Grand Lido Braco is a Slice of Utopia
Written: Jun 20 '03 (Updated Jan 10 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful, abundant, fun, very relaxing. All-inclusive
Cons: Temperature of in-room showers is unpredictable; slightly rocky beaches; staff seems more disgruntled lately
The Bottom Line: A week with these folks and you will have forgotten all our worries back home.
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| XSarenkaX's Full Review: Grand Lido Braco |
I just got married, and it was as stress-free and fun as it could ever have been. I'll get to the wedding details in a bit. First, I want to talk about the general vacation experience at Grand Lido Braco.
General Info
Grand Lido Braco is one of the SuperClubs resorts. All SuperClubs resorts (www.superclubs.com) are all-inclusive and fall into one of their three categories: Luxury (Grand Lido), Active (Breezes), or Wicked (Hedonism). Grand Lido Braco is one of their luxury resorts, which we thought would be appropriate for our marriage and honeymoon.
Our Arrival at the Resort
When we arrived by bus from the airport, (it takes about an hour's bus drive from the Montego Bay airport to this resort, located in the center of the north side of Jamaica) we were very warmly welcomed by pleasant Jamaican staff members. We were instructed to simply point out our luggage and proceed into the welcome desk. The luggage would be taken care of by one of the smiling staff members dressed in white. We were then asked if we would like rum punch or some other tropical drink while we were being checked in. We were very excited to be there and began to relax almost immediately. We were given a room number, a couple of room keys on springy, colored keychains (which could be worn as bracelets, etc.), a safe key and lock for our room, and brief information about our stay. Then we were led to our lovely room.
Grand Lido Braco is designed to resemble a quaint little village, with a fountain in the center of cobblestone "roads", shops, restaurants, and other cute little buildings. The plant life is very lush and exotic as well. There are plenty of palm trees and hibiscus everywhere, plus lots of other plants you probably won't recognize. We even found a little banana tree with lots of bananas growing on it. It's a very pleasant atmosphere.
The weather is pretty consistently between 75 and 90 degrees (F), rain or shine, and it is usually humid, as it is on the shore. We slathered on the 45SPF sunblock every day, several times a day to keep from burning. While we got married and took photos in our wedding outfits, we skipped the sunblock, and despite the heavy clouds, we managed to get some sunburn, so it is imperative that you remember to protect your skin. It's no fun to be burned in a tropical paradise.
The ocean water is clear and very salty. There were more pebbles and rocks on the beach than I cared to step on with my sensitive feet, but it was pretty and fun, nonetheless. There is also a lot of short, brown, leafy underwater plant life on the beach floor, too, but it was all anchored down and close to the bottom.
One thing to remember is not to get too close to the large rocks in the water where the waves break, as some of them are covered with spiny sea urchins. I got a small fragment of one such spine in my heel, but it was taken care of by the resort's nurse. It was not fun, though, so take heed.
The Au Naturel Side
Something else that is important to note about this resort is that there is a "nude side" and a "prude side", as everyone there has come to call them. The nude side is actually formally referred to as the "au naturel" side. On that side, every guest is out enjoying the sunshine in complete nudity, save for the required towels for sitting on the chairs. (Resort staff are not allowed to be nude.) This rule prevents gawkers and allows everyone there to be comfortable with the liberating atmosphere. Women are also allowed to wear bikini bottoms, but only a few do (usually prudies coming over to check out the other side).
There is no nudity allowed on the "prude" side of the resort, which is where you will find all of the resort restaurants, the main bar, the buffet and performance stage area, the disco, and the wedding ceremony locations. The majority of the resort is on the "prude" side and I noticed there were about twice as many rooms on that side as on the nude side.
If you're not into au naturel, you can have a great time at this resort and never come across anything to do with the nudity on the other side, as it is very separate. I must add, though, that this was our first time in Jamaica, our first time at any all-inclusive, and our first time anywhere going au naturel, and we loved the experience. (Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, friends.) And, from what other friendly returning couples there told us, it is also the biggest, nicest, and best resort in Jamaica, especially of those with an au naturel area.
The nude side pool, beach, and hot tub are somewhat nicer than the prude side, but part of it may be that the nude side area is less public and less crowded most of the time. I hear the beach is less rocky on the nude side, but we never put on a bathing suit the entire week, so we couldn't make any comparisons for ourselves. We did notice that the hot tub on the nude side is larger than the ones on the prude side. (I believe there are 2 small hot tubs on the prude side.)
