Just above the bar is a mural by an artist named Michael Lester, one of the great visual storytellers of Jamaican life in the last half century. It’s a painting of Jamaican culture, music and history, percussive and colorful.
Just below the painting is one of the great rum collections of any bar in the Caribbean, with everything from rare Appletons to exotic expressions from Martinique.
This is the signature watering hole at Jamaica’s legendary Eclipse at Half Moon resort, and it’s the essence of what makes this property so special: the quality, the diversity, the overwhelming commitment to delivering an authentic Jamaican experience.
You can travel all across the Caribbean and struggle to find anything quite like Half Moon, which draws back generations of families and a broad network of sophisticated travelers who savor places precisely like this, where you come back each year and the staff remembers your name, where, for a few days or a few weeks, time seems to stop; and where the magic of Jamaica is distilled in every corner.
Indeed, Eclipse, an intimate, 57-room resort-within-a-resort at the sprawling, 400-acre property in the heart of Montego Bay, is as luxurious as it is truly Jamaican — and it’s, in my view, the number one luxury resort on the whole island.
The Return of a Legend
And while Eclipse has been closed since last fall’s storm, it’s now making its triumphant return in April, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The resort’s official reopening date is April 2, the property confirmed to me. It’s a huge step in the island’s tourism comeback — or, as Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett called it, a “powerful signal of confidence in Jamaica’s tourism sector and our national recovery.”
The resort, a former winner of the Caribbean Hotel of the Year award in the Caribbean Travel Awards, has set the standard for the island’s luxe sector since debuting back in 2019.
What You Get at Eclipse
Anchored around a stunning great house-style lobby, the rooms are all just a short stroll from the sand — and in close proximity to the property’s centerpiece, a beachfront infinity pool.
More Than a Resort
What makes this property so unique — and I’ve been here about 10 times, is its scale — there’s literally something for every kind of traveler and every kind of vacation. That ranges from the charming, scenic Robert Trent Jones-designed golf club (something we’ve called the Augusta of Caribbean Golf), to the tennis facilities to the equestrian center. You won’t run out of things to do here, period.
And then there’s the Fern Tree Spa, a delightful wellness destination that emphasizes local ingredients in a very practical, very real way.
The Villas, Too
Half Moon also has a sizable villa component, large villas of at least six bedrooms and either ocean or garden settings, some in classic Jamaican styles and others sleek, modern contemporary homes. Those will also be reopening, the property said.
Prices at Half Moon
Starting rates in April range anywhere from $689 to $895, and in May the prices are even more appealing, at around $675 per night. This is also one of the best times of year to visit the Caribbean: the water is warm, the weather is perfect and it’s before the season gets rainier.
What It All Means
The return of the family-owned resort, which is managed by Salamander Collection (known for its portfolio of thoughtful, unique properties mostly in the US), is a huge message for Jamaica — it’s in many ways the Grande Dame of Jamaican tourism, and one of the symbols of the island’s hospitality sector. If Half Moon is back, Jamaica is right there with it.
It means you can come to Lester’s Bar, order one of the resort’s specially-bottled Worthy Park expressions (more on our review here) and savor a palpably enchanting Jamaican evening.
“As we prepare to welcome back our team members and guests, an emphasis is on the path of recovery we walk together and the renewal opportunities that lie ahead,” said Guy Steuart III, Chairman of Half Moon and third-generation owner. “At Half Moon, care has always been at the centre of what we do — care for our people, and care for our guests, many of whom have returned to us time and time again over generations. Reopening would not have been possible without the patience of our guests and the unwavering resilience of our team. We are deeply grateful to both.”
Alexander Britell
2026-02-12 03:02:00