№ 01 · Welcome

Slow days, salt air, and the sound of the sea.

Tucked into the small fishing village of Hector's River, Portland — a family estate of two beautifully kept apartments, just steps from Under the Rock beach.

Apartments
3
Bedrooms
5
Sleeps
up to 12
To the sea
steps
Sunset over the Caribbean Sea framed by a palm frond
N 18°02′ · W 76°22′ — evening, from the cliff

№ 02 · The Place

A small estate, kept slow.

Gloria's Estate sits where the road meets the sea, in the charming fishing village of Hector's River, on Portland's wild eastern coast. The kettle's on, the windows are open, and the breeze does what breezes do.

Three apartments — one for a family, two for couples or quiet escapes — share a courtyard, a wooden door painted with morning sun, and a footpath down to the water. Inside: marble floors that stay cool, white linens, ceiling fans, and the soft hum of an island that has somewhere better to be than in a hurry.

With love,
Gloria and Family

The estate's wooden front door with a balustrade and white bistro chairs in the evening
01 The front door, after dark

№ 03 · The Stay

Three apartments,
each quietly luxurious.

Stay in one, or take the whole estate for the family. Each is its own world, with its own door.

01

For the whole family

The Three-Bedroom

Three sun-warmed bedrooms, each with a queen bed dressed in white linens. Two full bathrooms, an open kitchen with cane chairs and wood cabinetry, and a living-dining room with marble floors and a tall pendant chandelier. Sleeps six in beds, eight if you bring the children.

  • 3Bedrooms
  • 3Queen beds
  • 2Full baths
  • 8Sleeps
02

For two

The One-Bedroom

A quiet apartment built for slow mornings. King-sized bed, white linens, a private full bathroom, and an unhurried sitting room with a tall ceiling and the kind of curtains that catch the trade-wind just right.

  • 1Bedroom
  • 1King bed
  • 1Full bath
  • 2Sleeps
03

For couples · with private patio

The Garden One-Bedroom

The newest apartment on the estate — and the most generous of the one-bedrooms. A queen bedroom in dark wood, a tall-ceilinged living and dining room with a small chandelier, a full kitchen of rich wood cabinetry, an in-unit washer and dryer, and a private patio under the palms for afternoon shade.

  • 1Bedroom
  • 1Queen bed
  • 1Full bath
  • 2Sleeps
  • Ceiling fans
  • Marble floors
  • Hot water
  • Wi-Fi
  • Full kitchens
  • Coffee maker
  • Towels & linens
  • Washer / dryer
  • Private patio*
  • Off-street parking
  • Quiet courtyard
  • Steps to the sea

№ 04 · Around Hector's River

The coast
is the itinerary.

A short list of nearby places that, on their own, would be reason enough to come.

  1. steps 01

    Under the Rock Beach

    Just down the path. A small, half-secret cove for sunrise strolls and quiet swims, with a foliage-topped sea-stack standing watch over the bay.

    Beach framed by tree branches with rocks in the surf
  2. 15 min 02

    Reach Falls

    A canopy-shaded cascade with crystal pools climbing the rock face — and underwater caves hiding behind the curtain of water. Plan a slow two hours, bring water shoes, and let one of the local guides show you up the falls. It has been Port Antonio's №1 outing for years (4.7★ across nearly a thousand reviews).

    The cascading curtain of Reach Falls dropping into a clear emerald pool
  3. 35 min 03

    Bath Fountain

    Healing mineral waters, hot from the rock. Soak slowly, the way the village priest taught his grandchildren to soak.

    Caribbean coastal cliffs and deep blue water (placeholder image — to be replaced)
  4. 14 mi 04

    Boston Beach

    The actual birthplace of jerk — and one of Jamaica's best surf breaks, both in the same bay. Order the pork from the Boston Jerk Centre (pimento smoke drifting over the road), rent a board, then float it all off in the swell. Beach open 9–5; bring small bills.

    Boston Beach turquoise cove with a rope swing under tree shade (placeholder image — to be replaced)
  5. 17 mi 05

    Blue Lagoon

    A surreal swim where freshwater rises beneath the salt. The colour does not photograph well; you'll have to see it.

    The famously turquoise Blue Lagoon framed by dense tropical greenery
  6. 26 mi 06

    Rafting on the Rio Grande

    Glide down one of Jamaica's most iconic rivers on a bamboo raft poled by a captain who has done this his whole life. About three hours, all of them slow.

    A green Hector's River road sign in the Jamaican countryside

№ 05 · Further afield

More on the map.

A few more places kept on file from the back of the editor's notebook — each with a longer story over on TripAdvisor.

  1. The empty white-sand crescent of Frenchman's Cove between two leafy headlands

    Beach

    Frenchman's Cove

    A tropical cove where a freshwater stream meets the sea — fruit cocktails, soft sand, and a service that has been quietly perfect for sixty years.

    View on TripAdvisor
  2. The turquoise water and clear coral shallows of Winnifred Beach (placeholder image — to be replaced)

    Beach

    Winnifred Beach

    A beloved local beach with spring water nearby — humble, easy, free, and proudly community-run.

    View on TripAdvisor
  3. Aerial view of San San Beach's coral-protected turquoise lagoon

    Beach

    San San Beach

    A protected swim sheltered by a coral reef — calm enough for snorkeling, beautiful at any hour of the day.

    View on TripAdvisor
  4. The long open stretch of Long Bay Beach with breaking surf (placeholder image — to be replaced)

    Beach

    Long Bay Beach

    A long open stretch favored by the wind — for surfers, kite-fliers, and walkers who like a horizon mostly to themselves.

    View on TripAdvisor
  5. A grotto interior at Somerset Falls with mineral-aqua water and shafts of light

    Waterfall

    Somerset Falls

    A former plantation with cascades, a freshwater pool, and a small grotto reached by a short boat ride upstream.

    View on TripAdvisor
  6. The white turreted Trident Castle rising above the water near Port Antonio

    Landmark

    Trident Castle

    A white-turreted, 40,000-square-foot fantasy that Jamaican architect Earl Levy built into the cliffs east of Port Antonio between 1979 and 1985 — still rented for weddings, films, and the occasional storybook holiday.

    View on TripAdvisor
  7. The roofless concrete columns and arches of Folly Great House overgrown with greenery (placeholder image — to be replaced)

    Ruin

    Folly Great House

    The crumbling neo-classical mansion that the sea wind has been dismantling, slowly and beautifully, for over a century.

    View on TripAdvisor
  8. View over Port Antonio with the Titchfield peninsula reaching into the harbor

    Old quarter

    Titchfield Hill

    Port Antonio's old gingerbread quarter — wooden Victorian fretwork above tree-shaded lanes, very walkable.

    View on TripAdvisor
  9. A wooded island sitting in Port Antonio harbor with the town in the foreground (placeholder image — to be replaced)

    Island

    Navy Island

    A small island once owned by Errol Flynn, with palm groves, a quiet beach, and the ghost of a mid-century party.

    View on TripAdvisor
  10. Aerial view of a mega-yacht moored at the Errol Flynn Marina dock

    Marina

    Errol Flynn Marina

    Where the yachts come in. A bench, a cone of ice cream, the smell of fuel and salt — pleasant for an hour.

    View on TripAdvisor

All listings independently reviewed — not affiliated with TripAdvisor.

See all on TripAdvisor

№ 06 · Reserve

Come stay a while.

Live availability, photos and rates are kept on Airbnb. We reply quickly — and we do mean quickly.

+1 (561) 541‑4703

— Gloria and Family