Port kept in house: hardly a great example (8)
I believe the answer is:
honolulu
'port' is the definition.
(Hawaiian port)
'house hardly a great example' is the wordplay.
'house' becomes 'ho' (abbreviation for house).
'hardly' becomes 'no' (eg 'hardly a meal' means 'not a meal' or 'no meal').
'a great example' becomes 'lulu' (informal term for a great example of something).
'ho'+'no'+'lulu'='HONOLULU'
'kept in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for honolulu that I've seen before include "City of Hawaii" , "island capital" , "Port in Hawaii" , "State capital of Hawaii" , "location in Hawaii" .)