KÚYA Magazine – July 2019

WWW.CBJAMAICA.COM 35 KÚYA

feeling of quiet assurance. The porthole windows juxtapose

with huge, light and life affirming rectangles of glass, flooding

the villa with the islands’ vitality. On a perfect ‘Portie’ day, thirty-

foot high coconut trees sway gently in the breeze, intricately

brush-stroked and landscaped gardens give way to raw forest,

before meeting the endless azure blue of white tipped ocean.

The perfect Caribbean idyll you had in your mind’s eye. “You’re

in a beautiful part of Jamaica that avoids much of the baggage

that mass tourism creates,” Baker explains.

Nothing usually lives up to the feeling of returning to a place

of beauty, akin to chasing the memory of a first love. Yet, here,

among the wood and water that gave Jamaica its original name,

Xaymaca, you can’t quite believe a place like this exists in our

shrinking world. No large crowds, no major resorts, just pristine

empty beaches. Prime rainforest, exquisite views and waterfalls

whose energy and soul are only matched by those that live

there.

“It’s always been a playground for the more discerning traveller,

as well as the rich and famous with style and edge who like the

experience. It’s not white gloves, but the service is appropriate

and if people decide to buy into the Port Antonio renaissance,

as a number of our clients have already done, then this will

continue to become more and more unique.” Baker adds.

Portland’s renaissance as a destination is in part due to its

historical flirtation with high society. Notorious Hollywood

star Errol Flynn was so enchanted he made it his home, as did

Noel Coward whose invite list was the envy of any host. Both

left their mark. The Daily Gleaner commented on Flynn’s passing

thus: “Though celebrities no longer cause undue excitement to

our accustomed eyes, it is because of his irrepressible pursuit

of adventure, his determination not to be restricted by the

pressures of life, his real involvement with the island itself that

the news of Errol Flynn's death saddens particularly deeply. It

is as though another colourful chapter in the islands romantic

history has been closed.” A golden opportunity awaits to re-

open that book and write new chapters in the story of a place

that has beguiled and besotted for over a century. Fortune

favours the brave. ∆

MLS 32888 | USD $2,900,000 | San San, Portland

Kaili McDonnough Scott | [email protected] | 876.585.7233

thispictureandbelow Cocosan

comes with a fully equipped

gym to the rear of the property

Each piece of furniture placed in
this villa has been hand selected