Specal Family Vacations : Destination: Jamaica : No Worries, Mom : At this beach resort, not only are meals and drinks included in the price, so is a full-time nanny for the kids

RUNAWAY BAY, Jamaica —  The air was moist and the full moon hung large and low over the Caribbean. We sat on the veranda drinking wine and dipping grilled lobster tails into melted butter. A salty wind ruffled the pink tablecloth and made the candlelight flicker. The reggae band started a new song, and a murmur of recognition rippled through the crowd of diners. Could it really be . . . the theme from Sesame Street?

Indeed it was. We were at the Franklyn D. Resort, otherwise known as FDR, a family resort that assigns kids their own nanny for the week and tells the parents to get lost if they choose.

Happily, as our family discovered this spring, the FDR nickname is the only incongruous thing about this cleverly conceived resort in the Runaway Bay area about an hour’s drive east of Montego Bay. The resort consists of 76 one-, two- and three-bedroom suites in several three-story pink stucco buildings clustered around a pool, beachfront area, tennis court, playground, restaurant and dining terrace. Because FDR was built for families, everything is close together--virtually within a child’s shouting distance.

The air-conditioned suites all have full kitchens that the resort commissary will stock with milk, juice, sandwiches, fruit and whatever other staples you request, all at no extra cost. There are two playgrounds and a supervised children’s center where little kids can play in a toy-filled room, and bigger kids gather for videos and Nintendo games (if their parents are more indulgent than us), as well as arts and crafts. There’s also a playpen area for infants.

FDR’s cleverest feature, however--and the reason we chose the resort over several all-inclusive, family-oriented Jamaican rivals and any number of Club Meds on other islands--is what the resort calls its “Girl Friday” program. Every family is assigned a Girl Friday (or two, if there are several small children) upon arrival; she spends the week with you and your children, serving as a housekeeper, baby-sitter, cook and all-around facilitator.

We had some reservations about parts of the Girl Friday program before we got to FDR. We wouldn’t, for instance, be caught dead calling anyone a “Girl Friday,” a description we found condescending. (Girl Fridays are typically between 20 and 40 years old and have kids of their own.) Nor were we sure we wanted some stranger hanging around with us as we played with our kids on the beach or floated around in the pool. But we liked the idea that our two daughters, who are barely 1 and almost 4, would have their own baby-sitter when we wanted time to ourselves. We had visions of tennis and snorkeling by day and intimate dinners--maybe even followed by dancing--by night.

Ultimately, the reality of FDR wound up matching our expectations--and in some ways exceeding them. But it did take some getting used to. Marjorie Austin, our baby-sitter--we flatly refused to refer to her as our you-know-what--was quiet but friendly, and both of our kids were playing comfortably with her within minutes of her arrival at our suite.

Marjorie told us she had been working at FDR since the resort opened five years ago, and it was clear she had some well-established ideas of what most children and parents like to do on vacation. As it turned out, we liked to spend more time with the kids than most vacationers in Marjorie’s experience, which made for some occasionally awkward moments when we had to go searching for Marjorie and the girls and felt uncomfortable about pulling them away from her. Within a day or two, however, we had established a comfortable rhythm.

Anna, our older daughter, quickly fell in with a gang of 4- and 5-year-olds and spent hardly a minute unattached to at least one of them for the duration of the week, in a flurry of art projects and excursions, swimming and sandcastle building. In activities sponsored by the children’s center, Anna assembled a flower collection, learned Jamaican folk dances, tie-dyed a T-shirt (Marjorie added fringe and beads), clowned around in the pool and took a glass-bottomed boat ride to a deserted beach for a shell hunt.

We never made it to the piano bar, the casino or the disco. We spent our time enjoying the freedom to be or not to be with our kids.

Maybe because we were all feeling so relaxed and happy, Anna felt inspired to try some things that we didn’t expect from her, such as eating Jamaican fried rice, running a relay race and swimming in the ocean. She was the first in our family to volunteer for the goat race, in which the object was to pull (or be pulled by) a goat across the finish line. She was shoved out of bounds by an errant goat and finished last in her heat, an achievement later heroically matched by her father.

Our younger daughter, Lily, took everything in stride, in a 1-year-old way. She played at the beach for hours each day, ingesting what must have been a quart of sand. Marjorie spent a lot of time with her at the playground, and we introduced her to baby-boat floats in the pool. FDR turned out to be a terrific place for our exploration-minded Lil, whose efforts to walk unassisted kept the resort’s inhabitants amused all week. (Girl Fridays receive about four weeks of training in CPR, child care, cooking and safety, and they apprentice with a more experienced Girl Friday for three weeks.)

