Frenchman's Cove Resort

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.

I stayed at this hotel in the 1970s when it was at its peak. The resort is now under new ownership but hasn’t been updated since that time owing to Jamaica’s disastrous experiment with “democratic socialism” which created social instability and the flight of capital and tourists. It is sad to see the resort in disrepair, such as patio doors that must be jerry-rigged with bolts and a two by four to lock. But there is a wild beauty to the place, like waves crashing up on the rocks below the villa, and the encroaching jungle all around. There is a creek alongside the beach that empties into the sea. I learned that tourists share the beach with hawksbill turtles. The Cove’s beach is a designated nesting ground for these endangered animals. We were privileged to witness the hatchlings from one nest begin their improbable odds of survival at sea. They will stay at sea for life but in 20 years the females released that day will return to the beach at Frenchman’s Cove to lay their first clutch of eggs. Kudos to the Alligator Head Foundation for their conservation work.

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!

The place is beautiful but very old. The villa we stayed in was beautiful but bathrooms weren't the cleanest and there were alot of bugs. I believe for the price I paid the least there could have been is coffee in the room. You give a full kitchen with no plates, glasses or mugs. Kitchen is kind of pointless. I was quite disappointed with the experience considering it was quite expensive.

It’s was remote and quiet

Liked the vegetation. However, the facilities are horribly run down and not maintained. No restaurant on site, and had to pay for beach chairs that were in bad shape. Will not return nor recommend it.

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.

Frenchman’s is simply a beautiful property, and we will certainly be visiting again. The room needs a bit of TLC, but that pales in comparison to the atmosphere is offers.

My stay at Frenchman cove was very unpleasant. I booked 2 villas for 3 nights., Whereas the grounds was very nice and well kept with the natural vegetation and flora … the villas were not well kept. Some of the furniture were so old.. the bathroom lighting was horrible. The Villa had a lot of cracks and spaces in the wood ceilings and windows. As a result, a lot of insects came in. The worst part of my stay however was getting up to rodent droppings all over the kitchen sink… microwave, fridge area and loud sounds of croaking lizards…. The management was kind enough to refund a nights stay but our experience was already damaged and we just could not enjoy even the last night. We Were very disappointed !!