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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Trip: June 2001 Smart. >>From the protective floor mat which they flip up over the side of their supply boat that takes you from Tortola to the island, to the energy conserving marine electrical system in the cottages, to a resort which looks just the way you hope a Caribbean resort will look, Cooper Island Beach Club (cooper-island.com) shows the results of smart thinking. Quintessential Caribbean The view that greets you as you arrive at Cooper Island Beach Club's dock after a 30 minute ride on the supply boat is what most people hope for in a Caribbean Island but rarely find. There is a wide, palm lined - actually almost palm forested - beach below a hillside of pastel painted cottages. A short walk through very attractively landscaped grounds, which surprisingly the occasionally free roaming goats do not appear to destroy, led to the building, which housed our suite. About 15 steps took us up to our quarters. They were nicely furnished - tile floors, ceramic tile backsplash for the kitchen appliances and bathroom sink, jalousie windows on three sides, and a high ceiling with a louvered opening at the peak to let heat out. The kitchen area was small but fully equipped. The curtained shower stall was out the back door from the bathroom. This clever arrangement made it possible to take the back stairs up from the beach and to shower before entering the apartment, the only risk being a brief exposure to a voyeuristic goat on the hillside. The ceiling fan over the bed would prove to provide comfortable sleeping on a good, firm mattress. The accommodations are an excellent value at a summertime rate of $95 per night. The "Welcome" package is an extraordinary value. For $10 it included a wine priced at $14 at the bar as well as milk, juice, soda, and beer - probably about a $30 value all together. The 12 volt marine electric system is fine for the few lights, cassette radio, etc. that you need. A low amperage 110v receptacle is active for a few hours in the evening when the generator is running if you need to recharge your laptop battery. However, if you can't survive without a hair dryer or air conditioning, this is not the place for you. There is a table and chairs on the front patio. It was a lovely spot to eat the cereal and fruit breakfasts that we prepared, and since it is set up high, we enjoyed a view of the 20 or so boats at moorings and of Tortola and other islands across the water. We were not bothered by bugs. That is not to say that there were none. But mosquitoes tend to appear around dusk, and by spraying ourselves with Off and the room with Raid before we went to dinner, we assured that we and not the mosquitoes would have the better evening meal. The Daily Invasion In the afternoon, we could lie under the sea grape trees and watch as the daily temporary community of cruising boats formed. When we chartered a small sailboat in these islands many years ago, we would feel that an anchorage was crowded if even a few other boats shared our bay. The assemblage of RVs-of-the-sea at Cooper Island's moorings tended to bring to mind more a KOA than the romance of life under sail. The result of this friendly invasion was that at this isolated 10-room resort there were usually about 70 people for dinner. Dining The bar and open-air restaurant are right on the beach. Food was reasonably priced. For example, at dinner penne pasta with red sauce and vegetables was $12. Quality was good, and dishes were competently prepared. A special of Snapper Creole one evening was quite good. Chicken was very tasty, and we ate it in a variety of guises. The barbecue sauced version was especially good. The house wine was good and reasonably priced. We would have liked some additional fresh seafood choices, and a gourmet would probably not make the cuisine a primary reason for going to Cooper Island. But simple, well prepared food at a fair price served in a lovely setting are a good combination, and there is a cat who will be glad to join you and be your friend for life or until you run out of fish or chicken, whichever comes first. The dining room can get noisy when a dozen or more people, including toddlers, appear from a visiting catamaran. This was a problem on only one night. We ate breakfast and sometimes lunch on our patio. We had brought a few items such as packaged cheese, peanut butter, jelly, tea bags, and instant coffee from home but could have gotten them at the small supermarket, which is a few hundred yards from the dock on Tortola. We bought cereal, mangos, limes, bread, juice, and milk there. It turned out that our suite was supplied with a coffee maker, coffee, and milk. We made up a large pitcher of iced tea every day. Beverages are important since the best health advice we can give for the Caribbean is to drink lots of liquids then drink some more. Snorkeling from shore Just off shore near our cottage at the end of beach (the left end as you face the water) was a small rocky area. Several times we simply floated around it and watched the fish activity. Once a large ray floated by, and another time we waited for quite a while hoping that a large grouper who occasionally poked its head out from within