Vacation at Braco, No Worries Mon
Written: Jan 19 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful service, nice resort, all-inclusive, great beach
Cons: Not as many restaurants as similar resorts, excursions can get expensive
The Bottom Line: A SUPER all-inclusive resort. Perfect for a romantic trip when you'd rather pay for everything up front. Like a cruise but better.
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| halah01's Full Review: Grand Lido Braco |
Grand Lido Braco is the perfect romantic getaway. A perfect resort vacation. To get your moneys worth don't plan on leaving the resort much. Trips away from the resort are expensive and you'll miss your free food and drinks. However, for a relaxing, tropical no-worries vacation you can leave your wallet (and clothing for that matter) in the room and enjoy Braco's hospitality!
A note about all-inclusive
I had never been to this kind of a resort before and wasn't sure what to expect. I was presently surprised. They had many bars as well as a stocked mini-fridge in the room. Drinks were premium liquors and mixed as strong as you wanted them. We could do shots, request whole bottles of wine and champagne to take back to the room, and basically drink ourselves silly! Multiple restaurants and no limit on how often you could eat at one. The food variety was wonderful and great quality. 24 hour room service was also included in the up front price. We could go all day without ever having to touch our wallets (which we just kept in the room safe). It was a wonderful stress free vacation. Also most resorts strictly enforce the no-tipping policy. We were able to tip our porter but on our first night of dining our waiter flat out refused a tip, saying he can get in trouble for taking it. I received better service there than I do at most restaurants where I can tip! Talking to my friends that have been on cruises this seems like a MUCH better deal.
The Resort
Grand Lido Braco is designed to remind you of a small village. All of the shops and hotel offices were located around the town square, complete with a fountain. The rooms were 'outdoor access' and arranged in multiple separate complexes. The resort has a separate 'au natural' area with the regular resort area nicknamed the 'prude side' . There are two large pools (one prude side and one nude side) both with swim-up bars and Jacuzzis. There are separate nude and prude beaches. All of the restaurants and shops are located on the prude side. The nude side has it's own bar and club house where you can order food off of the room service menu. There were tennis courts, a small golf course, scuba diving (resort dive or one trip free), snorkeling, sailing, and lots of other free activities. Some Hammocks and smaller Jacuzzis were tucked away on tree shaded paths for privacy. The resort has a couple of gift shops and a duty-free store. Everyday a few different artists are allowed to set up tables by the town square and sell various souvenirs. The prices they charged and the prices at the flea markets and other off-resort shopping spots were comparable.
Service
The service was the Best. Everyone was very attentive. The waiters at every restaurant were friendly. Someone was always ready to get us drinks when we were out by the pool or on the beach. The bartenders were great and entertaining. Everyone made an effort to remember our names and what drinks we liked. They had event coordinators that helped organize volley ball matches drinking games and poolside trivia. Certain Nights were theme nights like Beach party, or Street festival. Those nights the restaurants shut down and instead a HUGE feast was prepared on the beach or in the town square. Nightly entertainment included a dancers, singers, comedy, sing-along piano bar and a disco. During the day there were games and classes on things like cooking Jamaican foods.
The Rooms
We opted for a room on the nude side because they are bit larger and closer to the beach. The rooms were comfortable, decorated in pastels with tile floors, air conditioning, safes, hair dryer, TV, and kitchenette. Every day our fridge was stocked with sodas, champagne, red-stripes and bottled water. The rooms on the prude side were a bit smaller and decorated with brighter colors, some of those rooms had larger balconies though.
The Food
There are plenty of choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A cafe that is opened from lunch till midnight that had everything from pasta, risotto, pizza, and salads to pastries, tea, and famous blue mountain coffee. The main eating area featured a huge buffet for breakfast and lunch with different items everyday including traditional Jamaican dishes, plenty of seafood and classic standards. For dinner you could make a reservation at the French restaurant that featured 7 course meals and white glove service, or at the Japanese steak restaurant which was similar to Shoguns or Benihana's. They had a rotating menu at the main eatery for dinner or you could grab a pizza at the cafe. I think I practically lived on Seafood for a week. Shrimp, lobster and local fish were common on every menu. The superclubs website lists the restaurants available at each resort. Braco has less restaurants than some similar resorts but we never ran out of choices.
Excursions
Similar to being on a cruise you could pay extra to take little day trips off the resort. We took a All-day shopping/Dunn's River Falls trip. It was a lot of fun and the falls are something you shouldn't pass up if you visit Jamaica. If you do want to take a trip, some fill up fast and some a minimum of people have to sign-up for the trip to make so the sooner you get it scheduled the better.
Other Vacationers
Braco never felt crowded. We stayed for a whole week and it was it's busiest on the weekend. My husband and I are in are 20s and there were maybe 2 other couples our age there. Most people were older than us by 20 years. Everyone was friendly and laid back though. We never felt uncomfortable and made many friends by the pool and bar. A lot of honeymooners so must people just kept to themselves.
au natural
I had never been to a nude beach before and hadn't planned on it at Braco. However, we ended up trying it out and enjoying that side of the resort. There are no 'rules' so you can go just topless or wear a towel or whatever. Everyone, including the wait staff, made a point to look you in the eye when talking to you. Sorry guys, but we didn't see any supermodels! It's just regular people doing regular things in a not so regular way. It's not always pretty but it's an experience!
I can't say enough good things about my trip to Grand Lido Braco. It was worth the money and being all-inclusive I knew exactly what it would cost upfront. I plan on visiting again in a few years and would recommend it to anyone!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
halah01
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Location: Arkansas, USA
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
20-something, who loves shopping for skin-care products and gadgets.
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