We stayed in the Half Moon during the week after Thanksgiving and it was not crowded. The beach was great, many cottages and vilas on the property have their own pools. Food in the restaurants was expensive but average quality. To get around the 400 acres that hotel is sitting on, you can rent golf carts or bikes.

It was a beautiful place but they had the water out a couple of times and the tv as well. Otherwise it was nice

The resort was beautiful and the room was beyond my expectations. The service was good and the staff were friendly. The only downside was that food and activities were a little pricey. This is definately the place to stay.

Possibly b/c it was off-season, the hotel was understaffed and service, in the food area, was terrible. Service in the restaurants was painfully slow, taking up to 15 minutes just to get a menu. Forget about trying to get the check! Food itself in the main restaurant was only mediocre and VERY expensive. Our party of 11 was refused a table in the Italian restaurant b/c they didn't have enough staff to serve us properly (their words). This is in a restaurant that was more than 80% empty! The resort is exquisite and service staff in other areas were responsve, but anything involving food was a total disaster.

The staff was pleasant, friendly,and helpful. The room was beautiful and the view was breath taking.

Traveler's tip:

This romantic, safe place was awesome. Beautiful, marble lobby, cool staff (young and old, all sweet), beautiful beach, and great pools and tennis courts and such. The only drag is the restaurant isnt that great, and there aren't many choices nearby, if you're not staying in the pricey villas. There is a killer jerk joint (which is, sadly, exclusively full of tourists) down the street, though, Scotchies. KEEP IN MIND: You are a 20-minute drive from Montego Bay, and removed from the real Jamaica.

Off Season was great! Traveled July 2-11 2007. Hibiscus Suite was very roomy with a great location looking at the sea, while still close to the pool and main lobby. I was traveling with my girls age 10,7 so I didn't get a meal package. If my girls were bigger I would recommend the meal plans. Not just the hotel but the guests and people we met were wonderful. It made the trip!

Traveler's tip:

If you do not like huge towering hotel, this is the place for you. Staff was very freindly.

The service was excellent. Absolutely no complaints about anyone who worked there. Only the airport drivers and luggage handlers hover trying to get a tip for anything they do, which is a little annoying considering that I definitely tip for handling our bags but not for giving information. The restaurant staff and cleaning people are great. Keep in mind you are in Jamaica and things run at a little slower pace there. The property is beautiful and VERY well kept, but the rooms were good, not great. You can tell that when the beachfront suite we stayed in required a repair they took some shortcuts. For example, the shower/tub was pretty dinged up and was repaired with blotches of white paint. And the caulking was in need of serious repair. Make sure you make reservations because activities book up quickly. We went in April/May (during the slow season) and activities still booked up fast. Food was remarkably good. Room service was delivered on time and was above average. Make sure you check your bill the night before you leave because there were several errors on ours.

Have dollars bills when you arrive for tipping. Also, be firm and clear on what you want when constantly being approached by luggage handlers, doormen and drivers at the airport and hotel looking for tips.

My husband, 2yr old and I have returned having been sincerely underwhelmed at our experience at Half Moon. The hotel disappointed on many levels- poor food, old and shabby accomodation, rude treatment by the front desk staff and rip-off prices for most services/ purchases available. To outline a few details (these are just the highlights, the full list is much longer!)- the shower, baby's cot, electrical socket, phone, mini-fridge, one chair and two windows in our suite were all broken; at our first meal my husband was served uncooked chicken (which they then tried to charge us for!); we arrived on Sunday and our pool wasn't cleaned until the Friday. After numerous calls (which weren't returned) and visits to the front desk we were finally able to speak to the manager who eventually gave us a discount on the cost of our accomodation. This was more of a gesture than anything else and cetainly fell way short of compensating us for the not inconsiderable amount of money we spent or the waste of our precious holiday time. They claim to be 5 stars but I have genuinely stayed in better 3 star hotels than this.

The service and staff were amazing. We were upgrated to a suite and it was fabulous- steps from the beach and the pool. The only complaint I had with the whole trip was the food- but to be honest, I was on vacation to enjoy the weather and relax- not enjoy fabulous meals. I look forward to going back!!!