"Port Antonio, Jamaica's Hidden Jewel"

Rafting the Rio Grande: a must-do outing. Take a bamboo raft down Jamaica's main river for two hours as it snakes past jungles and rainforest. Your raftsman knows every inch and piece of wildlife along the way.

Diving the Blue Lagoon: check into the watersports center and explore the azure underwater world of the Blue Lagoon. Snorkel, scuba, or paddle this spectacularly beautiful inlet.

Take a side trip to Navy Island: island hideaway of the late Errol Flynn, this perfect offshore island has its own beaches, hotel and taste of colonial history.

Quick Tips:

The best local outfit to explore the Port Antonio region with is Valley Hikes. They do full-day, half-day trips into the neighboring Rio Grande Valley, rainforests and a beach trip to the nearby surfer hideaway of Long Beach. Contact them at: uniquedest@aol.com or check out the website at: www.portantoniojamaica.com

Best Way To Get Around:

You need your own wheels if you are travelling independently to this part of the island. Island Car Rentals is the largest and most experienced national car rental agency on the island.

This resort property features private villas on a hill overlooking Port Antonio with some wonderful views of the coastline. You have your own housekeeper who prepares all meals at the hotel for you. There is a pool, nightclub and bar area, tennis courts and access to the beach down the hill. This is an ideal getaway for honeymoon couples!

Situated right on the beach with its own 55 acres to explore, Dragon Bay has served as backdrop for several Hollywood films, including "Cocktail" with Tom Cruise. There are 2 restaurants, 2 bars (one on the beach), a nice seaside pool, tennis courts, and an onsite scuba and snorkeling center. You can choose an inclusive meal/beverage plan if you stay here.

A trip to Port Antonio isn't complete on the culinary side without a stopover at the Blue Lagoon Restaurant. Lunch or dinner provides you a taste of expertly prepared classical Jamaican cuisine, or European or American specialties of the house. The restaurant has a great view of the famous lagoon to savour your meal over by the noonday sun or by starlight.

Navy Island is immediately visible lying just offshore as you enter along the coastal road from either direction into Port Antonio. You can take a ferry across to the island, which gained its name from its role as a naval station during much earlier colonial times. Passing into private hands, Navy Island came to be owned by the movie star Errol Flynn. It's said he won it during a poker game; whatever the case, he adored Jamaica and Navy Island and came here frequently during the 1940's in his yacht, the "Zaca". You can tour the premises where Flynn built his home. There is a secluded beach on the far side of the island. The hotel, Admiralty Inn, was only partially open when I visited, but you can have lunch or dinner at the restaurant there. Near the bar area is a wall with posters and mementoes of the adventurous Mr. Flynn and his swashbuckling movie career. Get yourself a window table at the restaurant for an excellent panorama of Port Antonio harbor and surrounding coastline.

This area of Jamaica gets a higher than average percentage of rainfall, and the lushness of the vegetation on your hikes is evidence of that fact. Valley Hikes has designed a fascinating menu of half-day and full-day expeditions combining land and water routes, hiking and rafting, horseback riding and exploration into the rainforests and local riverways.