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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Trip 3/98 My husband and I spent 8 days at Grand Lido Sans Souci the third week in March, '98 and we had a wonderful vacation. The resort and grounds are beautiful, much to natural vegetation and the rest credited to the grounds crew at the resort! The landscaping is really beautiful. Our room was in the new A block villas,(we were supposed to be on third floor but we requested ground floor when we arrived and we were changed with no problem). The marble bathrooms are very large and with gold fixtures, Jacuzzi tub for two, large glassed in shower, two sinks, and another dressing area and mirror. Our bedroom and sitting room was nicely furnished and decorated in island style and colors. We had two sliding French style doors that opened from the sitting room and the bedroom to our patio, looking directly at the beach. The spa services were all good and the food was good and we tried all restaurants and room service. (We think the room service menu and food arriving hot, could be improved) The staff was excellent and we enjoyed getting to know them during our vacation. Eveyone was so friendly and wanted to please us in any way they could. My husband played volleyball every day and lawn croquet and he enjoyed the competition and getting to meet people that way. We were met by Ingrid when we arrived and she checked on us everyday. I enjoyed the beach and the sun. The beach bar and beach grill offer good drinks and great food and we enjoyed sitting there and meeting people. The beach party had to be held in the terrace restaurant because of rain, but the grand gala on Friday night was very nice and the decorations were pretty and romantic. It is after the managers cocktail party which we also enjoyed. Our trip to and from the airport was a nice ride with informative drivers. We took the Dunns River Falls tour (which we enjoyed) and that is the only time we left the resort. Next year (we plan to return next March), we plan to go into Ocho Rios to shop. We used the gift shop and boutique on the property to get gifts this year. We would highly recommend the resort to anyone. The only drawback to the resort is so many steps to the lobby and Cassanova restaurant. After you are dressed for dinner it is not fun to have such a long walk up stairs in the humidity to get to Cassanova restaurant, which is the formal one. That is our only complaint. They should have some form of transportation from the beach villas to the top of the resort if one chooses not to walk. As I said earlier though, we do plan on vacationing there again in March of 1999.
Trip 4/1998 Trip to Montego Bay We took a Funjet charter from Houston Intercontinental to Sangster, Montego Bay. This is an experimental route they are taking that starts in Minneapolis, goes to Houston, then New Orleans, then Montego Bay. In the summer months, they will return to the direct-flight charter. This flight was $375 per person, as opposed to the $473 it costs to go on American. Funjet includes the departure tax, so the ticket is really $360. That and not fighting with Miami airport were THE benefits. Our flight was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. I got us going too early. We had a small drive-through breakfast at Whataburger and headed to Bush International. We got to the lot, and there were buses waiting for us. Our bus went to our airline first, so we were way ahead of schedule. I was not popular with Todd, as he could have slept longer. We got there at 9:10, and they didn't start checking anyone in until 9:35. We boarded at 11:15 after relaxing as much as you can near a plane. The flight was full, and a lot of spring breakers got on in New Orleans. Because of that, drinks weren't free. They carded those kids and put the whole New Orleans bunch on the back half of the plane. I saw lots of liquor going back there, and some of those kids looked like high schoolers. We got to Sangster at 4:50 p.m. The time was one-hour time difference from home, but our time changed April 4. Getting out of the airport was easy because we were one of the firsts off the plane. We had to wait for others, and our bus left for Dunns at 5:30. There were some Sandals/Beaches employees on the bus who have been with Sandals/Beaches for about 18 months and are going to work at the Sandals in Veradero. According to these employees, the resort will open in September (soon come?) and two other resorts are being built in Cuba. They had nothing but praise for the Sandals/Beaches element in Cuba, and they believe the U.S. ban on spending in Cuba will be lifted in 6 months. I do not think it will be nearly that soon, but Castro may only live a few years. Five percent of the money spent in Cuba is U.S. dollars. The bus was air conditioned, and the driver was in a HUGE hurry. The Sandals/Beaches employees wanted to stop for something to drink (Ting) within 10 minutes of getting on the bus. Todd and I sat on the bus. The other couple on the bus got Ting and hated it, so we had to wait while they stood in line waiting for Red Stripe. We got on our way. Our driver never said a word the whole ride but he was flying. Traffic was bad nearing Ocho Rios, and it was dark, but we got there in 1 hour and 42 minutes all in one piece. It was after 7 p.m. Check in was rushed, and we weren't given a drink at all. I had faxed ahead for a room upgrade, and it had worked. We were upgraded from Deluxe to Grande Luxe Oceanview (4 categories) and placed on the 6th floor of the Florence wing in room 2422. We had a nice view. Before going upstairs, we stopped for our own drink and noted that people were pretty dressed up no matter where they were going. The Room We were in room 2622 was in the Florence Block. The room is set up such that you can see out the window (which can open) from the sitting area, the bed, or the balcony. The balcony had two chairs and table and a rack for drying suits. There were no lounge chairs. The balcony provided a breathtaking view, but it was meant for standing, as a sitting position provided a view through the wooden railing. We had a view of the pool with the waterfall, the beach, the swim-up pool, the beach grill and all the room wings. The two-story buildings (Rialto) look the quaintest and are the most secluded. They are also the newest. The rooms inside are exactly like the Grand Luxe Oceanview, however. Our room had a large bed, two chairs, a bench at the end of the bed, a desk, a dressing table, a nightstand, a hair dryer above the dressing table, a TV with satellite channels, air-conditioning (manual) a coffee pot with tea or coffee, and a good-sized area for clothing. Irons and boards could be ordered from housekeeping. The Property The resort felt crowded, no matter where we were. You could hide in a hammock somewhere, but generally, the place was bustling. The Genoa and Florence wing give an ocean view, and the rooms in the two-story buildings are conveniently located to amenities. Also, there are 4 rooms in that wing that give a partial oceanview. Two are downstairs, two are up. One set is 5108 and 5222. There were quite a few bars, but they are never all open. There is the tree bar, open in the evening. There are two swim-up bars, one at each pool, and they both have a walk-up side. The resort has 7 bars around the property, but they do not all operate at the same time. The hours are: beach bar 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Windies bar (outside restaurant) 12:30-2:30 p.m. and 6:30-10:30 p.m., tree bar (behind the lobby) 5 p.m.-1:a.m swim up pool and piano bar 11 a.m.-3 a.m., swim up main pool bar—10 a.m.-5 p.m. disco 10 p.m.-3 a.m., teppanyaki bar (restaurant) 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Beach towels are given in the room and can be exchanged during the day at the watersports area behind the Italian restaurant. Café Ameretto was an area on the sidewalk that usually had tea available. In the morning, it had a continental breakfast on Sunday. The orientation, general manager's party, and various other activities are held here. The usual Sandals watersports were available, and water-skiing and knee-boarding were at the opposite end of the property from the watersports hut. Optional (not Sandals) Jet Ski was available. The Florence wing on the ocean side had the best views, with garden views opposite. The Genoa wing had a side view of the ocean. The 2 story wings (Rialto) had some ocean view, depending on location but were certainly the most convenient to land and some of the amenities. The upper floors of these rooms had a balcony, but it was a walk-up to the rooms and was shared. No chairs were on it, but guests could stand and look out. The downstairs rooms had tables and chairs on the patios, but the slat- style partitions between them may have blocked most of the ocean view. If you want quiet, you will most likely hang out at the pool and bar near these rooms, and these rooms are least likely to be bothered by the entertainment that sometimes goes on all night. Another quiet option is the garden side of the Florence wing. These rooms are across the hall from the oceanview rooms. Both Genoa and Florence have elevators. Concierge rooms and suites are in the Genoa wing. The resort is elongated and boasts a very large main pool with a waterfall and gazebo. Another pool is the piano bar pool. Both pools have a hot tub. The signs at both hot tubs reads "temperature 103 degrees", but neither was ever that warm. Temperatures ranged from 94-102. The new spa is near completion (soon come), but they are operating a full-service spa on the property now in the TV room and one of the guestrooms. I had the intensive cellulite treatment and a facial on Sunday. This took 2.5 hours and cost $170. She gave me a foot massage during the wrap. On Wednesday, Todd and I both had foot and hand reflexology with paraffin dip. The treatments lasted almost 1.5 hours per person, and they charged us $40 each. We each caught ourselves falling asleep a couple of times during that one. There is an extensive brochure on what is offered (7 pages), and Elaine and her staff can arrange most anything you might think of. I had no trouble getting appointments. On the property, there is quite a lot of exercise equipment, horseshoe, lawn checkers, lawn chess, shuffleboard, 9-hole pitch & putt course which does get used a lot. There are also darts and two ping pong tables. There is beach volleyball going on quite often. The tennis courts are at the east end of the property and looked quite nice. The basketball court is near the beach piano bar. There was always a handful of people at the gym. There was no hot or cold plunge pool or sauna (these are being rebuilt, along with the spa) and most of the equipment was unusable or rusted out. There were about a half-dozen circuit machines, one treadmill, a stair stepper, and a bike that were usable and in decent condition, but there were enough people that everyone was waiting in line. There were quite a few hand weights, mats, and steps, but little room to use any of it. Most of the time, it was necessary to bring your own towel. There were restrooms there and a water fountain. This place is a disaster, but the new facility should be open in May and my guess is they will buy all new equipment. The structure looks just like the brochure, so I am not sure why they gutted the place and started over. I was never sure if there was a gym instructor. One day, a guy took 3 people on a power walk. Public relations told us the resort just wants to put all the effort into the rebuilding. That should not affect the instructor. Oh, well. I did see a guy show up a couple of days with a bag of Fit Shape shirts, but he never spoke to me or anyone else. When he showed up, he sat around for a few minutes and disappeared. I know I could have chatted with him, but I did not bother. The