For those of you who think naked is dirty or bad, you'll be relieved to know that there is nothing perverted going on on that side (other than in the privacy of each couple's rooms, I guess). Couples meet, talk, play pool volleyball, participate in games and activities, etc. like on the other side, but they just happen to be naked. This is a couples resort and it is more romantic than "wicked" or wild. There is no swinging (at least nothing blatant) and I did not notice any same-sex couples.
There are no beauty contests either, so quit worrying that you aren't flawless enough to wear your birthday suit in front of other people. We spent most of our week on the nude side and never once witnessed any criticism about anyone's physical appearances. Most of the couples seemed to be middle-aged or so, but there were a few younger couples in their 20's or 30's like us. There is a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so there's no need to worry about "not looking like a model" or whatever your excuse is. Most of the people looked refreshingly real and natural.
Our Room
We booked our room on the Au Naturel side of the resort and chose the smallest room available on that side, the Au Naturel Junior Beachfront Suite. There are two levels of upgrades from there on the nude side: a one bedroom suite and a luxury one bedroom suite. We were surprised to find that we were automatically upgraded to the one bedroom suite (at no extra charge). We also got a nice third-floor corner location, which meant a great view of the au naturel beach from our bedroom's veranda, vaulted ceilings, and fewer neighbors. The soothing ocean waves could be heard from inside the bedroom every night, too. (When we went back home, we had a little trouble sleeping in the stark silence.)
All au naturel rooms are beachfront. There are rooms on the prude side that are beachfront, ocean view, or garden view. Also, there is no luxury one bedroom for the prude side. Floorplans and descriptions of each type of room are found here: http://www.superclubs.com/brand_grandlido/resort_braco/gl_rooms.asp.
Our suite contained a small living room with kitchenette, (the mini-fridge was filled with Pepsi and some local beverages and beers,) one and a half baths, and a bedroom with king-sized bed. There was a tv and small cd player in both the bedroom and living room. French doors in the bedroom opened to our veranda facing the beach. Two wooden chairs and small table were found on the veranda. We frequently awoke early in the morning and sat out in those chairs just watching the waves crash for a while before having breakfast.
Now, while most everything was great at this resort, taking a shower got a bit frustrating at times. Apparently, the hot water supply is shared between several rooms or possibly each entire building of rooms. It was rare to be able to take a shower without sudden, drastic changes in temperature. I'm talking comfortable to burning hot to cold to hot, etc. What we did to get around this problem is aim the shower head slightly toward the wall in the shower, so as to create a quick escape area for that scalding hot water. Plumbing is not an easy thing to fix, so we overlooked this one fault when judging our overall satisfaction at Grand Lido Braco.
All-Inclusive
All-inclusive means that you can eat and drink anything they offer; all you want, any time you want, and even anywhere you want. Warning: This level of service can really spoil you over the course of a week, like it did us. There is no tipping allowed and no reason to ever have to wander around the resort with your wallet, so you can just lock that away in the safe and feel free and easy. All you need with you is your room key (and maybe your sunblock).
One of the nice amenities that are included here are laundry and dry-cleaning service. I had my wedding dress pressed before the wedding and then dry-cleaned again afterward. My husband had his suit cleaned as well, plus some our other clothes were laundered before the week was over. A quick call to laundry service and leaving your stuff out in an obvious location in the room is all you need to do. They pick it up and drop it off at your room for you.
Another luxury we enjoyed was the nightly turn-down service. Every evening, while we were out enjoying the events and activities, room-staff would turn down the bed covers, make sure we had enough towels, draw the curtains and window shades closed, turn the lights on in the bedroom and veranda, and turn on the bedroom radio at a soft volume. A couple nights, we were surprised to find fresh flower petals decorating the bed and pillows. It's a romantic setting perfect for a tropical vacation and we liked it so much after the first surprise that we wrote a thank-you note and left it on the pillow. We were surprised again that night with another design of romantic flower petals on the bed.
For a complete listing of everything that is included at this and other SuperClubs resorts, visit: http://www.superclubs.com/includes/Amenities.htm.
Food and Drink
There are plenty of delicious and interesting dishes and drinks offered at this resort. We had mimosas with our breakfast almost every day and all kinds of tropical drinks the rest of the time. There is a breakfast buffet, which we enjoyed most mornings, at their Victoria's Market, which was a large, open eating area overlooking one of the pools on the resort.
