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> Destinations > Jamaica > Trip Reports > Trip Report
We just returned from a 7 night trip to FDR Pebbles resort in Falmouth,
Trelawny June 13-20, 2001. Our family consists of 2 adults and 5 kids ages
6 to 16. We saw the resort under construction on our first trip to Runaway
Bay in January 2000. Checked out the website www.fdrholidays.com and talked with Go Classy. Go Classy was great as
usual and we were very satisfied with their service. We all had a great
time, found very little that we would like to see improved and can't wait to
go back! This is the first time we've taken the family to Jamaica. In the
past my wife and I have been to both Hedo II and III, so that is the basis
for any comparisons we may make. This report is probably longer than what
we'd normally write, but there seemed to be so little info available other
than their web site, we wanted to make it as detailed as possible.
GETTING THERE
We flew Air Jamaica out of Baltimore. We left on time (third time in a
row), great service and good food. They were very accommodating with
special meal orders for our youngest two. Had an in-flight movie, arrived
on time and overall very happy with the service we've gotten from Air
Jamaica. Immigrations and Customs was hassle free, but took a LONG time.
Probably ½ an hour to get through the immigration line. After leaving the
Customs area, turn right and go to the last desk on the left. This is where
you check in for transportation to the resort. The resort name is not on
the sign, but it is the same one you check in with for Wyndham Hall (which
is on the sign). This was the first time we didn't get any offers to buy
smoke while at the airport (probably because of the kids). The bus ride was
nothing special. The driver did talk with us the whole way, pointing out
areas of interest. Now here's the good part, the ride was only about 35
minutes!
CHECKING IN
Check in was very smooth, quick and hassle free. Typical forms to fill out,
return flight info and away to the room. There was fruit juice and rum
punch available at the front desk while checking in. This is also the point
that you get introduced to your 'Vacation Nanny'. We got all of our stuff
into the room and asked the nanny to meet us after we got a bite to eat.
This is also when we realized that we did not have the keys for our luggage!
Maintenance was very prompt in coming to the room when we called asking for
assistance breaking into our luggage.
THE ROOMS
The rooms were just as depicted on their web site. We had 2 rooms in block
4 which overlooks the pool, the pool bar and the beach. Great location!
The rooms had an interior connecting door which made things very easy. The
air conditioners were the remote controlled variety that we've run into at
other resorts in Jamaica. There was a TV with about 8 channels or so. CNN,
Disney, some movie channel and others that I don't recall. There was always
hot water available and there was no problem with the pressure. There are
no blow dryers or irons in the room, but are available on request. Also,
there isn't an in-room safe. There is a safety deposit box at the front
desk available that we did use. The lost key fee for this is $100 dollars,
so keep track of your key. There is also a refrigerator in the room. You
select from a menu each day of what you want stocked (sodas, cheese,
crackers, fruit etc).
THE FOOD and DRINK
Overall, the food was good. There is a main dining room that is buffet
style. Breakfast there had cook to order eggs and omelets, smoothies and a
toaster for bread and bagels. Lunch had a pasta station that the kids
really liked. Dinner usually had some sort of beef, lamb or chicken that
was being carved and served. The service in the main dining room was
excellent. Water glasses remained filled, bar orders taken and always
accommodating with the larger table we needed to have set up.
There is a dining area for the kids (pretty much set up for kids under 12).
This was only available for dinner. The hours were 5:30 til 7:00. There
were items such as hot dogs, chicken tenders, pizza and french fries. There
was also a selection of fruits and deserts. Our nanny usually took the 2
younger kids here while we were getting cleaned up and ready for dinner.
There is also a pool bar and grill. It opened at 10am and was open til 5pm
for drinks and food. From 5pm til midnight it was open for food and
non-alcoholic drinks. The food here was outstanding. The usual hamburgers
and fries. Jerk chicken and pork available any time. A daily special as
well. The special consisted of things like fried chicken (best I've ever
had), fried fish, curried goat, oxtail stew and other local dishes. The
service here was nothing less than outstanding. With all the people at the
resort, Carl and Susan were able to remember everyone's name and favorite
drink. There was also a 'drink of the day' special (one for adults and
another for kids). We ate lunch and late night snacks here almost every
day.
The Italian Restaurant is located at the far east end of the resort right on
the water. This is supposed to be for adults only, but we did take our 16
year old there one night. After all, we did pay full rate for him.:) My
wife and I ate here every night they were open (closed on Wed and Sat). The
food and service here was great. The chef and manager would routinely walk
around talking with the guests and keeping an eye on things. The menu
changed daily, so if you see 2 items you'd like to try, don't think you can
wait until tomorrow to try it. Ask for a half order of each that night!
There is a small bar adjacent to the restaurant. The bartender would come
over to take drink orders, including wine. There is also an anti-pasta bar.