lobby did the job but was rather small for a resort capable of housing 512 guests. Some guests thought the lobby looked tacky. It did the job and the staff that worked there were quite efficient. This property is bustling, no matter where you are. We were told the property was 82% full, so there were over 400 guests. On the weekend, they were 90% full, and they were expecting to be 100% full by the next weekend. There were people everywhere— even in the p.r. room & the bank. The guest mix was toward the young end at the beginning of the week when some areas still had spring break and moved into much more of wider age mix, with the tendency in 30s-60s later in the week. We saw quite a few thong suits, even one on a man. Several days, I saw topless in various places walking up and down the beach, mail pool, piano bar pool. One lady walked everywhere—even to the bars without a cover-up. Is this common at SDR? It definitely is not. This property is what I would classify as active, rather than elegant. There are activities from 7 a.m. until the wee hours, and ALL are attended. Unlike the typical couples' resort, this place doesn't die at 10. If you want to go to bed, you may wish it did. I could here everything from the bed until all hours. Todd slept just fine. There are many interesting trees and plants on the property. I attended the nature walk and heard about many of them and saw quite a few interesting things I wouldn't have noticed on my own. The grounds supervisor takes guests on that walk. He was hired 3 months ago to fix the place up a bit. He is doing a wonderful job. He said they have 13 landscapers keeping up the grounds and that most of the time they work 8 hours a day. I don't know how they could possibly do it all with just that many. Sandals Dunns River has been the name of the resort for about 7 years, and some trees were planted 40 years ago. Breakfast—Windies becomes the Terrace during the day. Service is available here from 7:30-10:00. Breakfast consisted of waffles, pancakes, French toast (all with a cook on hand, but they never tasted fresh), omelets or eggs to order, bacon, Jamaican don't touch me sausage, some form of potatoes (variety—O'Brien was the best), scrambled eggs, a couple of Jamaican dishes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, pastries, juices, etc. I did enjoy the eschovich fish the day I had that. This was my least favorite meal of the day and sub- par to other resorts I've visited. You can get a nice view of the pool from here. Café Ameretto has continental breakfast on Sunday. Small selection, from what I could see. The Italian restaurant has a la carte breakfast during the week (not weekends) from 8-11 a.m. Don't miss it. On Monday, I had Tour de France—a beef medallion on wheat English muffin served with poached egg and hash browns. The restaurant also has a nature bar—items served were papaya, white grapes, pineapple, various melons, boxed cereal and some "natural" cereal, and toppings like coconut, almonds, and walnuts. Some of the items available include omelets, petite ribeye, country steak, a Jamaican meal, and chicken with sherried mushrooms on biscuits. (We eat early, but it was very popular beginning at 9:30 with other guests. Lunch—Terrace buffet, served 12:30-2:00p.m.—first day, mussels on salad bar, always fake crab, various salads, such as pasta, potato, about 10 ingredients, breads, sandwich bar, fruit lady, ice cream, pastries, fresh pasta, carving bar, several entrees, such as crawfish jambalaya, curry shrimp, shrimp pizza, Jamaican stewed beef, fried catfish, tacos, bean burritos (very good). There were various pastries and always soup. One or two Jamaican dishes were served but usually almost hidden. Windies bar opens during this meal, and wait staff takes orders during the meal. The bar didn't open on Wednesday, and no drinks were offered at all. We were under the mistaken impression that the restaurant was open until 2:30, as were many other guests. On Tuesday, we arrived at 2:15 and were turned away, along with about 30 other guests. Staff was breaking the place down and eating themselves. I didn't go away, nor did a few others, and we were allowed to go forward. I did manage to get a slice of roast beef. The beach grill posts a "self-serve" menu. One should learn that other items are available that you might not notice. I found out there is jerk chicken by complaining to a staff member that there isn't any. There is always popcorn, nachos, cheese pizza (usually), and meat patties. Other self-serve items are an array of cold sandwiches (supposed to self-serve, but you have to ask for them) and chopped (boxed) fruit. The grill has jerked chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries. They also have a fish sandwich and a jerk burger. The grill was crowded, but you could get your order taken in 0-5 minutes. The jerk chicken was wonderful and spicy enough to burn my lips. I ate it most days. The self-serve area also had frozen yogurt cones. This is the most extensive beach grill I have seen at any all-inclusive resort. The grill had a bar on the other side, so one person could wait for food and the other for drinks. One day I asked for white wine and the waiter said they were out and did not send someone for it. That was minutes after we got sent away at the restaurant, so I was upset by then. They were very busy because there was a carnival celebration going on and they had quite a crowd. Most of the wine served at the various bars during the day was Oakville, the very woody tasting Jamaican wine. Better wine was available at night and occasionally during the day. Rums were all Jamaican. Dinner Ristorante d'Amore--served from 6:30-10 p.m. The food and service are outstanding (although don't be in a hurry), and the restaurant offers a smoking preference. The noise level was very high, and we wished we had eaten outside (we were not offered, and I think it was full out there). The décor is very interesting. The antipasto bar wasn't that big, but what was offered was wonderful. Friday-- On lobster night, they had tortellini with cheese, mussels, calamari, pastrami, cheese-covered tomatoes, olives, and garlic bread, just to name a few. The mussels were very good, as was the tortellini. However, in the dark it looked similar to the calamari (which I don't like) and my taste buds got quite a shock. Two soups, tortellini (mostly broth) and seafood with tomatoes were offered. I skipped soup thinking we'd hit another restaurant (didn't happen). Salad—Caesar or greens with raspberry vinaigrette. Todd's Caesar looked good. My raspberry was heavy on the vinegar (sour) but good. The pasta was served as a course, rather than with the entrée. Todd asked for something not on the menu, which confused the waiter, but they prepared it. He ordered the fettuccini Alfredo and asked for chicken in it. I ordered seafood pasta in a tomato-based sauce. Mine had two shrimp in it, and the sauce wasn't my favorite. You can choose from a variety of sauces and a variety of pastas. The cook prepares it in front of everyone who looks over there. The lobster came as two tails (Todd called it one cut in half) with stir-fried vegetables and a baked potato (I ordered mine without the potato). There were breadsticks on the table. The wine list offered a variety of wines-French, Italian, Chilean, and Jamaican. Other wines could be purchased, but we ignored that side of the menu. Wine was served by the bottle (or two), and the French white was very good and well- chilled. We did not stay for dessert. Our meal took at least one and a half hours. Monday—the antipasto bar was identical. The menu at the restaurant doesn't rotate. We had the same wine choice. The restaurant opened about 8 minutes late, and there were about 15 people waiting by then. The staff was quite apologetic. Everyone was asked to wait at the bar outside. We ordered the same salads again. Mine was better this time. This time, we ordered soup—I had the tomato seafood, Todd had the chicken broth. I decided to try the pasta with baby clams. Todd ordered Alfredo with chicken again. He, again, puzzled the waiter. He literally got Alfredo with chicken and NO pasta in it. I wasn't fond of mine and gave him most of my rigatoni, but I only had 8 noodles. For the main course, I had fish, mussels, and shrimp with vegetables. This was a very generous portion, and Todd got lots of it. He had a strip steak. Again, it was not pink, but it was very flavorful. We skipped desert, but the fruit tart pizza sounded tempting. Windies—Caribbean with seating from 6:30-9:30 p.m. with no reservations needed. By 8:15, there was a short wait. They offer two soups, two salads, a choice of "main Bickle" where guests pick three items to form a West Indies sampler or a "from the stockyard" choice of two different steaks or lamb chops. We ate there on Saturday night, arriving just after 7. They were out of blue crabs, lamb, and rib eyes. We both had conch chowder—it was spicy and tomato-based. I had a green salad with very good vinaigrette. I had the sampler with crawfish (spicy, even by South Texas standards), coconut shrimp (sweet), and mussels. Todd had a small steak ordered medium, served very well done (it had a good flavor, though), the deviled crab which substituted for the blue crab choice, and the coconut shrimp. He had baked potato—the other choice was rice & beans. The wine menu was similar to the Italian place, there were several white and red choices from various regions and an additional side of the menu where other wines could be purchased. Those offerings included such items as California wine for $30 and Dom Perignon for $195. The dessert cart is brought around at the end of the meal. We were out of drinks and were not offered water or coffee (we don't drink coffee but thought it should have been offered). We had fruit. This restaurant is much quieter than the Italian, even when full. If you get there early enough, you get a table facing the pool. Teppanyaki—this restaurant is the only one at Dunns River to require reservations. There are various seatings throughout the evening, beginning at 6 p.m. Do not show up late for your meal, as they operate on a strict schedule. This restaurant is good to go for a fun evening and a few pictures. I would rate it just below Benihana. We were scheduled at 6:30 on Sunday. We ate with 3 other couples all from Sandals Ocho Rios. They all seemed to like the food better at Dunns River and the beach but just raved a bout the grounds and babbling brooks at Sandals Ocho Rios. We had a good time talking to all of them. The meal at the table lasted one hour, and we were sent outside the restaurant to eat dessert. Appetizer choice was a variety of sushi as one, another type of sushi, a spring roll, ginger pork skewer, and tempura vegetables. Todd had the spring roll, it was tasty. I had the tempura vegetables. His was better. The sushi appeared to generous, from what I remember. Soup choices were chicken broth or miso and crab soup. I had the miso (very good), and Todd had the broth. The salad was cucumber and greens. The entrée was called Emperor's Feast. It included items cooked by the Jamaican in the Benihana suit with the typical show. He cooked and fed us tuna (second night was marlin), shrimp, pork, steak, and chicken, along with vegetables, which were Japanese, but not the same as Benihana. The rice was not gummy rice but seemed instant (the second night it was gummy and fresh). It tasted good, though, and we were given chopsticks and forks. To end the routine, he had Todd catch a shrimp in his mouth. The dessert outside was either lychee pudding (good) or ice cream. Hot tea was served outside. A welcome drink and a glass of wine were served inside. We returned to this restaurant on Thursday at 6 p.m. We had the same cook, and he did not appear to remember us. He did not vary his routine, including the shrimp catching. This