Franklyn D Resort & Spa All Inclusive

We had an amazing family vacation at the FDR. We always struggle with the pull of wanting to return to places we love vs exploring new places, but with two young kids, we've decided that the experience the FDR provides our family with their personal nanny service included, along with the comfort, care and village feel from all of the staff is something we will do annually. It was the first vacation we've had with kids that still felt like a vacation. We visited in February when there was not a school break, so there were few others at the resort (I'd say 3-7 other families on a given day). This meant that there was only one of the four restaurants open, altered hours, fewer kids to play with and less activities happening on schedule, but it also meant never waiting for a table or lounger and personalized care and attention. We will choose a similar time again and again. We are not usually "resort" people; we generally prefer to stay in Airbnbs and explore the local scene, so the feel of the FDR was more our style compared to the super fancy prim and proper resorts. If you're looking for everything to be perfectly maintained, staff to excessively and formally yessir and yesmaam, and everything to be 100% as expected and on schedule -its not the place for you. If you're looking for a place where your child(ren) will be well cared for while you do you, the food is amazing with a mix of local and standard American fare, with small beach access steps from your door and full beach access with a 5 minute walk, a dive pool (note: scuba is an additional cost), full pool and kiddie pool, children's and adult (with fun prizes) activities, arts and crafts, playground, kayaking, snorkeling, boat rides, wonderful people who go the extra mile to make your day -this is the spot. Note, it is over an hour from the airport, which can be over 2 hours on the included shuttle, depending on how many other resorts it stops on the way (we stopped at 2 others on the way there and 3-4 times on the way back). It may be worth considering the cost of a private transfer. We are vegan - based on another review we emailed weeks ahead to let them know. They said they would set up a meeting with the chef upon our arrival to ensure a great experience. We wound up arriving later than expected and were trying to do a lot in a short time, so that meeting didn't go to plan. We wound up just having some fries from the snack shack to tide us over until dinner. We were a little nervous going into the first meal as the server didn't seem to know what to do with us, but once we shared that we were open to the chef's choice, they wound up providing a delicious meal for breakfast lunch and dinner each day. Some meals the option was on the menu, others they made something just for us. The woman chef (didn't catch her name!) created our favorite meals, one of which introduced us to "veggie chunks" a soy based meat alternative. Our nanny, Cynthia, quickly became "besties" with our 3 y

The included Nanny's for your stay are amazing!! Shout out Cynthia and Dennicia!! They were the best! The resort is a little older and could use some updates. But, with that said; Everything else was absolutely amazing. I cannot say enough positive things about the food, the service, the staff, the availability of activities (interactive or self led). Everybody was so friendly and helpful with our kids (we came with tour 1 year old twins and our 5 year old daughter). The staff works very hard to ensure everybody is enjoying their stay. The owner and his son even came by while we were eating a few times during our stay to check in with us and see how things were going. This is just not something you find at a large corporate run resort. By the time you leave you really start to feel part of the FDR family, you know the staff by their names and they know your whole family's names as well! We met multiple people who had visited multiple times and I must say we are definitely already looking to come back! Thank you FDR and everybody there for making our first real vacation as a family of five a memorable one! We'll hopefully see you all next year with some of our friends and their kids! One love.

The Franklyn D. Resort & Spa is authentically Jamaican. A family resort where you have a truly local experience, and can have a vacation with the kid care they provide (it’s the only place with included nanny care). And to top it off, it’s not financially out of reach like many resort chains are for many folks. I believe there are two types of folks: first, those that won’t like this place because it’s not as polished, new, sprawling, or pristine, or has 19 restaurants including a teppanyaki grill like the mega resorts. The second: folks that appreciate a place like FDR because it’s NOT the above. It’s local. It’s small. The staff will know your names and your kids names. They tailor activities and venues that are open to capacity. There are some unfinished projects next to new finished ones, interspersed with charming and beautiful gardens and pathways. The small cove is not a curated beach; it’s like an aquarium TOUCH POOL with corals, fish, anemones, crabs and snails. The food is mostly Jamaican cuisine with options for European and American travelers. If you’re like me, you only want to drink Red Stripe, Appleton, and Wray & Nephew overproof. You won’t complain about the odd things, and you appreciate the authenticity, local flavor, and UNMATCHED hospitality. THESE are the folks that will LOVE FDR - they are my people. There is no other place we would rather go in the Caribbean.