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 This was a perfect family vacation! Visited: December 2006 |
| Posted by asstsales |
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This is the perfect vacation spot for families with small children. With the nanny service that is included in your package, a single parent couldn't ask for anything more. My three children - ages 2,5 and 7 - had a blast. I was a bit hesitant about leaving my kids with a stranger, but after the first two hours, they literally fell in love with her and never wanted her to leave.
The food here is excellent, apart from the fact that two of their speciality restaurants (Italian and Jamaican) are both adults only. My kids had their own little mini-buffet that was set-up every night in the main dining room. The variety was good. The Jamaican Restaurant was excellent! I had never eaten Jamaican food before, and once I tasted the steamed fish - there was no turning back.
I had gotten a two-bedroom suite which was spacious enough for my children and me. The rooms were kind of old fashioned, but were very clean and had a Jamaican feel with the red wood furniture.
I am definitely looking forward to returning here very soon. My children are already missing the nanny, and the kiddies' coordinators who made my work so much easier! Thumbs up for FDR! |
| 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| This would be an excellent vacation for families! Visited: February 2004 |
| Posted by cimbrian |
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This resort offers a great time for families. Parents will be relaxed, and children will have the time of their lives. It is all done in comfortable, huge rooms.
The food is fine- we did not lose any weight! The nannies, as well as the rest of the staff, are attentive and kind and they seem to really appreciate your visit.
You cannot go wrong with the FDR! |
| 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
 Nice but Noisy Visited: February 2004 |
| Posted by ipstrate |
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The accomodations were slightly age-worn but comfortable.
The food was very good.
There is only one real pool and you shouldn't plan on a quiet day reading beside it (or anywhere near it for that matter). A very, very powerful sound system is deployed next to the pool. Unfortunately, a gregarious activities coordinator/carnival barker periodically appears to announce one of the upcoming scheduled activities. Taking the microphone that is attached to the sound system described above, she turns the volume up until feedback screeches from the speakers and the sound of her voice is distorted to the point of being hardly recognizable.
The "event" one afternoon was adult musical chairs (I'm not kidding about this). There were about twenty people, mostly reading and making conversation, around the pool when it started. Several saw what was coming, packed their things and went elsewhere. After about five minutes of cajoling she managed to have about five people volunteer to play musical chairs beside the pool. The event lasted for about fifteen more minutes and was broadcast to the entire resort over the sound system, irrespective of the fact that the activities coodinator running the event was no more than ten feet from the participants, didn't need the microphone at all to be heard and the vast majority of the other 150 people at the resort wanted nothing to do with it. If you're looking for a nice quiet beach vacation while the nanny watches the kids, go somewhere else. This isn't it.
The beach situation at the Franklyn D is quite interesting. The resort itself doesn't really have a beach, just a pair of manmade coves, one for the watersports boats and the other a swimming beach for the preschool set. Grownups won't want to swim here. The good news is that there is a beautiful beach right next door at Superclub's Breezes Runaway Bay Resort. Under Jamaican law, the foreshore area between the high and low water marks on the beach is public land, so FDR guests are free to step around the barrier wall that is between the resorts and use Breezes' beach up to the high tide mark. The bad news (for those of us with kids, anyway) is that the portion of Breezes' beach that is immediately adjacent to FDR has been designated by Breezes as a nude bathing area. This area is clearly visible from the pier on the east end of FDR, which is used as a lounging area and to give massages. The nude beach is heavily used, and it is not unusual for innocent eyes to witness nude couples "getting close" in the chest deep water just off the beach. Breezes has a normal beach further down, but you have to walk through the nude area to get there.
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| 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| It was nice, but noisy. Visited: February 2004 |
| Posted by ipstrate |
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We just returned from our stay at FDR. The accommodations were slightly age-worn, but comfortable, and the food was very good.
There was only one real pool and you shouldn't plan on a quiet day reading beside it (or anywhere near it for that matter). A very, very powerful sound system mounted on wheels was usually deployed next to the pool and a gregarious activities coordinator/carnival barker periodically appeared to announce and conduct scheduled activities. If you're looking for a nice quiet beach vacation while the nanny watches the kids, go somewhere else. This isn't it.
The resort itself didn't really have a beach. The good news was that there was a beautiful beach right next door at Superclub's Breezes Runaway Bay Resort. Under Jamaican law, the foreshore area between the high and low water marks on the beach is public land, so FDR guests are free to step around the barrier wall that is between the resorts, clamber over a few rocks and and use Breezes' beach up to the high tide mark.
