This post is a little off topic, as this resort obviously isn't in Oakville. It's in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, and it's the most amazing family resort ever. Perfect for anyone with kids, so in that sense, perfect for those in Oakville with kids.
I have to start by saying I think this place is rated three stars. That's bullocks. I'm not sure how the star-system is based, but Franklyn D. Resort is definitely a 4-star IMO. It's spotless, the service is excellent and there is a ton to do. It's unfortunate because I think some people are deterred by the three stars, especially travel agents -- one in particular said to me, "Oh, you can't take your children to a three-star resort!" So I booked myself and got a better deal anyhow.
Franklyn D Resort, or FDR as it's known, is small (less than 80 suites, I believe), and all the suites have at least one bedroom. We booked a one-bedroom, and were upgraded to a two-bedroom at no extra cost.
Our suite was two levels: the first with a full kitchen, living room and powder room; the second floor had two bedrooms. The kids' room had three beds, their own washroom and TV. Our room had a king-sized bed, TV and a washroom as well. I've never stayed in a bigger vacation suite, and it was certainly luxurious having all that space. My husband likes to stay up late, so he had his own area at night when we were all sleeping. The room was spotless, maybe a bit dated, but that didn't bother us in the least.
Now the best part. Every family at Franklyn D. Resort gets their own vacation nanny who will be as involved with your kids as you'd like them to be. They work from 9 a.m. to 12:30, then from 1:30 to 4:45. They also clean your room, and stock your refrigerator with whatever you want. We have a 3-year-old, 9-year-old and a 10-year-old. The two older kids could roam around the resort on their own, and do whatever they wanted. The pools have lifeguards, and my only stipulation was that they didn't go in the ocean without us (although there would have been many eyes on them there, too). There were staff everywhere, and they were amazingly nice; you could really tell how much they love kids.
Our nanny Karisse spent most of her time with our youngest, though she'd always go find the others when there was something going on she thought they'd enjoy. For example, my middle guy loves soccer, and they had beach soccer every afternoon. They also had organized crafts a few times a day, which the kids enjoyed a lot more than they'd thought they would. The craft area is shaded and cool, and surrounded by playgrounds, a petting zoo and a playroom.
They had fun contests for the kids a few times a day, and there would be cute prizes, like Jamaica headbands, keychains and bracelets. For the record, they had fun games and prizes for the adults, too, and I ended up taking home Jamaican coffee, rum and jam.
The kids had their own buffet for lunch and dinner, which they could reach themselves. It had things like pasta, pizza, hotdogs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc.. They could get their food at their buffet, and join you in the restaurant. Or they could order off the adult menu (which my oldest would) or get their food from the grill. My older two spent a lot of time at the grill ordering themselves cheeseburgers, hotdogs, fries and marshmellow-and-banana sandwiches.
Another thing they loved was being able to order whatever they wanted at the bar. I'm still giggling that I heard my middle guy saying to the bartender, "Excuse me, what's your most popular virgin drink, bartender?" Every day they had a drink special for both the adults and the kids, so that was fun for all of us. Plus, they could order any concoction of smoothie any time of day.
The food was pretty good. The breakfast and lunch buffets, as well as the beachside grill were my favourites. I didn't love the dinners, but they weren't too bad. The food quality didn't mar my vacation in any way, as everything else more than compensated for where the food lacked. The buffets were fresh and good, just limited because the place is so small. But I'm quite happy to eat all kinds of salads, buns, cheese and fruit every day.
I think my favourite part was that you never felt like your kids were annoying to other people, because everyone had kids. They were everywhere, and not just tolerated but celebrated. The staff really watched out for them, and did everything they could to make sure they had a good time.
And those long, luxurious hours spent in the shade by the pool, pina colada in hand, reading an amazing book...they were paradise. We went for five nights; next time, I'd like to make it a full week.
Franklyn D. Resort is the ultimate family vacation spot. No worries, mon.
Leave a message if you have any specific questions about FDR, I'd be happy to answer any I could.
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| Franklyn D. Resort beach |
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| Another view of FDR's beach. |
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| Lotsa fish! |
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| Bunnies to play with! |
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| Dress-up night, they all got prizes. |
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| He didn't want to leave FDR. |