the rocks would come out. The main snorkeling site was Conspicuous Rock. The first time we reached it by swimming around the end of the beach. It was a long swim, which left us too tired to spend much time exploring. But we did see a small shark and several curious barracuda along with good- sized parrot fish and many of the usual suspects. The next time we walked along a path above the beach then down the hill to the beach and along to a dock before entering the water much closer to the rock. Excursion with Caribbean Images Tours The club staff, who are all very friendly and helpful, arranged for a half-day snorkeling trip. Caribbean Images Tours in the person of Captain Caroline specializes in snorkeling. We took a 30-minute ride to The Caves and to Soldier's Bay near Norman Island. An attempt to visit The Indians in the same area was abandoned because of choppy seas. There were lots of fish at the caves. Soldier's had large areas of very attractive coral and a reasonable number of fish including a school of about 25 small squid and a golden eel. Excursion to The Baths on Virgin Gorda One day, the club offered a $10 trip to Virgin Gorda. The cost was in keeping with their approach of providing good value. This boat trip was essentially a taxi ride. The boat took about 40 minutes, so they were probably just about covering the cost of fuel and the boatman. They dropped us off at about 10:00 and picked us up at about 4:00. There were eight of us on the boat. Two chose to go their own way while the rest of us opted for a land taxi to The Baths. Bonnie and I had been to The Baths twice before. The first trip had been over 25 years ago when we swam off of a boat to what was then a little visited area of giant boulders creating pools where beautiful fish swam amidst lovely coral. Our second trip was about 10 years ago, and we heeded the advice to arrive early to avoid the day tripping excursion boats and to use the beach at Devil's Pool (a short walk from the main Baths area). On that trip, we snorkeled from Devil's Pool through the labyrinthine area. There was less coral, but the fish were still there in profusion, and we enjoyed it. This time, we went directly to the main Baths beach. We found restrooms with showers, coin operated lockers for valuables, T-shirt vendors and hair braiding under the sea grape trees, a beach bar, and multitudes of tourists arriving by open air taxis and by dinghies from a crowd of boats just offshore. My first impulse was to retreat back up the hill and forget about snorkeling. After all, what could be left of this once pristine site? Fortunately, we decided to stay the course. We bought a $2.50 locker token, stowed our shoes, hats, etc, donned masks, fins, and snorkels, waded in - and were VERY impressed. True, this is now a major tourist destination. But despite the number of people, the entire area is blissfully litter free. There is little coral, but the giant rocks create an interesting seascape, and the variety and number of fish (the usual suspects including large parrot fish and the biggest trumpet fish that we saw on our trip) is still enthralling. We spent about a half hour exploring the nooks and crannies, ending up at the Devil's Pool beach. There we rested a bit and snorkeled back. Unlike Yogi Berra's restaurant, which became so crowded that nobody went there anymore, The Baths are still a not-to-be-missed snorkeling experience. Other Things To Do The entire island beyond the Beach Club is privately owned and signposted as such, so you cannot hike through the hills. We kept well occupied with water-oriented activities during our five-day stay even though we did not take advantage of the scuba diving or kayak rentals available at the well-stocked dive shop-cum-boutique. If we had gotten restless, we could have taken the supply boat over to Tortola at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and a morning's shopping and returned at 11:00. On Mondays, the return is at 3:00, so you could spend almost a full day exploring Tortola. A good choice for breakfast on Tortola is Capriccio di Mare. On our departure morning we went there and had a mozzarella frittata, croissant French toast, and very good decaf coffee. The Midtown restaurant would be another option. We had a good roti and a soursop drink for lunch there, and they also serve breakfast.
My husband and I had a wonderful holiday at this resort. Everyone was friendly and welcoming but not at all pushy if you didn't want to join in the busy activity programme. We found the whole site spotless and the level of maintenance was superb. The food in the buffet was excellent and a wide choice enabled us to eat well choosing different foods at every meal. I am a vegetarian but this did not pose any problems - there were loads of interesting vege dishes. The only disappointment was the "Mexican" restaurant....the food wasn't that bad but not what I would describe as Mexican and no vege dishes. Boca Chica can be a bit intimidating at first but once people began to recognize us the only banter was friendly! We enjoyed shopping locally far more than the organized shopping trip to the city. Boca Chica Bay is described as the biggest swimming pool in the Caribbean and it certainly lives up to its name. There is good snorkeling in the safe water of the bay for the timid plus lots of boats willing to take the braver swimmers out beyond the reef. The calm water is ideal for beginners at watersports - my husband managed both windsurfing and sailing during the 3 weeks we spent there. We would both really recommend the Coral Hamaca to anyone thinking of going - we think it fully lives up to its description in the catalogues and offers something for everyone. Kay and Jimmy Reeves