This place is very similar to the other Italian resort restaurants we've
been to and we liked it very much. Donna was great!
The main bar was adjacent to the dining room. Well stocked, but the service
and quality of drinks were inconsistent. The most notable was 2 attempts at
a vodka slush. We think he must have used gin instead of vodka and just
couldn't seem to get it right. No problem, just drink some rum cream on the
rocks.
The disco bar was not very well stocked and not always attended. It was a
very short walk to the main bar, however. We never did see the piano bar
open during our stay. Again, a short walk to the main bar.
THE FACILITIES
The watersports people were great! Since the resort is located on the north
coast, there is ALWAYS alot of wind and waves. When we were in Runaway Bay
in January we were told it was only windy in the winter. Not so,
apparently. If you wait til after 10am or so to do watersports you most
likely will not be allowed to take the sailboat out alone. There are also
kayaks, sail boards, snorkeling gear and the glass bottom boat available
here. The snorkeling gear was in average condition. If you are really into
snorkeling, take your own. You could snorkel off the beach or take the
glass bottom boat out to a reef to snorkel. I think this was once a day.
As I already mentioned, it was quite rough and our youngest two did not like
the boat ride and there was no way they would be able to snorkel due to the
waves.
The scuba diving was also wonderful. One tank dive per day is included in
the resort price. Additional dives or night dives are extra. Our three
oldest took the resort course. I am certified, but went through the resort
course with them as sort of a refresher. The instructions were top notch.
We also emailed the scuba contractor ahead of time and got a very timely and
informative response. ( http://www.scuba-jamaica.com ) I ended up going on
4 dives. Each to a different location with something different to see each
time. Only one of my kids ended up diving in the ocean. One was just too
small (10 years old) and the other wasn't feeling very well (congested etc.)
There is also a spa/salon, gift shop and an art shop. Did not buy anything
at the gift shop or art shop, but the offerings and prices seemed comparable
to what we've seen at other Jamaican resorts. My wife did get a massage and
my daughter got some braids put in her hair. The massage was thorough, but
maybe just a bit rough for her liking. The braids were $2.50 each, $60 for
a whole head.
ACTIVITIES
The web site covers in good detail the available activities. I will only
comment on some that stand out one way or another. The Entertainment
Coordinators do a great job and were always very friendly.
There is a tennis court (unlighted) available for use along with rackets and
balls. The last half of our stay there was a visiting pro doing lessons.
The resident pro was very good and adjusted for your playing level. Only
played tennis twice. Just too much like work for a vacation!
The fishing area is only there for the kids. It is a small pond adjacent to
the sewage treatment plant that is stocked with small fish. They used cane
poles and hot dogs for bait. The little ones enjoyed it.
There was a large chalk board at the main pool that listed that days
activities. This is mainly for adults and older teens. There is another
activity board in the childrens center for kids mainly under 10. Another
activity board for pre-teens was outside the childrens center and the
activity board for teens in the game room. This is a good time to point out
that those last two boards only showed up the last couple of days we were
there. We think management realized a little late that they had a
significant number of 13 to 16 year olds at the resort that weren't getting
the level of attention that they should. They did make a great recovery
though, and pretty much appointed one of the entertainment coordinators to
be the teen coordinator. The teens ended up taking a trip into MoBay. They
went to Margaritaville for the water slide and go carts. They then stopped
at Burger King and a video rental place on the way back.
There are two caming trips. One for the younger kids (under 10) on Monday
night. They set up tents, had a bonfire and played games right on the
beach. The other trip is off resort on the Martha Brae river on Wednesday
night for the teens. You need to sign up for this trip on Tuesday and it
leaves the resort on Wed at 3pm.
The pool side activities were what I'd imagine is typical for a family
resort. Treasure hunt, drinking games, name that tune, trivia contests,
bingo etc. Different types of rum and coffee were given to the adult
participants and the teens that participated won hand crafted items. Lots
of fun and laughs.
The only off resort activity we went on that was included was the trip to
the crocodile farm. It was a very short drive and everyone seemed to enjoy
it. For $10 you can even feed a live chicken to a very hungry crocodile!
The other included off resort trips were shopping in Falmouth and Montego
Bay. Apparently, the trip to Dunns River Falls is no longer included, and
their web site has been updated to reflect this. Trips to almost anywhere
were, of course, available. (Dunns River, Swim with the Dolphins etc)
The children's center was where the Nintendo, crafts, TV and nap area was
located. The staff did make the Nintendo's off limits for periods of time
during the day (I liked that) so the kids didn't just sit there playing
games for a week. All the arts and crafts activities were well coordinated.
There are some very talented people working here and it must get difficult
at times dealing with all those kids.
The disco was for the pre-teens and under until 9pm or so. After that,
teens and adults. Pretty much adults only after midnight. The Piano Bar
looked very nice, but never seemed to be used as a Piano Bar during our
stay. The teens did have a couple of movie marathons up there during the
week.
