Hotel Mockingbird Hill

I stayed in Port Antonio, Portland on the island of Jamaica and wanted to have a simply Jamaican cuisine breakfast. This was my first visit there and I didn't have any expectation. That was before I reached the top of the hill. There, perched on the edge of a mountain was a flourishing garden in the middle of a forest. This picturesque beauty of the hotel, the butterflies and native birds was breathtaking. I was encouraged to have breakfast on the upper deck. That view was magnificent. My husband and I ordered breakfast and because it is freshly made to order, there was a little wait. Let me tell you! Well worth it. I had calaloo and saltfish with fried dumplins, bammy, avacado and plaintains. Fresh seasonal fruits gorgeously presented and the best assorted house baked breads on the entire island. The coconut bread was my personal favorite. The waitress Kerry said she baked it herself. A real slice of heaven. Everything was delectable!

Beware: The property is for sale or in process of being sold. The owners are absentee, and the manager has not kept up the hotel's services. I'm sure this was once a wonderful hotel, but no longer. Four of us stayed 3 nights -- all reservations are pre-paid and non-refundable, otherwise we would have left. The property is perched on a hill, and the grounds are beautiful and lush, though seating throughout the walkable property is rusted out metal. The manager promotes the hotel as "sustainable" though that simply means no a/c, no refrigeration, no ice. (We have stayed in many sustainable properties over the years, and all provide a water station so you can refill your water bottles, etc, and also ice). The rooms have a fan and mosquito netting over the bed that partially blocks the breeze from the fan (manager suggests to use the mosquito netting, it is a tropical environment). No screens on the windows, and some of the shutter slats are painted shut. We found cockroaches in our rooms. Beds were comfortable, and bathroom fine. The outdoor seating was quite worn, same with around the small pool (heavily chlorinated). The bar is no longer open, though the manager will sell you warm beer and red wine. The restaurant has been rented out to a chef who is temporarily on the island. He does a nice job under the circumstances, serving breakfast and dinner, both a bit pricey. The chef and the server were delightful. Note that the property is not walking distance to anything, so you must travel by car to restaurants, shops and beaches. Angela (manager) lent us an ice chest for some items we needed to refrigerate, though we had to drive to buy ice each day (not a sustainable-friendly thing). Given all of the above, one would think the pricing would be discounted -- it isn't. The price was similar to the other 5 hotels we stayed in (all wonderful) as we toured around the island.