We had a 7 day stay at FDR Pebbles with our 22 month old son, and with friends and their 13 month old twins. It was a terrific experience for us as first time travellers with our kids.

Travel
We flew with Sunwing Vacations. Nice plane, good in flight service, and they actually departed and landed early both ways. This resort is about 30 mins from Montego Bay Airport (the sister property FDR Resort is about 1.5 hours away). The resort sent a bus for us and it was very easy to get sorted out as the airport is small.

Check In
Check in was very easy and our rooms were ready when we arrived at noon which is a nice bonus as check in wasn't really until 3pm.

Room
Our room was in Block 6, right next to the pool and with a great view of the ocean. At first we were concerned about the noise factor, but the convenience of being right next to the pool was great for running back and forth. The rooms are simple and traditional Caribbean decor - no glass, marble and granite like the new places in Cancun! It was very cozy and comfortable and clean. They supplied us with a proper crib with linens. Our friends with the twins were supplied with two pack 'n plays. One of their sons likes to sleep in the dark, so it was nice that the pack 'n play fit right into the closet and he slept in there - his own private little room.

The room had a fridge that our nanny stocked each day with water, beer, cheese and crackers, cereal and milk. Very nice to have when travelling with a child.

The rooms are not sound-proof - you can hear other people and the entertainment over at the bar. But the bar always quieted down by 10pm or so and it wasn't enough to keep you up if you were really tired.

One annoying thing is the curtains - they don't completely close so a bit of a lack of privacy when getting dressed. By the end of the week we learned to keep our beach towels and hung them over the windows at night. This gave us an extra hours sleep once we figured it out.

Food
The food is ok. Not great, not awful. There is always something in a buffet to complain about, and something you'll like. Lots of choice. The Jamaican restaurant was very good although we found the ambiance lacking with the bright lights.

Pool & Beach
Awesome! Very well maintained. Always somebody cleaning, sweeping. The swim up bartenders were very slow and confused (hate to see how they handle it when they are busy!) but the drinks were always very good.

Nanny
Our nanny was Elizabeth, a lovely softspoken lady. We're pretty hands-on parents and our toddler is young (22 months) so we didn't keep her very busy as we chose to keep him with us most of the time. But it was nice when he was napping to have someone sit with him. She also took him to the kids club and to see the goats, turtles, and to the playground. I can see when your kids are 4 or 5 that the nanny would really be used a lot more. We tipped her $70US and gave her a small gift, and used her one night for babysitting and paid her $26 for that. They make very little money in Jamaica, so tipping your nanny should be budgeted into your vacation cost. We also left her a bunch of diapers and medicine as those things can be harder to get down there.

Extras
Glass bottom boat tour was very nice to have included. They supplied lifejackets for everyone on board including the wee ones. The Falmouth Tour was disappointing and not really worth doing - they actually stopped at a local grocery store for 15 minutes so we could shop. I'm being fed and watered at the resort, so had no need to buy food and drink in town. Seemed like a lame stop that was just so the tour guide could get a kickback.

The nightly entertainment was great - about 8pm they'd have a band, usually a local group. Much more authentic and enjoyable than the Disney broadway shows that some resorts put on. There isn't any wild nightlife here. Face it, we've got kids and they get up early.

Resort grounds are immaculately kept. 12 little villas with 8 rooms each. The gardens are lovely and it really feels like a small camp or cottage community rather than one of the mega-resorts that we like to avoid.

Mosquitoes
You'll read other reports about the mosquitos, and yes, they are there but not a problem. Some people in our group just got bit more than others, same as when you are at home. I wouldn't want to stay in villas by the fish pond as it would be buggier there. They use this very loud and smoky fogger every night around 6PM to help control the bugs. It was awful and smoky but guess it's a necessary evil.

Tips for travellers with babies/toddlers:
* pack lots of sunscreen and diapers and swim diapers
* confirm a crib in advance
* ask to be on a ground floor room
* we liked it near the pool, but if you get one of the rooms at the east end of the resort it is very private and quiet
* don't stress on more than one pair of sandals for your kid - they go barefoot here a lot
* bring a couple swimsuits if you can
* bring some clothespins so you can tack up the pool towels over the windows
* plan to tip your nanny generously - they only make about $50 a week and only when they are booked to work

We loved the casual ambiance of this resort. Going to lunch barefoot, no make-up and in your swimsuit with a cover-up was pretty much the uniform around here.

All in all, a great trip and we'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxed vacation with their little ones.

