Brent & Dawn, Grand Lido Braco - 4/99

This was our third trip to Jamaica, the previous being Sandals Montego Bay in 1991. Basically, all of our expectations were based on our experience with Sandals. We arrived at Braco about 5:00 p.m. on April 13 for five nights. The 45 minute ride to Braco was actually more terrifying than we had expected, even after reading all of the previous trip reports. The check-in people were not especially friendly or efficient but it is a short process and we were quickly headed toward our room. We had booked the least expensive au naturel room through Change’s in Latitude. When the bellman showed us our room, we found we had been upgraded to the deluxe suite with two baths, a large living room, and a large bedroom with a huge vaulted ceiling. Apparently our request for a king size bed prior to arrival really paid off. The room was truly fantastic. This was our first experience with a clothing optional type accommodation and we were very hesitant. After dinner we decided to wrap on large towels and sneak down to the pool in the dark. Even if other people were there, it would be too dark to see. Just like all of the trip reports say, after 10 minutes we never considered wearing a suit again. The au naturel part of the resort is fantastic. There are only about 54 rooms, which means the beach and pool are always quiet and uncrowded. We spent every morning on the beach under the huts reading and snorkeling. We found the lamb chops at the pool bar so good, that the first couple of days we only left the au naturel side for supper.

I was disappointed that the scuba classes were full during our stay. Apparently, classes are held on M-W-F and they are filled up by people staying at least a week. We also could not get into the French restaurant unless we took a 9:00 p.m. reservation on Saturday night. Otherwise, everything at Braco was first class. The room service was excellent. One snack did get sent to the wrong room, but they eventually got it right. We found it very convenient to have breakfast delivered and then sit on the balcony with our coffee, danish, and fresh fruit. The maid service is almost continuous and very good. The service in the main dining room is not quite up to Sandals, but the food was always good. Dress for breakfast and lunch is very casual, (T-shirt over swimsuit or shorts). At dinner, people tended to dress up a bit. We saw shorts to very nice dresses. Men mainly wore nice shorts with a collared shirt. The bartenders and cooks on the au naturel side were great. During Saturday’s body painting session, Tessa painted a large mural on my back that drew great reviews from the crowd. I guess I will have to wait until the pictures come back. The pool and hot tub are truly amazing. The pool could accommodate hundreds, yet we never saw more than 20 in the water at a time. The hot tub could handle 30-40, but 6-8 seemed like the most in the water at any one time. We were surprised to be on the young side of the crowd which averaged about 45-50. The atmosphere is tremendous. The people were all very friendly and outgoing but never bothered you if you wished to be alone and enjoy the peace and quiet. The last morning we did leave the beach because the wind was actually pelting everyone with sand. The constant wind is the only drawback we found at Braco. One thing different than Sandals, there were not any "no-see-um" bugs bothering you at the beach. We took bug spray but never had to use it, I guess the wind blows them away. We did miss having a clock in the room and we will definitely take a travel clock next time.

Overall, this was the best vacation we have been on and we can’t wait to get back to Braco.

Brent & Dawn