Half Moon vs Rose Hall Resort (Hilton)

[amee]

I apologize in advance if this thread has been started elsewhere. I'm going through some major last minute changes in venue for my Montego Bay wedding in...April. My original hotel will not be opening in time..I'm now trying to decide between Half moon and Rose hall, which from what I understand is now under new Hilton management. Has anyone been to either or both and have strong opinions? I have to make a quick decision and would love some feedback. I would especially love to hear from anyone who's been recently married at Rose Hall, under its new management. I'm leaning towards Half Moon b/c it seems a little different from the other resorts in the area...but my head is starting to spin with all the info and I'm not sure I'm being objective anymore..

 

Thanks for your help!

[YoursTruly]

Firstly the Half Moon and the Rose Hall are not really in the same price category. If you want more upscale go with HM. The Rose Hall has come a long way--had 2 friends stay there in November and one for a weddin last month and the feedback on the hotel was very positive!! I also heard that the service which was poorly managed when they were under Wyndham management is also greatly improved. I would say go with Rose Hall---they also have a lot of stuff on their website for weddings, photos and the like. I wish you well. You could always look at the RIU – Montego Bay (lol).

[jpenyea]

I have not been to Half Moon but have a good friend that attended a wedding there. I understand that it's very stately and elegant. It's a higher class resort than Rose Hall and there may be a bit more privacy. It's older (the Rose Hall was refurbished a few years ago), so that may be a factor for you.

 

I stayed at the Rose Hall last summer and it's a vibrant and modern hotel that is great for families. We were surprised by how nice the rooms were. As much as I loved the hotel for our family vacation I did not select it for my wedding because I was a bit turned off by the number of weddings they churned out there each day. It felt less private and a bit like a wedding factory to me. Aside from that, the hotel is great.

 

I remember seeing your earlier post about your wedding at the Solis. Are they helping you to relocate? I'm booked there in July but am not worried that I may be looking for a new location if the opening date is pushed back again.

[amee]

Jpenyea, that was my impression of the two places too. We are now happily booked at Half Moon. Its been a stressful month, but things are looking better now. We're actually headed off to Jamaica next weekend to do a site visit, after which I'm sure I'll be more comfortable with everything.

[jpenyea]

Great to hear! It will be wonderful, don't worry. I heard Half Moon is wonderful.

[amee]

I'm on my way to Half Moon for a quick weekend site visit, if anyone needs anything specific from HM please let me know.

[Kbashy]

Hi my name is Kerry, wedding date July 2010. I am also thinking about both Half Moon and Rose Hall. Please let me know how thing turn out at Half Moon. I e-mailed them the other day becuase I want a sit-down reception for my guests after the ceremony. Are you also doing this, and if so what are you paying her plate? Rose Hall has not gotten back to me as yet.

 

Thanks.

[amee]

We're back from our wonderful Half Moon wedding. We, and our guests, had a wonderful time. The highlight of Half Moon is the amazing, super-friendly staff. Of course, the beaches, water and sunsets weren't bad either! We had gone for a site visit a few months before, and most of the details had been settled. A few things were up in the air until we got there, but everything turned out great, especially once we were on site. Shanoya and Simone were both great to work with. We had a lot of special requests and everything was handled with professionalism. I think there are always a few small details that might bug the bride and groom who put a lot of effort into planning - but no one else could tell anything was amiss.

 

We had our rehearsal dinner/Mehndi at Oleander Terrace (absolutely beautiful). We had a buffet - all of our food was custom (Indian/vegetarian) - and Chef Ravi and team did a great job.

 

Ceremony, cocktails and reception at the Royal Pavilion - again we had a buffet - its generally easier with Indian food..and the food was again quite good. The decor was exactly as we had planned during our site visit - we used the onsite florist (I forget her name

 

We had a steel pan band - Dean Barnett - at the rehearsal dinner - and they were a lot of fun. We used HM;s DJ for the wedding - my husband had put together and down loaded all the music - all the DJ had to do was play - there were some issues/mix-ups - but again, mostly only things we would notice.

 

Day after wedding brunch at Seagrape Terrace

 

I also used the Fern Tree Spa a couple of times - hair/makeup with Herga - I highly recommend - she's a whiz and totally understood the 'natural' look I wanted. We also had a couples massage (complimentary with 50 rooms booked) which was very nice.

 

Other things:

-Ate once at the Pub in the shopping village - average

-Did not eat at any of the formal restaurants as we were staying in the villas and had all of our meals prepared there.

-Used the gym once (before I gave up on last minute 'toning') - it was pretty nice

-Lots of tennis courts

-Bike rentals for $5/ day to get around the huge property.

-Children's village - heard from one family it kept the kids busy for a couple hours

-babysitters - we had a lot of little ones at the wedding - my cousins were very comfortable leaving their kids with the nannies at HM - I only heard good things here

-VILLAS - amazing!! wonderful staff, private pool, lots of space - was great for our large extended families

-If you stay in the villas you can buy groceries at the commissary - but it is overpriced - if you're willing to leave the property there's a more reasonably priced grocery store in the Blue Diamond Plaza

-If you're not staying in the villas - I would ask for some details about the rooms you've booked - they're all wonderful - but there are some variations (some had full kitchens, some not etc.) I imagine this is b/c its an older property and different areas have been renovated at different times

-Half Moon is very village-like - you really don't have to leave the property for anything, unless you want to. Some of our relatives went to Ochi for the day and had a nice times. Others did canopy tours, horseback riding, dolphins.

-I'm sure I forgot some things - feel free to ask..

 

-lastly if pina coladas are your thing the poolside bar (by the jacuzzi's) makes a mean (I mean great) one..

 

Amee