Heaven on Earth!
Let me begin by saying that we entered into this vacation with "managed expectations". The main draw for us was the Nanny Service. Wary of other negative reviews regarding food, cleanliness and accommodation standards we found a great price and set off with open minds and exhausted hearts....

Having said that, we were elated at every turn by the delightful service (Collin, Marquis, Randy, Jeffrey) helpful GM (Freddy) and wonderful Nanny (thanks Tresha!).

Accommodations:
The fragrant 2 story cedar buildings were charming, connected by woven windy paths with lush foliage, butterflies, lizards, crabs and colorful flowers. We could get our children to go almost anywhere with the lure of trying to catch geckos and colorful chameleons on the paths. The decor of the insides of the suites are a bit dated and damp (beach musty) but we spent little time inside and a lot of time on the balcony, at the beach, beach bar and pool. Our nanny did a fabulous job of cleaning, straightening our room and to Jamaicans our fussiness must get a little weary. Instead of having the nanny clean first thing in the morning, she would tidy up as our little one napped from 1-2pm each afternoon.

The hotel is a boutique type hotel with only 90 or so rooms arranged in 12 buildings they called “blocks”. There were “blocks” overlooking the pool or the ocean. Most rooms have an ocean view but the ocean front rooms are really worth the upgrade. It felt like the ocean was running right under our room and from the second story, we could see the sting rays lazily swimming in the water in the mornings.

When you arrive, make sure you get mosquito nets for the king size bed as well as for the kids beds. There should be a hook in the ceiling for both locations. If the either hook is missing, ask the front desk to install the hook and the nets and they will send over a friendly maintenance crew. The mosquitoes come out at dawn and dusk but are not as bad as some people say. We used bug spray and let the nanny spray the room with citronella and we didn’t get bitten at night.

Overall, the resort pulsed with a relaxed Jamaican atmosphere that you will not get at the megaplex type of all inclusive resort like the hospital looking 7 story Starfish resort next door.

The Nanny:
Our nanny was a little cool at first, but warmed up the more I coaxed her. Some almost seem scared to do anything wrong or intrude. You HAVE to give specific directives and they will execute perfectly otherwise you will feel like they are just standing around. They want your instructions, do yourself and your vacation a favor and tell them what you want! My husband and I wanted the best of both worlds time together and with the kids -at this resort YOU HAVE THIS!

We had our nanny come at 8 a.m. (an hour early) work her day until 4:40 and return after a rest at 6 pm to take the kids to the kids buffet so we could have dinner alone. Then we would return at about 8 p.m. to see the show with them. This worked amazingly for us! She gladly wanted overtime money and we enjoyed calm, quite dinners. Overtime is $4 an hour. We always paid more - happy nanny happy child we thought - but I don't know if that is the norm. Give a generous tip at the end of the week. The Nannies make ridiculously little money and have to pay for transportation, as most don’t drive.

Food and drinks:
The food was buffet style with carving stations – ham, roast beef, turkey and giant baked snappers were served alternately. A pasta station also served fresh grilled fish and doubled as the omelet station at breakfast. There was often a barbeque station too serving barbequed and jerked chicken, pork and sausage. Fresh grilled, roasted and steamed fish were usually served at both lunch and dinner. I was in heaven with the variety of fresh veggies and salads offered at every meal. There are local dishes like “akee and salt fish”, Jamaica’s national dish, curried conch, jerked chicken, pork and fish. At one meal I took what looked to me like a scallop wrapped in bacon only to discover it was one of the local bananas wrapped in bacon! Don't cringe! Try it and other interesting local fare - it was delicious. Don’t worry if Jamaican food is not your thing, much of the food was not Jamaican and was always delicious. OK, sometimes the buffet food wasn’t piping hot, but I only noticed this on the one day they served dinner on the beach with torches and candle light, it must be kind of difficult to put that on and keep everything hot too.

The restaurants offered an intimate menu and alternated weekdays. We tried both the Italian and Jamaican. They offer reservations at 6:30 and 7:30 pm. One couple went at 8:30pm and found out that they run out of some dishes. Both were excellent! The portions are smaller than N. American restaurants as I think they expect you to order the soup and appetizers.

Drinks – every type of alcohol is available, but lower shelf stuff is generally used in the mixed drinks. Some upper shelf liquor like Gran Marnier and Absolute vodka were sometimes available by request (tipping in general is a good idea). Draft beer is either Red Stripe or RS light. Bottled beer of the same variety is only available through the Nanny.