The bad news (for those of us with kids, anyway) was that the portion of Breezes' beach that was immediately adjacent to FDR has been designated by Breezes as a nude bathing area. This area was clearly visible from the pier on the east end of FDR, which was used as a lounging area and to give massages.
The nude beach was heavily used, and it was not unusual for innocent eyes to witness nude couples "getting close" in the chest deep water just off the beach. Breezes had a normal beach further down, but you had to walk through the nude area to get there. |
| 2 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. |
| Everything was relaxing with a family-like atmosphere. Visited: May 2003 |
| Posted by chplsr |
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I think everything was excellent from the meals to the games. My room was always clean, and the faces were always happy. |
| 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| Everything was relaxing with a family like atmosphere. Visited: May 2003 |
| Posted by chplsr |
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I think everything was excellent from the meals to the games. The most excellent were the girls. The best was the owners daughter Britney and I miss her. My room was always clean and the faces were always happy. |
| 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| The BEST all-around family vacation Visited: June 2001 |
| Posted by michaele |
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Following is the letter I wrote to the GM at FDR:
We had the BEST family vacation we have EVER had. Your staff made our teens, grade schooler and baby twins, not to mention us, VERY happy. We have never been to a place that could really truly cater to our varying age group.
Some extra praise for particular staff members: It was great to always see you, Mr. Freddie, making sure everything was running smoothly. Mrs. Miller in the Kiddie Centre is the epitome of Jamaican elegance. Miss Bailey was so much fun at Puerto Seco. Remember, we were the group that was having such a good time that we stayed extra long. Caruso really needs a record deal. Give him a raise so he can burn his music on a CD. Julian and Stacy behind the pool bar make some mean Shark Attacks. All of the dining room staff was very friendly.
The food was great. We love fresh fish. Our teens give extra special remarks to teen coordinators: Renee (Big Red), Derrick and Jason. Mrs. Williams was just great about attending to all of our special requests. I just had to go see her and give her a big old hug on the day we left. The special requests (i.e. the perfect oceanfront rooms and nannies) were what truly MADE our vacation.
What truly made our entire vacation fantastic for everyone was our wonderful Vacation Nannies, Ollisia Nelson and Synola Campbell. If it weren’t for them, as adults we would not have had a couples vacation inserted into our family vacation. They made it possible not to have to interrupt our teenagers’ fun to ask them to babysit the twins. Therefore, we were able to have “date night” almost every evening. Aidan, our 10-year-old, was happy to be able to do his own age appropriate thing. He is so often caught in the middle because he isn’t a teen nor is he a baby. Ollisia and Synola stole our hearts as well as the twins’ hearts. One evening DH was holding baby girl, and she wanted to go to her Nanny Ollisia instead of Daddy. What a blow to dear old Dad, but at the same time made us feel really good about the care they were getting. Synola bonded dearly with baby boy. We really loved spending time with the nannies and learning about their lives and Jamaica.
Now is the perfect time to transition into our next vacation. Our anniversary is in January. Until the twins were born we always took a couples only vacation at this time. But since they have been here, it hasn’t been possible to go away. Now due to FDR, we’ve found the perfect place to have an anniversary getaway.
Summary: FDR is NOT fancy, but is a great value. You cannot go to other family resorts for anywhere near FDR's price. We are world travelers and not cheap. Do your homework when booking.
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| 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
 Great service but a bit rundown Visited: January 2001 |
| Posted by seafamily |
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I am the dissenting review on this page. I believe that my review is tainted by the fact that we had very bad weather during our vacation, but I was not as thrilled with FDR as I expected to be based on the other reviews here. For instance the rooms were outdated and we had a leak in ours so the tile floors got very slippery. The "king size" beds were really two twins pushed together and our closet doors kept falling off.
I heard complaints about ants in many rooms and roaches in a few; we only had small ants in the kitchen area. The bathrooms were small and needed refurbishing. The televisions only got two channels. We had an excellent room location on the end of the resort over the piano bar.
The pool was not appropriate for small children and in the only shallow area they set up adult activities during the day. The beach was small and rocky and they were really unfriendly if you try to use the one next door. There were really no activities for parents and children to do together.