time, Todd missed. We ate the same meal, except this time, Todd had the ginger pork appetizer, and I had the spring roll. During the course of the meal, the waiter cooked extra of just about everything. He asked if anyone wanted extra of anything, but he was very hasty and then gathered it up at the end. My guess is that was his dinner. We skipped dessert and Jasmine tea. We did learn that the welcome drink is called a Malibu Boy. Our bar waiter was Winston. He works all over the property day and night. Lance, the host with the Eddie Murphy laugh also works all over the property. He works at the Italian restaurant at breakfast. He said that he comes in and goes home for a while and comes back. Pirate Night Buffet—(Monday beginning at 6:30 p.m.) we skipped this but the items included various salads, pastries, breads, and entrees. From the grill, chicken and pork chops were served. The lines were long. During and after the meal, there was a beach party. Entertainment was held on the tiny stage near the beach grill. Guests were crowded around in chairs. Those of us who opted for the Italian restaurant and then came over found no place to sit and not too many places to stand. Todd and I saw the nail board dancer. He involved a few bikini-clad guests in the act. We left a few minutes after arrival. Other activities there were snake charmer, fire breather, and socca dancing. This party lasted until 1:30 a.m., and I heard it all from the room. Unlike the activities held on the Café Ameretto terrace, I couldn't see this one. I only saw one guest with any type of costume, and that was a headscarf tied from a shirt. This was the most casual event of the week. Internationale—boasts the most extensive menu on the property. Service is available from 6:30-9:30. It was not open on the two nights we wanted to eat there (we didn't ask what was open when, and we weren't told when checking in). The restaurant closes on both buffet nights, Monday and Thursday. There is a dress code. For something similar, try St. Ann at Ocho Rios. All of the golfers Todd met from Sandals Ocho Rios had high praise for that restaurant. International Buffet—Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. all around the main pool. We are not buffet people, so we went back to Teppanyaki, but we went to see this buffet afterward. It was a cut above most buffets, and I would not miss this one again. I did get some pumpkin soup and a lumpia (spring roll) to take to the room, along with a glass of champagne. The presentation at this event was wonderful. The tables had candlelight, and some of the trees had lights. There were ice sculptures and towers of fruit. There were a larger variety of foods at this buffet than any other during the week. There were many salads and pastries. There was pasta cooked to order. Grilled jerk chicken and pork were being prepared. Skewers with large shrimp and vegetables were quite popular, as was the oriental station. It had tempura broccoli, spring rolls, banana fritters, and stir fry made to order. Another area had rice, Chinese pancakes (similar to a tortilla) and a meat stew to stuff them. A huge spread of (fake) crab, mussels, calamari, and smoked salmon was one of the more impressive presentations. A stage was set up for entertainment during this event. I am sure not all guests had a very good view of it, as the tables were spread out everywhere. The entertainment began with a fashion show of items from the Falls gift shop on property. It was followed by a band, which played popular U.S. tunes mixed with a little reggae. This was toga night, so a small percentage of guests ate dinner in their togas. At 9:30, the entertainment moved to the Forum for a cabaret singer. At 10:30, the toga parade and party began. We did not attend that event. Returnee Dinner-Wednesday begins at 6 p.m. We received our invitation on Monday. It noted that guests leaving before or on the day of the party should go to public relations (hours stated) to get their special gifts. We were given an Ultra Club form to fill out with dates of our previous visits and asked to RSVP to public relations. When we did this, there was a bottleneck of people either trying to get their gifts before getting on their bus for the airport and those trying to turn in the form and RSVP. The Returnee party began with a cocktail party held poolside near Ristorante d'Amore. Cocktails, wine, champagne, and non-alcoholic drinks were served. Guests were asked to sign in and put number of visits and home address. We were given our leather sandals. They are now doing awards on number of nights, and one couple on their sixth visit got their silver sandals for 35 nights. These were given at the end of the evening when guests were introduced. Many were on their second visit and not introduced. Everyone with over two was introduced, we were on Sandals stay number 5. One couple, Nell and Bob were on their 20th visit. They were at our table and were quite interesting to talk to. The meal was served in the meeting room near Ristorante d'Amore. This is the best returnee dinner we have ever had. Everything was just outstanding. We had California wines and a five-course meal, followed by petit fours and coffee or tea. The menu was as follows: smoked salmon on dill crouton, cream of asparagus soup, organic green salad with toasted cashews, island turf—aged fillet of beef tenderloin with Jamaican rock lobster tail, and raspberry hazelnut mousse torte with mango sauce. Service was white-glove. The meal ended at 9:25, just in time for attending the cabaret show and comedy hour. Women were presented with huge orchids with the stems in a water case. We were given Tia Maria and T-shirts. Sandals Ocho Rios Michelle's--we visited on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. This is the only restaurant at SOR requiring reservations. Reservations can be made at guest relations in the lobby. This is an Italian restaurant nestled into a cliff overlooking the ocean. A (manmade) waterfall is passed on the way down the steps to this restaurant. Guests arriving early at the Arizona restaurant are placed in a gazebo next to the falls and dine by candlelight. Other guests at Arizona dine by candlelight in tables along the pier. We took the 5:30 shuttle bus to SOR from SDR. The bus was completely full and left quite promptly. As a rule, the buses arrive a bit early, and I have heard from other guests that not all couples get on, at times. We had a little time to walk around the property and take some photos. The babbling brooks behind the cottages appear to be manmade, and they were empty when I finally found them. The fishponds that lead to them were full, however, and were home to many fish, including some extremely large catfish. I would guess that the babbling brooks operate on a water recycling system and are full when guests would normally be looking at them. Perhaps I missed something. When we first arrived, the waterfall by Michelle's and Arizona was not operating, but within 10 minutes, it was. The effect was quite different between off and on. SOR has over 200 rooms. There are two pools, one in the gardens and one near the amphitheater above the ocean. That pool has a swim-up bar and a good-sized hot tub. In the gardens, there are paths leading to various places, such as basketball courts. There is a large herb garden and cactus garden. The lobby of SOR was multilevel. The entrance to St. Ann was there, and the menu looked to be fairly extensive (the most extensive of all the menus posted there). There appeared to be an area for outdoor dining, but this restaurant and the Sundowner were not yet open by 6. The lobby housed an area with a few slot and video poker machines. Michelle's was decorated in green. The wine list did not provide an optional (pay extra) side, but one guest didn't care for the wine list and was provided with an optional list. We were fine with the French white. Several appetizers were offered. Todd had the fried mozzarella with seafood sauce. I chose to go to the antipasto bar. Mainly, it was a salad bar, but there were a few items, such as fried peppers, available in addition to salad. There were two soup choices. We each had a different one. Mine was tomato based bean soup with pasta. I didn't care for the pasta in it, but the rest of the soup was good. For the pasta course, I would have selected tortellini (substituted for ravioli), but I ordered the penne pesto because I love pinenuts. Todd ordered Alfredo. My pasta had no nuts, and it was not served when Todd received his pasta. It was served when he ate the fried mozzarella, so I had to push aside my salad when the pasta arrived. Todd ordered a steak. I ordered snapper and shrimp in a paper-thin wrapper. I expected the wrapper to be pastry, which is why I ordered this item. It was actually a paper bag. By this time, I was full and ate the two shrimp inside the snapper and the very delicious vegetables that accompanied the fish. For dessert, we shared a lemon mousse tart. Another guest ate a pear pastry that was beautifully presented. Most guests seem to prefer the Italian restaurant at SDR to the one at SOR, but I found them to be just plain different and found Michelle's to be a nice change. It was billed as Northern Italian, but the dishes served did not seem to be from that region. There were several fish choices and one veal, and a pork picatta. I would have liked chicken or veal picatta. Perhaps the chef would have made it, but I did not ask. The waiter appeared upset when I wanted to sit at a table with a better view than his choice, so I did not want to order something not on the menu. The bread at this restaurant was dark herb bread that was extremely soft and fresh. We took the 8 p.m. bus back to SDR, and it was VERY full. Both times, the ride was 17 minutes. The evening buses do not run at all frequently, so it is necessary to pay attention to the time. Watersports Kayaks, paddle boats, aqua trikes, hobie cats, windsurfing, and sunfish were available. Snorkeling was offered 5 times daily at 9:30, 11, 1, 2, and 3. Water-skiing was also available from very early morning until 4 p.m. with a one-hour break, along with kneeboarding. Water-skiing, snorkeling, and sunfish lessons are offered everyday. Scuba lessons are offered everyday except Saturday. Resort certification scuba is available, and guests must go through a swimming test and learn about equipment and what to do in the water. There are 3 dives daily, all in the morning and only one on Sunday, which departs at 9. I do not know which dives are for resort divers and which are for certified divers. Check with the watersports staff. A glass bottom boat goes out daily at 9, 10:30, and 12:30. We went on this on Saturday and saw only a handful of fish, a few sea urchins, and a banana eel. One day, we took an aqua trike out to the reef. We got there quite quickly but had quite a paddle back. The 11 a.m. trip was a combination snorkel and sightseeing trip. We took that trip one day. It involved a very wet and cold boat ride down the coast a couple of miles. We were given bread to feed the fish. My snorkel broke from the mask, so I was delayed in getting out in the water. We spent time taking a few underwater photos. The snorkel was very short. The fish were just swarming us when we were asked to come back. We saw an enymany. We also saw quite a variety of coral, more than in the past. On the way back, we stopped at the James Bond area—roaring river. There were two waterfalls and fresh water. In order to see the full view of the second waterfall, it was necessary to walk a bit to the left. No one but us discovered this. Luckily, we had a camera. The trip back wasn't as wet, and the entire outing was less than an hour. On Friday, we took the 9:30 a.m. snorkel trip. That one (and all others except 11 a.m.) are a distance off-shore from the resort next to the reef. When we fed the fish, they just swarmed us. That was quite a lot of fun. In addition, we saw a lot of interesting coral. We stayed out about 45 minutes. On Thursday night, we had a couple at our table at Teppanyaki who claimed to see a shark at the same snorkeling spot. I am not too sure what they saw. Activities Theme Activities Every day and night had a theme, and sometimes the day theme was different from the night theme. Jamaica Day-Reggae Night—Friday. During the day, additional activities are held to teach about Jamaican crafts, cricket, cooking, language, trivia, and reggae dancing. In the morning, the craft vendors set up on the property, and items such as woodcrafts, earrings, necklaces, other jewelry, baskets, straw hats, and drums were available. At night, a reggae party and dance are held after the staff and talent show. Two skits and reggae dancing were performed by playmakers. Two guests sang separately, best guest talent I've heard anywhere. One guy was ready to start his own pop-rock band. He must play at home. The cabaret singer was very good and appeared to be friends with a lot of the staff. His first name was Eli. At 8:30, the charity bingo is held. Another similar event is held one afternoon, but it is on a small scale. Bon Voyage-Saturday Night Live—Saturday. A bon voyage party is held at 9:30 a.m. There are fewer activities offered on the weekend than during the week. Saturday night, the jazz band plays from 5:30-9:30 p.m. outside of the Forum, and you can hear them for quite a distance. 