# Negril.com Message Board Forums > Port Antonio Message Board >  Pics from our Visit Nov. 2015

## bigbamboo

It was our first time to Portland, we'll definitely be heading back. The food was amazing. The people were amazing. The views were amazing. And the vibe was spot on. These pics are of Norse Point, the Rio Grande river and Reich Falls. I can't wait to visit again. If you like these pics let me know and I'll load a few more.

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## Vince

Sweet pics!! THANK YOU!!!! :Wink:

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## bigbamboo

Cool here are a few more that actually include the Rio Grande and Reich falls lol.

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## Vince

IMO, These are pictures of da year!! Next trip, you got me adding this trip to dat side of da island!!!!! :Wink:

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## TAH

Very nice, keep them coming please! Portland may just be next for us, been thinking about it for years.

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## *vi*

Thank you so much for posting pictures!!!!  Yes, please give us all you got!

So glad you and your wife had a good time, bigbamboo.  Its no secret how I feel about that amazing part of Jamaica so I'm all smiles when others leave with plans to return.  I was in Portland about 3 weeks ago.  I stopped by Norse Point to see Verona.  She was cooking something scrumptious smelling for her soon-to-arrive guests.  Could that have been you and your wife???

I see you made it to the marina.  Did you venture onto Bikini Beach??  Isn’t Reach Falls an incredible experience???  Had plans to go there but ran out of time.

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## JitterBug

my favorite place as far as people, views, feel . . . thanks for sharing . . .
i too was there in mid october ...

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## sammyb

Love Love your photos, I'm with Vi, give us all you've got!

So glad to hear you loved Portland, that place holds a special spot in my heart.

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## bigbamboo

> I was in Portland about 3 weeks ago.  I stopped by Norse Point to see Verona.  She was cooking something scrumptious smelling for her soon-to-arrive guests.  Could that have been you and your wife???
> 
> I see you made it to the marina.  Did you venture onto Bikini Beach??  Isnt Reach Falls an incredible experience???  Had plans to go there but ran out of time.


Hey vi* that may have been us, we arrived on Oct. 30th to a great meal of Brown Stew Chicken, Peas and Rice, Cole Slaw, and Salad with a great vinaigrette. Verona is one hell of a cook! We didn't make it to Bikini Beach this trip but will definitely hit it on future trips. 

Thanks everyone for digging the pics, here are some more. I have some more that I will post over the next few days..... Such an amazing trip.

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## JitterBug

love all of them . . . thank you . . .

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## takinitslow

Man I am so stoked for my first visit to Portland. I love Negril but am really ready for a new adventure.

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## billndonna

Great pictures,thanks for sharing them!

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## irie always

Group of 6 of us venturing off to Port Antonio for our first 3 days, in Feb. Our list of things to do is growing, I think we'll be exhausted when we leave and ready for a little R&R when we get to Seastar. So "Bikini Beach", have not come across that in our research, guess we have some more homework to do. 
Bigbamboo - please give more details on your adventures :Cool:

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## johng

irie always

Port Antonio is a trip!!! Looks like JA did in the 70-80's, a great thing not bad. So much opportunity for awesomeness, not sure of best place to stay. Used to some very cool spots up on Tichfield, overlooking Navy Island. Check out the Folly Ruins too, story behind it amazing. All the beaches you probably know. Fairy Hill and Boston Bay eastward. If you have a car a ride around the east end of the island to Kingston is very cool. You will really Love Port Antonio / Portland.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5L9yVx3VbM

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## sammyb

> Group of 6 of us venturing off to Port Antonio for our first 3 days, in Feb. Our list of things to do is growing, I think we'll be exhausted when we leave and ready for a little R&R when we get to Seastar. So "Bikini Beach", have not come across that in our research, guess we have some more homework to do. 
> Bigbamboo - please give more details on your adventures


Bikini Beach is a restaurant on the beach at the Marina 


Photos are sooo nice, please keep them coming.  Yes, LOVE Verona's cooking as well....she has a lovely spirit!

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## kaycee

Lovely pics  :Smile:

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## *vi*

The beach is located off the marina.  You pass Marybelles Pub on the way to the beach.  

The delightful, intimate bikini beach has its own restaurant and bar on it.  Along with dining tables, picnic tables, free cabanas and loungers.  The bar tender is a sweetheart!!!  Theres also a very pleasant gentleman who sells ice cold jelly coconuts and various fruits from his yard.  He was asking 100JA for 3 mangos.  Thats a steal so I gave him 200JA.  A life guard  is on duty during day/afternoon hours.  

This spot is a sort of downtown oasis.  Port Antonio is very busy during the day Monday thru Saturday.  However, the marina/bikini beach, a few steps from the hustle and bustle, is like entering a whole new region.    Definitely worth checking out.  I can post a couple of pictures if its okay with *bigbambo*.