The selection of breakfast food alone was enough to turn any anorexic into an instant glutton. Every morning, there is a skilled chef ready to cook up fresh, special-order omelettes however you want. What's more, you could find everything from Eggs Benedict to smoked salmon to bagels to fruit to cheeses to pancakes to banana bread and chocolate croissants, as well as one or two Jamaican dishes available to try every morning. Also, no matter where you are on the resort, you can order just about any kind of mixed drink you want, too, including mimosas, with breakfast.
Rooms service breakfast delivery is a nice option if you want to eat in your room (naked or not). In our room, we had a few door-hangers with check boxes for each packaged breakfast option, including a delivery time choice. We tried it once our first morning there and were a little disappointed with the temperature of some of the food and the selection of the package. There was more than enough to eat, but not all of it appealed to us (like the lukewarm milk, pineapple yogurt, etc.) but that's just us. We tried it another time (wedding morning, for our convenience) but were disappointed to find that our breakfast had not arrived when scheduled. (It was an hour or so late when we decided to cancel and go to the buffet to make sure I could still make my hair appointment that morning.) We justified having to put on some clothes with the fresh eggs and ultimate selection of the buffet. (If you want to have 7 bagels with smoked salmon and capers with mimosas and cantaloupe every morning, you can do that!) It was also nice to not be nailed to a schedule, too. We awoke when we felt like it and ate when we were ready - no rush. And there was always a great selection, even if we arrived later in the morning.
There is a lunch buffet too, as well as several on-site restaurants to choose from. There was an open Jerk Pit bar, an Italian eatery, a Japanese hibachi/sushi place (reservations required), and a posh French restaurant (reservations and proper attire required). We, like other newly married couples, chose to go to the French restaurant on our wedding night, dressed in our wedding attire. We visited the Japanese place a total of 3 times: once on the hibachi side and twice on the sushi side. We love sushi and the sushi chef, Oneil, was skilled and entertaining. He created a boat full of our favorites plus a few surprises and we just gobbled it all up. Remember, it's all you can eat!
Each side of the resort has its own rooms, pool, hot tub, beach, bar, and clubhouse. Like I mentioned above, the restaurants are all on the prude side, but there are phones by the pool and hot tub for ordering room service. I've seen people have snacks and meals delivered right to them at the pool or hot tub, too. It's anything you want, whenever you want.
There is also a kitchen and bar at the au naturel clubhouse, so you don't really have to get dressed to eat. We got burgers and fries for dinner one night there and a nachos snack another afternoon, to munch by the au naturel pool. We played some naked ping pong while our meal was prepared, which was fun. I'm sure the prude side clubhouse also has food available, but we didn't actually visit it. We do know, though, for a fact, that there is ping pong there. The prude side clubhouse is located above the main bar and while sipping on our drinks outside the main bar one day, a ping pong ball flew out the upstairs window down to us.
Denton was one of the friendly bartenders working on the nude side who was always ready to serve up a cool drink. Hummingbirds are popular and taste much like a milkshake. I also liked the papaya daiquiris (made from fresh papayas). If you can't decide on a drink, it's no problem, mon. I've left the drink decision up to Denton a couple times with fun results. Some of the other fun drinks I remember having there were: Rum Runner, Shark Attack, Dirty Banana, & Jamaica Me Crazy. The only beer served at the resort is Red Stripe, but it's not bad. The wine selection is also pretty limited at the resort. There are two white wines and two red wines to choose from. Personally, we found the Chardonnay to be the best of the four choices, but to each his own. There is champagne available as well. Basically, anything you'd like to drink can be mixed up without a problem, although the selection of specific brands are limited.
Fun and Activities
There is always something fun to do, too. There are people you will get to know by name who are the Entertainment Directors for the resort. They are constantly mingling and making sure everyone is having a great time. There is a schedule of activities for each day of the week, which is posted at each of the pools on the property. Stuff like trivia contests (prize is usually a full-sized bottle of Appleton Special Jamaican Rum) and pool volleyball happen several times a day at each pool/bar. (Did I mention there are swim-up bars at each pool?) There are nightly events, too, like a Toga Party, Beach Dinner Party, Talent Show, Pajama Party, Street Party, etc. Weather permitting, there are bonfires, too, but it was too wet for bonfire the week we were there. You can also try windsurfing, sunfish sailing, kayaking, snorkelling, or scuba diving. There is a 9-hole golf course, tennis courts, pool tables, and ping pong, too.