70&80s music with a reggae flair and lots of dancing happen in the afternoon and again in the evening, There is Karoake after the cabaret show. Casual Elegance—Sunday. Again, the jazz band plays at 5:30. The (very popular) Newlywed Game is held on the Café Ameretto terrace. Signup is necessary to play, and names had to be drawn because more signed up than could play. Quite a few people watched, and questions asked are what I would call raunchy fun. After the cabaret show, there was a best-dressed couple contest. Pirates & Wenches—Monday. During the day, the staff demonstrated how to create a costume. At 5:30 (5:45), the general manager's cocktail party was held. Only 3 types of appetizers were served. The playmaker manager introduced all playmakers and managers who were on-site. At 6:30, the Beach BBQ party began. Activities included a steel band, nail board dancer, fire-eater, snake charmer, and games that lasted until 1:30 a.m. Carnival Day--Casino Night—Tuesday. At 10:30, Calypso dance lessons were given on the beach. Before 2 p.m., costumes were brought out for the carnival parade. The costume was a headdress, neck collar and waist dressing which went down the front and back. Guests who took a costume were allowed to keep them. I don't know how often this is done. Quite a few guests took them. At 2:30, the costumed-guests lined up and did a Congo all over the property. After the Cabaret performer, the charity casino was held at the beach grill. Latin Day—Night of the Stars—Wednesday. During the day, there is salsa dancing lessons and more dancing later. The night of the stars includes playing by the jazz band from 5:30- 9:30 p.m. outside the Forum. Black jack, honeymoon games, dancing, cabaret show (A.J. Brown), and a comedian were some of the evening's activities. Olympic Day-Toga Night—Thursday. There were games on the beach and in the pool. A tan contest was held. In the afternoon, the playmakers demonstrated how to tie the togas. Some guests wore them to the International buffet. The later in the evening, the more people were in togas. It was a small percentage of the guests, though. The toga party began at 10:30 p.m. with a parade, followed by games. This event provides clean fun. Other Activities Lots of activities held daily and activity board near main pool showed the day's schedule. For watersports schedule, check the watersports hut. There were pool games, basketball, pitch and putt, shuffleboard, tennis tournaments, volleyball, and various other unique games invented by the playmakers. We were given a schedule of the week's activities when checking in. It had "summer" on it. Some of the activities included ping pong tournament, miniature cricket, dance lessons daily and nightly, too, domino tournament, speak Jamaican, team drinking game (called mixology), charity bingo and casino, Jamaican trivia, horseshoe tournament, costume parades, fashion show, dress up competition, lover's knot, Newlywed game, beer drinking, water aerobics, darts tournaments, bocce ball, backgammon, and jeopardy. Points were given for most things and were in the range of 5-15 per activity. Sixty points earned a leather sandal necklace. Games There was shuffleboard, croquet, table tennis, pool, backgammon, checkers, slot machines (didn't win anything on my $20), and board games. Golf—buses leave throughout the day, beginning at 7:15. The next one leaves at 8. Todd and several others preferred to leave at 7:15, and they had to miss breakfast. The returning bus was a bit less reliable. The trip over took them 25-35 minutes and involved a stop at Sandals Ocho Rios on the way. Caddies cost $12, and Todd tipped $15. If a person shares a cart, a caddie can be shared. A cart is $30. Tours—tours can be arranged at a desk in the lobby. The prices vary. Books and Board Games Both are available for loan from the playmakers. Points Points are awarded for activities such as volleyball, aerobics, aquacize, contests and games, tennis, basketball, talent night, Olympics. I did not get any points for playing bingo and should have. You can go to the playmakers and find out how many points you have at any time. Sixty points gets you Sandals. Check with playmakers. A signature cap is given after 350 points. Dancing There is dancing every day by the pool with the playmakers. Many evenings, there is an event entitled "dancing under the stars". It is not romantic like it sounds. It is just like the poolside dance. Usually, people dance at the cabaret shows. The disco opens at 10 p.m., but no one goes until a while after the entertainment is over. Photos A photographer takes your picture all over the property at various times. The pictures are available the next day for $7. No pressure to buy. You don't even have to go look at them. Gift Shop Lots of Jamaica and Sandals items. They had various sales. On Friday, everything was 10% off. Fish and Birds There are fish in the lily pad pond across the street from the lobby and up the hill on the pitch and putt course. There were two parrots on the pitch and putt course, too. All of that area across from the lobby is a beautiful garden Beauty Salon Manicures, pedicures, hair braiding, typical hair and hand treatments were available. A menu of services and prices was presented at check-in. Spa A temporary spa desk was set up outside the TV room. Massages are held there. Treatments requiring water are held in a guestroom. The spa menu in the brochure is 7 pages. If there is something you don't see there, they can probably do it. They are very accommodating. There are quite a few different massages, reflexology, scrubs, wraps, paraffin treatments, facials, mud treatments, hand and feet treatments, and specialties such as back treatment, after sun, couples massage lesson, wedding packages, mom to be package, treatments for men, and quite a few combo packages. In May, the new spa building should be open. Slot Machines There are about a dozen by the pool tables. There was always an attendant there any time of day or night when I came by. There are also video poker machines. The machines are used regularly. I saw someone win $125 after about 6 coins. Beach Bar and Grill The bar opens from 11 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and perhaps late at night (11 p.m. – 3 a.m.). The grill opens from around 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and again around 11 p.m. Alcoholic and Non-alcoholic drink specials are posted at the beach bar and main swim-up pool par (two menus are not the same). Afternoon Tea Tea and coffee were always available at Café Ameretto during the day. Sometime during the afternoon, fruit is brought out. At night, coffee and tea were available for self- service beside the bar by the Forum. Piano Bar The pianist plays beginning at 11 p.m. We never saw him. Shuttle to Sandals Ocho Rios The shuttle runs every 1-2 hours Sandals Ocho Rios. The schedule for each is in the lobby near where the bus comes. They fill up early, so come 10-15 minutes before scheduled departure. Entertainment Lots going on during the day and then the jazz band plays. After that, the cabaret shows are held at 9:30 in the indoor room called the Forum. It is always half full to SRO. See the theme activities section for more information on entertainment. Departure and Return Home When checking out you can request American Airlines frequent flyer points. Guests are supposed to be given a video at checkout, which is supposed to be updated. I knew people weren't getting it (I also didn't get the one I called 1-800-Sandals for), but I did get an older one from the Executive offices. It was like the one I already have. Check out time at SDR is 11 a.m. We were scheduled for a 12:30 departure. We were allowed to keep our beach towels until we left. The morning we left, I went for my morning workout after a start on packing. We went to the breakfast buffet and snorkeling. We finished packing by 11 and called the bellman. After checkout, Todd did pitch and putt and collected our sandals necklace. I lost a few more dollars at the slots. We met for a final hot tub visit and lunch/drinks. The bus was huge and full. We stopped on the way down for a rest stop and again at Sandals Montego Bay. Check in at the airport was no problem. As always, departure tax was included in the Funjet price. We were not able to buy anything at the airport, as the shops were closed for Good Friday. Customs in New Orleans was very disorganized. Since the people getting off in New Orleans were at the front of the plane, they went through immigration first. That left a long line of Houstonians and a few Minnesota people waiting a good while. When everyone was done, we reboarded. We were supposed to sit in our same seats, but the people getting on in New Orleans sat where they wanted, so we were asked to take any seat. The flight left New Orleans and arrived in Houston 15 minutes late. We were given soft drinks and peanuts, and the flight was an hour. We arrived in Houston just after 10. Baggage collection took quite awhile, but there was a bus waiting for the parking lot when we walked outside. We arrived home, exhausted at 11:05 p.m. Returnee Program The Ultra-Club is the reward system for returnees. Instead of number of trips, they will be rewarding by number of nights. After 70 nights, 7 nights, land only, will be awarded free. On the returning guest day, we were given the form to fill out past trip information. Comments Sandals Dunns River is a very active resort. This has disadvantages for people that just want quiet and to be alone. Privacy and quiet can be found, but they are not available everywhere at all times. Because the resort is so full, there is very seldom the frustration of searching for an activity only to find that the activity coordinator didn't show up. Services such as the tour desk, guest relations (where dinner reservations are made), casino, and bank have longer hours than many resorts. Breakfast and lunch buffets at The Terrace are usually a disappointment, but the a la carte breakfast and extensive beach grill help make up for this. Many of the golfers (like my husband) like to leave on the 7:15 bus because it takes quite a while to get to the course. Those leaving at 8 don't get to start until after 8:30, and the course is crowded by then. Since the resort is competing in the golf market, the buffet should open at 7 a.m. or there should be a continental breakfast set up at Café