Activities:
We did leave the resort to go to the Dunn River Falls. We teamed up with another couple and brought our Nannies. The kids (ours being young 2 &5) swam at the beach while we climbed the falls. It was beautiful but the guides were a bit annoying -we wished we had gone up alone (and you can, so walk right past the guides).
One bit of advice: NEGOTIATE for everything! The resort wanted $140 per family to the Falls - we went with another family and paid $60 each - wow, huh!

Negotiating at the spa however didn't work. Oh well worth a try... I do highly recommend treating your wonderful, tired wife, as my husband did:) to the Total Rejuvenation package $140- a massage out on the pier surrounded by beautiful turquoise water, a full manicure and pedicure with a papaya/brown sugar facial. The lovely ladies spent over 3 hours on me!

The beach crew led by Mr. Collin managed the snorkeling trips, glass bottom boat tour, dragging kayaks, windsurfers and sailboat to the water and setting them up for you. They also raked up the seaweed every morning and night! They will give you windsurfing lessons, take you out sailing on the sunfish and point out hidden delights while snorkeling. They were one of the highlights of the vacation.

Visit Bamboo village down the beach. It is safe and the people are very nice...negotiate. We got braids, carvings, anklets you name it, trinkets and carvings that made the kids happy and supported locals.

Bring small bills and tip a few dollars to important people like your drink server at dinner (in order to receive a real size wine glass or ask for the bottle on your table). Tip early and often and receive even better service than is already provided. These kind, hardworking people will serve you well either way, but it was a joy to give them a few bucks during the week and at the end to help them out.

Traveling and "relaxing" on vacation is a serious challenge with young kids FDR Pebbles made it a breeze!
Have Fun!

We stayed for one week and had the best time ever. Our nanny, Kimberly Williams was wonderful. Both my girls, ages 6&8, loved her. She was really good to them, taking them to do anything they wanted. She fished with them all the tiime, went swimming with them, took them numerous times during the day to feed the animals. She made sure they had plenty of sunscreen on and took care of them. We had plenty of time to see them, but they were having such a great time with her they couldn't wait for her to come in the morning and then they would ask if she could babysit everynight! My husband and I finally had some time for dinner together. Kimberly would come back around 6:30 and take the girls to the kid's disco and get them involved in all the activities offered, they were a part of Carnival and even the Talent Show. Kimberly was even able to convince my shy 8 year old to enter the show! She is still so proud of herself. The resort itself was really beautiful and clean. Someone was cleaning all the time. You always felt that your children were being well watched and cared for. I would definately recommend that you request Kimberly Williams.

Just left a week ago - March 2008.
Resort was a great value. The staff and nannies were the best part. They went out of their way to get you what you wanted and seemed genuinely interested in your comfort. The resort was beautiful, and the best part was the nannies and activities for the kids. If you don't have kids, look elsewhere. If you do, and you want a tropical vacation and some downtime for yourself, I highly encourage you to visit here. Tons of activities for the kids, (and adults if that's your thing.). I have a 10-yr old girl and 2-yr old boy. The 2-yr old loved the pool, petiing zoo and fishing, and my 10-yr old loved the daily soccer games on the beach, water slide, various competitions (pool-side ring toss, pool races, family Name that Tune games, tye-dyed t-shirt classes, ping-pong competitions, bonfires etc). Since she didn't know anyone, she was a little hesitant at first, but there were other kids in her same situation and she met, mingled and particpated in more than I thought by day two. The nannies arrive at 9:00 a.m and they are yours until 4:30. Before going, I thought "what the heck do we do with a nanny? While I like the idea, I'm not going to hand my kids off to a stranger!" It's not like that. The nannies were with us, so we were able to play with the kids, but then take a break, go get a snack / drink, go to the restroom or whatever without worrying about the kids. They literally become an extra set of hands / eyes / ears for you so you can have a vacation too. the Kids loved our nanny as well. The food was adequate - good and very plentiful. The all-inclusive is always a nice thing as well. The rooms are clean and nice, but not plush, but then again, we were at the beach ... who wants to stay in the room all day! I read other reviews about the mosquitos being bad at night, and while my family never had a problem (an my wife is a mosquito magnet), I saw other families who had obviously had a few hungry ones in their room. The resort has an on-site nurse. I normally would say who cares, but it was relevant on this trip as I ended up having to go to a local hospital to have an abscess removed. While not the most pleasant of things, I include it just so you know that there's help available if a freak thing happens. Would I go back? You bet. Is it the nicest place I've stayed? No, but a Ritz Carlton isn't too relaxing for me if my kids are continuously "I want to do this, I want to do that..."