There is an on-site fitness center (on the prude side) with free weights, treadmills, step-machines, and a few other machines, exercise balls, and other exercise stuff. We originally planned to continue our usual daily exercise routines while on vacation after reading about the fitness center online, and we even took a brief look at it while there, but somehow we seemed too preoccupied with taking it easy and never actually used the fitness center. It's a bit smallish, but it was hardly crowded with people (at least while we peeked in). Also, it faces the ocean with large glass walls, so you can't forget that you're on vacation.
There is a pampering spa on the resort, too. Any services at the spa cost extra and are charged to your room (still no wallets required) to be paid all at once during check-out. We opted to have a couples Swedish massages on the beach, which was awesome! It turned out to be in a hidden area under a canopy of tree branches located between the prude and nude sides of the resort, near the beach. There were two massage tables set up with towels in the secret tree-hidden beach area behind the spa. We each got full-body massages at the same time, which was a real treat. By the end of the hour-long massages, we were so relaxed, we hardly remembered what it was like to move around by the time it was over. I believe it was an extra $70 each person for the service - but well worth it. There is a whole list of other spa and salon services for extra cost, as well, listed with prices at: http://www.superclubs.com/brand_grandlido/resort_braco/braco_spa.asp
The People
You will never be bored during your stay. If you are, just let one of the entertainment staff know and they will take care of it immediately. Tyrone, Andrea, Steve, and Tamika were a few of the fun entertainment people we remember best. They were always smiling, everything is always "no problem," and the answer to any request is always "yah, mon."
Just about everyone working at Grand Lido Braco is Jamaican and most of the staff also has that Jamaican accent. At first, if you're not used to it, it's a little difficult to understand, especially since they tend to talk a bit softly. (It's that relaxed Jamaican attitude!) We started our Jamaican language training on our flight (on Air Jamaica) and by the time we flew back home, we were a lot better at understanding it. Although they speak "English" in Jamaica, it's evolved into a language of its own. Many times we chanced to hear staff members speak to each other and we couldn't figure it out for the life of us. They definitely do try to speak so we non-Jamaicans can understand.
Most of the guests at GLB turned out to be Americans, just like us. We did come across a German couple who did not know much English, but they were the exception. This resort caters more to American culture and standards.
The Wedding
Although we were originally planning to just honeymoon in the Caribbean, when we found numerous raves about this resort online, and then found out the wedding is free* with a week's stay, my now-husband and I opted to combine our private wedding with our honeymoon (it's called a "WeddingMoon") at Grand Lido Braco, and then celebrate later with family and friends, back home. If you want to actually enjoy your wedding, this is definitely the way to go!
Although there was no additional cost for having our ceremony arranged and officially performed on this beautiful property, there is now a government tax which is not included in the resort pricing any longer. Luckily, our plans made the cutoff date. (See note below.) Also, if you'd like your official marriage license sent to your home sooner than 4-6 months, expect to pay at least $50 additional to expedite the process. We also bought a low-end professional photo package of 22 5"x7" photos (we chose from about 35 photos) which cost us an additional $200+.
The following is from the SuperClubs Free Weddings page (link below):
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* Effective for all new weddings scheduled after February 28, 2003, regardless of wedding date, Goverment fees have increased significantly for weddings and will no longer be included. Government fees of up to $225 per couple apply. $100 service fee applies for all vow renewals. All necessary paperwork is handled by us (except Breezes Bahamas). We require a minimum of three working weeks notice to complete the formalities. You are required to be in Jamaica 48 hours before the ceremony can be performed.
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Free Weddings: http://www.superclubs.com/activities/wedding/sc_wedding.asp
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There is a small hair and nail salon on the premises for the bride's (or anyone's) hairstyling needs. This service cost me an additional $40 + 15% tax (no tipping allowed). I have long hair, so I'm not sure if that price is standard, too. I saw other ladies getting their hair braided there so that is also an option if you're interested.
A manicure and pedicure are free for each resort guest, so I got both before my big day, which was nice. Some guests got their nails done every day and it was all free. (My manicure and pedicure were durable enough to last, so I opted to spend my time relaxing outside.)
There is a resort wedding coordinator at GLB. Her name is Beverley. I worked with her via email to get our birth certificates and documentation prepared, months in advance, so that all the marriage license stuff would go smoothly once we arrived. Beverly is a very nice person, but we noticed she is very, very busy. While we met with her to make decisions like flowers, wording for vows, etc., she was interrupted about 5 times regarding another wedding taking place that day.
