June 28-July 3, 2003 This was our first trip to Grand
Lido Braco. We'd been to HedoII twice before, and while we'd had great
times, we wanted to go somewhere a bit more romantic and upscale for our fifth
wedding anniversary. Braco did not disappoint us!
We flew first class on Air Jamaica out of
Atlanta. We have no complaints there. We felt like kids flying first
class. It was such a treat. The flight attendants went out of their
way to be kind and helpful. After landing at Sangster we were on a bus
with four other couples within twenty minutes. Check in at the Superclubs
desk was very smooth and efficient. The ride to Braco was right at an
hour. When we arrived it was around 7:00 p.m. We were greeted with
cool, refreshing towels. They had a wonderful fragrance! Check in
was fast, and the same lady who did our check in escorted us to our room.
We weren't quite sure what to expect, since we really only had Hedo to compare
things to. We opened the door and...WOW! Our room was lovely, and
the bathroom very spacious with nice little toiletries. We were on the
second floor, on the textile side. Our balcony looked like a gazebo, and
looked right out onto the ocean. Many times we sat out there, enjoying the
sounds of the ocean and the frogs, watching the sunset, and stargazing.
After unpacking we started out for dinner.
Victoria Market was still closed (it opened up two nights later) and so dinner
was set up around the main pool. It was very nice, but dark and hard to
see the food selection. One very nice touch that lasted all throughout our
stay were the three gentlemen playing stringed instruments. They played at
breakfast and dinner each day we were there, and were lovely to listen to.
It was so romantic on our first night there to sit and sip champagne while the
gentleman who played the violin came directly to our table and played.
Afterwards we walked along the beach and found a hammock. Having been out
of practice of how two people are supposed to hop into a hammock, one of us
immediately tumbled out into the sand,,,think of Gilligan's Island! How
wonderful it was to hear the tree frogs again! We were in our home away
from home.
I woke up the next morning at 5:30 (!!!!)
to a most unusual sound. It went on and on, and I thought it must be some
machinery or a noisy wheel on a cart of some sort. At first I thought I
was dreaming, the way it just went on and on. When I went out onto our
balcony, I soon realized the sound was made by another early riser...a medium
sized black bird. These birds would keep us entertained at breakfast each
morning by picking food from plates when the diners had left. They also
drank from the ice water that the silver pitchers sat in (not the drinking water
itself). They were not a nuisance at all, but added to the charm of the
place. Breakfast Sun, and Mon. was set up in the piano bar, and you could
eat in front of the courthouse, around the pool, or at La Pasta. When
Victoria Market opened back up Monday evening I was glad, not because I didn't
enjoy dining "out under the sky" as one of the EC's put it, but because it was
nice to experience it both ways. Breakfast was pretty much the same food
each morning, and was tasty. We never had lunch in VM, but at the
clubhouse (good), Nanny's (very good), and La Pasta (yummy...especially the rum
and raisin ice cream!) Dinner Sat. and Sun. was nice, but also pretty much
the same thing both nights. I was surprised to see guacamole and
chips...very tasty! Dinner at VM was a bit more formal than outdoors, and
the selections were impressive. Appetizers are small, not for sharing.
The entrees were delicious, and desert from really good to take a bite or two
and leave the rest. All the wines we tried (and champagne) were fine with
us. Dinner at Piacere was the best! Wow...from the moment we walked
in we were treated royally. The maitre d' and staff were so wonderful.
The chef even came out and walked around, speaking to everyone. A harpist
played throughout the evening. This was the one night that after we ate,
we felt stuffed, but in a pleasant way. The crayfish bisque was delicious.
Entrees...the very best we'd eaten at Braco...and dessert...I wish I could get
lemongrass creme brullee like that somewhere here. Yum! Our maitre
d' and waiter noticed we were video taping as we were leaving, and said we
couldn't leave without taping them too. They talked and talked, and it was
neat to see their personalities come out.
Our first full day at Braco, we hung out at
the "textile" pool, and played a little basketball. The second day we
decided we'd check out the nude pool area. It is much larger, and in my
opinion much nicer. The pool is huge. While we were there the
textile pool was always very crowded. You couldn't get a lounge chair
sometimes, but there was always plenty of room on the other side. Things
at the nude pool were very peaceful. It's certainly a lot more toned down
than Hedo. That's not to say though that people weren't friendly.
They were...both guests and staff, and the EC's were right there, trying to get
games and activities going. They usually succeeded too! I want to
point out one EC in particular, Jolleen, who was very nice, and made a point of
getting to know us. I must say this...the bathrooms at Braco's nude pool
are worlds away from the awful ones at Hedo's. These were always clean,
bright, and well stocked. There were even fresh flowers placed around.
I never felt unsafe walking to them. Also, the Pebbles Clubhouse is very
nice. Bar service at the nude pool was great. I've heard some people
complain that the swim up bar isn't staffed. This isn't so. All you
have to do is make your way up there, and before you know it, someone comes
right down from the bar and asks you what you'd like. No problem!
Staff even walked around to the lounge chairs, asking if they could get you a
drink.
Although we'd planned on playing golf, it
was just too hot for us. We enjoyed the games room...billiards, darts,
etc. We didn't try any watersports this time. I think the red flag
was always out, even though I did see some people taking stuff out. It was
very windy, and we were told that this is fairly normal for this part of the
island. Overall, the weather was great. We had some rain, but it
never lasted long. The beach is nice, kinda rocky though, but that's not
really a problem. We enjoyed watching the many hermit crabs go about their
daily routines.
The gym was nice and equipped well enough.
What we saw of the spa was lovely and inviting. When you walk in, the
sounds and aromas immediately relax you. We both had the complimentary
manicure and pedicure. This took about an hour or so, and was nice.
These aren't done in the spa itself, but in the nail and hair salon above some
of the shops and nurse's station. Tim also had the swedish massage, and
said it was fabulous, and worth the cost.
There are two things though that I
liked better at Hedo...one, at the main bar (and maybe the others, I can't
remember) there are pictures of many tropical drinks and the ingredients are
listed. That helps if you have no idea what you want. Of course, the
bartenders are able to make whatever you'd like (for instance, something fruity,
or something with peach schnapps) and many of them will treat you to one of
their own specials. Still, I missed Hedo's helpful photos. Also,
Hedo had more to offer in the way of shops. I found Braco's shops, while
okay, to not only have less stuff, but less interesting stuff. That's just
me...no big deal. Also, for anyone reading this, I have no intention of
putting Hedo down. Both resorts are unique and fabulous in their own way,
just with a different feel and atmosphere.
I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but it's hard to
remember everything...glad we took both our camera and video recorder to capture
all the sights and sounds. To bring this to a close, Braco is a wonderful place,
with great food, entertainment, grounds, and staff. We would definitely
like to return as soon as we can!