Taking the Kids: To a tropical resort that offers something for everyone

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on Aug 26, 2021

The five-star Half Moon resort, just 10 minutes from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, may well offer something for everyone. You may want to laze on the beach or at the new infinity pool, a tropical drink in hand, snorkel with the kids, chow down on jerk chicken with your feet in the sand, or enjoy a gourmet meal at Sugar Mill, one of the most famous restaurants in Jamaica built on the grounds of a former sugar cane plantation. Or watch the sunset from the terrace of Delmare, the new Italian seafood restaurant. (While you enjoy risotto-of-the-day, there’s a special kids’ sailing menu, including grilled snapper with mashed potatoes, as well as burgers and house-made pasta.)

Adults and kids alike tool around the grounds on bikes. “The bikes are so popular,” said “Crichton. “And it’s so safe you see kids out riding before their parents are up in the morning.”

We are staying in the new Eclipse part of the resort, which, besides new rooms and suites, include the pool, seven new restaurants and bars and Fern Tree, said to be the most luxurious spa in the Caribbean, complete with over-water bungalows for massages and yoga, as well as the Ital Café for a raw vegan experience.

I love that families and couples co-exist so happily. One afternoon, a couple of kids raced down to the beach, buckets in hand, while couples canoodled in the pool. On the outdoor terrace at Delmare, a couple with a toddler enjoy dinner along with older — and younger couples. When the baby starts to fuss, his dad takes him a few steps to the beach.

We’re able to enjoy breakfast on our expansive deck overlooking the gardens and the sea. The “coconut butler,” a longtime resort gardener, comes by to see if perhaps we’d like him to bring us fresh coconut water.

The addition of Eclipse at Half Moon creates a triumvirate of accommodation options under the Half Moon brand, including Founders Cove at Half Moon with the historic cottages initially built by the first owners and the large Rose Hall Villas on the opposite ends of the property, which offer their own staff.

Half Moon would make an ideal holiday getaway, I think — but not this year. “We are already sold out for Christmas,” said Crichton smiling. “And the villas are sold out for Thanksgiving.”

Something worth planning ahead for!

========

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)