Frenchman's Cove
Port Antonio, Portland Parish, Jamaica
Frenchman's Cove sits in San San, just outside Port Antonio in Jamaica's Portland parish, where a shallow, clear river winds down through the resort grounds before spilling out onto a short stretch of fine white sand. Built in 1958 as one of the Caribbean's first all-inclusive resorts, the beach has since shown up in films including Lord of the Flies for its wild, cinematic backdrop.
A genuinely picturesque beach with a rare river feature built in, though the entrance fee and resort setting mean it's more polished than most of Portland's wilder beaches nearby.
Wade or float down the river itself rather than just swimming at the beach. It's shallow enough for most ages and adds a different kind of cool relief than the ocean does.
There's parking on the resort grounds, about a 30 minute drive from Port Antonio, with a modest entrance fee covering beach access.
The path from the entrance to the beach is flat and easy, with freshwater riverside showers and restrooms on site.
The dry season from December through April brings the calmest weather, while the wetter months from May through November carry hurricane season risk typical of Jamaica's north coast.
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Boston Bay Beach
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Lime Cay
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Lime Cay sits about fifteen minutes by boat from Port Royal, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour in Jamaica, a small uninhabited sandbar island that floods partially at high tide and has no facilities of any kind. Sundays bring the biggest local crowds, with Kingston residents mooring boats offshore and bringing their own lunch and drinks for the afternoon.
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