May 25- June 1, 2001 Trip & Arrival-Friday, May 25, 2001 We booked a Funjet air package and have booked with them many times. Since our first trip with them in 1992, they always used Sun Country from Houston but just switched to ATA. This was their first flight out for this flight path, and we worried about glitches. Our worries were founded, as it turned out. We had a difficult time getting to GLSS. Our ATA flight was up in the air a while and turned around and went back due to some light being on. We got to Jamaica at 7 instead of 4. We got to the resort at 9:45 . By the time we got checked in to room A8, we missed the whole Grand Gala, even the entertainment. We had room service that night. We called at 10:10 and received our food at 11:15 p.m. We hadn't eaten hardly anything all day. Todd had jerk beef tenderloin (spicy). I had seafood pasta marinara. Both of us had pumpkin soup and salads, and we shared some chicken wings (good). He had cheesecake. This food had a wonderful taste but did not arrive hot or even warm (: Our bus ride wasn't too bad, and the driver was friendly. Our drive to GLSS took an hour and 55 minutes. We couldn't see much because it was dark. It was exactly 30 minutes from Breezes. I know they have a golf bus at 8:15 , which will put people out there at 9. That is late for Todd because he likes to go early to miss some sun. At least that gives time for breakfast. Even at this late arrival hour we were offered mimosas or champagne after Todd went on a self-serve vigil. We received two room keys and a safe deposit key. We later found that only one of our keys worked. I saw several people at the front desk with this same issue. Try both keys before you separate to avoid being locked out! Room We were right in front of the main pool. The beach bar had people dancing outside on Friday night after the gala, and it was loud until 1 a.m. From the bathroom, you could hear some HUGE party at the clothing optional pool. I went down there to see the view on Friday night and was NOT comfortable there. The beachfront rooms are not as big as the older section. They do offer the advantage of being near the main beach and pool, but it is totally different from the other section. We were in room A8, and if you book a beachfront Jacuzzi suite, I recommend A8 thru A12 to get near the main facilities, c/o facilities and the duck pond. We had a sitting room and a bedroom and a bathroom with a large triangular Jacuzzi. Out the bedroom and sitting room, we could exit via French doors. We loved this feature. We had a hallway that could be closed off with French doors. In the hallway, we had a refrigerator and coffee/tea bar. The fridge was stocked daily. We received items such as Diet Pepsi in the bottle, Coca Cola Light in the bottle, Red Stripe in the bottle, Chardonnay from Chile, champagne, Coke, 7- up, and Sprite in large plastic bottles. Upon arrival, we had fruit and cheese and champagne waiting for us. We were so hungry due to arriving at bedtime. The next day, we received smoked fish and crackers. We had various English toiletries, such as bath gel, milled soaps, fragrant shampoo, etc. We did not have hair conditioner or receive all week. The room had an ironing board and iron and a CD player that we didn't use. It had a TV on a rolling stand that we could pull from the bedroom to the sitting room. The air conditioning was on a remote control system in Celsius, and there were ceiling fans in the bedroom and sitting room. The switch to the Jacuzzi was by the hall closet up high. The bathroom had a separate shower and double sinks. One day, our ceiling started leaking out of the blue but did not leak any other day or even later that day. We could not see the beach from the sitting area of our room while seated but could while standing. Outside of our back door was the duck pond. We loved this spot and spent a lot of time feeding ducks, huge catfish, and turtles. There were many of each. Grounds We arrived at 9:45 p.m. and were still greeted enthusiastically by the bellman. The bellman station is just off the lobby. Off to the left is a short footbridge seen in many photos. It crosses over a small pool of water that houses a little waterfall. The lobby furniture has been updated since our last visit. There are lots of couches, chairs, etc. The front desk still has a hidden computer that gives lots of information on guests. The Casanova French restaurant is off the west end of the lobby. A library with books in several languages, a pool table, and TV are inside a game room of the terrace. Here, there is now a computer that can be used (for a fee) to check email. See the guest relations desk for information about this. During our visit, they charged $5 for 10 minutes and $2 for each minute afterward, I believe. It was on the first time we went in the