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## takinitslow

I am interested in pics Vi as I am preparing a list of places I want to check out the week im there

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## *vi*

Here are a couple from my October visit *takinitslow*.  BTW...when are you going?

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## bigbamboo

> I can post a couple of pictures if its okay with *bigbambo*.


Post away!!!! Portland is amazing, let's share!

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## bigbamboo

> Bigbamboo - please give more details on your adventures


Well I'll tell you, we had an amazing time. I'll bore you with a few thoughts and a little background. My wife, the amazing Ms. Laura, and I love visiting Jamaica. I went to Negril for the 1st time in the late 80's, after my discharge from the Marine Corps, and I realized that this was someplace special. Great vibes, great fun and an amazing experience for a 22 year old kid. Then life got in the way. Raised an amazing son, got him through college, and it was time to reconnect with Jamrock. Reconnection started when I brought Ms. Laura, for the first time to Jamaica to the Riu in Negril. We did the all-inclusive for a week with off-campus trips sprinkled in. To my luck Ms. Laura loved it, loved the off campus trips better, and the game was on. So Negril was our destination for quite a few years and we did the beach, we did the cliffs, we did other places in Westmoreland and then we decided to go to the other end of the Island. Portland.

It was our first time flying into Kingston and we were stoked. Customs/immigration was a breeze. We didn't have a driver prearranged so we went with a JUTA rep at the gate and we hired a driver for a pre-fix rate ($150 US) to Portland. The driver ignored the directions we gave him to the property so we made the trip along the coastal route from Kingston to San San beach. It was an hour longer, even after a long day of air travel,but  it was incredible. The views, the smells, the music (our driver had some awesome jams) made it a very enjoyable trip. 

We made it to our place at dusk and Verona had brown stew chicken ready for us which was incredible. When we were done with dinner we finished our icey Red Stripes and then we crashed. After 15 hours of travel (air/ground) and a great meal,we were done. I'll update the rest of our trip shortly..

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## bigbamboo

Here are some more pics of our trip.

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## Summer

Thanks for the report and the pics bigbamboo. The scenery is to die for.....warms up this cold Canada night.

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## bigbamboo

> Thanks for the report and the pics bigbamboo. The scenery is to die for.....warms up this cold Canada night.


Keep your chin up, only 5 more months of winter  :Wink:

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## sammyb

Beautiful!!!!

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## JitterBug

bigbamboo, i love portland's scenery . . . breathtaking . . . stress free . . . thanks!!

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## johng

JitterBug, ever hike to top of Blue Mountain Peak??? Some stress in getting there but breathtaking at it's best!!

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## Vince

These picture are amazing!!

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## johng

Vince,

The road map to Zion

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## JitterBug

> JitterBug, ever hike to top of Blue Mountain Peak??? Some stress in getting there but breathtaking at it's best!!


no, too out of shape,  . . . scared of heights but managed driving 1/2 way up two times . . .

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## Vince

> Vince,
> 
> The road map to Zion
> 
> 
> Attachment 42769


 sweet!!!

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## irie always

I hear there is a Sangster's Rum Cream factory somewhere between Portland and Kingston - has anyone been to visit?

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## bigbamboo

Just a quick confession, I love food. I particularly love Jamaican food. The following trip reports will contain many food references... My apologies.

The peepers (our word for the frogs that just peep all night long) were in full throat the first night we arrived and that put me into a wonderful sleep. The next morning we 
were up bright and early for a morning swim. We were staying in the cove/harbor and all of the big waves broke on the reef about 300 yards from the dock. That meant calm 
water in the harbor which made the snorkeling a relaxing experience. The fish were plentiful and really colorful. The sea-urchins were equally plentiful and I was really 
thankful for the water shoes I brought.  We snorkeled for about half an hour and then sat on the dock to read for a while. Verona came by around 9:00am to start breakfast. 
Sitting on the dock I started to smell the intoxicating, inebriating,  beautiful scent of bacon. Not skimpy Oscar Myers Premium Cut bacon, but thick cut Jamaican bacon (I 
want to trademark "Jamaicon Bacon"). I knew today was going to be a great kick-off for the next week of our stay. Breakfast was incredible. We started off with 
mango, grapefruit, watermelon, pineapple, and papaya. The fruits were really fresh and tasty. Pair this with a steaming pot of coffee for me, and ginger tea for Ms Laura, 
and you're talking breakfast nirvana. The fruits were followed by a generous portion of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I'm known for napping after large meals but the 
look from Ms. Laura told me that today that would not be an option.