As for me and my wife, Alison, we were having such a good time doing practically nothing that we did hardly any of the things that had sounded so good in the brochure: sailing, snorkeling, scuba, tennis, windsurfing, bicycling, aerobics, weight training and various excursions away from the resort. We were so worn out from doing nothing every day that we never did make it to the late-night piano bar, the casino or the disco. Mostly we spent our time simply enjoying the freedom to be or not to be with our kids.pp

We did venture briefly outside the FDR cocoon, strolling down the beach long enough to be reminded--twice--that Jamaica and kids can be an uneasy combination. First, there was the nude beach at the “Jamaica Jamaica” resort next door, and then the teen-agers boisterously selling marijuana from tar-paper shacks along the beach. But inside FDR, where the swimsuits stayed on and the young entrepreneurs stayed out, we never felt concerned about letting our kids wander.

The resort’s laid-back atmosphere is nicely complemented by its all-inclusive rates. Unless you leave the compound, there’s really no reason to touch your wallet.

Anna was thrilled to stroll up to the poolside bar and request a “strawberry daiquiri with no alcohol, please” whenever she wanted. (Regular-strength daiquiris and other adult libations were included in the price, as well--though FDR’s family orientation tends to discourage alcohol-inspired revelry.)

The abundance of food available all day long led one guest to compare the resort to a stationary cruise. In the early evening there was a children’s buffet that served tried-and-true kid favorites such as pasta and hamburgers. A little later, an elegant sit-down dinner--kids optional--was served on the terrace. The cuisine was continental and Jamaican and much better than we expected. Our favorites included grilled mahi-mahi, Jamaican meatloaf, beef Bourguignon and sweet potatoes whipped with ginger--along with jerk chicken, a staple at the daily lunch buffet.

Just about the only reason to spend money at FDR is for nighttime baby-sitting. The nannies worked every day from about 9 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. and would stay later for a fee of $3 per hour. We ended up keeping Marjorie late for three of our six nights at FDR, which left Alison and me with a nice balance of quiet moonlit dinners and loud moonlit dinners.

My favorite moments from the week were the evenings with the kids. The night of the beach buffet, Anna was our family’s social ambassador, cruising from table to table, saying hi to kids and encouraging grown-ups to talk. She and her gang--with Lily in unsteady pursuit--ran barefoot around the beach, cadging plastic cups from the bar for sandcastle molds and setting up residence in front of the steel band. The kids played and danced and watched the performers until at least 10 that night. Lily fell asleep in Alison’s arms, and Anna finally turned to me and said, “Daddy, I’m ready to go to bed.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

GUIDEBOOK

Jammin’ in Jamaica

Getting there: There is no scheduled nonstop airline service to Jamaica from Los Angeles. The most convenient option is a charter flight via Sunburst Holidays (telephone 800-SUN-BURST), which offers nonstop service from LAX to Montego Bay from about $540 round trip. Sunbird Vacations and Apple Vacations offer charter flights without a change of plane (however, you must fly via San Francisco on the outbound leg, returning nonstop to Los Angeles from Montego Bay) from about $540; you must book through a travel agent. American is the most convenient major airline with scheduled service, but you must change planes en route ; fares start at about $580 round trip.

Cost: The most economical way to visit Franklyn D. Resort is to book a package through a tour operator. For example, Apple Vacations offers packages that include six nights at the resort and round-trip air fare from about $1,770 per adult (double occupancy), $420 per child. Sunburst Holidays has a seven-night FDR package, including air fare, from about $1,520 per adult (double occupancy, through June 20), about $350 per child.

If you don’t book through a tour operator, FDR charges $1,600-$1,910 per adult per week, for a one- or two-bedroom suite. One child, age 15 and under, per adult stays free. Lowest rates apply through June 15 and from Sept. 8-Nov. 2. FDR offers a $250 per adult air-fare credit for stays of at least four nights. A $430 air-fare credit for a minimum six-night stay is available for travel through June 18.

What’s included: The rate covers all meals, bar drinks, snacks, sports equipment and activities, as well as an excursion to Dunn’s Falls to climb the famous waterfall. Tipping is discouraged, but many families give their nanny a tip at the end of their stay. The FDR package includes bus transportation from the Montego Bay airport to the resort on a modern, air-conditioned bus. Unfortunately, the ride lasts more than an hour, and the curvy roads and stop-and-go driving can be nausea-inducing.

Documents: A passport or birth certificate (a certified copy is OK) is necessary for every member of the family, even newborns. Unless it is included in your flight package, be prepared to pay a small departure tax (about $15 per person) at Montego Bay.

Insurance: Cancellation insurance is a smart buy if you’re traveling with children. Access America (tel. 800-284-8300), Mutual of Omaha (tel. 800-228-9792) and Travel Guard International (tel. 800-826-1300) all offer reasonably priced plans that typically cost about $200 to insure a family of four for a week’s stay.

For more information: Contact FDR’s U.S. representative, tel. (800) 654-1337.