Jamaica Palace Hotel

A European Palace That Woke Up in Portland

Drive east out of Port Antonio and the hillside opens onto something that has no business being there: a long white facade with columns, arches and a sweep of steps, built in the manner of an eighteenth-century European palace and dropped onto five acres above Turtle Harbour. Jamaica Palace has been the local landmark for decades, as much for the audacity of the idea as for the building itself. Inside, the register holds: marble floors, crystal chandeliers, antiques, hand-decorated beds, Georgian bay windows framing the sea. It is theatrical, and it knows it.

Why It Works

Portland is Jamaica at its most discreet, and most of its good addresses are small and hidden. This one does the opposite, and that is the reason to come. You get scale, grounds, three dining rooms and the largest room stock in Port Antonio, in a place where the alternative is usually a handful of cottages. The rooms are genuinely large, the bathrooms carry European tubs rather than a shower stall, and the whole property is set up for an occasion. It is also the rare Portland hotel where a guest without a car can still walk to a beach.

Why This Location

The hotel sits in the Williamsfield district, in the hills just east of Port Antonio, looking down at Turtle Harbour. The town and its two harbours, the Errol Flynn Marina and the market are a short run west. Go the other way and you reach the coves this coast is known for: San San, Frenchman’s Cove with its river meeting the sand, and the Blue Lagoon. Keep going and the road delivers Boston Bay, the home of jerk cooking, then Long Bay and the turn inland for Reach Falls. Rio Grande rafting starts on the Kingston side of town.

Fast Facts

• Price: premium

• Vibe: theatrical, formal, faintly baroque

• Rooms: standard deluxe, superior, junior suites and suites, all air-conditioned, with European bathtubs and bay windows

• Best For: couples marking an anniversary, travellers who want grandeur rather than a cottage, families needing space

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the swimming pool, cut to the outline of the island of Jamaica

• Dining: three dining rooms and several bars on the property, Jamaican or continental breakfast included

• Amenities: five acres of grounds, island-shaped pool, round-the-clock security, free private parking, antiques and artwork throughout

• Attractions: Turtle Harbour, Errol Flynn Marina and Port Antonio, San San Beach, Frenchman’s Cove and the Blue Lagoon, Boston Bay, Reach Falls

Rooms Built for Ceremony

The room categories climb from standard deluxe through superior to junior suites and full suites, and the difference is mostly space and the addition of a sitting room. What stays constant is the decoration: marble underfoot, a hand-decorated king bed, a writing desk, antiques, chandeliers and the tall Georgian windows that do most of the work. Superior rooms take two queen beds and suit families. Suites separate bedroom from living room, which makes them workable for a longer stay. Every bathroom has the deep European tub the hotel is fond of.

Grounds, Pool and the Business of Eating

The five acres are the other half of the stay. Lawns, palms and a landscaped run down toward the view give the place its country-house feel, and at the centre of it is the pool shaped like the island, an idea that could have been a gimmick and instead has become the hotel’s signature. Three dining rooms and a set of bars, some seasonal, cover breakfast through dinner without leaving the property. Breakfast, Jamaican or continental, comes with the room.

What to Know Before You Book

This is a hillside hotel above a harbour, not a beachfront one: the sand is a walk or a short drive away. Check-in is mid-afternoon, check-out late morning, and reception keeps daytime and evening hours, with security on the gate overnight. A refundable incidentals deposit is taken per room at check-in, so arrive expecting it. Some bars open seasonally. Parking is free and on site, and in Portland a car remains the best way to reach the falls, the rafting and the eastern beaches.