Ameretto. Staff was very friendly and interested in service. There were some patches of things that needed improving. For instance, the housekeeping service came so late on our floor (between 2 & 3) that the room was unmade up most of the day ( I get up at 5 a.m.). Usually, the bed was turned down before or during dinner, so that gave us only 3-4 hours that the bed was made. One of the playmakers, Shelley Ann, was walking around on Monday asking guests for ideas for improvements. Also, guests can fill out a survey upon checkout. Negative comments are circulated among the staff for review. People are sunbathing by 8 a.m. Unless they brink juice or water from the buffet, there are no drinks available until 10 or 10:30 a.m. Self-serve soda machines would be a nice touch. The arrival greeting should always be as advertised in the brochure, even when guests arrive at 7 p.m. After a 10 hour trip, guests look forward to that welcome drink, not to searching the property in the dark for something on their own. Weddings were held on the stairway to the tennis courts. Receptions were held in the gardens. Those who got married on the resort enjoyed it, but I would think some of the other Sandals resorts offer a better choice of location. Photos are taken around the property, and there is a setup for taking pictures at the beach. Generally, there were one or two weddings a day. Activity centers on the elongated strip that houses most of the facilities. Oceanview rooms in the two high rise buildings have the best view. The building with the luxury rooms may not have the best view, but it is newer. The other high rise is the old Hilton Hotel. The two story buildings are add-ons. If the resort decides to add more rooms, they would likely convert those two to have more floors or to be one building. The sand and beach at SDR have a nice tan shade and are picturesque. The beach does not provide the opportunity to walk for miles and miles. You can walk down the stretch on the property, and I enjoyed that. For the very best in all-inclusive luxury in Jamaica, pick a Grand Lido. However, Sandals Dunns River provides a great opportunity for a good vacation. There is quite a variety of things to do and see, and the various specialty restaurants and dinner buffets give guests an opportunity to sample local and international cuisine. My visit to GL Braco A very kind friend of mine on AOL knows that I enjoy Grand Lido San Souci and Grand Lido Negril. Since he is a friend of Anil Sud, he asked him to call me for a meeting. Anil knows I come to Jamaica quite often and seemed anxious to see me. On Thursday, I went down for a tour and lunch. The ride down was about 35-40 minutes. Michelle, sales manager at Braco, answered many of my questions and told me quite a bit about Braco on the way down to the resort. She took me to meet Anil and then gave me a tour of the property. I remember when this property was being built and how many people were talking about it. The resort opened as a one-of-a-kind about 3 years ago in 1995. At that time, Braco was considered a good value and was priced near the range of Breezes in Runaway Bay. Guests staying there at that time enjoyed the village concept and ambiance, but the management did not market the resort as effectively as it could have. In mid-1997, Superclubs took over the management and converted the property to a Grand Lido in December. They are still in the process of bringing up the facilities to a Lido standard but are very conscious of it. The never-opened Pebbles side of the resort has some very large rooms and suites because it was to be a family resort. The management felt that would compete with Boscobel and decided to convert that section to an au natural section. Management is conscious that people choosing a Lido want an upscale experience, and the 52 rooms and suites on the au natural side will be filled largely by word-of-mouth advertising, much the same as GL Negril, and security on that side will be very actively visible to prevent open sex or anything of that nature. I think this section is quite nice and guests who love GL Negril but want to try something new will enjoy staying at Braco. When entering the grounds at Braco, the first view is of the soccer field, found at no other all-inclusive hotel. The next view is of the 9-hole executive golf course. Guests who want more of a challenge are provided free transportation and green fees to Breezes Golf and Beach Resort about 20 minutes away. There are fishponds, and guests can use them to catch fish, if they wish. Guests arrive and check in at the Town Hall. The concierge and the staff offices are in this building. After spending a few minutes with Anil, Michelle took me around various areas of the property. We began on the main street of the property. We saw buildings with a spice shop, a logo shop, an art shop, and a gift shop. After a stop for a photo at the fountain, we saw the pizza/pasta restaurant and bakery and the new gourmet restaurant, Piacere. Piacere is upstairs and is quite elegant. Much of the décor was blue and gave a dark nighttime feeling. Other items we passed by in the village were a beauty salon and area for manicures and pedicures and optional massage and facials. We went inside the dance hall. The décor is set to match a typical Jamaican dance hall, and there is a graffiti board for guests to use for writing their own graffiti. There was a bar in the dance hall. We went into the main bar and meeting place. Beside that was a TV room. It looked more like a living room. Upstairs, there was a game room with a couple of pool tables, and there was a balcony with chairs and tables where guests could enjoy a drink or board game. There was a workout area with some machines that will soon be moved to the open-air gym. The existing workout area will be converted to a library. The village street was similar to cobblestone but not very rough to walk on and looked shiny and new. On the street was the coconut vendor. At night, a peanut vendor comes out. During the day, Miss Cynthia, the fruit lady goes around the property offering a variety of fruits to guests. Nanny's jerk pit offers only Jamaican foods such as jerk chicken and pork and meat patties and various juices. There are stools at the jerk bar and a few tables. The main dining area, Victoria's Market is open air and can seat quite a few people. More about that later. Next on our tour, we went to the west end of the property. This is the au natural section of the resort. A hot tub has been placed in a jungle setting. Plantings there are new, but there is still a nice effect. The pool is very large, supposedly the biggest in Jamaica (but the main pool at Sandals Dunns River looks bigger). I saw one guest in it and a couple of people around it. There is also a hot tub next to it and a swim-up bar. There were several people on the beach on this side and a few in the water. I saw clothed and not. There is a clubhouse used for room service preparation on that side. The buildings housing all rooms are decorated in bright pastels, such as pink and yellow. Inside, the rooms are now mostly painted white. The junior suite on the au natural side is a large room and has one bathroom and a kitchenette and sitting area, all in one room. The one-bedroom suite has one and a half baths and a separate bedroom with a door. This room also has a kitchenette. The luxury suite was huge and had two full baths and the same amenities as the one-bedroom suite. The kitchenettes are a leftover from the never-opened family resort. They have a sink and small range top with a coffee maker and a little refrigerator stocked with soda and beer. There was also a small cabinet next to the refrigerator. Bathrooms in all rooms are adequate, but tubs are small, and there is not a feeling of luxury. The luxury in the rooms comes from the roominess and the open-air feeling one can get by opening the windows and letting the breeze move the shades to and fro. Next to the au natural side of the resort is the new spa, which is scheduled to open April 15. It was almost complete. There is an area for massage and another area for wet treatments. There is an outdoor shower and sauna and steam room. The outdoor gym provides a great view of the ocean and the water crashing over the rocks. Equipment is in good shape. The doors in the spa and gym are stained wood and give a feeling of luxury. Next to these is the not-yet opened Japanese restaurant, Stir Crazy. A sushi bar is in the front. Behind the sushi bar are several teppanyaki tables where cooks will prepare dinner for guests. There is a show window for viewing the ocean. Next, we viewed the main beach area and pool and bar. These are very nice facilities. While this area was the busiest on the property, there were only about 10 guests there. There is a clubhouse used for room service for this side of the resort. There is a hot tub nestled near this area. Guests can order there or at the other clubhouse those items on the room service menu or have them served anywhere on the property. There are 180 rooms that keep with the Georgian theme. There is a row nearer the beach and a garden row. The buildings are 3 story. The top ends have a gazebo patio. Those rooms are the biggest suites on this side, and there are 6 of them. Rooms on this side are nice and somewhat similar to the au natural side but the biggest rooms are not as large. I assume this is that the new side was to be for families. The property has 85 acres, 30 of which are currently in use. There is absolutely no feeling of any crowd anywhere. The resort is quaint and peaceful. The beach is long enough for a walk, but this is open ocean and the current was rough. I personally like this, but watersports are only available on calm days. The day I was there wasn't one of them. After the tour, Michelle returned me to Anil Sud. We ate lunch at Victoria Market at a table closest to the ocean where we talked and watched the water crash over the rocks. A wine waiter carries white and red wine in a basket. Coffee and tea are served, as well. Bar service is available, if desired. Food was presented in various areas. There was an extensive selection of pasta, green salads with many toppings, meats, fresh vegetables, a very good potato soup (soups are always great in Jamaica), Rueben sandwiches, carved lamb, and dishes which rotate. The dessert area gave opportunity for pastries, pies, tarts or cheesecake. The lemon tart I tried was very good. The restaurant had a large stage for entertainment, and I am told this restaurant becomes the Diamond Room at night. The restaurant was not at all crowded, only a handful of guests were seated. This was just another surprising indication of how the resort appears quaint and private. After a nice 3-hour stay at the resort, I was placed in the van that was taking guests to Dunns River Falls. The driver gave a guided tour, even stopping a few times to point out historical spots. I returned to SDR at about 3 p.m.
