My family (parents with kids aged 19, 12 and 10) just spent six days at Half Moon and for the most part enjoyed it very much. The down side was that we were not comfortable leaving the resort property, due to reports of crime on the island. Fortunately, there is plenty to do at Half Moon and we took advantage of much of it. Since we were on the Platinum Plan, virtually everything was included other than the dolphin encounter and cocktails at two of the restaurants. We rode horses into the ocean, went on a snorkeling excursion, and swam with the dolphins. All of the activities were enjoyable and well-organized, with personable guides who did not actively seek tips (though we did leave tips for them at the front desk).

On the subject of restaurants, three are very good: Seagrape Terrace, Il Giardino, and the Sugar Mill, in that order. Don't waste your time at the Royal Stocks, which Frommer's described as a steakhouse -- it isn't. It's just a poor-quality pub with burgers and terrible service. We had to ride the resort shuttle for 15-20 minutes to get there, as it is located in a depressing small shopping complex at the far end of the resort (half of the shops were vacant), and it was a complete waste of an evening.

The service at Half Moon is very good and the staff are very accommodating in response to nearly any request. Our Hibiscus Suite 6/6A overlooked the beach, had two large balconies (we were on the second floor which I think is preferable for privacy and view), and was well situated between the main lobby restaurants and the swimming pools. We especially enjoyed the swim-up bar in the free-form pool.

Our stay was very relaxing and pleasant, and as it was the low season, the resort was very quiet: on only two of the six days was there anyone in sight along the beach in front of the Hibiscus Suites in either direction from ours, and we were always seated immediately at any of the restaurants.

Besides the unsettled nature of the island, the only negatives of the vacations were that some of the furniture in our suite was in disrepair, the power went out a few times one day, and the water pressure was poor in half of our suite (one faucet was completely non-functional). Other than those minor issues, Half Moon is a beautiful resort where one can do as much or as little as one wishes.

My husband Kevin and I were married on Sunday May 4, 2008 at HalfMoon Resort in Rosehall, Jamaica! Our wedding was an intimate family affair. Every detail was perfectly executed by our Half Moon Romance Coordinator, Diandra. She helped us create a beautiful wedding that reflected exactly what we imagined. Throughout our planning/wedding Diandra proved time and again that she’s clearly one of the best romance coordinators at HalfMoon.

Kevin and I arrived at Sangster airport early Thursday morning via Air Jamaica. As usual Customs took a while. However, we were aware of this and warned our guests as part of our ‘need to know before you go’. Thankfully, the HalfMoon check-in desk had a shuttle waiting for us and about twenty minutes later we entered the familiar gates of HalfMoon. The front desk personnel alerted us that our room wasn’t ready (we expected and prepared for this since we arrived around 8AM given our flight choice so, no surprises here). As planned we ate breakfast at the Seagrape Terrace and enjoyed the gorgeous views. By the time we finished our meal a representative from the front desk stopped by our table to let us know our room was ready. To our surprise we learned that we had been upgraded to an Oleander Suite next to the ocean and our eventual wedding site. It turns out all of our guests who arrived early were also upgraded and placed within short walking distance to Kevin and I. Our plan was to check into a villa with our family members the next day.

Our best times were had at the Villa. Lionel (our Butler) Hazel (our chef) and Seagale (our housekeeper) were awesome! Absolutely request this team – they made our Villa experience a delight. Lionel took charge to make certain all requests were taken care of quickly. Hazel made us the best meals: fresh veggies, marinated chicken and fish dishes, desserts, etc. Lionel created great smoothies and ‘rum punches’ for all to enjoy. At least once a day, one of our guests entered the kitchen to thank Hazel for such a good meal. Seagale provided attention to the cleanliness and order of the Villa and maintained our laundry in short turn around.

We enjoyed a relaxing day-before-the-wedding. While most of the guys played a spirited game of miniature golf, I spent time at the Fern Tree Spa. In particular, Sonia created a beautiful manicure and pedicure for my wedding day. Sonia’s manicure lasted through our honeymoon and many dips in the ocean. My manicure is STILL on my toes and looks great! The Spa also accommodated my last minute add-on appointment without any delays.

Our wedding day was smooth. Diandra, arranged for our honeymoon suite to be ready at noon. Again, to our surprise we had been upgraded to an oceanfront Hibiscus Suite! I still miss those views and having the surf and sand a few feet away! On the way to the suite I saw staff hard at work setting up our Oleander Terrace for the big night! Throughout the day, Diandra provided constant updates and made sure I was doing okay. She stopped by, well in advance of our prearranged departure time and dropped off my beautiful bridal bouquet and my parent’s corsages. This left me to truly enjoy getting ready to walk down the aisle with my parents without any last minute issues.

My parents and I took a short, private bus ride to the Oleander Terrace. The venue looked beautiful and the violinist sounded great. Our reverend did a great job, moving us seamlessly through our ceremony. Diandra made certain that even our butterfly release had perfect timing.

Every detail was amazing: flowers, food, service, and an awesome sunset provided courtesy of mother nature. Diandra worked behind the scenes insuring that our timeline was flawless. The DJ played our music exactly as we discussed and did a wonderful job with the flow of music.

My husband and I had so much fun, our families had the times of their lives and we’re already planning when we can all go back. We miss the people of Jamaica who, from the start of wedding planning, have made our travels to the island so wonderful. We are so happy that chose Half Moon for our destination wedding and would not hesitate to recommend to other couples who want to have an unforgettable wedding in Jamaica.

I was not sure what to think of the country as a whole as i had heard of negative expirenceses. I was so glad to be recieved with the most open arms of any country that we have vistited in years( and we travel a lot!) all the staff was wonderfully and very polite and wanted to bend over backwards for us. We initally were taken to a room that was ( my wife refered to it as harry potter's room under the stairs. We called the manager and told them of of our dissatisfaction and they promptly moved us to a room atop a villa on the old side of the beach. My wife then refered to our room as the " swiss family robinson room". WE LOVED IT!!! This resort is great for families and couples as well, but know that everything happens on island time! It will happen but just sit back and relax and remember that your in their country ....on the time line of a native. !!!! you will enjoy your staff .....if your know what your getting into and anywhere in the carribean you get the same thing. A beautiful place with people who apreciate you but you must also respect them and their culture as well. !!!
the resort is 400 acres and that leaves alot of room to explore. there are villas for larger groups these are newer and for larger groups and families. the rooms that are part of property that are older are great for couples. these older areas are more secluded and are better for honeymooners and couples.

enjoy half moon it rocks!


Enjoy Jamaica!! it will take care of you as long as you respect it!

We were very disappointed!. The villa (94) was located in the back of the resort; far away from the beach to walk. A lot of traffic noise can be heard from the room.
No internet service in the rooms! What kind of 4 star hotel does not have internet service nowadays?
The tv was old and the remote did not work. The air conditioning unit was awfully noisy.
No room service other than breakfast!
Requesting any kind of service over the phone was slow and inefficient. Staff was hit o miss: some very rude, some helpful.

We requested to change rooms and the staff gave us the run around and did not grant our request.
Next time we will go to the Ritz. The Half moon is definitely only "half" regarding accommodations, amenities, staff