From Jamaica Wiki
The town of Port Antonio is Jamaica’s third largest port and also serves as the capital of the parish of Portland. It is located on the northeastern coast at a distance of about 100 km from Kingston. There were over 13,000 people living in Port Antonio at last count in 1991. The port town is also a famous export point of bananas and coconuts and a major tourist attraction contributing heavily to the town’s economy.
Port Antonio would have kept its sleepy coastal town image even today if Lorenzo Dow Baker had not started banana trade from Jamaica in the 1880’s. He made Port Antonio a ‘boom town’ by successfully packaging the town as a holiday destination for the rich and the wealthy in America. The port once became so busy what with the banana trade and the tourists, that it handled more ships every week than the famous English port of Liverpool.
The bustle continued in the 1940’s and 50’s with Jamaica portrayed as a glamorous destination in Hollywood movies like the “Club Paradise’ and ‘Cocktail’. Its fame was further enhanced when the yacht of the late movie star Errol Flynn was forced ashore Jamaica in bad weather. Errol Flynn was so enamored by the tropical beauty of the island that he bought the nearby Navy Island. Since then, Port Antonio has played host to several foreign dignitaries, movie stars and musicians.
Port Antonio has several spots of tourist interest that allure visitors from every corner of the world. One of them is the Blue Lagoon, a 200 ft deep-water body in the crater of an extinct volcano. The secluded Frenchman’s cove beach, the Rio Grande River, Boston Bay and Reich Falls are exciting prospects for the average tourist. The ruins of Folly Mansion and the historic DeMontevin Lodge also interest many visitors. Port Antonio has also several famous personalities to the world including billionaire Michael Lee-Chin, musicians Mikey Dread and Junior Murvin and others.
