The prestigious, unique, and green-conscious accommodations that one experiences at Jamaica’s Half Moon Hotel are not only echoed in the halls of this world-class resort, but resonate around the world and back in the numerous awards the hotel has earned for its spa, fine dining restaurants, shopping village, and informal native elegance.
Jamaica’s Half Moon has a rich history, which includes being the only resort in the Caribbean to have earned a four-diamond designation from AAA for over 27 consecutive years, easily ranking it among sister resorts synonymous with paradise.
Golf aficionados are drawn to its award-winning 18-hole, par-72 championship golf course, designed by world-renowned course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. and renovated in 2005 by legendary course architect, Roger Rulewich.
The Half Moon experience includes something for everyone, with access to 13-lit tennis courts, four squash courts, a croquet lawn, miniature golf, and a jogging trail. Guests partial to water sports may indulge in snorkeling, scuba diving, glass bottom boat tours, or enjoy any of the resort’s 51 pools, including an Olympic-size lap pool and a “swim with the dolphins” experience. Kotch Magazine.
Since its development on a 35-acre crescent-shaped bay (hence the name, Half Moon) in 1954, the hotel boasts a home-away-from-home experience frequented by countless luminaries, including HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, and Prince Charles; Prince Rainier of Monaco, Princess Caroline of Monaco and John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy. Prior to his inauguration as President of the United States, the couple spent a month at the resort.
A copy of one of Mrs. Kennedy’s handwritten wills hangs in the main lobby of the hotel. Celebrity sightings are frequent at Half Moon, which now boasts 400 luscious acres bordered by a private two-mile, white sand beach and a 24-hour medical facility. Adding to the unique luxury is the Fern Tree Spa experience, complete with an on-site Spa Elder™ to guide, create, and counsel clients on a path to wellness with bespoke programs and regimes.
For more than 35 years, Stella Gray, the Chief Spa Elder™ has been meeting with guests to develop customized treatments for their specific needs. The majority of her therapies come from the natural herbs and botanicals grown in the on-site garden that she personally tends.
Gray and her staff work their magic in spa treatment rooms set amidst lush gardens, which allow guests the option of having their room enclosed or open to their own private garden terrace. Couples may reserve one of the plantation-style couples massage suites, bedecked with wooden millwork, pitched ceilings, and a private patio with outdoor soaking tubs.
Families, wedding parties, and groups enjoy the VIP Spa Lounge, which offers a separate living room, treatment room, and private pool affording the group quality bonding time and tranquility. Rounding out the ultimate in peaceful relaxation at the Half Moon are two seaside treatment cabanas. Can’t you just smell the fresh sea air?