Well, It was the trip of a lifetime. and I don't say that lightly. I guess to sum it up, if you travel all over and want to see the whole Caribbean, save Jamaica for last. You will have trouble going anywhere else once you have tasted the special flavor of Jamaica. These are the continuing adventures of Frank and Flo. We took the trip after many hours of study in the trip reports that are in the Caribbean Travel Roundup. That is an invaluable resource. They were running a special out of Denver for a week at Sandals Inn in Montego Bay and I had not been able to get much info on that particular property but we took a chance and away we went. Of course our trip could not be uneventful, and the folks at American managed to strand us for the evening in Miami and said that we would go out first thing in the morning. I knew enough to say "Bullshit" and after enough pressing they told us we might be able to get on a Air Jamaica flight but I would have to do it all myself, Pricks. I ran over and the people at Air Jamaica were fantastic and an hour later we were airborne. The plane was full of natives of Jamaica and we had a ball. We got in rather late and the airport was not at all crowded. The people from Sandals were still at their desk and they threw tags on our bags and away we went to the property with nary an offer of anything or any hassles. We went to an almost downtown location to be dropped off and saw that the beach for the property was a public beach across the street. It was crowded with locals and they seemed to be in family groups of so it seemed with many women and kids. The hotel is small and gated with high walls. I found out later that we were right next door to Jack Tar Village. The hotel was very beautiful and well taken care of. There was a fair number of people still up and running around and everyone you pass greets you. The check-in went very smooth and they were so nice that you wonder what is going on in this place so late at night to make everyone so make everyone so cheerful. We went up to our room on the second floor overlooking the pool and found it to be very nice. Medium sized room with a King sized bed and a ceiling fan which was not only appreciated but necessary for the stay. We slept in and were finally awakened by the slight noise from the breakfast crowd which they set up right below our room poolside. After getting ready we wandered down to eat and then hurried off to our orientation meeting. This was to be our first introduction to the phenomenon we had read about in all the reports. They not only were late, they didn't show up. As we were waiting in the TV room we met a couple who were going home and waiting for the bus. They were so sad to be going and went on and on about how they wished they could stay longer and loved their time here. This proved to be one of our best memories of Sandals and I'll tell you why later. As we were sitting in there waiting we noticed a large gathering around the front gate and later found out that it was everyone catching the bus to go to the other Sandals properties. A little about Sandals Inn, The property is very small compared to their other properties. It more than makes up for it in charm. The PlayMakers really get to know all the guests and the service is very personalized. They have a hard time having a lot going during the day because so many of the guests take off to the other Sandals. We were amazed at the closeness that is natural there because of the size. When you walk down to breakfast everybody says "Hi" and anytime you go to the bar or the snack bar the crowd seems to grab you and immediately involve you. "Hey, when did you guys get in?" was a very common phrase, followed by " Where are you guys from?" We have never been on a vacation where it was as easy to meet others and you actually wanted to. We spent the day lounging by the pool and meeting a lot of people. We ate Lunch at the snack bar and again by the pool we met a bunch of people from England who were not with each other but were hanging out together. What a riot. We ate Dinner in the fancy restaurant on premises and it was excellent. The evening was full of entertainment in the outdoor auditorium. The crowd was small but we had a riot with the crab races, pirates dress up contest and finally they broke out the kareoke machine. There were men and there were boys and this seemed to separate them. All I know is that I found out first hand that no one should sing Willy Nelson at the end of a long wet evening. Anyway, that's what people kept telling me the rest of the week. The next day we decided to check out the other places and lined up early with towels in hand at the front gate. The bus was the one thing that was very prompt. We decided to hit Sandals, Montego bay first. We ended up spending the day there and we were amazed at the size of the place. The crowd was late 20's and early 30's. A lot going on and it was very easy to just lay on the beach and no one bothered us all day. We ate all our meals there that day and while enjoying ourselves, were not particularly impressed after spending time at the Inn which was so much more personal. The evening was filled with a great variety show and they had a great Reggae singer. ( of course we now own ten reggae albums ) The next day we decided to hit Sandals, Royal Jamaican. As you pull into the driveway you know this place is something special. The layout and the ambiance is really upscale. They seem more attentive also. After a half day on the beach we decided to hit the Island. I should say that more ominously, The Island. I had read about it and it has been said that while Sandals does not have nude beaches or clothing optional beaches, that on" The Island" it is not minded and people take advantage of it. I had not told Flo this little point of interest and figured I would act a surprised as she was. They have a boat which shuttles back and forth anytime needed and we just caught a ride at the watersports dock. I was entertaining visions of the Swedish Bikini team running all over the island and of course being bikiniless. They have a nice pool and hot tub right as you get off the boat which is built around a bar which has stools in the pool. We had gotten our drinks at the bar before going over to the beach area and the bartender was quite a ladies man, His name was Jackson and he was a great big gregarious local. The beach area is off to the side through some bushes. There is a small seawall with a sandy area behind with approx. twelve loungers arranged in pairs. three or four pairs were under grass shantees. They were arranged far enough away from each other to afford as much privacy as wanted. We picked out a couple of loungers that were next to a couple others and far from the others. Flo then noticed that the others were in various states of undress. As she pointed this out, I was indeed amazed. I said we should join them and she said "OK" and off went her top. Wow, this was not the Flo I knew so well. I jumped out of my trunks and after some gentle ribbing and seeing that no one else noticed or cared, Flo peeled off her bottoms. Well it was only five minutes of so that a couple popped up from the other side of the seawall where they had been snorkeling and came to where they had been sitting, right next to where we were. Well if Flo wasn't uncomfortable enough from being naked, these folks felt compelled to stand right next to her and talk up a storm for about ten minutes with no compulsion to cover up. I was getting quite a chuckle from all this. Flo finally said she needed a refill and threw her towel on and headed for the bar. The couple left soon thereafter. She took forever to get that drink and when she returned I could see her towel was retied differently. Go figure. We spent the whole day on "The Island" and loved every minute of it. Flo was drinking up a storm and making frequent trips to the bar. We finally left after meeting another couple heading for home in a couple of hours and were very sad. Something about this place. The next day I asked Flo where she wanted to go and she said back to "The Island". Wonders never cease. We headed over and ended up spending the entire day there. After a couple of hours on the beach area, Flo never returned from one of her drink runs and when I went to check up on her, she was in the middle of a full scale party at the pool. As I approached, everyone roared, "Hey Frank" It felt like "Cheers". I found out that Jackson was orchestrating the party and we had a real collection of people from all over the west and a few Easterners. Wyoming, Idaho, Colo., Calif., Mont. and two couples from Tenn. and one from Penn. I'll spare the details for fear of offending. I think it would be safe to say that Sandals came out on the short end of the stick when they included drinks in the price for this group. All of my college parties pale in comparison to this group of animals. We finally ended the day and never had an evening for some reason we can't quite figure out. I always read in these trip reports that people spend a whole week in the all inclusives and never get out and see the real natives. We were determined not to do this. We had befriended a fellow who sits outside the gate and acquired some of the local flora and fauna for us. He set us up with a fellow who has a Toyota and would take us touring for about half the price of the official cabs. He was a great kid named Courtney. We took the whole day and he took us over to the Dunns River Falls and we did the tourist thing. We ate lunch at the Sandals over there and it was quite enjoyable to see it. It was very nice and very much like the Montego Bay Sandals. A very large crowd. Courtney took us all over and we hit a few places we never would have known about.( James Bond alligator farm, Columbus park, shopping mall, etc. ) He was a great tour guide and well worth the trip and cost. We interacted a lot with the locals over the course of a week and both feel that we have never met a happier bunch of folks in all our travels. We never had any problem with any criminal element and never had anyone rude to us. I think a lot of problems come onto the island with people in their attitudes, and everyone can read that rather easily. After a week of Jamaica you really are in a different time zone. After a short week of only seeing half of what we wanted and getting our hair braided and seeing a wonderful world through foggy eyes, it was time to go. The morning we were to leave, we checked out, which was efficiently taken care of by the hotel along with checking our flights for us. As we went to the TV room to wait for a bus there we met a young couple who just got in and were there for the non-existent orientation. We were so sad to be leaving and they were asking us all kinds of questions. Deja Vu We finally realized we were the orientation. Ha Ha We have never had a trip before were it took so long to get back into the groove of things, but a couple of weeks after returning home, we were still in a fog. Sandals Inn is definitely a overlooked jewel which shines only for those who experience it and it is easy to get around to all the others and take advantage of the many Sandals properties on the island. If you get there, please tell Jackson " Hi " for Flo ? Next time, Negril.
