Franklyn D. Resort
Address: North Shore
Runaway Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica
Tel: (876) 973-4591-8
Fax: (876) 973-4600
Email: fdrinfo@fdrholidays.com
URL: Franklyn D. Resort
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Type of Property: All Inclusive
Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front)
Island: Jamaica
No. of Rooms/Units: 76
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Summary of All Property Reviews
Ratings based on answers from a total of 3 reviews (All Reviews)
10 is best 1 is worst |
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| Feature |
Ranking |
Feature |
Ranking |
| Cleanliness of Property |
9.33 |
Quality of Property |
9.00 |
| Privacy & Quietness |
4.33 |
Quality of Service |
10.00 |
| Courtesy & Hospitality of Staff |
9.33 |
Accuracy of Website (marketing hype) VS. Actual Experience |
9.00 |
| Food and Dining Experience |
8.67 |
Price/Value of Property |
8.67 |
| Safety Factor (Did you feel safe at property) |
9.67 |
Quality of Beach (ranked closest beach if property is located off the beach) |
9.00 |
| Total Property Score: 8.70 | Average Star Rating: 4.67 out of 5 |
- 100% (3 visitors of 3) said they would go back to Franklyn D. Resort again.
- 100% (3 visitors of 3) said they would recommend Franklyn D. Resort to friends.
Nice but Noisy
Traveler Review By: Anonymous from Philadelphia
Date of Visit: February 2003
We just completed our eight-day stay at the Franklyn D resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica (I am typing this during the flight back to pass the time). All things considered, it was a nice vacation and we would definitely consider returning.
The accomodations were slightly age-worn but comfortable. My wife, 10-year old son and I rented a two-bedroom suite. It was spacious and on two levels. The downstairs had a kitchenette, living room with two chairs and a sofa, and a TV with cable. This room opened out through french doors to a spacious balcony overlooking the main pool, which was somewhat of a problem for us as the week went on because the pool turned out to be the activities hub for the resort and was often quite noisy (more on this later). The two bedrooms were located on the upper level. Each had its own full bath and room air conditioner. These rooms were pretty quiet, particularly with the windows closed and the AC on. The bathrooms had marble tile in the showers, which could have used some re-grouting.
The food was very good.
The resort is smaller than some other all-inclusives (my best basis for comparison is the Boscobel Jamaica resort when it was owned by Superclubs), but there are plenty of activities. Our 10 year old would disappear for hours with his new friends, and we didn't worry because everything was so close. There is scuba, snorkeling, kayaks, pool and beach swimming, a water slide as well as all kinds of scheduled activities, which I felt were overdone for reasons explained below. There is only one real pool (I don't count the small pool that is the landing area for the water slide) 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 is usually deployed next to the pool. When no activities are being announced or taking place it is used to play pool music, which I generally enjoyed although it was a little loud if I was in the pool or sitting nearby. 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 very, very powerful 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. These announcements can literally be heard out on the reef where I went to dive. At 1PM yesterday, the 'event' was adult musical chairs (I'm not kidding about this). There were about twenty people, mostly adults reading and making conversation, around the pool when it started. Several saw what was coming, packed their things and went elsewhere when she started. After about five minutes of cajoling the announcer 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. At 3PM there was twenty minutes of family bingo at about the same decibel level. If you're looking for a nice quiet beach vacation while the nanny watches the kids, go somewhere else. This isn't it. You can find a few places to read quietly (the end of one of the piers or one of the two hammocks near the base of the east pier), but you had better get there early to claim your place.
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, 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) 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. Like I said, interesting.
Property Review
10 is best 1 is worst
Would you stay at this property again?: ... Yes
Would you recommend this property to your friends?: ... No
In your opinion, how would you classify the "style" of this property: ... Family Oriented
Possible Anwswers: Family Oriented, Couples Oriented, Mixed/Diverse in a Good Way, Mixed/Diverse in a Bad Way
Property Service Rankings: (Average Ranking = 8.10)
- Cleanliness of Property: ... 9
- Quality of Property: ... 8
- Privacy and Quietness: ... 3
- Quality of Service: ... 10
- Courtesy and Hospitality of Staff: ... 9
- Accuracy of Website VS. Actual Experience: ... 8
- Food and Dining Experience: ... 7
- Price/Value of Property: ... 9
- Safety Factor (Did you feel safe at property): ... 9
- Quality of Beach (ranked closest beach if property is located off the beach): ... 9
Destination/Island Review
10 is best 1 is worst
Would you visit this destination/island again?: ... Yes
Would you recommend this destination/island to your friends?: ... Yes
Destination Rankings: (Average Ranking = 6.62)
- Cleanliness of Destination/Island: ... 5
- Options of Activities in the Area: ... 8
- Ease of Transportation (air, taxi, bus, shuttle): ... 4
- Quality of Beaches in the Area: ... 10
- Courtesy & Hospitality of Locals: ... 9
- Safety Factor (Did you feel safe in the Area): ... 6
- Local Restaurant Experience/Options: ... 4
- Price/Value of Destination (Does your dollar stretch?): ... 7
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Snorkeling and Scuba Diving Rankings:
Did you
Snorkel during your trip? ... Yes
Did you Scuba Dive during your trip? ... Yes
10 is best 1 is worst |
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Snorkeling Ratings |
Scuba Diving Ratings |
| Water Clarity ... 8 |
Water Clarity ... 8 |
| Health of the Reef ... 8 |
Health of the Reef ... 8 |
| Overall Experience ... 9 |
Overall Experience ... 9 |
| Would you recommend snorkeling here? ... Yes |
Would you recommend diving here? ... Yes |
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