Already a Caribbean playground for the young and young at heart, Half Moon, the luxury resort located in Rose Hall, Jamaica recently added a new 5000 square foot club exclusively for teens and young adults ages 13 – 20.

The activity centre, called Hype Zone, features a games room, cyber lounge, disco, movie threate, and spa area and offers activities such as foosball, pool, air hockey, video games and mini-spa services. In addition to games and a teen spa offering manicures, pedicures facials and massages, Hype Zone also offers nightly entertainment such as karaoke, movie and disco nights. For those looking for a more sports-centered stay, there are organized events such as tennis tournaments, beach football and group aerobics.

Not to be excluded, Half Moon also introduced the Very Important Little Persons Services (VILPS) for children 3 – 12 years. Children staying at the resort will be personally welcomed by an Anancy Children’s Village Coordinator and offered their very own fizzy drink and a welcome gift. In addition, characters from the Anancy Children’s Village at Half Moon, including Brer Anancy himself will make special guest appearances during major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, US President’s Week, Canadian Family Day and Easter.

These additions to the resort come on the heels of Half Moon being named as having the Best Family Program by international travel agent consortia Virtuoso. Virtuoso’s Best Family Program recognizes the resort with a family-friendly environment, an activity packed programme for children of all ages with innovative activities and services to educational endeavours and active adventures.

Conference on kidney disease and hypertension to be staged in Montego Bay.

The Caribbean Institute of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of the West Indies will host the 2nd International Conference on Nephrology and Hypertension at the Rose Hall Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica between January 25 and 27. It will focus on the theme “Understanding the Mechanism and Treating the Kidney and its Diseases”.

Presenters from the wider Caribbean will include Professor Emeritus George Nicholson, a Guyanese, has carried out groundbreaking work in the treatment of kidney disease in the Caribbean. In Jamaica he collaborated with Professor Lawson Douglas of the UWI, on establishing the dialysis units at the Kingston Public and University of the West Indies hospitals. He also established the first dialysis unit in Barbados. Professor Nicholson will present on one type of inflammatory kidney disease described as focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. Dr Leslie Roberts of Trinidad and Tobago and Dr L. Lewis, the former chief minister of Montserrat, will discuss kidney transplant in the Caribbean.

Professor Barton emphasised that the conference was not being limited to doctors, nurses and researchers but would be relevant to physiotherapists, pharmacists, dieticians, medical students, technologists and all persons involved in the public health and primary health care arenas.