Hotel Mocking Bird Hill

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The Bottom Line

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill provides an exemplary setting for birders to experience the best food, hospitality and birding available in northeastern Jamaica. The lush tropical setting, outstanding service and environmentally ethical practices of this hotel make it an ideal getaway spot for luxurious birding.

Pros

• All rooms have private bath, safe and spacious layout.
• Well kept, wildlife-friendly grounds attract a variety of birds.

• Hotel staff can arrange birding tours and drivers upon request.
• Mille Fleurs restaurant has superb local menus and excellent service.

Cons

• Lack of window screens invites insects and other "visitors" into rooms.
• Trails on the grounds can be steep and are not handicap accessible.

Description

• Name: Hotel Mocking Bird Hill
• Location: Port Antonio, Portland Parish
• Rates: $140-600 (USD) nightly depending on room and season
• Number of Rooms: 10
• Bird-Friendly Features: Trails, pesticide-free vegetation, feeders, bird houses, certified wildlife habitat
• Amenities: Pool, gazebo, internet access, art classes
• Website: www.HotelMockingBirdHill.com

Guide Review - Hotel Mocking Bird Hill

The hospitality of Hotel Mocking Bird Hill in Port Antonio makes every stay a pleasant one. Upon arrival at this eco-friendly boutique resort, guests are personally escorted to their luxury rooms. Each room is decorated with refreshing Caribbean flair, and welcome gifts including handmade chocolate tea balls and local jellies await. Rooms are spacious and designed to take advantage of abundant breezes.

Generous closets, private baths and comfortable furniture make each room restful, though the lack of window screens can be an invitation to tropical insects. Fortunately, bed netting and other non-invasive repellents help keep guests comfortable. Larger rooms feature wide balconies with expansive views over tropical foliage.

Isolated atop a steep hill, the 6.5 acre property features meandering paths through both dense vegetation and secluded spaces. Dozens of bird species have been recorded on the property, including 18 of Jamaica's endemic birds. Species such as the black-billed streamertail, Jamaican mango, chestnut-bellied cuckoo, white-chinned thrush, bananaquit, sad flycatcher, Jamaican woodpecker and various warbler species are regularly seen. Owners Shireen Aga and Barbara Walker take great care to keep the hotel bird-friendly, and the grounds are a certified wildlife habitat that includes native vegetation, birdhouses and feeders to attract avian guests.

While the birding at the hotel is delightful, visiting birders will also want to take advantage of the tours the hotel can arrange through their Jamaica Explorations company. Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is convenient to one of the best birding hotspots in Jamaica, Ecclesdown Road, and tour services, drivers and guides are easily arranged. The hotel can also arrange tours of local attractions, including waterfalls and beaches, if desired.

After birding, guests can refresh themselves with complimentary afternoon tea or pre-dinner drinks before dinner at the property's highly acclaimed restaurant, Mille Fleurs, which specializes in Caribbean fusion menus with the rich taste of the tropics. Varying menus take advantage of the freshest local produce and include salads and desserts as well as vegetarian selections. To complement each meal, the open dining terrace of the restaurant offers incomparable views.

Guests interested in combining birding and pampering for the ultimate getaway can enjoy spa treatments with organic products or simply visit the refreshing non-chlorine pool. Other eco-friendly features of the property include rainwater harvesting, natural pest control, solar power and flow control water fixtures.

For environmentally conscious birders who delight in exquisite hospitality and rich luxury, there is no better place to stay in northeastern Jamaica than Hotel Mocking Bird Hill. From its very name to the birds on its grounds to the specialized tours that depart from its drive, it is a birder's tropical paradise.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.