room, so we used it and found out about the fee later. We had our InfoChan account and laptop, so we used that from now on. Steps are never far away anywhere on the property. Down the steps on the west side is the Balloon Bar and Terrace. Nightly cabarets (except buffet nights, Tuesday and Friday) are held here. The shows can be viewed from the bar or terrace. There is a pool with a manmade waterfall there. The bar has restrooms. Down the east steps from the terrace is the bird aviary. I saw turkeys, peacocks and other birds. The back door was open to the aviary, so you could take the steps down to the lower level. The lower level could also be reached by taking stairs and then a winding path surrounded by gardens. On the upper level east of the lobby is the beauty salon. Manicures and pedicures are included in the package (except for super surprise and some other promotions) and arranged there. Down the path from there is the elevator that leads to the lower level and paths that lead back to lobby or down to hidden rooms of the spa. The lower level of the main facilities houses Charlie's spa, sauna, Charlie the sea turtle, the mineral hot tub and the mineral pool. Charlie's bar, an outdoor chess set, swings, hammocks, the Fitness Pavilion workout area, indoor gym, sauna, mineral Jacuzzi, mineral grotto, and wedding gazebo are nearby. The mineral grotto had less fish than before, but they were bigger. Todd really enjoyed feeding these fish. Off of the fitness area is a small area for sunbathing and a pier. There was often someone sunbathing there. There are a couple of birds elsewhere on the property. These have been moved around from time to time over the years. We did not experience a lot of problems with temperatures of the hot tubs. This was a relief, but we did have to go to the mineral spa a lot of the time. Up the stairs from the wedding gazebo is more hammocks and a great view. Down a path, then down a lot of steps is the main beach. The beach area has quite a few lounge chairs. It was easy to get floats for swimming or lounging. Off the main beach is a bar (usually the busiest one) and grill. Behind it are a shuffleboard area and the main pool with swim-up bar. Towels were usually available at the pool and beach but were always available at the watersports area on the west end of the main beach. The chairs at the main pool all have thick pink cushions on them. The beach bar seemed to open earlier than the pool bar or the balloon bar. The beach grill opened a little late, in my opinion. They did offer a few items, a scaled down version of the room service menu. We did not eat there at all, as they never seemed open when we were interested. If we wanted items outside of mealtime, we ordered room service. There was a hot tub on the beach with restrooms nearby. This hot tub was broken the last two days of our stay. One day, I saw a HUGE rat there for a couple of minutes while I was in it! It was sniffing my beach bag where I had a roll saved for the ducks. Beachfront rooms are not that close to the water, but they are very convenient. A couple of blocks of rooms (A&B) overlook the ocean directly, and other blocks spread around the main facilities have garden or partial ocean views ( and full ocean views from some of the rooms). The Palazzina restaurant is located near the beach. Many sit outside under ceiling fans to view the ocean. All three meals are available there most days. An outdoor stage is used for fashion shows, entertainment on buffet nights, etc. Near the stage is shuffleboard, and bocce ball. Down the back path from the beachfront rooms are the duck pond and tennis courts. We thoroughly enjoyed feeding the ducks, turtles, and huge catfish! The ducks would even fly up in the air to get food if they got impatient, and there is a blind duck that needs help to get anything! Past the duck pond is the clothing optional beach, pool, hot tub and grill. Near both areas are the tennis courts. You can jog or walk the path near the tennis courts. The clothing optional beach offers views for sunset and is a popular spot at that time among the clothed set. The view is completely unobstructed, so it is a great place to bring the camera at that time. At other times, hold off on the photography and respect people's privacy. We found more staff there than guests, but we never went over except at sunrise and sunset to try to get pictures of the place while it was empty. One end opens out into a river, and you can see locals on the other side. If you linger, they may try to come up to you and talk to you. There are a lot of leaves and rocks over there, and they remove both with a tractor and backhoe. We found the main beach to be smooth and soft and not too rocky. There were always chairs and floats, and the bar is close to anywhere you want to sit. The property also has a couple of shops. There is a logo and resort wear shop and a shop for souvenirs, toiletries, rum, coffee, newspapers and books, and many other items. The main beach was raked by tractor sometimes and by hand at other times. Clientele San Souci was not as quiet this visit. We arrived late on Friday night just as the Gala entertainment was ending. They had music blasting at the beach bar until 1 a.m. , and at the c/o beach, there was a private