There was also evening entertainment each night. Karaoke, various band and
a poolside show on Wednesday night. This show included dance lessons,
limbo, juggling and a fire eater. Very enjoyable. The managers cocktail
party was on Tuesday evening poolside. Full bar set up, good food and you
get to see just how personable all the staff really is.
VACATION NANNY
Each family gets a vacation nanny. I suppose if we had the need, we could
have gotten two since we had two rooms, but one was plenty. She was very
friendly and the kids loved her. She spent most of her time with our 6 year
old daughter. Our 8 year old son was able to keep himself occupied without
assistance. The nanny also cleaned the room and restocked the refrigerator
each day. She would also take an hour off each afternoon for lunch. If you
wanted her to help out after 4:40pm, she'd take an hour off for dinner then
come back. This was an additional $3 per hour. Well worth it! She would
also go on any off resort excursions that you wanted her to go along on.
MISC COMMENTS
The other resorts we've been to it always seems that it's the people you
meet that make the difference. This was different. While we met some great
people, and very few rude people, it's the staff that makes this resort.
With everyone enjoying their family and having different agendas, it was
difficult to spend a significant amount of time with any one family. This
was fine and we did enjoy meeting a diverse group of people.
There was one couple there without any children. They were led to believe
by their travel agent that this was an adults only resort. To top it off,
they were lifestylers! They had heard of Hedo III, but had never been
there. We told them about it and how easy it would be to go there on a
night pass. They ended up going one evening and loving it. Now they can't
wait to get back to visit there.
A couple of the negatives we'd read about prior to our trip were the bugs
and the smell from the sewage treatment plant. The bugs never seemed to be
a big problem. Ant problems once in the room because someone left cheese
and crackers out. Cleaned that up and they went away. One time at the
Italian restaurant around sunset some mosquitoes came in. The first time my
wife swatted at one, the waitress brought her a can of OFF to spray on
herself. Our room wasn't near the sewage treatment plant, but I spent a bit
of time near it (tennis courts, scuba and fishing pond). It does have a
distinct musty odor, but nothing nauseating or overpowering.
Another negative we were concerned about was the food. Like I said earlier,
the food was good (except for the Italian, which was very good). There is
alot of Jamaican dishes, so if you aren't interested in that, it could be a
problem. But, there always seemed to be a dish that everyone would eat.
Also, the pool bar is open for food til midnight.
The final negative we heard about prior to our trip was the beach. It is
not anywhere as small and rocky as Hedo III's, but not as nice as the
beaches along Negril. While there are some rocks and seaweed, you could
safely swim without water shoes. Never saw any sea urchins in the swimming
area. It is not very well protected, so peaceful floating on a raft is
difficult after the wind picks up. The staff was continuously working to
keep the beach as picked up and rock free as possible. After what we'd read
prior to the trip, the beach was much larger and nicer than we were
expecting.
Another thing we did notice was that most of the staff did not wear name
tags. I am very lousy with names and name tags sure would make it easier to
call people by their name and avoid the embarrassment of calling someone by
the wrong name
CHECKOUT and TRIP HOME
We never did get our 'eviction notice' on the last night there. I went to
the front desk in the morning to find out what time we had to leave. The
printout showed us leaving way too late to catch our plane. I got this
corrected and had all of our stuff ready to go outside the room. A half
hour before our bus, our baggage was still sitting outside the room.
Apparently the list of who's leaving when didn't get updated. Our stuff was
promptly taken to the front desk and we took the bus to the airport. The
lesson here is to make sure you keep track of when you leave and where your
luggage is so you don't miss your flight. Minor inconvenience at worst.
Would be nice if Air Jamaica was at the resort to check you in, but the
check in at the airport has actually been improved. The departure tax was
included in our ticket (I think all Air Jamaica tickets are now). The
check-in desks have been spread out better and which line you get in depends
on your destination. Less than 15 minutes later we had our boarding pass.
The flight was delayed for 50 minutes or so (3 for 3 here, each time we've
had to wait for the same flight that was late getting in from Bonaire). No
big deal, just don't go to the departure area til you are ready to leave.
If you smoke and are in the departure area, you have to go through
immigrations just to get outside to have a smoke.
The flight was fine, same good service, in-flight movie and complimentary
beer and champagne. We did have to go into a holding pattern over Richmond
due to some storms in the Balt-Wash area, but no big deal and certainly not
within the control of the airline. Immigrations at Baltimore really left
something to be desired this time. Only two lines open and very slow. One
agent in particular was less than friendly. Then the long drive home and
wishing all the way that we were still in Jamaica!
Overall a great trip and will definitely return next year. Any questions,
feel free to email us at gstein@us.hsanet.net
Thanks to Gary and Georgette for this trip report ...
July 2001
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