Call or email for assistance planning your trip: +1 (212) 203-0064 | reservations@moonjamaica.com
Little Ochie (9 a.m.until you say when daily, US$10-30) is a seafood paradise, serving a wide range of dishes like jerk and garlic crab, fish, and lobster. Over 75 seafood recipes are utilized on a daily basis, with lobster cooked 15 different ways, the best of which could very well be the garlic lobster. Everald Christian, a.k.a.
Canoe Valley Protected Area (contact rangers Devon Douglas, cell tel. 876/578-9456, or Ucal Whyte, cell tel. 876/874-1422) is a coastal wetlands area managed by Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) full of diverse plant and animal life. The manatees that live in semi-captivity along the river in the park are the highlight.
Mandeville's historic sights are concentrated around the town square, known as Cecil Charlton Park. These include the Mandeville Courthouse, which was built of limestone using slave labor and finished in 1820. The courthouse housed the town's first school on its ground floor.
Marshall's Pen (contact owner Ann Sutton, tel. 876/904-5454, asutton@cwjamaica.com) has been a popular spot for serious birding for many years. Birders come especially to see the Jamaican owl, which can often be seen in its favorite easily accessible tree.
Beaver's Bar and Grill (contact owner Wayne Wiltshire, tel. 876/469-4922, 4 p.m\close Tues.\Sun.) is the most happening bar/club in Mandeville with a series of weekly theme nights: Seafood Tuesday, Retro Wednesday, Thursday is low key, College Friday (for university students), Beaver's Saturday (a big club night), Classic Sunday (with a live band, attracts an older crowd).
Odeon Cineplex (5 1/2 Caledonia Rd., tel. 876/962-1354) is the local movie theater and often the most entertaining venue in town for a night out. Movies are typically shown at 5 p.m and 8 p.m daily
Upper Level (Upper Level Plaza, Caledonia Rd.) is Mandeville's regular nightspot with pool tables.
Shockwave HQ Sports Bar (Willow Gate Plaza, contact owner Mark Haughton, cell tel. 876/866-6216, 10 a.m.till you say when daily) is a bar with a few billiard tables and dancehall music blasting in the speakers. The bar turns on the strobe lights as it heats up into the night.
Manchester Club (Caledonia Rd., contact Janice Wright, tel. 876/962-2403, manchester_club@hotmail.com) is the oldest golf course in the Western Hemisphere, dating to 1865. It remains the least expensive course in Jamaica (US$30 greens fees, US$12 clubs, US$14 caddy per round), and perhaps in the hemisphere.
Ingleside Wellness & Recreation Centre (Ingleside Dr., tel. 876/961-3632) has tennis courts, badminton, table tennis, weight lifting equipment, and a bar that no longer keeps regular hours. Day membership is available for use of the facilities. Call manager Janice Robinson for more details. Ingleside is the base for the Manchester Table Tennis Association.