party going on way past that. I walked over there not knowing what was going on and quickly left. It was clearly a huge drug fest, and I could not leave fast enough. They seemed to be at full occupancy over Memorial Day weekend. The age mix was 20s to upper 70s. There were quite a few Japanese and Europeans. Most others were North Americans from the U.S. and Canada . There were a number of mother-daughter and same-sex (mostly ladies) friends there for the spa. The guests were mainly upper-middle class types and some honeymooners. There were about 3- 4 weddings a day. Those who wanted to chat with others hung out at the beach bar. Nightly shows were held at the balloon bar or beach/lawns (buffet nights), and usually the entertainment was attended about 40-50 people, except on the buffet nights when it began earlier and was the main theme of the evening. They had a Japanese translator doing activities along with Japanese clientele and making it pleasant for them. I thought this was a nice touch. Spa The spa is a great benefit of the San Souci experience. Schedule your four half-hour treatments with Karoline and her staff as soon as you can after your arrival. If you are eligible for the treatments, you will receive a form at check-in. Fill it out and take it to the spa. Call the beauty salon or go in person to schedule the manicure and pedicure. your appointments for one a day, if you are available at the times they have open. Below is a description of our spa experiences: On Monday, we had massages side by side at noon in the Sneak-a-Way hut. My view was breathtaking. They do the backside only. My attendant spent a long time on my shoulders, as there were a lot of crunching noises going on. This treatment will last about 25 minutes. On all treatments, they use light to medium pressure. I would have preferred something stronger. At 4:30 on Monday I had the body scrub. Todd didn't want this. It hasn't changed since last time. They cornmeal you up (feels good) and then they stick you under the shower. Next, they apply Aloe Vera gel but have you help put it on. Regarding the body scrub, I'm not that tan, but none of my tan came off. I enjoyed the scrub, but you are totally exposed in that treatment-more than once. I am not real comfortable with that, but I lived with it. We both had facials on Tuesday. They are short. They maybe rub 4-5 things on the face. Of course in 20-25 minutes, they don't do steam or anything like that. They waxed my eyebrows for $15. If you want to do anything like that, ask for a price. They were going to charge $20 when I signed but I told her the girl said $15. Neither price would have really been a problem. Maggie left the spa to go to Sandals Dunns River . I have to find what happened to Elaine at Sandals Dunns River . My opinion of Dunns Spa was that Elaine made it one of the best spas in the world. I love Maggie, too. Elaine was EXCEPTIONAL, so I wonder where she went. I will find out. Meanwhile, Karoline runs this office. It is all computerized now and fairly efficient. Some people do pay for additional and longer treatments. The treatments are not available for free on the Super Surprise programs or the Lido Lottery programs. If you stay 4 nights and aren't on Super Surprise or similar, you can get one treatment a day and cannot transfer them. For anything else, everything is $70 an hour and 40 for 1/2. They have wraps now, and they are all $70. Beauty Salon On Wednesday, I got the manicure and pedicure. Todd did this on Thursday. You make those appointments with the beauty salon and can call 158 or just call 0 and ask for it. Leslie, one of the specialists there, remembered me from the last visit. On the last visit, she remembered me from the time before. This always impresses me. We had not been in over 3 years, and I changed my hair, so I was touched. The manicure and pedicure took about an hour. Men and women enjoy this pampering service. Watersports At 10 a.m. on Monday, we went on the snorkeling trip. We brought some bread with us to feed the fish. The fish were interested where we started, but the watersports guys nagged us to move off elsewhere, so few other fish were interested where it was deeper. We saw many colorful fish and some live coral, but a lot of the fish were small. There were quite a few varieties. The water was cold at first, but only slightly so. Eight people went on the trip. They only let us snorkel for 30 minutes. We were back by 10:45 . It was fairly easy to get into snorkeling or the glass bottom boat trip. If you are interested in these trips, check with the watersports hut. I often saw water trikes, kayaks, a sailing in progress but never saw water-skiing. Laundry Laundry and dry cleaning service is available at no additional cost at the resort. Allow 48 hours. Laundry will be back in a day. Dry cleaning takes 2 days. Call them to see if it is done, as they most likely won't call you. They do a very nice job. As usual, we did not think the rooms had enough hangers but we did get extra when we had the laundry done and from some other people's rejected hangers outside their room. We used the drawers in the chest and the cabinets under the bathroom sinks to house most of our clothes. Golf Green fees and transfers to and from the SuperClubs Golf Club