After our last trip in July of 97 we decided it was time to look for another home away from home. We gave GL Braco a chance the first week in April. Goodbye Negril. Braco is bud that is still blooming. All of the facilities are not yet open. They were still working on a Japanese Steak House and the fitness rooms. Other than those last two major items the resort is wonderful. We stayed on the Au Natural side. Au natural is not the same as C/O at Negril. Security will enforce the rules to make sure no lookers and or camera's are in the area. At least one member of a couple is excepted to be au natural at all times. We stayed in a one bedroom suite, it had a separate living room with coffee pot, stocked refrigerator ( Red stripe and soft drinks), TV, stereo, sofa and separate half bathroom. The bedroom had it's own TV, stereo and full master bathroom and a beautiful view of the ocean about 40 feet away. There are junior suites that are the same as the rooms in Negril. There are also deluxe one bedroom suites that have beautiful complete living rooms with table and chairs except the bedroom does not look at the ocean, the living room does. There are 52 rooms on the Au Natural side of the resort. Rooms cost more there also than on the other side. We talked to a couple from England who were quoted an additional $150 per night to stay on the au natural side. They stayed on the clothed beach and walked over every day. Both beaches are equally nice and large the have minimal trees for shading but the are cabanas through out the beach areas. The beaches are protected by a barrier reef about 50 yards off shore so waves at the beach are eliminated. Both pools are big and have swim up bars. The pool on the au natural side is supposed to be the largest pool in Jamaica. It is broken in to 3 major sections. The first is the pool area, the second is the volleyball area ( there is a net setup all the time), and the 3rd I would call the beach area. Where they created a section that looks like a beach that you just walk out of the water like at the beach. The pools also have floating chairs that allow you to float through the pool and have a place to put your drink. There are two hot tubs on the au natural side one is a typical small hot tub. The other one is closer in size to the pool at Negril. It was originally built to be a kiddy pool at Braco Village but GL changed it to a hot tub. There are numerous hot tubs on the clothing side of the resort of average size. As with Negril, Braco has 24 hour room service ( same menu). But note that the menus in the room state that room service is only till 6:00 PM. It is really 24 hours. The restaurants are superior. The Piacere is equal to or better than Negril. I feel the service was better. It is located upstairs in the village. The menu changed nightly. One evening our waiter took us (8) out on the balcony after dinner and sang to all the women (the flirt) in our party. La Pasta is small and has a few tables inside. The majority are out on the street food is made to order and changes daily as in Negril. The bakery is located next to La Pasta; they open in the morning and have fresh cakes, pies and ice cream till late at night (good for late night snacks). The main restaurant is similar to Negril except it is right on the beach & pool. It is open on 3 sides and seemed to be much cooler than Negril, with the breeze right off the ocean. The Japanese restaurant was not open but from what we saw. There appeared to be about 4 large grills where they will cook at your table. Typically about 10 to a table. The village is an interesting concept. It is the center of the resort. All of the shops are located there. There is s dive shop, many Jamaican craft stores the beauty shop & nurse, and a Logo shop that sells GL items. The piano bar, main bar, TV & game room are all located in the village also. There is a nine-hole golf course on property, we did not play. There are stocked fishing ponds also. Braco is the largest resort on the island at 85 acres. It shows. It is very well maintained. Water sports are the same as what they have at Negril. For any scuba divers, Fruity from Negril (91-94) is running the operation at Braco for Resort Divers. And scuba is included in the price not like some of the earlier sales info stated. The bus ride from Mobay is about 45 minutes and is do able. There is no airport at the present time, nearby. A quick history on Braco. GL Braco was originally built as Braco Village. The original resort decided a few years ago to expand and cater to families. That is when the built the 2 new buildings which make up the au natural side. But as a lot of venture down there, they went bankrupt before they completed the 2nd building. GL took over last summer, finished building two and made that side of the resort, au natural. They opened that side 12/97 so it is all brand new. They plan on building 3 additional building around the pool. That would add 78 to the existing 52 rooms. The clothing side of the resort has about 130 rooms we were told.
Well we just got back from our favorite spot... H-II. Spent another fun filled week down there with all of the friendly folks. Things are beginning to change a lot. They now have phones in the rooms which work well as paper weights or door stops. A new radio/cassette/CD player has also been bolted to the night stand. The Resident Manager mentioned that alarm clocks will soon be added...yippee! I guess they can be unplugged. Delroy has a lot of help now and Stephen has been watching too much of the "Cocktails" movie.. but he does mix a great drink. More security has finally been added to the nude beach to keep a lot of the "textile" traffic out. I noticed numerous times that a lot of the single, curious, clothed kids were turned away or asked to disrobe, which amounted to the same thing. Even the cameras have all but disappeared from the beach. No one seemed to mind the privacy for a change. More security has been added to the nude pool and hot tub area as well. After A LOT of complaints about activities which is best kept to the room, it has toned down a lot. Not that is does not happen, just kept at a very low key now. The hot tub is fairly well lit and is a bit more desirable to sit in now. The vending machine (drink) nearby has a beer tap and slush mixer there as well as a huge supply of towels. I noticed no shortage of towels and no one is keeping count of them. Hedo now has a new chef and the food quality was much better than at our last visit. He has certainly improved the fare. Lobster season is closed this time of year so we had to pretend the shrimp were just miniature lobsters. The food service folks are still outta this world. I thought I was at Lido for a while...'cept no tux..with the service. Had champagne several evenings in lieu of the wine. Had a few interesting chats with the manager at the meals as well. He is trying to get a grip on the place and has a much more visible presence now. He is always available when needed or requested. It was a quiet week with only one major group there. The Butt Crack group was there and really a great bunch of folks. The resort staff mentioned that they liked this group over several others that tend to drive them nuts. There was a painter on the nude beach that did really great body paintings. He had a set up by the pool along with airbrush and all the required equipment. He is really good. A lot of folks went for the full painting. Weather this time of year is really good. We have been there at other times when it would rain or the heat would get you. It did rain about 6-8 drops late one afternoon but it was full sunshine and moderate temp. for the rest of the week. Had a great time and looking forward to going back before long. Oh, yeah... the free week was won with 15 trips. A new rule has been put into effect. For those who have won the free week before, they can begin counting their trips again for another free week. Basically, once you win, you start a "0" all over again.
Trip 5/98 The following is our report on the Grand Lido Braco resort, which we visited from May 3 through May 10, 1998. Getting there We took Delta to Atlanta and connected with Air Jamaica, arriving in Montego Bay about 10:30 a.m. Immigration and customs took awhile, since at least three flights arrived at MoBay about the same time. After clearing customs, Superclubs was on the ball and had us in a bus and on our way quickly. The bus trip to Braco isn’t bad - about an hour and 20 minutes, including a 25 minute beer stop along the way. On the return, we made it from Braco to the airport in under an hour. For those of you who are used to TimAir or Air Negril going from MoBay to Negril, there’s no corresponding service to the Braco area, unless you plan on using a parachute. With the bus ride time, you don’t need it anyway. Air Jamaica was fine, arriving and departing on time in all material respects on both ends of the trip. The aircraft were relatively new Airbus A310s. Service and cleanliness of the aircraft were as good as most of the domestic U.S. airlines. Check-in Since we arrived well before the 3:00 check-in time, our room wasn’t ready. This wasn’t a problem; we just went down to the clothing optional pool and found the two other couples we were meeting, and hung out at the pool. Take along a duffel bag with any essentials and you’ll be able to deal with a late check-in without any inconvenience. Resort overview The main Braco complex is a replica of an island village, with a number of one and two story buildings fronting on a main street running perpendicular to the ocean, which is bisected by two shorter streets, all of which are of pressed concrete resembling brick pavers. The various buildings house shops, the main lobby, disco, piano bar and most of the restaurants. At the intersection of the streets is a fountain, and at the far end of main street is the main “textile side” pool. Facing the ocean from the textile side pool, to the right are first the building housing the piano bar and Nanny’s Jerk Pit and then a number of buildings housing the textile side rooms (some ocean front, some not). To the left are the Victoria Market and Stir Crazy restaurants, the workout facilities and the clothing optional section of the resort. The c/o section of the resort is separated from the rest of the property by a kind of “no man’s land;” once past this Maginot Line, clothing optional is the rule in all areas of the c/o side. On the textile side, only about a third of the rooms (at a guess) front the ocean; the rest are what would probably be called garden view. On the c/o side, the buildings housing the rooms are between the ocean and the c/o pool, and all rooms are oceanfront. Unlike Grand Lido Negril, where “c/o” begins at the buildings facing the ocean, at Braco the whole west side of the resort is c/o, and one does not have to suit up when leaving the beach area. The landscaping throughout the resort is really outstanding, though on the c/o side a good bit of the plantings are rather young, particularly the palms between the buildings and the beach. Like GL Negril, there’s a small army of landscaping folks working on things just about all the time. There are a number of hammocks strung up between trees in the shade throughout the resort for those late afternoon naps. We’d guess the average age of guests at Braco is somewhat younger than at GL Negril. Not too many in their twenties, but lots and lots of thirty- and forty-somethings. And not an insignificant number of fifties and sixties. Like GL Negril, we found that the c/o side tended to attract the more outgoing, gregarious crowd. There was just a lot more interaction among guests who didn’t know each other on the c/o side than on the textile side, where it seemed people kept more to themselves. We met the two other couples with whom we visited Braco at GL Negril in November 1997, and have kept in touch. Brief words about the c/o side for those who’ve never been to a nude beach: try it, you’ll like it. No one will stare or gawk at you; more than likely, someone will offer to bring you a drink from the bar. Ladies, if you want to keep your bathing suit bottom on, that’s fine. No one cares. Expecting a crowd of hardbodies? You’ll maybe find a few, but most folks look just like the rest of us. Again, nobody cares. Rooms The rooms are similar in many respect to Grand Lido Negril, in that they feature twin double beds or king beds, tile floors, reasonably large baths, and sofas. CD players, satellite TV, ironing boards, irons, refrigerator (stocked with Red Stripe and soft drinks, but bring your own opener) and small wall safe (good for travel documents, wallets, jewelry, a small camera and such, but not much more) are standard. The rooms, at least on the c/o side, were in good repair and comfortable. On the c/o side, the downstairs rooms have French doors which open onto the beach, much like Grand Lido Negril. Unlike GL Negril, the upstairs rooms have balconies large enough that one can open the French doors without bumping into the balcony furniture. On the c/o side, there are at least two configurations of rooms: one arrangement which has just a single large room with a sofa, chair and coffee table nearest the French doors opening onto the beach, much like GL Negril; and a second configuration that is like an Embassy Suites, with a room away from the beach housing a sofa, chair, TV, CD player and refrigerator, with the bedroom (with TV and CD player duplicated) on the beach side. The latter configuration also has a half bath in addition to the full bath. We preferred the former configuration because the sofa and chair were situated such that one can view the beach and ocean. Restaurants Cafe Piacere is the French restaurant, and the only one at which long pants and jacket are required. Very nicely done, and should be taken in while at Braco. Make reservations at the beginning of your stay. Dinner only. Victoria Market is the main dining room, and is open air overlooking the main pool. The arrangement is much better than GL Negril, where the comparable area is sort of down in a hole and further from the beach. