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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Portland Jamaica

July 13, 2019      Caribbean, Destinations, Jamaica

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

Portland, Jamaica is the most underrated parish on the island. Like the rest of Jamaica it often gets overlooked by Ocho Rios, Negril and Montego Bay, but it shouldn’t. There are so many amazing attractions in Portland and it’s more than worth a visit. If you’re ready to explore the side of the island most people don’t here is the ultimate guide to visiting Portland, Jamaica.

How to Get to Portland, Jamaica

Portland, Jamaica is on the east side of the island and two and a half hours from Kingston. The airlines that fly into Norman Manley International Airport are American, Jetblue, and Spirit, Delta, Caribbean Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, Cayman Airways, Copa, and WestJet. You can rent a car at the airport from Alamo, or hire a private shuttle. If you do plan to drive yourself I highly recommend landing with plenty of sunlight left in the day as the roads are pitch black after the sun sets and there are a lot of potholes on the roads in Jamaica. There are two paths from Kingston to Portland, one is along the coastline going through St. Thomas. The other is going through St. Mary’s Parish. Either way if you have service on your cell phone you’ll be able to use GPS to get to your final destination. 

You May Be Interested in Reading This Packing List for Jamaica

Attractions in Portland, Jamaica

Reach Falls

You cannot visit Portland, Jamaica without going to Reach Falls. It’s one of the most beautiful waterfalls on the island. You can hang out at the bottom of the fall or get a guide to help you climb and go to the rabbit hole. I highly recommend doing this as the pathway is gorgeous. You can swim in the natural pools of crystal clear water to get there or walk along the path. Once you get to the rabbit hole you can jump into a hole and come out on the other side. It’s quite thrilling but not scary at all.

Please note it’s closed on Monday’s so plan accordingly. As of June 2019 it cost $10 for adults, $5 for kids, and children 4 and under are free. If you have a Jamaican ID or passport you’ll pay half price.

You May Be Interested in Reading: Travel Safety Tips You Don’t Want to Skip

Winnifred Beach 

If you’re looking to relax Winnifred Beach is the place to go. It’s a beach frequented by locals and is a free public beach. There are a few restaurants on the beach in case you get hungry.

Rafting on the Rio Grande

Rafting down the Rio Grande is a must do attractions in Portland, Jamaica. There are two options, you can do a 90 minute round trip raft which only covers part of the rio grande or you can take the two hour one way route. Unless you have a tour guide who can pick you up at the end you’d have to get back to your car on your own with this option. Up to 3 people can ride on each raft so if you have two kids or more you will have to get two rafts.

dad rafting on the river with two daughters

You May Be Interested in Reading: Tips for Taking Family Vacation Photos

Blue Hole

While there is a Blue Hole in Ocho Rios, this one is different. There are no waterfalls to jump off but the water is as blue as the sky and stunning. You can go rafting here as well although it’s not an official rafting site, rent a kayak or swim in the water.

Frenchman’s Cove

Who doesn’t want to spend the day at a private beach? As the name states Frenchman’s Cove is a cove so it’s not the widest beach. Still it’s beautiful and has a river adjacent to it that runs into the ocean. The river is much colder than the ocean but it’s refreshing on a hot day. It also has a few swings in the river which obviously make for a great photo.

Thinking of Visiting Other Islands: See Our Itineraries for Aruba, Cuba, The Bahamas, and Grand Cayman

Where to Eat in Portland, Jamaica

Each time I’ve visited Portland my hotel or Airbnb have provided breakfast so I’ve never purchased breakfast here. However, for lunch and dinner here are some of the best places to eat in Portland, Jamaica.

Boston Jerk Center

If you’re looking for the best jerk anything in Jamaica the Boston Jerk Center is the place to eat. It has all the best jerk shops in Portland and you won’t be disappointed! If jerk isn’t your thing you can still find many other options like conch, lobster and fish.

You may be interested in: Your Guide to Visiting St. Elizabeth Jamaica 

GeeJam

GeeJam sits on a big hill so I suggest eating here for lunch or an early dinner. This way you can enjoy the gorgeous ocean views while you eat. Besides the great ambiance, the food is phenomenal!

Frenchman’s Cove

It’s best to eat at Frenchman’s Cove the day you spend some time there as there is an entry fee. Still the restaurant right on the beach is very tasty. When you order they will bring a table and chair right to you so you can stay on the beach and enjoy the breeze.

Trident Hotel

The Trident Hotel has two restaurants on site and even if you aren’t staying there you can dine. If you want a nice sit down meal in Portland this is definitely the place to eat.

Where to Stay in Portland, Jamaica

Since Portland, Jamaica doesn’t get as many tourists as other parts of the island you won’t find any all-inclusive resorts here. To be quite honest you won’t find any household name hotels at all and your options for luxury hotels are limited. 

Luxury Hotel

If you do want a luxury hotel you’ll want to stay at Trident hotel. The property has 13 villas, each with a private backyard, huge bathroom and shower along with an outdoor tub. There is an infinity pool that overlooks the ocean, spa, movie theater, gym, and playground. There are also two restaurants on site that serve delicious food. We ate here for Father’s Day brunch which also granted us a day pass to stay and enjoy the property for the rest of the day. 

Boutique Hotel

If the Trident isn’t in your budget, as it wasn’t in ours there are plenty of boutique hotels to choose from. I’ve previously stayed at the Sea Cliff Resort (pictured below) but I can’t say that I found it worth the $300/night we paid. Still it has air condition and WiFi, which you won’t in all hotels in Portland, Jamaica. Our rate did include breakfast and all the rooms overlooks the ocean. While I haven’t personally stayed at either I have heard good things about GeeJam.

Airbnb

The other option for places to stay in Portland, Jamaica is Airbnb. You’ll find quite a few to choose from. We stayed in this Airbnb and while it had amazing views I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. If you’re driving yourself it’s important to note it’s up a very steep hill and parts of the way up it’s a narrow road on the side of the mountain so if you’re not used to driving on these types of roads you may feel uncomfortable. If you’d be relying on taxis while you could get one to come back to the house getting one to go into town could be difficult. There is also no WiFi or air condition although fans are provided. Nervous about Airbnb? Here are 8 tips to guarantee a great Airbnb experience. If you’re new to Airbnb you can sign up here and save $40 on your first booking.

I hope the attractions in Portland, Jamaica listed has convinced you there is more to Jamaica than Ocho Rios, Negril, and Montego Bay. Portland remains one of my favorite parishes on the island. Another overlooked parish is St. Elizabeth but it’s gorgeous, check out what to do there here. Did you find this article helpful? Please share it!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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