Portland Jamaica Staycation

Last Summer I spent a wonderful few days in Portland with my boyfriend over a holiday weekend. The parish of Portland, Jamaica (affectionately known as “Portie”) is and has always been my favourite. The landscape is always so beautiful and lush.  You get the feeling that you truly may have found paradise.

Where I stayed:

La Solana Villas

We decided on this staycation relatively last-minute and so it was a little bit of a challenge to find somewhere to stay. During my research, I was lucky to chance upon a property named La Solana Villas. I’d never heard of them before, but what I really liked was that they had one bed-room villas. I tend to prefer a boutique setting to a big hotel, but finding a villa-type accommodation just for a couple in not very common. I decided to go for it and was very glad I did.

The view was absolutely stunning. From the bedroom you could see right across San San bay.

Though in need of a few updates, it suited our needs quite fine. There was a kitchen fully stocked with utensils, a spacious living area and an en suite bedroom.

There are two other villa units on the property, another one bedroom and a two bedroom. The pool and deck are shared, but luckily we had the place to ourselves that weekend. I enjoyed my stay there and would stay again.

Where I ate:

• The Italian Job

  On the way down to the villa we stopped at the Italian Job in Port Antonio . We had a done to order Hawaiian (thin crust) pizza and it was yummy. They also sell pizza by the slice, as well as other dishes such as calzones at reasonable prices.

Website: The Italian Job

• Woody’s Low Bridge Place

Woody’s came highly recommended, on TripAdvisor and by word of mouth. My dad is not really a burger fan, but even he suggested I stop by. Maybe it was the holiday weekend rush, but my burger was a little flat to me. I might give them another go before I draw final conclusions.

Website: Woody’s

• Boston Jerk

Boston Jerk Centre is world-renowned and is representative of jamaica’s street food culture. I’m actually not a big fan of the chicken usually (in comparison to my other favourite jerk spots), but the pork is not to be missed. I’ve been hearing that there have been some problems with consistency recently, but my order was exactly that which I have come to expect.

Website: Boston Jerk

• Portland Cliff hanger

On the drive out to Long Bay, I decided I wanted to check out somewhere new I had heard about – The  Portland Cliffhanger. It is located in a very picturesque spot atop a cliff with a lovely view. The menu was a little limited, and a little overpriced I thought for what was offered. The meal was not memorable to be honest. The waiter explained to me that they were still a relatively new operation. The plan that once the on site guest lodgings were opened, the restaurant offerings would be expanded thereafter. At the moment I probably wouldn’t go back for a meal, but I’d definitely stop by for some drinks. Nice chill spot.

Website: Portland Cliffhanger

What I did:

• Rafting

Rafting on the Rio Grande is one of the activities that Portland is famous for.  You take a leisurely, nearly 8- mile ride down river on handmade bamboo rafts. I had been rafting before, but my boyfriend hadn’t so I decided to introduce him to it.

The scenery is quite lovely and you can ask your captain to stop along the way at any of the many great spots for a refreshing swim. Full details on that experience here.

Tip:  Take along a hat with you, as well as sunscreen.

• Drive to Portland Cliffhanger and Reach Falls

I decided that I wanted to go for a drive out further east to Long Bay as I hadn’t been beyond Boston Bay in years. I had decided beforehand that we would have lunch at Cliffhanger that I mentioned above. After the meal, my boyfriend suggested that since we were so far out, that we should just round out the day with a visit to Reach Falls.

Entry Fees for Reach Falls:

Residents: Adult J$500
Child (4-11 years old) J$250

Non-residents: Adult US$10 (or equivalent)
Child (4-11 years old) US$5

• Winnifred Beach

Winnifred Beach is one of my favourite beaches in Jamaica. My cousins and some family friends organise an annual beach BBQ there; usually over the Easter weekend or during August. Though a public beach, it is rarely very crowded. There is a bit of a tricky drive to get down to the beach from the main road, so I wouldn’t advise driving a vehicle that sits very low.

Need more information about Portland, Jamaica?

Let me know in the comments below or at [email protected]