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

We just finished our 5th annual visit to FDR with our family. We booked to come back next Thanksgiving week already. It is small. It is not particularly fancy. It’s relatively affordable. However, if you have children of any age, this is a fantastic choice for your family vacation. The nanny service as part of the all-inclusive was a game changer for us. When we started five years ago, our kids ranged from 11 to 3 and the nanny helped us parents find some peace on vacation. Now my concern is my teenager “aging” out of a family-focused resort. I asked if she would like us to consider a different resort style. “But, this is home,” was her response, looking at me as if I offered her a turd platter. The staff are uniformly friendly. The food options range from local Jamaican flavors to a la carte American standards. The kids rove the grounds in packs. My son and I took three scuba trips this year from the resort’s dive master and the diving is very nice right off the resort. We arranged excursions to local tourist sites in the past, but we often find it unnecessary. Getting to and from MBJ is easy. FDR arranges anything you might need. Folks, I love this place. We work hard to make this trip happen each year. We arrange our year around it. You should really give it a shot.

We just returned to FDR on our second visit and have nothing but rave reviews. We discovered Franklyn D Resort while looking for a family escape with our two year old while my wife was expecting in May 2023 and had such an amazing trip that we knew we had to return. This time we had a three year old and 15 month old and I will echo other reviews that the nanny experience is life changing - it really does help you unwind. We requested the same nanny from our first visit Roxanne who we trust to help take excellent care of our children so that we could enjoy the lovely spa, or other various activities. You can pay extra to have them stay longer at a very reasonable $10USD/hrs which comes in handy on the nights where entertainment can run late. I would highly recommend taking the kids on a day trip to dolphin cove or Dunns River Falls which can be arranged by local tours or the on driver/photogrpaher Lorenzo who captures lovely family shots. There are so many wonderful staff and things to do here. This is a smaller resort with a family feel - definitely try out this gem.

We stayed for a week during thanksgiving break. Absolutely fabulous. Our nanny sharnette was amazing and so kind to our 5 year old. The beach was beautiful and the grounds well kept. It's not sandals but I LOVED that. It's very authentic Jamaican. You aren't climbing over people to get a pool chair or fighting for a drink. It's a very relaxed resort and very laid back. We loved it! The bartender is great and the food was delicious. They definitely have food for picky eaters like my son which was great. 10/10 great resort for relaxing with little kids. My only complaint was the bedding could be much more comfortable. The sheets were pretty scratchy and I needed a heavier blanket. The couples massage was excellent and my son loved the water slide and kid activities! They also have lots of trilobite fossils in their rocks! Don't believe the weather apps either. We had some wet weather from the very active hurricane season but if it did rain, it was only for a short time and then it was lovely again. I was very anxious because the forecast said rain and thunder everyday but that definitely wasn't the case.

I’m here now and it just reopened. It is an older property with huge rooms and very cold AC. The beach is very beautiful and I went kayaking yesterday. Everyone who works here does a great job and I also got the best pedi over at their spa by Tracy I highly recommend her. I’m also vegan and gluten free and there was plenty of delicious things I could find to eat here and all I had to do was ask for what I would like. Very safe too

Excellent Jamaican owned resort for a real family experience. Staff was excellent and receptive to our needs. We went with a 1.5/3/5 year old and our nanny Charise was beyond excellent. Food and restaurant staff was great and they accommodate all of our request. Shaneil from the aquatic staff took us fishing and glass bottom boat tour. Older resort but has more than what would need. I will be going back and highly recommend especially if you have multiple young children.