Sea Cliff Resort: Escape to the edge of the Jamaica

Nonetheless, the journey to this point was a very slow and challenging one for the Kingston College old boy. “After I graduated from high school in 1966, I migrated to the States, where I had to ‘buss’ my chops doing different jobs to support myself while going to college part-time. I tell people all the time, you can accomplish a lot in the States, but it is not a bed of roses,” revealed Hanna to kareemsquest.com.

Consequently, it took him seven years to finish his degree programme instead of four; however, he was not deterred as it set the foundation he needed to survive. “After my degree, I did several jobs, including working with American Express, and then my final job was working with a law firm as a paralegal,” stated Hanna.

Returning to the land of his birth

After spending over twenty years in the States, Hanna told kareemsquest.com that he was itching to return to his homeland and utilise many of the skills he learnt while living abroad. “I returned to Jamaica in 1981 and formed my own company that was the agent for a company that produces chlorine from salt   which was an alternative for sanitising private swimming pools. You must remember, during these times many things were restricted for importation, so we had to be innovative when finding solutions,” Hanna said to kareemsquest.com.

After accomplishing much success in this business, Hanna shifted his concentration to construction. One of his major projects was constructing the Unit Operations Laboratory at the University Hospital of the West Indies in 1999, something that he is very proud to put on his résumé.

Shot at point-blank range

Sadly, this experience came at a deadly price, as Hanna revealed to kareemsquest.com, “Unfortunately, while on the site, I was shot by a gunman at point-blank range from behind. The bullet went through my neck and I was left to die. A taxi operator that was nearby assisted by taking me to the emergency room of the UWI.”

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While in the operating theatre it was discovered that the bullet missed his spine and exited through the side of his neck, causing no major injury. Despite the horrific experience, Hanna was not deterred and went right back to work after a short recovery period.

(To access similar stories, check out the links at the end of the article)

“You can’t allow adversities to stop you from pursuing your dreams, and I wanted to plant my seed in Jamaica. So I used this second opportunity to start accomplishing this,” stated Hanna.

This time, he started focusing on this personal project in Portland, where he purchased the property that is now Sea Cliff Resort.  

The beginning of Sea Cliff Resort

“The first thing I built on this property was a log house which was to be a model unit for his dream development after which came Cliff Hanger which was completed in 2014. It became difficult to find places to dine with some ambiance and good food, so it dawned on me that other portlanders may have similar difficulties,” stated Hanna to kareemsquest.com. With his cemented foundation in the construction business, he started to think of what next he wanted to do on his property.

“At first, I wanted to make vacation homes from log structures; however, it was impeded by the recession in 2007, where very little investment was taking place,” stated Hanna.

However, after a feasibility study of this initial plan, Hanna decided to build the Sea Cliff Resort instead.

A RESORT WITH A DIFFERENCE

At the time of kareemsquest.com’s visit it boasts 20 rooms, which are all angled towards the Caribbean Sea for guests to enjoy the picturesque view while relaxing. As for the variety of rooms, they have a rustic feel sprinkled with a contemporary edge.

Top things to do in Portland, Jamaica

While free Wi-Fi is available in every room, there are no TVs as Hanna explained, “When persons come to this hotel, it’s about relaxation and tranquillity with as little distractions as possible.”

The hotel functions much similar to an European style, where breakfast is complimentary; however, guests are required to purchase lunch and dinner. “Usually, when some persons come, they enjoy the night, have breakfast in the morning, then head out to explore Portland in the day,” said Hanna to kareemsquest.com.

For this reason, the hotel offers excursions to some of the more popular spots in and around Portland, such as Frenchman Cove, Boston Jerk Centre, Blue Lagoon and Reach Falls.

Even though the property has been receiving much acclaim since its opening, Hanna is still looking at ways to improve his vision for his resort. “We are actively looking into a vacation club which involves timeshares,” disclosed Hanna. You can find the location of Sea Cliff Resort at the bottom of the page.