Call or email for assistance planning your trip: +1 (212) 203-0064 | reservations@moonjamaica.com
Robin's Bay Village and Beach Resort (tel. 876/968-3031 or cell tel. 876/361-2144, www.robinsbayvillageresort.com, US$75–135) has 43 rooms designed mainly for retreats or romantic getaways. The lower-priced rooms have mountain views with ceiling fans; the more expensive rooms have sea views and air-conditioning.
Strawberry Fields Together Beachfront Cottages and Adventure Tours (US$90–220) sits on a seven-hectare property with six cottages ranging in comfort level from rustic Hibiscus to seaside honeymoon lavishness in Moonlight Magic. Two small private beaches with fine white sand line idyllic crystalline coves protected by coral reefs.
River Lodge (US$60–80 per room, including breakfast) is located on the site of a refurbished 400-year-old Spanish fort owned by Brigitta Fuchslocher. Rooms inside the fort complement a pair of cottages.
Green Castle Estate Great House (US$3,200/3,600 weekly low/high season, for up to four people, inclusive of meals, or US$3,600/4,200 low/high season for up to six with meals) is the fanciest accommodation you're likely to find between Port Maria and Port Antonio. While a weekly rental is preferred, it is also possible to rent a room at the Estate House for as little as three nights (US$260 d.
The best way to reach Robin's Bay is by route taxi (US$0.75) or private taxi charter (US$7) from Annotto Bay. Getting around in Robin's Bay often requires long waits before a car passes, but the road is only a few kilometers long before it becomes a dirt track and disappears in the wilderness to the west.
JP Tropical Foods (Annotto Bay, tel. 876/996-2401) one of Jamaica's largest fruit and food groups, offers Banana Walk Tours (US$7/person), a farm tour that covers the production cycle from plantation to packed box on the St. Mary Banana Estate. Tours are scheduled by appointment.
River Edge (contact Cavelle Chuck, cell tel. 876/385-4943, or Shermaine Hyatt, cell tel. 876/862-8412, riveredge99@hotmail.com, reservation required) is a camping facility nestled on the banks of the Pencar River in Fort George, about five kilometers inland from Annotto Bay.
Annotto Bay Hospital, the largest and best-equipped medical facility in St. Mary.
Annotto Bay is a major transfer point for route taxis and minibuses. The major destinations serviced from Annotto Bay include Constant Spring (US$3) in Kingston, Port Maria (US$1.50) to the east along the coast, Buff Bay (US$1.50) across the border in Portland, and Port Antonio (US$3) farther east into Portland.
Castleton Botanical Gardens (free, tip guides) along the main Kingston-to-Annotto Bay road (A3) just over the border from St. Andrew, is still one of the nicest parks in Jamaica, despite having suffered years of neglect and recurring hurricane damage. Castleton was established in the 1860s and planted with 400 species from Kew Gardens in England.
