The stately, British-inflected elegance that pervades the Half Moon resort in Jamaica is perceptible from the moment one sets foot in the sprawling marble lobby. Crystal chandeliers drip from the ceilings and portraits of past guests – Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, the Kennedys – adorn the walls. Yet all signs of the Commonwealth fall away upon entering the 2-year-old Fern Tree Spa, a verdant oasis dappled with pools and hidden lounging spots. Helming the operation is chief spa elder Stella Gray, a Jamaican who has worked at the resort for 37 years. Guests can consult Gray for advice about traditional remedies incorporating herbs and plants from her on-site garden. These include soursop leaf, aloe vera, leaf of life, and cerasee, a particularly potent plant that Jamaicans use to treat everything from cramps to colds. Other unique ingredients include Blue Mountain coffee, plantains, rum, and coconut, all of which turn the spa experience into an olfactory heaven. During treatments inside over-the-water cabanas (which involve seawater, algae, sponges, and salt) guests can gaze at the turquoise Caribbean rolling back and forth between the wooden floor slats. www.halfmoon.com