Frenchman's Cove Resort

This is my second trip to Frenchman's cove resort, the last trip being in 2011 and it was just as amazing as I remembered. The beach at Frenchman's Cove is still one of the most beautiful I have ever experienced and I would stay here just for the beach alone. You will see many reviews complaining about the dated decor and maintainence of the rooms and all of it is true but they are perfectly serviceable and fit for purpose. We stayed in one of the cottages at the top of the cliff and had spectacular views of the sea from the cliff. Air conditioning could be slightly stronger. I think the trick to having a great time at this resort is to read the reviews thoroughly and adjust your expectations. You come here for the beautiful beach and the peace and seclusion of Port Antonio. This is not one of the glitzy all heaving party Jamaican resorts. There are several other resorts in Jamaica which have that vibe if you are looking for it. In fact, be prepared to have a hire car or pay for taxis to go into town for dinner as they do not serve dinner on the premises. They do have a beach bar that serves lunch and the food portions are large and delicious but make sure that you order your lunch immediately when they open at 10am as they do take about 2-3 hours to prepare the food and bring it to you. Do not make the mistake of ordering only at lunchtime as it will be about 4pm before your food reaches you. The resort also sells day passes to the beach to locals and guests from nearby villas so the beach is not exclusively private. This does not bother me although it may be slightly crowded on the weekend however some guests have felt dissatisfied if they have expected a fully private beach. Again, it's about expectations and knowing what to expect before you go. This resort is truly a gem and the beach location is just one of a kind in this world. I was lucky enough to witness a conaervation group do a baby turtle hatching and release on one of the days on the beach and that was truly special. Perhaps the rooms could benefit from some updating (more modern showers would be nice) but I think that may just detract from it's charms. I look forward to making my third trip hopefully with a shorter gap from my last visit.

I would NEVER stay or attempt to to stay at this ‘resort’ again. We showed up for our reservation on 7/8/24 and could not check in as the conditions were atrocious! The office was closed and a gentleman at security showed us to our ‘villa’. There was a huge lizard in the room which the gentleman who accompanied us to our room tried to get out of our room unsuccessfully. We just could not stay in the room as my wife is deathly afraid of lizards who could crawl on her during the night or make its way into our luggage! The sliding door to the outside would not close properly so there was no way to ensure other animals could come into our room! There was no internet to keep in touch with our family and power in the surrounding area was out. The restaurant was closed and there was no place close by where we could get a bite to eat. We could not stay in the room and had to leave the property and return to Kingston. Luckily we told our driver who we paid to take us from Kingston to Pt Antonio to wait and we had to pay him again to take us back to Kingston! Plus we had to pay for a hotel to stay in Kingston until Saturday when we are scheduled to return to the United States. We were stuck there after looking forward to spending our anniversary in Pt Antonio. Very disappointing. My wife was very unhappy with the experience and terrified to even think we would consider this place ever again. PLUS…THEY REFUSED TO GIVE US A REFUND!!!!!

We chose this resort due to word of mouth from friends and family who remembered it from years before as an amazing family-friendly place. We went on line and chose the “great house” option, since a villa seemed large for 2 people. On arrival, the grounds are exceptionally kept, and I will leave the one star in this review for that and also the friendliness of the staff. But that’s where the good aspects end. The “great house” was about a mile drive through the extensive grounds to a pretty remote area of the estate, to a building that looked like a dilapidated motel 6. We were literally the only people there-2 females, the only car, no land phones, and no evidence of recent upkeep. There was a dead grasshopper in front of the stairwell to the second floor where our room was located. There was mold and peeling paint in the common areas. We were afraid to turn on the AC in the room for fear of breathing dust or mold. The beds looked like they had been made months before and then never changed or aired. It was extremely stressful while we tried to decide to stay or not, but we decided decided in less than minutes of checking in that we would not be staying. We went back to the front desk to explain the concerns, and they were kind and apologetic, but did not offer any alternative for us. We thus decided to seek another place, and ended going to Geejam. Coincidentally, another family arrived almost at the same time as we did, and less than an hour later, we were checking in together at Geejam, which was a lovely experience from start to finish. We contacted the resort management who denied us any refunds or other offers of compensation, which we thought may happen, but wanted them to be aware nonetheless. It is a shame because the grounds, preservation And beach are spectacular and wasted by lack of upkeep of the living quarters. areas and beach

We stayed over the Easter holiday and my god we have never stayed in a more run down and filthy place. The room was horrible, the bedding was even worst. The day before we went I read a few reviews and so I decided to walk with our own bedding and if we didn’t I couldn’t sleep. It was so bad and even tho we tried to make it work we ended up leaving before we were supposed to. We could not spend another night in that place. The villas are nothing I would think it would be. The name “French Men Cove” is overrated. Owners take no pride in their brand. The beach is filthy with kids pampers, bottles, plastics etc laying around. The only positive thing to this place was the staff.

Just to confirm all the bad reviews below are totally justified. I can see that resort just replies back with same things over and over again but nothing really has been done about all the complaints being given about the resort. I can confirm that there is absolutely no deep cleaning being done, windows dirty, no upkeep what so ever. We were given villa instead as something was wrong with the room we booked so this was a one of exception. Empty beer bottles welcomed us on our patio as well as the doors to the patio are completely broken. This is not the resort as there is no place to eat besides a little place at the beach where staff is completely lazy and rude. When we checked in we wanted to have breakfast and we were told as it is 11 am they do not serve breakfast anylonger. So the morning after we came early to make sure we eat, now all staff was in their chairs chilling claiming they do not serve breakfasf (even tho they have it in their menu) so they suggested to come later and maybe I can get a burger. Well maybe not, this resort is not worth a penny. On the bright side beach is beautiful but definitely bring your own food if planing on staying in the resort!

Firstly, this review is for the resort and NOT the Frenchman's Cove beach itself. I have always dreamed of visiting Frenchman's Cove resort since 2018 as the photos of the cove itself looked breath-taking. I finally got the chance and booked up for early January 2023. My friend and I stayed in villa 15 and our faces simultaneously dropped as soon as we walked inside. I appreciate the resort was built sometime in the fifties or sixties, but it doesn't excuse the state of the villa. The windows were FILTHY with bugs piled in every nook and cranny you could find. The kitchen was unusable - we refused to even enter. The bathroom taps and showerhead were encrusted with limescale, the tiles were grubby, there was an old dirty scrubbing sponge left on the side (as if we were expected use it!) and the bathroom sinks were stained yellow. I just don't understand why - considering there are very few villas on the resort - some general maintenance couldn't be upheld. Dated doesn't have to mean dirty! There is no restaurant on the resort and the nearest grocery store is a ten min drive away. They couldn't even offer coffee in the mornings. There is a restaurant at the cove but this is PRIVATELY owned and rundown and expensive for what it is. The grounds and the cove itself are beautiful but it wasn't enough for us to want to stay there, so unfortunately we checked out early and demanded a refund. The biggest disappointment, however, was the owner who despite being on site, and knew of our grievances, refused to meet with us face to face. Considering the resort manager was off sick, he should have stepped up and took responsibility. I would advise you to be mindful of all the glowing reviews which are probably of the cove itself and not the actual resort. I now know why there are no photos online of interiors! This whole experience ruined a good chunk of our holiday. Despite this, I would like to mention that Dean and big Mark from the security team, and Kemash on the front desk, did their best to help. Just a shame same couldn't be said of the resort's owner, Mr Weston.