at Breezes in Runaway Bay are included. Carts & caddies are not included, and at least one is mandatory. Todd has played the course quite a few times, having stayed at Breezes twice and various other SuperClubs a number of times. The ride was about 35-40 minutes each way each time. Sign up by calling or stopping by the front desk or guest relations. Before boarding the bus, be sure to pick up a golf voucher from the front desk. Eighteen-hole golf leaves at 8:15 a.m. The 10:15 and 1:15 buses took out for 9-hole golf, but it would have been easy to get 18 in at those times. Todd just wanted to go early to beat some of the heat. Todd went 3 times, I believe. He did enjoy the trip but found varying pricing depending on whether he shared a cart or whatever. He used to walk BRB, but not this trip. Entertainment Most nights, the resident band began to play at 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. Other island entertainers performed at 9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. at the Balloon Bar. On one night (Monday, I think), they had a fashion show done in the form of a skit. That was interesting. The other nights, they had reggae groups. They sing for a while and then get the audience involved. The wait staff from Balloon Bar does serve drinks to guests. The resort had strolling musicians. They often hung out near the wedding gazebo or near one of the restaurants. There were horn players or a flutist at weddings, unless a couple brought their own CDs. There was a Cuban duo that played at Palazzina at dinner and various other places during the day. A Jamaican trio played at Bella Vista. The flutist would often play at lunch at Palazzina, and a pianist played at Casanova. Restaurants Ristorante Palazzina, located on the beach served guests for breakfast and lunch buffet style. Guests could be seated inside or outside under ceiling fans with an ocean view. We usually opted for outside. They seem to get somewhat upset if you get your food and then ask for a table. We did this anyway half the time. For lunch, they supposedly have a pasta menu, but it was not offered, and we did not ask for it. We did this restaurant for dinner one night. Todd had beef Marsala , and I had veal. The veal was like a chopped steak cutlet- downscale from what I expected. The service here was great, and we enjoyed our evening here tremendously. We dined here on our last night, as well. We dined at Casanova a couple of times indoors. You can dine outdoors on the terrace without a jacket or indoors with your own jacket or borrowing theirs. The first night we dined there, they lost our reservation (as they did on our night at Palazzina). After some hassle, we got in. The menu at Casanova is good. This is the only place that had the Soave wine. All others were the same as the other places on the property. Wine service both times was somewhat of a disappointment. On our second night here, the waiter mixed up everything and brought all the wrong food. We did get it all straightened out. They do a nice job here, and it is pretty and romantic. The scallops were fake, and we couldn't take that. The crème brulee was to die for and had berries and a cookie (tulip) on top, but I ordered sorbet on the second try. Plan on two hours for a meal here. On our first night at Casanova, I ordered the fruits de mar, a favorite at most resorts. It was snapper with just one shrimp and fake crab. It wasn't my favorite, but I was full before that course. Casanova had a really good pumpkin and crab soup. All of the restaurants had great soups at both lunch and dinner. This is a Jamaica specialty_do not miss the soups. On one night at 7:15 , we gave Bella Vista a try. It is so romantic to dine by the water and listen to the Jamaicans singing. The mosquitoes were awful. Due to that, Todd hated it. I ignored the nibbling on my legs and watched the stars and the waves. The conch soup was good. The salad and the curried seafood were OK. We left most of it. The bread was homemade and the best on the property. We came back to the room and ordered a jerk steak to share, along with wine and champagne and fruit. It came in less than 15 minutes!!!!! That jerk steak is to die for. South Texans, it is spicy! Breakfast We did the breakfast buffet most mornings. We were scolded slightly for getting our food before requesting a table. The same guy did this each time we did it. Also, when this guy gave us orange juice without asking, he was scolded HARSHLEY and slapped slightly from the restaurant manager. They had a nice buffet inside with those runny eggs and potatoes, fruit, cereal, dried fruits and yogurt, smoked meats & fish, bacon, boiled eggs, and local specialties. Eggs to order were available outside. Waffles and French toast were also available. Juices included prune, grapefruit, cranberry, grape, and orange. Sometimes there were no glasses. Coffee and tea were available; sometimes they were served too late in the meal. The buffet was available at 7:30 and was early enough for golfers, as the golf bus left at 8:15 a.m. You could order continental room service in the room, also. Lunch We usually dined at La Palazzina. Most days they had soft tacos and either baked enchiladas or lasagna. They also offered two types of fish (sea trout and