The louvered rear doors of our suite _ all accommodations are suites at the family-friendly FDR _ opened onto a palmy courtyard and a view of the water. The FDR, owned and operated by Jamaicans, is a cluster of Mediterranean-style villas located along a modest beach facing Runaway Bay and the Caribbean Sea. There, of course, we encountered several acres of oceanfront paradise. When we finally made it to the FDR, a sentry in a guardhouse raised a metal gate to permit our bus entry. The roadside rest area where our bus stopped halfway into our trip was patrolled by two armed guards, one of whom appeared to be in his teens. We passed a prominent billboard that encouraged Jamaicans to treat tourists kindly, reminding them that tourism accounts for one in four jobs. The lush roadside greenery was periodically broken by clusters of tin-and-packing-crate huts, and half-dressed kids played in the dirt with goats and empty bottles. The all-inclusive compounds try, and largely succeed, to deliver the ocean, beaches, weather, water sports and a bit of screened Jamaican culture, without the other realities of life on the island.Īll of which became quite evident to us the moment our bus came roaring out of the Montego Bay airport and headed east down Route A1. Drugs are everywhere, and they remain a major source of crime and underground economic activity. It has a per-capita gross domestic product of around $2,000 per year, 20 percent inflation, 16 percent unemployment and high levels of illiteracy, underemployment and corruption. The gorgeous, mountainous island nation is still staggering in post-colonial poverty that looms at the margins everywhere. It wasn't long into our visit that the reason became clear. I had never been to Jamaica and had wondered why so many of its resorts were of the all-inclusive variety, the sort that provides all meals, activities and entertainment on-campus and bundles all costs, including tips, taxes and various fees, into a single per-day rate. The pleasures of having the children at hand but never underfoot! Sand castles for them, long beach walks for us! This is potent yuppie-bait: the twin promises of family and freedom. For an extra $3 an hour, they'll baby-sit as often and as late as you'd like. While other family resorts offer all-day kids' recreation programs and babysitters for hire, the FDR is unique in that every suite comes with its own 'vacation nanny,' a Jamaican woman who serves as day-care provider, kid-companion, activity assistant and all-around extra set of adult hands.Īs part of the FDR's package _ which runs from $250 to $310 per adult per day, with no extra charge for the kids _ the vacation nannies work from 9 a.m. The all-inclusive property offers a service that, from the moment Pam and I learned about it, shot it to the top of our list. Resort in Jamaica over last winter's holidays.

The boys, meanwhile, cannot fathom why Pam and I derive enjoyment from taking long walks, eating food we've never tried before and spending hours just sitting there, talking to other grown-ups and sipping those scary-smelling drinks.Īll of which is a long way of explaining how we wound up at the Franklyn D.

Jellyfish in luminous lagoon jamaica