The plan for our trip was to go into Port Antonio, which is about 10-15 minutes away, hit the Cambio, grocery store and the market to pick up supplies for the next week. So
after breakfast we went into town.  The ride went along the coast and we passed San San Beach and Frenchmen's cove which are gorgeous and looked really chill.
After the typical toots of the horns and third lane passing we pulled into Port Antonio. It reminded me of Sav la Mar. As we approach the the roundabout I think, "what an  
amazing picture", it was then that I realize I had left my camera at home (confession;  a huge sub was eaten) and we didn't bring any phones. So I can only describe our visit.  First we went to the grocery 
store. I needed to convert some funds and we needed to settle up our bill for the stuff that had been purchased prior to our arrival. We also needed to buy provisions for the 
next week. 

The store was PACKED. I wanted to exchange some cash but, rookie mistake, I had left my passport at the house. Fortunately Verona knows and is known by everyone. So her 
vouching for me was good enough. I exchanged a couple of hundred US and we grabbed some necessities, Ting, Red Stripe and Grace Hot Sauce. After getting some more staples, butter, eggs, salt cod, BACON and the rest of 
the stuff we needed we were then ready for check out. I always pick the wrong line, every time, no matter the occasion. It was no different this morning. The line we queued in took
forever compared to the others. However, unlike at home, I didn't start to seethe. It didn't bother me. This island is like.... magical. Watching all of the people coming and going; getting
introduced to half of them by Verona, was really cool. 

After getting through with our purchases it was off to the produce market. Since it was Saturday all of the vendors were there. The current rage is farm to table; this
market couldn't bring any fresher produce and ingredients to a buyer. As we walked through market the sun was really starting to heat up so all of the vendors that didn't have a stall, had the blue tarps up over their 
displays. It was interesting to see how the different farmers displayed their wares and the colors were incredible. The reds of the Scotch Bonnet peppers and Tomatoes. The 
dark green to white of the Scallions (green onion). The yellow of the onions. Some farmers had specialties and only had one product, my guess was it was what's in season. We 
bought some good sized watermelons, Ackee, tomato, Scotch Bonnet, Mangoes, Breadfruit pineapple, papaya, green beans , Irish etc. etc.. It was all here.  I don't write well 
enough to describe the colors, sounds, smells and the  people. Take my word though; well worth the trip. So we had gotten our groceries, as well as our produce so the last thing to grab was 
the proteins. I love curried goat so we went to the butchery part of the market. A lot of stalls with giant cutting blocks and giant knives, saws, etc.  for cutting up 
the goods. Unfortunately they were out of any goat that Verona liked. So we decided to do goat another time. It will be fish for dinner tonight.

On the ride back to the house we got in touch with the fish guy to let him know our plans and he said he'd be by with the goods. So we headed off towards the Marina to take 
in some sights. I'll write more soon.

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## bigbamboo

> no, too out of shape,  . . . scared of heights but managed driving 1/2 way up two times . . .


I love your pics JitterBug!

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## sammyb

Enjoying your details bbamboo please keep it coming

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## JitterBug

i don't know but to me, porty looks nothing like sav!

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## bigbamboo

> i don't know but to me, porty looks nothing like sav!


By that I meant, the hustle and bustle, the street vendors, sites, sounds.... Not geographically or landscape wise.

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## Seveen

love the pictures and your writing

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## TizzyATX

Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing....Portland is next on my to-do list

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## Treasure BeachBum

Have bin thinking  of a trip to the Portland area. Is it best to fly into Kingston or Mobay.

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## bigbamboo

> Have bin thinking  of a trip to the Portland area. Is it best to fly into Kingston or Mobay.


Without a doubt Kingston. Shorter cab ride and a much much less busy airport. Customs and Immigration coming in and leaving was a complete breeze.

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## limeex2

Never heard of Portland until now. What a gorgeous spot! Thanks for the post and pictures.

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## bigbamboo

Continuation of Day 2

After finishing our shopping we headed back to the house to go for a swim but first we wanted to stop at the Errol Flynn Marina. What a beautiful property. Not only is this a great little marina for all of the caribbean sailors to anchor for a couple of nights, it is also where smaller cruise ships sometimes dock. They have the customs building, Immigration,etc. I thought to myself, cruise ship; what a cool way to get to this part of the Island. I wondered if I could get a cruise just to here and then fly home (remember; I had eaten a giant sub earlier and my mind was wandering). Ms. Laura pointing out the view of Port Antonio from the marina snapped me out of my deep thoughts and I was back in the present. These pics are from when we were coming back from town later on in the week and quickly drove through. I did want to get these pics since I had forgot my camera.