But Beverley was great at making the event come together. I asked about having my dress dry-cleaned...boom! she made a phone call and it was taken care of. My dress was gone before we returned to our room. Then she mentioned my hair...boom! she made another call and made me a hair appointment for me on wedding morning. Next I needed to decide on some flowers. She handed me a photo album of past wedding couples and asked me to pick what I liked. (The flowers were beautiful, by the way, and did not even wilt for the entire vacation.) It was raining at the time, so she could not show us the wedding site choices right then, but when we saw another couple getting married on the beach gazebo the next day, we decided we wanted that location as well and didn't need to see the other choices. Rain or shine, it would work out nicely for us, we figured.
Luckily, it did not rain for us come wedding day. Our ceremony was quick and simple, just the way we like it. We had a bit of comic relief when we realized our rings were still back at our room, but hey, in Jamaica, that's no problem! My groom ran all the way to the room and back in his suit and the hot, humid weather to save the day. When the short ceremony was over, we took a few beautiful photos on the beach, then were led back inside to a small room where we had a very tiny private reception where we signed our hand-written documentation and took some photos. After cake and champagne, we headed back out into the beautiful greenery and the resort fountain areas for more creative photos. It was a very fun way to get married.
Note: if you decide to get married at the beach or the beach gazebo, be warned that, in addition to the inescapable humidity, it can get a bit windy. I had some of my long hair up and the rest down and it was blowing around a bit, along with the bottom of my dress. It wasn't a big deal, but if you want perfection in your photos, this is just something to keep in mind when deciding on hair and other details. It was not windy at all away from the beach at the garden areas and fountain near the center of the little village.
Pricing
Please note that the price below ($4500) was approximately what we paid for both of us to stay one week during the last week of May (which is just before hurricane season or rainy season) in 2003 and also includes both of our First Class airfare tickets from Chicago straight to Montego Bay, Jamaica on Air Jamaica Airlines. We went all out because this was to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We had so much fun, though, that we are almost certainly going to return for our anniversary.
We booked through Honeymoons, Inc. (www.honeymoonsinc.com) to get this great price, but you can get an idea of what it might cost you from your city and on your specified dates by clicking on the Instant Prices button at the top right of the website (below). That's how we got started.
One more thing I should mention is the Sunshine Guarantee. If the sun fails to shine any day during your stay at GLB, you will receive a certificate for a free day, as long as you book your next stay for within a year from your rainy trip. It rained for a full day on Saturday and most of the following day on Sunday, before our wedding day on Monday, so when we checked out, we were given a certificate worth 2 free days on our next stay before a year is up. The dollar amount was close to $900 for those 2 days, which is not too shabby. We are thinking anniversary trip!
For more info on Grand Lido Braco, visit:
http://www.superclubs.com/brand_grandlido/resort_braco/index.asp
I included as much detail in this review as I could remember to do, but there was just so much to cover. Please feel free to leave me a comment if you have specific questions not covered above.
~~~~~ UPDATE: 11/14/05 ~~~~~
We've just returned from our third trip to GLB in November of 2005! (Can we live there, please?)
We got a tip from other GLB enthusiasts to book with ALL THE WAY TRAVEL (www.allthewaytravel.com) and got in on a nice sale for this year's trip. They were able to beat HoneyMoons, Inc.'s prices for the same trip, so we made the switch. ALL THE WAY doesn't have online quoting like HM does, though, so you have to contact Dave Parker, the owner, by email or phone and tell them what you are looking for.
~~~~~ UPDATE: 1/8/08 ~~~~~
Our fourth trip to GLB was May/June of 2007. This time, we noticed a lot of little annoyances that deter somewhat from our "luxury" resort experience. Alone, none of them is a dealbreaker, but because they added up to about 30 complaints, we are wondering if service is going to the crapper at this resort. Overall, the staff seemed less empathetic to the guests. Poor scheduling and planning seems to be at the heart of all the problems. It's a shame to see such a downward trend in service level. We are not planning to go back this year.
~~~~~ PHOTOS ~~~~~
Wanna See Photos?
If you would like to see some select photos from our trips, please visit one or both of the following URLs:
Personal website gallery:
http://www.icode6.net/Don/gallery/gallery.html
(Scroll down to "Vacations" and click one of the "Grand Lido Braco" links)
My Flickr photo album:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xsarenkax/sets/72157600761563910/
(Our 2005 Trip to GLB.)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
XSarenkaX
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Member: Bonnie ("Benia")
Location: Chicagoland, IL
Reviews written: 43
Trusted by: 36 members
About Me:Got married in Jamaica and we keep coming back.
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