Call or email for assistance planning your trip: +1 (212) 203-0064 | reservations@moonjamaica.com
The area south of May Pen is the prime agricultural land celebrated in the Denbeigh Agricultural Show each year. The area is dominated by cane production at the Moneymusk Sugar Estate. Few visitors to Jamaica make it to this remote side of Clarendon, and the few who do typically visit the somewhat run-down Milk River Baths.
Jackson Bay has some of Jamaica's deepest coastal caves, where legend has it the pirate Morgan stashed booty. The little-explored coastline around Jackson Bay is dotted with such caves, while the beach is a popular spot with locals on weekends and holidays. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is very helpful for heavy exploring along this stretch of coast.
Salt River, 10 minutes east of Lionel Town near the coast, has a public mineral spring that is a favorite cooling off spot among locals.
St. Peter's Church is one of the oldest churches in Jamaica. It was founded in 1671 as the parish church of the former parish of Vere. The present building was erected around 1715 on the foundation of the original. The church bell weighs a quarter ton and was commissioned by the same company that created Big Ben, London's most distinguishing landmark.
The original Moneymusk Sugar Estate windmill in nearby Amity Hall is an interesting octagonal brick structure that now houses a branch of the parish library (tel. 876/986-3128, 11 a.m.\5 p.m Mon.\Fri.); Maxine Reid is the branch assistant. Internet service is offered (US$1.50/hour) on one terminal.
Milk River Hotel and Spa (tel. 876/902-4657, milkriverhotel@yahoo.com) has three types of rooms. There are rooms with two twin beds and either shared bath (US$110) or private bath (US$117), both of which include breakfast, dinner, and bath access.
The Milk River Baths (7 a.m.\9 p.m daily, US$4 per 15 minutes for adults, US$2 children 10 and under), located at the hotel, are spring fed with lukewarm water. A bath can be enjoyed whether or not you're staying at the hotel.
Route taxis and buses serve May Pen from Kingston and Mandeville. May Pen is located at the western end of Highway 2000, one of Jamaica's best toll roads, making it a quick 45-minute drive from Kingston. From the taxi stand in the square in May Pen, route taxis for points south (like Milk River) leave sporadically as they fill up.
Unless your goal is to simply loaf on the beach, or you happen to be staying in a destination resort or villa that's too comfortable to leave, Ocho Rios is not a place to spend more than a few days if you're trying to see other parts of the island in a short period of time.
St. Ann figures strongly in Jamaica's early colonial history. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus landed on the shore near Discovery Bay in 1492 while under contract from the Spanish Crown to find a shorter passage to the Far East.
