Activities & Attractions

A wide range of activities and personal services await you during your stay at Norse Hill.

Indulge Yourself at Norse Hill with:

Garden tours
Bird and butterfly watching
Massage therapy
Personal training, weights, aerobics
Yoga lessons and sessions
Swimming
Hiking
Biking
…and other activities.

Also Close By:

Snorkeling or scuba diving
River and sea rafting (with raft pilot)
Kayaking
Horseback riding
Biking
Hiking
Boat tours
Deep-sea fishing
Craft market shopping
Bike tours (including the downhill Blue Mountain Bike Tour)
Historic tours (including Port Antonio and the Maroon Country/Nannytown)

Ready for the Beach?

Within minutes you can be enjoying the white sands and crystal-clear aquamarine waters at some of the best beaches in the Caribbean. Close to Norse Hill are the private San San Beach and world-renowned Frenchman’s Cove. Admission to both is free for Norse Hill guests. Frenchman’s Cove, used for scenes in the recent Tom Cruise movie Knight and Day, has been undergoing extensive renovations, including a new bar and grill serving beach guests.

 

Among public spots, Winifred Beach is a short drive east of Norse Hill along coastal road. One of the most popular public beaches. Boston Bay, further east along the coastal road, claims to be the home of authentic jerk cooking and the best surfing spot in Jamaica. Continue a bit farther and you reach Long Bay, a much longer and larger beach, and a favorite among experienced surfers.

The Blue Lagoon

Considered to be one of the Caribbean’s greatest natural attractions, Blue Lagoon is just minutes from Norse Hill.

Originally called “Blue Hole,” the name changed in response to Blue Lagoon books and movies, especially the one starring Brooke Shields. The small bay is a water hole fed by freshwater streams. The colors of the lagoon’s waters shift through an amazing palette of blues and greens throughout the day. According to legend, the lagoon is bottomless (in fact it’s about 200 feet deep). Locals like to tell adult tourists that the “mannish waters” will boost a man’s virility. Swimmers love the mix of cool freshwater and warm ocean saltwater. Boat and raft tours are available. The adventurous can kayak from Blue Lagoon around the western point to Pellew Island (Monkee Island).

Pellew Island

Also known as Monkee Island and Princess Nina’s Island, this scenic spot near San San Beach sits across from Norse Point and some other seaside villas. Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan married Nina Dyer in 1957, and reputedly bought this island for her as a wedding gift. An Anglo-Indian fashion model, Nina was the former wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. You can swim and snorkel around the island, and explore it. The boatmen who guide bamboo rafts around Blue Lagoon can also take you for a Pellew Island tour.

See video on saving Pellew Island from development:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tswp_4-hPaQ

Waterfalls

The Port Antonio area is home to some of the most scenic and remote waterfalls in the Caribbean, and all are a short jaunt from Norse Hill.

Reach Falls (also known as Reich Falls) is, like Pellew Island, commonly photographed for Jamaica tourism promotion – and for good reason. Reach Falls is a “must” day trip for waterfall lovers. The drive east along the coastal road takes you through Boston Bay, Long Bay and Machioneal fishing village.

Other popular waterfalls near Port Antonio include Somerset Falls and Scatter Falls & Fox Caves.

 

Rio Grande River Rafting

Transporting bananas and other goods on rafts down the shallow rapids of the Rio Grande River became a leisure activity for visitors in the early days of the United Fruit Company. Credit Errol Flynn for reviving these fun excursions, often touted by visitors as a “must” adventure. The leisurely cruise down the Rio Grande on long bamboo rafts with padded seats, guided by skilled boatmen using poles, takes about 2.5 to 3 hours.

Other Destinations

Nonsuch Caves are situated 4.5 miles to the east/southeast of Port Antonio on property known as The Seven Hills of Athenry, which includes the Athenry Gardens.

The Folly Estate includes the lighthouse, built in 1888, just east of Port Antonio’s East Harbor. The grand but decaying mansion gets its name from the legend that it was built from mortar using seawater. It was begun in the 1920s by a retired mining engineer who had married into New York’s Tiffany family.

For people interested in history and especially the “maroon” revolts against British occupation, check into day-trip tours. These excursions take you into the beauty of the Blue Mountain and John Crow Mountain ranges and can be combined with other sightseeing, such as coffee or banana plantations.

Moore Town, in the Rio Grande River valley, is reputedly the resting place of Queen Nanny, a Maroon leader who is the only female officially recognized as a Jamaica National Hero.

Port Antonio Tours, Destinations

Walking tours of the town might include the Port Antonio Courthouse, built in the 1890s, and Christ Church, a Romanesque structure dating to 1840.

On Titchfield Peninsula, which splits the east and west harbors of Port Antonio, one can see the remaining walls and cannons of the fort that once guarded the east and west harbors of Port Antonio. The Titchfield Hotel in Port Antonio, with some 400 rooms, was considered the most fashionable lodging in the West Indies during its peak in the early 1900s. Guests included Rudyard Kipling and William Randolph Hearst. As it declined along with the banana trade, Errol Flynn bought the property, but it was destroyed by fire in the 1960s.

Shoppers check out Village of St. George Shopping Mall and Port Antonio Market (also called Musgrave Farmer’s Market), which is the place for produce, seafood and local crafts.

Errol Flynn Marina, opened in 2002, was a huge redevelopment project for Port Antonio. This is the home of the Port Antonio Blue Marlin Tournament and a popular spot for major yacht races. It’s also the place for the annual Jazz on the Pier, the Portland Parish segment of the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival. The marina, which is not open to the general public, offers a pleasant location for strolling the west harbor, with views of Navy Island and a beach that reaches to the tip of Titchfield Peninsula. Near Norma’s at the Marina café bar you will find nice changing rooms, an info center and a gift shop featuring quality items.

Dining and Nightlife

Most Norse Hill guests take advantage of the villa’s variety of dining options, ranging from casual snacks to elegant dinners. When guests want to venture out, they can choose from numerous options in the Port Antonio area.

Woody’s Low Bridge Place in Draper’s on the coastal road between Port Antonio and San San, takes pride in burgers made from organic beef supplied by local farm. Say hi to Woody and Cheri, the delightful proprietors. They might show you how to play Ludu, a Jamaican form of Parcheesi.

San San Tropez, situated across from Frenchman’s Cove, is an Italian restaurant with adjoining guest houses. Here you can enjoy a lobster dinner with two tails and an ample glass of Italian pinot bianco for about $30.

Mille Fleurs restaurant at Hotel Mockingbird Hill, situated just west of San San heading toward town, offers higher-level French fare and wine.

Norma’s at the Marina in Port Antonio overlooks the Errol Flynn Marina and Navy Island. Nice place for a beach stroll, gift shopping, good food and drinks.

Other casual dining options include Dicky’s Best Kept Secret at Bryan’s Bay (west of Port Antonio) and Anna Banana’s on the east side of town.

Port Antonio Nightclubs

These are not resort cafes with mild Bob Marley tunes playing in the background, but authentic Jamaican dancehall clubs where “grind” dancing is the norm. The Roof Club one of the more famous and popular clubs.

Did You Know?

Located on same hill road as Norse Hill, Geejam is a highly exclusive development that encompasses villas and a recording studio that draw musicians from around the world, such as Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, and celebrities such as Sharon Stone. Owner Jon Baker partnered with Chris Blackwell of Island Records fame. Baker reportedly is working with billionaire Michael Lee-Chin, a native of Port Antonio, on redeveloping the Blue Lagoon site, including a new restaurant and bar.