Hotels

In spite of the charms of Port Antonio, it is currently suffering from somewhat of a lack of business -- resort clients are drawn to the more famous Negril, Ocho Rios, and Montego Bay resorts. Many of the hotels below are thus having to fill empty rooms with low-cost tour groups originating in anywhere from Italy to Canada. This, in turn, is causing a major (and unfortunate) deterioration in the physical condition of some of the properties, which no longer seem to be maintained in a state-of-the-art condition.

If you're booking your own accommodations in Port Antonio, check out the information that's available through the website (www.go-jam.com) of the Port Antonio Guesthouse Association & Friends. Another useful web address is www.portantoniotravel.com.

Traveling frugally? The restaurant San San Tropez rents six plain but very affordable rooms.

Enter the Dragon -- The all-inclusive resort chain of Sandals (tel. 800/SANDALS; www.sandals.com) has acquired the 22-hectare (55-acre) Dragon Bay Beach Resort and is turning it into another one of their properties, which already exist in profusion elsewhere on the island, especially in Montego Bay, Negril, and Ocho Rios. The property will open onto Dragon Bay Beach, a little cove to the east of the more famous Blue Lagoon, 11km (7 miles) east of Port Antonio. This was the backdrop for the Tom Cruise bomb, Cocktail. Remember when he performed gymnastics with a liquor bottle? That is, if you bothered to catch the flick at all. Stay tuned for future developments.

Comparing Resorts -- Unlike Montego Bay, Negril, and Ocho Rios, less visited and much more remote Port Antonio is an elite retreat -- long a favorite of visiting celebrities such as Bette Davis, Ginger Rogers, Harrison Ford, and Denzel Washington.

Although much of Jamaica is overbuilt, Port Antonio lies in a relatively undeveloped area. As one local vendor put it, "Ocho Rios attracts the tourist; we attract the traveler."

The area's white-sand beaches are among the island's finest and least crowded. Only a few resorts here can be described as upmarket; most of this region is a haven for the frugal traveler seeking modest digs. Port Antonio lacks the all-inclusive megaresorts of Ocho Rios or Mo Bay; if that's what you need, head elsewhere. The same goes for shopping, nightlife, and deluxe dining: If they're absolutely essential to your vacation, hit the road. And if you like to run naked on the beach, your hair in braids, Negril is more your speed. Port Antonio, quite frankly, is perhaps the most staid of the major Jamaican resort towns. It's also generally acknowledged as the home base of the least aggressive, most low-key, and most restrained, street vendors.

Most mainstream beach-going, sun-loving Americans tend to gravitate to Mo Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril (in that order). In Port Antonio, by contrast, you're much more likely to encounter eco-sensitive and "adventurous" European visitors, especially from Germany and Holland, and a handful of Americans interested in botany, bird watching, environmental issues, nature hikes, and eco-exploring.

You can link up with other resorts or attractions on day trips while staying here. Port Antonio is within easy driving distance of Ocho Rios; the Blue Mountains and John Crow Mountains are at the town's southern edge.

Hoteliers in Port Antonio know the area may never be as chic as it was in the 1950s or the early 1960s. Still, they are preparing for stiff competition in the 21st century with a push to attract a new type of traveler, the upmarket, eco-sensitive traveler who wants to explore the natural beauty of the island -- especially that mountain scenery to the south of Port Antonio. If you love nature, there may be no better place in Jamaica to base yourself.

And if a movie star still sneaks into town on occasion to chill out, well, that's okay with the locals, too.