.  Got to see the Banksy wall art (I think there were 5) before they got painted over by a groundsman who thought they were just graffiti, the owner said he and Banksy were friends in the UK and he paid for his stay there with his art...
> 
> It was cool and bug free in Portland and then boiling and swarmed in Negril - the flight over the length of the island was incredible, such beautiful hills and valleys and so much green!
> 
> I would love to go back to Portland on the same kind of trip that also includes Negril but on our typical 4 night stays?  I choose Negril.


ha, yeah- i work in advertising and a former co-worker used to go to geejam all the time, because he worked on a big project for jon baker and jb hooked him up with free or seriously reduced prices.

i used to be a music writer and back in 2004, jon baker wanted to buy a package of photos we took of one of his then artists, that we shot out in negril for a cover story i did for the now-defunct magazine, the beat.  i quoted a really low price of $1,500 for unlimited worldwide usage and he counted with $250 and i let it drop, even though even then i knew i should've bargained for free room and board at the hotel.  oh, well...

i've spent a lot of time all over the island, but this will be my first time in portland parish in 13 years.  i'm a little burned out on negril tbh, and i'm psyched for my husband and son to check this part of the island out!  our trip is 10 days, so we can totally do blue mountains/boston bay/kingston in style.  i do miss the days when my trips were 14-21 days in length, though.

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## Vacationlovaa

> >sigh<
> 
> i wound up confirming a ride with warren mckenzie.  got a good vibe from him.


Warren is amazing!!!! his car is nice hes super adorable, caring patient and on time! i had him take us from ochi to long bay and he did it before the scheduled time!

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## mwenvlay

> Warren is amazing!!!! his car is nice hes super adorable, caring patient and on time! i had him take us from ochi to long bay and he did it before the scheduled time!


awesome, thank you for the co-sign!

i'm pretty sure we're going to ask him to drive us to moore town one of the days we're in porty, plus ask him to drive us back to kingston with a stop at cane river falls along the way.

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## mwenvlay

pre-trip update:

on 1/20, i whatsapped warren to say hello and confirm that he will be picking us up on 2/23 to take us over to great huts.  he responded in under 2 minutes and told me we are confirmed.

really looking forward to driving with him.

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## ohliz

I'm not sure Irish Town is any closer to Boston, I'd think most drivers would go back through Kingston and over Junction rather than take that little mountain road over to Porty, but maybe not.  I guess I've never started at that spot and gone over, just up that road a bit on both ends.  

What did Warren say about  the route, I'm curious?

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## mwenvlay

> I'm not sure Irish Town is any closer to Boston, I'd think most drivers would go back through Kingston and over Junction rather than take that little mountain road over to Porty, but maybe not.  I guess I've never started at that spot and gone over, just up that road a bit on both ends.  
> 
> What did Warren say about  the route, I'm curious?


according to google maps, taking the mountain road is 10 minutes faster than taking the coastal route, which means it's probably the longer ride, since you know we're going to get stuck behind a million and one slow moving trucks.

warren actually didn't comment on the route- i told him we're fine with taking the mountain road and got no reaction either way.  the kind of driver i imagine he is, i'm guessing he's fine with either route- mountain or coastal.  it's probably the passenger's comfort level with mountain driving that decides how a taxi driver goes.  i personally haaaaaate mountain driving (as a passenger- i don't drive) but no matter how many times i say "never again," i always wind up on some crazy mountain road.  my husband looooooooves mountain roads (as a driver).  i'm fine with taking that route, because i'd like to come out at buff bay and pass through port antonio on our way to boston bay.  the coast is gorgeous that way.

and i can already tell this trip is going to be nothing but mountain roads for a big part of our travels- i really want to go to moore town, and that seems to be an hour or so back into the mountains.  

i haven't asked warren if he can drive us back to kingston, but i'm assuming he or his brother will be able to.  i'll ask to take the coastal route on that trip, because i like the ride past morant bay and also because i want us to stop off at cane river falls.

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## mwenvlay

having completed my trip to portland, i am back to say:

warren mckenzie for the win!




*warren is in the middle*







whatsapp:  876.883.9081




excellent driver

knows portland like the back of his hand

all the locals know and respect him

curteous and quiet, not a big joker (which i like) and obviously VERY aware of what's going on around him

does not get on his phone while you're in his care (a huge pet peeve of mine and my husband- all of the kingston drivers STAY on their phones while they're on the clock for you)

excellent communication when setting and confirming plans

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