On the good side - the vast majority of the staff (with the exception of a few crabby nannies) were superb. Our vacation nanny took incredible care of my 2 1/2 year old.
The food was good and the nightly entertainment was enjoyable. The food and beverage staff were very friendly and quick to please. I would give this resort 3 1/2 stars. I think if your children are a bit older (5+) there are better alternatives. |
| 1 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. |
| A very nice experience for my family. Visited: October 2000 |
| Posted by bryan |
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What can I say? In a word: wonderful. My wife and I stayed at the FDR for three weeks in October. We brought our two kids, a 6 month-old and a 3 year-old, and I can safely say that it was a truly wonderful vacation for each of us.
The FDR is pretty small. The accommodations are far from glamorous, the food is not divine and the beach is nothing to write home about. The difference is in the staff, and the Jamaican culture itself. This is where the FDR sets itself apart and earns an easy 1st place for any family with children (and enough money to pay the rates) looking to get away for fun, rest and a taste of "the good life".
This place is quaint. It’s not perfect, but its imperfections create a certain amount of charm. We were quite comfortable in a two-bedroom suite. If we had taken a single bedroom suite, we might have been pretty cramped. It’s pretty easy to see that finding a good builder in Jamaica is a bit of a challenge as the construction quality keeps things from looking too elegant. Having said that, it sure seems as though the management at the FDR tries hard: Marble in the bathrooms, big comfortable beds and an air conditioning unit that could chill a ballroom.
To be honest, I’m pretty picky food connoisseur. The food at the FDR reminds me very much of the typical hotel banquet fair–just with a nice Jamaican orientation to it. That means good food, just nothing over the top. I’d never been to Jamaica before, so the new fruits and great spices kept me going back for seconds. The jerk chicken and jerk pork at the grill is truly divine.
As you have read in the other reviews, the nanny thing really works. These girls are very comfortable stepping into your lives and making things work. They are focused on the children, but they are also responsible for all the housekeeping in the suite. At first I thought that the mixed responsibilities were a bit strange, but it just seems to, well, work. For us, this created a situation where we could take a vacation with our kids and remove all of the stress that normally arises from the classic, "Whose turn is it?" vacation dilemma.
Lastly, there is something unique going on at the FDR, which makes it very easy to enjoy your vacation. The accommodations, the food and the nanny thing all contribute, but it’s really the people that are so impressive. The people on staff are the kind of people that you want to stay in touch with after you leave. They’re young, friendly, open and engaging people.
I found FDR to be imperfect yet perfectly enjoyable, and that is what life is all about. I highly recommended this resort and give it five stars despite the shortcomings! |
| 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| Relaxation Visited: July 2000 |
| Posted by rhiannon222 |
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I enjoyed my stay at FDR. This being my first visit to any island, I was inpressed by how much all the employees aimed to please. Our nanny (Trishana) was absolutely great. I never worried if my child was being taken care of. I had a blast at the bar. It was great to get to know the workers. They made me feel welcome.
The rooms were great, except I think the air-conditioning should be downstairs as well as up. Food was good, I suggest you try the native food.
The beach leaves something to be desired, however the neighboring beaches were great.
My only request for FDR is that they have more slot machines, stronger drinks, more snacks in room, and better shows at dinner. After all, the adults want to have as much fun as the kids. |
| 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
| Fantastic Visited: July 2000 |
| Posted by Tourtois |
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Everything about FDR was great. The rooms were large, clean, and also came with a stocked fridge for snacks. The grounds were well taken care of and all the staff were just fantastic. I highly recommend taking advantage of the nanny services, and also the after hours nanny service offered at a very fair fee.
The shows and the music were great, and we enjoyed the kareoke very much also. The food was fantastic and if anyone goes hungry at FDR then there is something wrong with them. There is constant food from morning till night.
The beach was nothing to write home about however, you can use the neighboring hotel's beach for the day. It is a nude beach and I advise wearing swim shoes,as there were sea urchins here and there. The beach here was beautiful and had very good snorkeling.
I also recommend purchasing the video of your vacation stay at FDR. It is one you won't forget! We cant wait for a return visit. FDR was "Heaven on Earth." |
| 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. |
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| Year Built - 1990 Year Remodeled - 2006 Consistently rated as #1 most popular out of 285 Resorts in Jamaica on TripA, this Boutique All-Suite All-Inclusive Family Friendly Franklyn D. Resort &... |
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