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style, and dinner is a la carte from the menu, which we thought had more than adequate variety. Victoria Market is closed some evenings when there is an “event” dinner being held, notably the Friday night street party. Dress is casual, meaning a minimum of bathing suit with cover up or t-shirt at breakfast and lunch, and shorts and polo shirt at night. Stir Crazy, the Japanese restaurant (with tables for six, each attended by a chef cooking on hot grill built into the table, just like Stateside), had recently opened (dinner only). The Japanese executive chef was imported from his most recent engagement in Toronto, and seemed to be getting things under control. Food was okay, but it has a way to go just to match typical U.S. chain fare. Nanny’s Jerk Pit is open from about 10:00 to about 6:00, and offers jerk chicken, pork and beef. It’s very good. La Pasta is open from midday to about 2:00 a.m. Offers mix and match pasta and sauce dishes (including chicken and escargot) as well as some really great pizza, made to order with your choice of toppings and cheese. Also features an antipasto bar, and a visit to the bakery next door will fix you up for dessert. Room service is similar to GL Negril, and offered from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., according to the card in our room. In addition to these posted hours, a continental breakfast can be ordered the night before for delivery to your room in the morning. Some sources reported 24 hour room service, and it may well be available 24 hours but, other than ordering up the continental breakfast every morning, we never tried between 6:00 and 11:00 a.m. The room service menu is much more extensive than GL Negril; for GL Negril fans, Braco *does* have the lamb chops and potato skins on the room service menu. Room service is also available served at the pool bars if you don’t care to head down to Victoria Market. Also available at the pool bar on the c/o side is jerk chicken cooked on a grill in the bar, which is a nice change from a buffet lunch and the same jerk chicken served at Nanny’s Jerk Pit. Food quality was generally very good. Only one lunch buffet was unremarkable, and we solved that problem by hopping down to La Pasta for a pizza. On balance, we thought the food at Braco was better than at GL Negril, and that’s saying something in light of the generally legendary reputation of GL Negril. Liquor is abundant as always, with most top shelf brands available. Remember to ask for what you want though: “gin and tonic” will get you some rotgut stuff, while “Tanqueray and tonic” will get you just that. To our surprise, Heineken was available in bottles in addition to the Red Stripe on tap or in bottles that is the mainstay most everywhere in Jamaica. We like Red Stripe, but it was nice to have an alternative now and then. Wine quality was truly abominable. Believe it or not, we longed for the Concha y Toro they often served at GL Negril! About all one can say for most of the Braco wines is that they were French. At all restaurants, tables for six are available; it would be wise to call ahead if there are more than six in your party so they can set up a table. In addition to the restaurants, there is room service available from two, what I think they call “club houses,” on the property, much like the “houses” at GL Negril. Each of the houses has a seating area if you want to eat there instead of in your room or at the pool. Unlike GL Negril, there are no hot tubs adjoining the houses. In addition to food service, the club houses have 24 hour a day bar service. Beaches and pools The c/o side beach is, in our opinion, better than Negril. While the resort faces the Caribbean Sea (unlike Negril, whose beach is on Bloody Bay), management has constructed a man-made reef around a swimming area on both the c/o and textile side of the resort. Unlike GL Negril, the water off the c/o beach is clear Caribbean Sea, not filled with plants. While the beach and ocean bottom at Braco are a bit rockier than Negril, we didn’t find that a problem and never broke out our surf shoes. The c/o side beach is much better than the textile beach. On the textile side there are many more large rocks on the ocean floor than on the c/o side, so if you stay on the textile side, those surf shoes might be a good idea. The main textile pool is large and features a swim up bar. On the c/o side is the largest pool we’ve ever encountered, also equipped with swim up bar and, at one end, a sloping entrance to the pool much like a concrete beach. Both pools featured lots of tables and chairs with umbrellas, especially on the c/o side. Both beaches and pools feature many new lounge chairs of aluminum frame and webbed fabric construction: much more comfortable than those heavy white plastic lounges at GL Negril, and no need to have one of those fancy pool/ocean floats in the chair to use as a cushion. One failure at Braco is the insufficient number of pool/ocean floats. Even the floats they have date from the pre- Superclubs days and are badly in need of replacement. There have been a number of posts and reports on the ‘Net and various proprietary service providers like AOL that the windy conditions make Braco undesirable. Braco is on the north coast of the island, unlike Negril on the west end, and there is definitely more wind at Braco than Negril. A couple of day during our trip the wind might have made sailing a Sunfish problematic for the uninitiated, but the wind was never a problem on the beach, in our opinion. In fact, the breeze kept things comfortable when temperatures rose to the high 80s and low 90s, and it would have been very uncomfortable with the generally still air of Negril. The breeze also seemed to keep the humidity lower than Negril. Service. On balance, we thought the food service staff was pretty good, but it ranged from indifferent to outstanding. In fairness, the good jobs far outnumbered the poor. One thing Braco really needs to work on is getting good cocktail service to the restaurant tables, particularly at dinner. Often, it took awhile to get in a cocktail order, and the cocktail waitresses had to be flagged down for another round. Management needs to work on training the staff to keep an eye on the tables, but this problem was more acute with the cocktail staff than the wait staff. Service at the “club house” on the c/o side was good to excellent. Bar service, except as noted regarding cocktail service at dinner above, was great everywhere, from the piano bar to the pool bars. The resort offers 48 hour laundry and dry cleaning service at no extra charge. Learning from our experience at GL Negril, we packed light and still didn’t have reason to use it. The pool guys did a great job keeping the hot tubs and pool in good shape throughout our visit. The large c/o side hot tub was unbearably hot one night, but that seemed to be an aberration. Activities and Nightlife Daytime activities (organized by the social directors or other “specialists,” such as aerobics instructors) include things like nature walks, water aerobics, reggae dancing lessons, trivia games, volleyball (in the pool or on the beach), tennis lessons, beer drinking contests, etc. The resort has a nine hole (I think) par 3 type golf course and at least four tennis courts (one of which is on the c/o side, where tennis *was* played on an *optional* basis). The tennis courts are hard courts, in very good condition. Regulation golf is available off site at, I think, Breezes Runaway Bay, without additional charge. I think it’s about a 45 minute bus ride to the course. Watersports are abundant, including water skiing, windsurfing, kayaks and Sunfish sailing. There’s also extensive scuba diving offered, included in the “all inclusive” rate except for night diving. A couple we traveled with reported that the scuba diving was at least as good as at GL Negril, and that they felt more comfortable with the dive masters at Braco than at GL Negril. There’s also a new workout area adjacent to Victoria Market, facing the ocean. New Cybex equipment and four very nice treadmills were being installed during our visit. Most of the “organized” daytime social activities centered on the textile side, in our around the main pool. There were also activities scheduled on the c/o side, but they were fewer in number since the c/o side has only about one-fourth of the rooms at Braco, and I guess the management feel (probably correctly) that it’s easier for the c/o guests to be comfortable going over to the textile side than vice versa (and this also avoids having the textiles on the c/o side). Activities outside the resort (but which can be arranged through Braco) included horseback riding (reported as a lot of fun by a couple we met) as well as a trip to Dunns River Falls. While not an official “activity,” we quickly found out that, at least in May, the sun sets over the water when viewed from the c/o beach. This was truly spectacular, and was attended most afternoons by a considerable number of folks, c/o and textile alike. Nightlife at Braco is rather thin. There’s a disco that opens most nights about 10:00 or 10:30, which attracted some folks, but not what I’d call a crowd. The Thursday night pajama party was very well attended, though, and the attire was considerably more revealing than at GL Negril. Lots of thongs, g-strings, etc., but with a mix of people in more traditional garb. Everybody got along fine, despite the disparity in dress. The Friday night street party, for which the resort sets up a pretty lavish buffet in the streets, together with tables, was the best attended event during our visit. There was reggae dancing for at least two hours for those who had the stamina; most people took a turn here and there, then made way for others. On most nights things pick up in the Piano Bar about 10:30 or so for the non-disco crowd. At least a few nights there were some people (local to Jamaica) jamming in, so to speak, with the official pianist. All of them were more than slightly talented, we thought. The hot tub on the c/o side, as expected, attracted a good crowd most every night, and sometimes late into the night. Late night activities weren’t the bother for people in their rooms trying to sleep since, unlike GL Negril, the hot tub is considerably farther (on the other side of the pool) from the buildings than at Negril. The c/o hot tub adjoining the pool is about four times as large as the one at GL Negril, and there’s a second, smaller hot tub set back among some trees not too far away. Summary On balance, our group liked Braco better than GL Negril. The one thing GL Negril still has going for it is that Hedo II is right across the street, and you can jump over there for an evening or two of more lively entertainment than you’ll find at Braco or GL Negril. The service at Braco is not yet to GL Negril standards but is getting there, and based on discussions with management at the cocktail hour for repeat GL guests, we think management is committed to making Braco the best resort in Jamaica. We’ll be back to Braco, and would recommend it for people who want a relaxed, classy vacation in Jamaica.
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