Port Antonio Perfectionism

If you ever need reminding what a beautiful world we live in, head to Port Antonio, Jamaica.

A ramshackle-chic coastal town, with an infectious Caribbean-bustle vibe, Portie has a grand church, clapboard gingerbreads and smart marina. It’s also the gateway to glorious beaches and blessed with a backdrop of rainforest-clad mountains that could be likened to the Garden of Eden.

Errol Flynn, his harem of Hollywood belles, Ian Fleming and Noel Coward gave the town a touch of glamour when they made it their hang out in the 1950s. Their jet-set legacy is apparent in the swagger of the townsfolk, which says: ‘Our resort is a cut above the rest’. And Portie is still frequented by the discerning, independent traveller rather than the mass-market tourist.

But where to stay? That was a tricky one for the luxury market before the new Trident opened. I just got to try it and was suitable impressed. Here, colonial-design villas dressed with plush, Scandinavian-style retro furnishings sit right on the ocean with large private terraces and plunge pools. Seclusion with views, comfort without pretention.

The kitchen completes the escape-from-it-all potential of this pad on a peninsula. The herb-marinated beef fillet is one of the best steaks I have had in Jamaica, and the Trident Chocolate Dream, a sweet potato pudding with mango and scotch-bonnet spiked compote, is a foodie’s delight.

Cycling Jo's Jamaica

A couple of days off so I head for Negril and one of my favourite bike rides in Jamaica – the West End at sunrise. A leisurely pedal along Norman Manley Boulevard, with its avenue of hotels that butt right up to the sand, brings you to a bridge over the river that’s the gateway to the Great Morass. Turn right at the roundabout, go past the shopping centres, and you’re on the home run to rustic Jamaican charm, and a warm and easy feeling.

Sandy beach turns to cliff top this side of town. Pick out your snorkelling spot; visualize the days of pirates past from the lighthouse headland; pick up a hot and fresh ackee and saltfish loaf from the Out of Town Pastry, wash it down with a coconut water from a roadside stall and cycle round the goats that make the tarmac their own.

After a fork in the road is my secret find. Hide Awhile. So discreet is its façade that I didn’t discover it until recently. No trees have been harmed in creating this stylish and understated accommodation. A handful of enchanting abodes emerge from a glade of tropical planting, to claim ocean views across a jagged, natural limestone pavement.

Jamaica has an omnipresent, mystical spirit that Bob Marley, Noel Coward, Ian Fleming, Laura Facey et al have drawn on. The designer of Hide Awhile must have, too, to envision such an address. Simple and inviting, clever and secretive is Hide Awhile. The perfect place to escape with your lover or your creativity.