Portland Getaway: Day 1

I spent my last weekend in January enjoying the beautiful parish of Portland with my friends.

This was definitely one of my favourite trips to the parish because we had so many adventures & visited so many spots in 48 hours!

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My friend Alicia (the birthday girl) and I left Kingston around 9 AM on a coaster to Port Antonio. The journey wasn’t too bad. We were lucky enough to end up on the backseat with a man who was transporting market goods.

We got to Port Antonio at approximately 12 noon & met our friend Janice.

The itinerary for the day was all a surprise for the birthday girl & we enjoyed building her anticipation.

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Let the Adventure Begin…

The World Famous Blue Lagoon

Our first stop was the World Famous Blue Lagoon where we intended to do some rafting. Well Janice & Alicia would be rafting there was no way is hell I was going to get on. I would prefer rafting down a river & I heard that the Rio Grande raft course is fairly shallow, so I plan to raft there one day.

We opted for a boat tour which was really fun and informative thanks to our captain. We got a quick history lesson about the area as well as a picture break on Monkey Island.

The boat tour was very affordable. We each paid $1500 which I am not sure if that is the regular price but we appreciated it.

If you ever visit the Blue Lagoon, you can book through a tour company or just deal with the guys on site which we did. Make sure you deal with the guys in the branded blue polo shirts.

After the boat tour we headed to the Mineral which was really cold! Despite the temperature it was a nice secluded area which allowed for relaxation & some great pictures.

“The Blue Lagoon is a natural lagoon, situated roughly seven miles east of Port Antonio. The deep lagoon was once thought to be bottomless.

The site was originally called The Blue Hole. However, following the success of the Brooke Shields film “The Blue Lagoon” which was filmed here, the site was re-named. The Blue Lagoon has attracted many high profile visitors, including Robin Moore, who wrote the French Connection whilst living here.

There used to be a restaurant on the banks of the Lagoon but that was closed down following damage caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.”

Source: http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/destinations/portland/port_antonio/the_blue_lagoon.htm

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Great Huts Resort, Boston Bay

Our next stop was the beautiful & unique Great Huts Resort in Boston Bay a.k.a paradise on the edge. Our plan was to chill and have some drinks, however, we got there a bit too late based on the dinner plans we had.

Despite our lateness the staff was nice enough to give us a small tour of a section of the property.

The property was rustic and very Afrocentric. I didn’t want to leave at all because I was mesmerized by all the sculptures. The entire property was a tribute to our African ancestry.

We wanted to see the African Cultural show but that was scheduled to start at 7 PM and based on the time we left dinner it was too late.

Our mini tour included the beach club. From the beach club, we were able to see & hear the happenings at Boston Beach.

Despite the close proximity to Boston, the beach club was still secluded.

The beach cub  had its own bar and patrons can choose to relax either on a lounge chair or in a hammock.

As few metres from the bar was a little “cove” with chairs built into the rocks.

For only $1000, you can have access to the beach club for an entire day. I think its a nice space for a retreat with friends.

I am definitely going to plan a night over at Great Huts.

Check out their website here

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Cliffhanger Restaurant

I was excited for dinner because I had promised myself dinner at The Cliffhanger when I first visited last July (here).

It was a great way to end our adventure.

The service was nice. Our waitress was very attentive and constantly checked up on us during the meal which is something I appreciate whenever I dine at a restaurant.

I decided to go vegan for the night & ordered the Thai noodles in curry sauce.

After dinner we headed to the Errol Flynn Marina for some Devon House ice cream.

After desert we headed to Folly to meet up with a friend before heading home.

At the end of the night, we were so tired from our adventure that we retired early to bed.

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Thank you for reading Part 1 of my Portland Getaway.  See you on Sunday with Part 2.

Until then