Half Moon, a RockResort

We loved our stay at the Half Moon in MoBay, Jamaica. The room was pretty although the mattress was kind of hard. The resort was beautifully laid-out, and carefully maintained. The amenities were perfect. They have everything there you could want. We loved the seaside restaurants for all of our meals and the staff made us feel welcomed and relaxed. The equestrian center was far above my expectations and I am a rider. My husband loved the tennis. The showers were a bit tricky but otherwise, we really liked our room too. This is definitely a true 5 star experience.

The Half Moon is a unique and beautiful resort. Rather than one large hotel building, the rooms are spread out along the beach in cottages or villas. Many guests have most of their meals at the main outdoor restaurant so you get to know some of the other guests. A number of families have been back to the Half Moon annually for years. This was our first stay at the Half Moon. While it was beautiful and the staff was very nice, the food was subpar at best. For New York City prices, you received “Island time” service. We tried all of the resort’s restaurants and every one of our dinners took over an hour for the food to arrive. At lunch for example, a $17 tuna sandwich with potato chips took at least 45 minutes. The other problem was water. It was impossible to get your waiter to bring you water frequently while dining and the hotel offered no filtered water around the pool or beach. For such an expensive resort, they seemed almost stingy about things such as water. Another example is towels. There was always a shortage of towels at the beach and pool so you often had to wait for them. This is not the kind of service I expect from such an expensive hotel. However, they certainly know how to provide activities! There are lots of tennis courts and a great staff to take lessons from! There is shuffleboard, bocce, croquet, beach volleyball and basketball. There is a nice fitness center with spin classes. They also offer (for $150+ per person) “swimming with the dolphins.” There are free water activities like kayaking and paddle boating and for a fee, boat rentals, boating excursions, and tubing and water skiing. Most people use the complimentary beach cruiser bikes, which is a lot of fun! It is also practical since it is a 400-acre resort! There is a beautiful golf course (so I heard, we didn’t golf) and squash courts. I was with my three adult children so I can’t speak from experience, but it looks like they offer a ton of activities for young children through adolescents.

Half Moon is a lovely hotel/resort. My husband and I just got back from a quick 3 day trip to get some sunshine and it was the perfect spot. 10 minutes from the airport in Montego Bay, a phenomenal staff that goes out of their way to accommodate, and beautiful beaches to relax and enjoy. I would recommend requesting a room in one of the beachfront cottages which we did not do when booking initially. We were scheduled at the Oleander cottages which were a bit away from the beach. Luckily the front desk switched us upon checking in and we wound up right on the beach. Also - the resort is HUGE with tons of tennis courts, a golf course and much more. I guess this is why it is so expensive. My husband and I were only going for the beach so didnt use any of the amenities. The food was decent but again, meals are extremely expensive. Expect to spend $80-$100 on breakfast and lunches. And $200 plus on dinners. Maybe a meal plan would have been the smarter route. But all in all, a great escape from the cold and noise of NYC! I'd recommend it to anyone.

If you can afford it, go for it; you won't be disappointed. The private beach is breathtaking, the grounds are well kept, the rooms are extremely comfortable and... well, you probably won't want to go home at the end of your stay. If you're like me and enjoy cycling, they have bike hire so grab one to get between main dining area and the shops/living quarters to the east. If you don't want to be jumping in the shower every other hour then hire a golf buggy instead. The hotel's eco credentials seemed to live up to expectations: they encourage recycling and the housemaid actually left my towel on the hanger as I requested, which has never happened in any hotel before! The golf buggies are battery powered so guests who hire them can leave charging outside their rooms; and most of the time when you need a bellman to take you somewhere you get a ride on one of these (tips are accepted). I did dine at the main restaurant a couple of times. It was a bit expensive by my budget but still tasty. They have local fare (fish, lobster) and veg from their own garden. If you have fancy dining tastes you'll be in your element here. The in-complex shopping area is large and well styled. It was reasonably quiet (I went out of peak season) but there was still a friendly welcome at the bar (refreshing pint of Guinness), supermarket (bananas, home made muffins, locally made peanut bars) and adjoining coffee house (cappuccino and freshly made double turkey sandwich). Due to work (and jet-lag) I didn't have time to explore the area or take advantage of any trips during the day but they have a tour agency rep next to reception if you need inspiration.

the staff at the half moon are exceptional.they go out of their way to make your stay feel like home.they are some of the friendliest people ive ever encountered great resort to visit

The hotel was very welcoming when we arrived! They even upgraded our room since it was our honeymoon. They greated us with jamaican rum while we waited for a new room assignment. The bellhop gave us a tour of the grounds and some insite history on when celebrity stay as guest in the resort. The only thing missing was it was so quiet. It is more for a quiet laid back experience. The food is pricey if it is not all-inclusive. We bought our own drinks with us since our stay could not include all-inclusive. The room (junior suite) was nice that we were upgraded to. We stayed at Sandals Ocho Rios before coming here and I like Sandals better due to the vibe of the sandals. I would not recommend the hotel for those looking to have fun, but more for those who want a quiet vacation.

Golf, swimming, tennis, spa

Wonderful.

A very short stay indeed- under 12 hours as a result of a delayed flight and a shame we couldn't be there a bit longer to enjoy the facilities.

Overall, very nice. But not five-stars. The beach is great. The location is great with a relaxing beach, long stretch of coast, lovely golf course, and very tradiational but pleasant villas and suites. My two peeves are: 1) The food was very average - deli-quality at New York prices - and there is nowhere else to go that is simple to get to! 2) I hate having gratuity added to everything (spa, food, etc, etc) and then a space is left for you to add on a tip - it just makes me mad - I would have tipped more than 15% if they hadn't already included it, but I don't like the implication of an expensive meal, plus tax, plus 15% gratuity, PLUS a line to tip...