Hotel Mockingbird Hill

Located on the foothills of the Blue Mountains just outside of Port Antonio, Mocking Bird Hill is notable for its hard to reach but beautiful location and grounds. It is a Eco-Hotel so forget about air conditioning - the evenings are often breezy and there were no windows, just slotted plantation style window and porch doors that allow the breeze (and mosquitoes) in - so use the provided mosquito netting at night or expect a few bites. If the night gets hot and there is no breeze, ceiling fans will help air circulation. Breakfast is mostly fruit and bread with great coffee and juice. I went on a birding trip with a private guide, leaving early in the morning, and staff packed a great breakfast picnic for me! I was very impressed. Besides the swimming pool, not much for children to do, but fine for couples. Dinners in the restaurant were hit-or-miss and generally not impressive. The true allure of this spot is in it’s beautiful gardens - numerous winding trails invite birdwatching and peaceful meditation. The staff were friendly and helpful. Transportation from airports in Kingston or Montego Bay can be very expensive or cumbersome - renting and self-driving the 4 hours from Montego is cheaper but not for the faint of heart as rules of the road are almost non-existent and there are some dangerous switch-backs. The road up to the hotel is also fairly rough. Also, I strongly advise exchanging your money to Jamaican Dollars before reaching Port Antonio as many vendors in the area will take advantage of tourists who only carry US$. We often found ourselves in issues because we didn’t prepare well with local currency. If you like things a bit less touristy, love gardens and birds, this is a beautiful location for a few nights.

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!

The hotel is situated in an excellent location almost on top of the hill with a fantastic view all the way to the Blue Montain. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and could not do enough for you. The food was always fresh and locally sourced, and the menu was new every night with a wide selection of different meals. The whole experience staying at Mockinbird Hill was great, and we enjoyed every minute.

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.

We stayed at Hotel Mockingbird Hotel in Port Antonio for 1 night in mid-March as part of a tour with Arrowhead Birding Tours (Dwayne Swabay was a great guide). Check in was quick and easy…there are lots of steps so keep that mind if that is an issue. The hotel is surrounded by the rainforest on a steep hill with lots of flowers. There are great views from the top floor of the main dining room. It was odd being the only guests on the property, but there was a night watchman. We felt safe and left our room wide open to get some breeze…there is no AC. This hotel has some age, but everything was clean. Our room was basic but had a big bed with a mosquito net, a bathroom, and stuff for making coffee…all we needed. We had a large sitting area and deck overlooking the rainforest…we even had a female peacock roost right off the deck. We had a chance to do some birdwatching before it got dark and found a roosting Potoo. We went out in the evening and got some great views of a resident Jamaican owl. We did have dinner there…again was odd to have the chef to ourselves. Our dinner was good, but our guide was not happy with his fish. We left before breakfast. This is a nice quiet place with its own little slice of paradise…I would recommend.