Oh what a JOY!!~~ TY for the ride!
Oh what a JOY!!~~ TY for the ride!
"I'll love you till the stars fall out of the sky "
:cool
Love your trip report and pics...especially of Kingsley. He's wonderful. Can't wait to see his smiling face on the 19th. Love Pelican Bar and YS.
Just catching up on your report...Visitied Pelican Bar a couple of years ago... had a blast, can't wait to get back there
...beautiful pictures by the way!!!
Tap...Tap...Tap... GOT MORE???
"I'll love you till the stars fall out of the sky "
:cool
Thanks everyone! Percy's soon come.... Like I'm typing it right now.
So this is how we start our day when staying on the West End.
We have stayed there for a total of 15 nights and have been fortunate enough to be able to swim each day. Our last trip I hopped in the pool maybe 3 times, this trip it was daily. Last time I couldn't understand why you would use a pool if you had the ocean, of course able bodied. This trip it felt much hotter and the cliff gravity prevented some jumps int the ocean. The pool required minimal effort and felt cooler then the ocean anyways. Don't get me wrong as I had multiple daily jumps into the ocean, however my pool time increased greatly. The best spot to jump is right near Sagi as it is the highest point on property.
This day felt like the hottest of all 8 days we were there. I hit Banmark on the way out of town and walked out dripping. The difference from May to Oct on the thermometer is only a few degrees, however it felt much different. I'm talking 10-15 degrees. Not sure if the humidity was higher, but it felt sweltering. And I live in the Southwest. We also had minimal rain, until today.
I had worked it out with Mr T the day before to pick us up at 11. I normally get up around 8 in Jamaica, but this day I needed some extra sleep. So that was the plan at least. 7am rolls around and I am up and at em. No matter how hard I try I feel like time is running out and I wake up early every morning. I say early as our nights went to the early am, so sleep would need to happen when we get home.
The ride out of Negril to Percy's is probably 10-15 minutes total from 7 mile. You head North past Bloody Bay on the way to Green Island. I'm not sure of the turn off, but I do remember it's a right turn and then a right turn probably 2 miles up. It's called Percy's Riverside Retreat and it is in Orange Bay. I like the area and plan to spend much more time there in the future. Also, Half Moon Beach/Bay is just down the road.
So we pull up and immediately I know that this is going to be a special day. Mr Percy's place is gorgeous and captivates you right away. I found myself wanting to check the entire place out right now.
Mr T takes us toward what looked like it might be a bar. We walk along the river from the back of the picture to the front, watching the fisherman bait a fish trap. The entire place is surreal and the vibe is hard to describe. All I know is that I need a beer and just at that moment Percy makes his approach. The man is stoked to show us his place and I am more stoked to check it out. We head to the building that I mentioned early which is in fact the bar and Percy serves us up some beer. We chatted for a bit and then he ask if we would like to meet his wife and check out the kitchen. "Are you kidding me, of course we would." So we walk over to the spotless kitchen and meet Percy's better half. She is a sweet lady hard at work whipping up some killer food for us.
Percy took us around showing us all of his hard work. After a few beers it was time to eat! But not before Percy fed his crane.
And now to the food. Here is my plate.
And here is Sandie's
The food was really good and disappeared in no time. Percy's daughter was a great waitress and made sure we were well taking care of. We were the only people there besides one local Jamaican lady, so we had her complete attention. As we were finishing up the rain showed up.
It's hard to see in the picture, but all I know is it dumped! I have not seen rain like this since Japan in the mid 90's, and I lived in Florida for a few years and went thru multiple hurricanes.
Percy's part 2 soon come.....
Last edited by booger; 10-21-2011 at 11:01 PM.
Great report with some awesome pics!!! Keep it comin!!
T
Definitely going to check that place out in nov. Nice pictures.
Thanks everyone!
The rain was coming down so hard and sideways(Forrest Gump type rain) that Percy and one of his helpers started rolling tarps down to keep us dry. The area where we ate was not small, but the rain was just whipping. I didn't even notice the tarps until he started rolling them down, love the Jamaican ingenuity. We sat there for a while playing dominoes. I lost the first three games and asked Percy's 8 year old son to help me out. After 3 straight wins he was banished from the table.
The kid has a great personality and eats ketchup on everything. In the background you can see the tarp after it has been dropped down but not yet opened.
Understand though that the bathroom is a separate building and if it is dumping rain you have to walk in the rain to get there. I had no problem as it was hot and the rain felt great. They did offer up an umbrella if you are so inclined.
A ganga plane crashed back in the day on the property and Percy still has some of the parts.
Percy loved telling the story and I just had to take a pic of where it landed. The entire place is lush and the great thing about where you eat is that it is open on 3 sides, so you have a great panoramic view of the property.
Another shot of the property. After numerous games of dominoes and numerous beers we headed over to a little hut. It has a table in the middle and a hammock on each side. Good time to hop in and chill for awhile after the killer food.
We spent about half a day here and decided we needed to make the short trip over to Half Moon to check it out. We met Andrew the owner at Ivan's the night before. It was funny how it all worked out. We were sitting there having some beers with Rob and Lisa and some others and I mentioned I was considering hitting Half Moon the next day after Percy's. Lisa laughed and said "that's Andrew the owner right there." We introduced ourselves and chatted a bit about his property. I knew quickly that we had make a stop as Andrew is a chill guy and it helped seal the deal, not that it really needed too though. I have read a lot of reviews on the place and I believe it was Rastagirl who posted some killer pics of the place.
We hit the gates and a sign posted said to ring the bell. We rang it and waited for a little bit and nobody showed. So we started walking down the path and were met by two big dogs. Rut row. No worries, Sandie is the female version of Cesar Millan and made the approach out ahead of us. Next thing you know she's down petting them profusely so we made the approach. Right after that the bartender showed up and invited us in.
You hit the bar first, so naturally we ordered up some beers and chatted for a few. Like I said before it was HOT! So we made the hop skip and a jump over to the little bay and I must say, pictures do not do this place justice. It was gorgeous and we were the only one's there. I could run around this place naked if they would let me.
Andrew joined us for awhile until a couple of ladies showed up and he escorted them to their little cottage. I didn't make it over to check them out, but plan to do so on the next visit. I could stay here for a few days to unwind and decompress.
His dogs are big and reminded me of my big German Shepherd back home. They were playful and received a ton of attention from all of us. If you need a dog fix this is the place to come. If you want a beach with no hassle, this is the place to come. If you want to just chill away from crowds, this is the place to come. My only regret is not taking more pictures.
Andrew has a few loungers sprinkled about the beach. All you need is your towel and some cash to eat and drink. I'm guessing it is 10-15 minutes from Seven Mile. Route taxi's can get you there too, and I'm sure for cheap. They do get the Wild Thing boat there, so check the schedule beforehand if you want a minimal crowd.
We finished the day bar hopping it up and down the West End. I have grown a fondness for a few bars such as Xtabi, LTU, Debar, C&D, and now Canoe. I meant to get to Canoe last time, but we just did not make it. We only went at night and need to make it during the day to enjoy their little beach.
Catcha and other pics soon come......
Last edited by booger; 10-22-2011 at 04:31 PM.
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