BookIt.com Verified Traveler Andrea Gillespie from Ypsilanti, MI

"I selected FDR resorts due to the great reviews. I was not impressed and very disappointed. I strongly believe your feeling regarding your stay is directly related to the attentiveness and interaction of the nanny. We never developed a personal connection with ours. She did not keep our fridge stocked. I saw her watching TV on 3 occasions. I would have liked her to stay with us more with our son instead of taking him away. As for the rest of our experience;

Pros:
*Large Rooms, we stayed in a 2 bedroom/2 1/2 bath 2 story room. A full kitchen, and large patio with the view of the ocean. It was very convenient with our one year old.
*Great View of the Ocean
*Lots of toys on the beach and several play areas
*Beautiful white sand beach on the other side of the fence
*Complimentary Shopping Excursion was nice
*Snorkeling was a fun experience

Cons:
*Air Conditioning did not work in the bedroom for the first day
*The Jacuzzi did not work for the entire 7 day trip
*The gift shop did not carry small enough shirts for my son to tye-die, and we did not bring one, thinking they would be available.
*We requested a glass bottom boat ride 3 days in a row and finally gave up. They did take us on a snorkeling trip, and called that the dual tour but we really wanted to take our son with on just the boat ride.
*Bartenders(one specifically) was extremely rude and unwilling to make drinks. In previous trips to Jamaica, we have enjoyed 'Jamaican Smiles' which are simply half pina colada/half strawberry daiquiri with a run cream float. I was really looking forward to the drink as rum cream is not available at home. It was a nightmare to get one made.
*The pool got dirtier everyday, by day 7 I didn't even want to go in, there was a odd film and you could not even see through the water. The water slides were never going.
*I called ahead to make sure soy milk would be available(son is allergic to milk) was told it would be readily available. And it was not. It was not stocked in our fridge and when we needed it, we had to wait until someone went to the store to get it. We also had to purchase bottle water.
*The gym is open-air! Talk about 'sweating it out'. Only one treadmill worked properly, the other two needed service. The belts would skip and almost send me flying. The rest of the equipment looked so dirty, I did not touch it. It was not staffed or stocked with towels and/or water.
*Lack of activities. (We understood that the beginning of September would be a slow time, but we had to get everyone together and ask staff members to make any activities happen) There were 4 families there with us and 2 were having a great time and 2 were very disappointed.
*The resident photographer only took pictures on one occasion, in the pool, and at the end of our trip, he told us he had lost them.

All in all, there were some okay parts and most of the staff was accommodating. But I would not recommend this resort. And did not find my vacation relaxing due to the fact I was always stressed about something that was wrong."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Jennyb123 from Rockville, MD

"We've just returned from our trip and I've already started daydreaming about going back. The location is lovely, the service is some of the best we've experienced and the people are the most consistently friendly group I've ever met. We kept saying that this place is like camp for kids AND adults - there are some rustic qualities, but it works.

FDR is a small resort which makes a lot of sense with little kids. Everyone we met more than once seemed to remember our names and our children and what we like, making us all feel very at home there. We initially thought that such an intimate setting would be boring but that was not at all the case. In fact we ended up not quite doing everything we intended to do!

The food at FDR is good! We enjoyed both traditional breakfast food and jamaican specialties each day. The Grill serves mainly kid friendly chicken and pizza etc. but also jerk chicken and sandwhiches. Dinner was often themed and all very good. Lots of options for the pickiest of eaters! (Simple grilled fish was almost always available, and it was always wonderful!)

The main pool hardly ever felt crowded and was clean. The kiddie pool although small and a little bit dirty, ended up being a surprise attraction to our kids at the end of the stay. The beach here is VERY SMALL but it has some play sets that the kids loved. The beach next to the hotel was gorgeous and quiet and we were free to go there too.

The activities for kids vary a lot - my kids really liked that. From 'playing' tennis with the Pro to crafts, kids club and themed activities after dinner, they were always busy and interested. We tagged along sometimes and spent some time by ourselves too. The nannies are SO caring and thoughtful, and they seemed to work together to make sure that the kids were having fun and were safe. I liked that they introduced kids to each other so they made friends while we were there.

Finally - We had an amazing balance on this vacation, by spending tons of time playing with our kids and also saving time to be a couple. We always knew that our kids were having fun whether with us or with their Nanny... words can't express how wonderful our nanny was. When my kids got grumpy after not sleeping long enough, she was unfazed and would switch it up until they got happy again. She made my husband and I feel safe to do our own thing or welcome to tag a long with a kid activity if we wanted to. When we had the kids in the pool, she would bring them water, re-apply their sunscreen and provided an extra set of hands whenever needed. On the nights that she put them to bed, she read with them, sang to them and made sure that they were her top priority. Thank you,- you are forever a part of our family. (Notes for the hotel - Please add some simple steamed green veggies to the kids menu. Or at least let parents know that they can special order them.
Also, The tile around the resort is very slippery and both our kids fell several times even when they weren't running. (They weren't hurt) The strip of tumbled stone tiles around the pool are great, but it would be nice to see them extended through out the pool area at the very least.)"

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"Wife and 2 kids (18 months and 3 1/2 year old) just came back. Overall we had a great stay and having a nanny really allowed us to relax. The kids still ask about her. The rooms are a bit outdated and food was so-so at the buffet (good at the adult restaurants). Will definitely go back next year."

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