I wasn't expecting the Marina to be such a large space but it was pretty impressive. I hear there is a bar there, and Bikini Beach is close by, but we didn't stop. We had perishables from our visit to the market that needed refrigeration  and we just wanted to get back to the house and in the ocean. 

Once we got back to the house it was time to crack open some Red Stripe, set up some tunes and do absolutely nothing. The weather was perfect; high clouds, a gentle breeze, soul warming sun. I set up what was to be my throne of laziness for the next week. The throne consisted of a large,solid reclining lounge chair, covered with a thick cushion, and multiple towels. It was from this perch i was ready to watch the world go by. 




One of the cool things about where we were staying is it is right across from Pellew Island. The island has a small white sand beach and is completely protected from any waves. The majority of the visitors to the beach seemed that they were either vacationing Jamaicans or locals looking to go for a swim. Either way, there was a fairly light amount of boat traffic constantly going to and from the beach. Both regular fishermens boats and bamboo boats would visit the beach. I had a great view to observe the comings and goings and was provided a constant source of entertainment. 

I had been lounging for about 10 minutes, about half a beer (that's how I keep time while on vacation since I don't wear a watch), and Ms. Verona says from the kitchen "The fishmon is here." Way cool he delivers. So fishmon comes out to the patio with a beautiful Red Snapper. Verona whispers "I think the fish is light, more like 4".I had no idea what she meant.I didn't know the correct protocol for purchasing a fish brought to your place buy some random fishmon. It was then I realized I needed to barter both weight and price with this guy. So fishmon comes out with 7lbs as his opening bid. I look at him solemnly and say "No, that looks more like 4lbs". He looks at me like I am out of my mind. Fishmon then counters with 6lbs. I take a much closer look at the fish, I grab the dorsal fin and pull it up. I try to make it look like I know what the hell I'm doing. I ask him to hand it to me, he does, and I hold it out like I'm weighing it in my mind. As if I could tell tell the difference between a 6lb fish and a 4lb fish.I say "How about 5?" He says"Done". We then agree on $650 JMD per pound.

After we exchange the money he gets down to business. He takes off his red shirt, and in his t-shirt he walks down the stairs to the water and starts cleaning the fish. He scaled it first with a fork and then dressed the rest of the fish with a filet knife..  The guy was a total pro and he was done in no time. I gave him a Stripe for the road and it was back to the throne.




We had mentioned to Verona that we wanted to have lobster 2 of the nights that we were there. One night garlic butter style, the other night curried. Sure enough, 1 and a half Red Stripes later, I hear "Lobstahman here." So I get up to meet the lobstahman. Now that I was well versed on the appropriate way to conduct a fish or crustacean transaction, I confidently introduced myself. Lobstahman was a very nice older gentleman and he had a box full of lobster. When he opened the box and I saw them I said "Wow those are huge lobsters!". However, as soon as I said that, I knew I had lost all of my bargaining power with lobstahman.We quickly settled on a fair price that I know made him happy. I slipped him a Stripe for the road and all was well.





All transactions for the day being completed. It was time to do some snorkeling and relaxing. 

As the sun starts to go down, we sit down to eat. First we had a delicious pumpkin soup. That was followed with Red Snapper escoviche and steamed vegetables, fried Irish, and salad with a herb vinaigrette.While sitting there, watching the sunset, eating a great meal, listening to the peepers I remembered  how cool this island really is. More later.

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## TAH

Fantastic, man. Keep it coming.

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## JitterBug

just about perfect i'd say!! . . . love porty for the vibe . . .

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## billndonna

Great report and pictures,thanks for sharing!

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## Vince

Drooling..... :Wink:

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## sammyb

LOVIN every single second of this....sweet Portland sigh

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## Pisces

Tagging along and loving it....

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## Flipadelphia26

How is verona?

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## bigbamboo

> How is verona?


She's doing very well. What a great person.

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## 541lion

Awesome pics! I can't wait to make it back to port Antonio.. It's a different vibe than the other side of the island but I love it!

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## Rumghoul

I really enjoyed your pictures and trip report.  We (hubby and I) have been thinking it might be time to try Port Antonio.  We went to Negril for years (beach, then the cliffs).  Have been renting in Treasure Beach for last several years and maybe next year it will be time to try a new adventure.  Thanks for all the info!

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## Summer

Great report......love the pics

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## bigbamboo

All right all, small confession. I lost my notes on the trip from last year and God knows my memory is questionable at best (my imagination however is strong.) We're going to be back in Portland in April and I should be able to provide a complete trip report at that time,........ I hope.

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## Vince

yay! a trip report from PA. We NEED pictures! lol Safe travels!

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## OAngie

More please loving the report

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## heater

Hey! What happened!? I was reading along and loving it....it's like the last chapter being torn out of a book!

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