escovich) and grilled chicken. They have ice cream and desserts and tons of salad every day. We aren't really dessert eaters, but these fruit tarts are to die for if you are a fruit eater. On some days they had one seafood dish or another with mixed seafood. That was always my favorite. One day, they had chicken fajitas, shepherd pie, trout almandine (wonderful) and various other items. I discovered as we were departing that they had a made-to-order pasta station and had HUGE shrimp. That day, they didn't have the custom sandwich station. We have found the lunch buffets to be better than dinner at times. The quality is great. Dinner Except for the buffet nights, the restaurants serve meals in a course format. Some people may think that the portions are small, but if you order all or most of the courses, you should be well fed. If not, you can order as much as you like. Try to plan your meals around finishing in time for the entertainment at the balloon bar. Room Service Room service is offered 24 hours per day. A breakfast and all-day menus are offered. A Japanese menu is also offered at breakfast.. It is also possible to order a bottle of champagne (or two) or wine anytime. We found that lunch arrived faster if ordered late. We ordered champagne and/or wine if our concierge did not bring any. Once the concierge got to know us, we got both without asking. Eventually, Todd even got some beer, but it was almost time to go home before that ever happened. The room service menu for breakfast is continental only. I think the resort would be nearly perfect if they would serve a hot breakfast in the room. You can get the Japanese breakfast of Miso soup and salmon. We didn't try it, I will next time. For lunch, you can get sandwiches, soups, pizzas, burgers, chicken wings, and some other items. For dinner, they have a number of entrees. We enjoyed the jerk steak (hot enough to choke a horse) and seafood pasta more than once. You can come up with a 4 course dinner after 5:30 p.m. At night, they do have the lamb chops that the other resorts offer all day (or used to) but we didn't try them on room service at GLSS this time. Beach Grill The grill opens at noon . The menu seemed small and consisted of a jerk special of the day, burgers, hot dogs, meat patties, and fries, officially. Not that many people did this option as far as I could tell. They have another grill at the c/o beach, but we only went over there a few times at sunrise and sunset for pictures and never saw it open. Bars There are several bars_the Balloon Bar, the bar at Charlie's spa, the main beach bar, the main pool bar, and the c/o pool bar. The bar at the spa services people is now right by the mineral pool, rather than closer to the spa. Like the other bars, it opens a little late since you can (and many do) sunbathe by breakfast time. You can get water and juice out of the refrigerator at the nearby gym, though. The balloon bar is popular in the evenings before and after dinner and during the shows. During the shows, wait staff come out and take orders on the bar's terrace. Inside the bar, the waiters will visit with you in the evenings, and you may find social directors there, as well. The beach bar is the most popular overall. They are open many hours of the day and play reggae and popular music tapes. There is always someone to talk to here. I pretty much am not a hard liquor drinker. I do let myself try one or two drinks in a week's trip and did enjoy the Caribbean Sky. These are like Icees, and a person could suck these down all day all week. At lunch, they take drink orders in Palazzina. You can get wine or bar drinks. Gala Night (Friday) We arrived so late on Friday due to our flight delays that we missed this entire event. This is the night that the chefs showcase foods from around the resort. There are also typically two entertainment showcases. This is an evening not to be missed. Tables are setup for groups around the main lawns. Preparation starts a day in advance for this event. Games There was a pool table in the game room just off of the main lobby. They also have board games and chess in here. A number of people hung out in the game room/library just to chat, as it was an air-conditioned spot. They offer a computer with internet connection there, but it is not cheap. It was $5 for 10 minutes. They do have a small library of books in that room, too. Workout The classes at the fitness pavilion continue to be excellent. The Pilates/Step/Body Sculpting on Sat. was good. I attended a couple of aerobox (kickboxing/Tae Bo) classes. That was fun. We also did some step and sculpting and floor work. In the evening, we did advanced step and body sculpting. All classes have been an hour to an hour and 15 minutes and not for wimps. They build on the steps to teach you. The classes at the fitness pavilion continue to be excellent. The Pilates/Step/Body Sculpting on Sat. was good. Yesterday, I attended aerobox (kickboxing/Tae Bo). That was fun. We also did some step and sculpting and floor work. In the evening, we did advanced step and body sculpting. All classes have been an hour to an hour and 15 minutes and not for wimps. They build on the steps to teach you. The yoga class was basic stuff and much tamer than when I was here before. I believe the Rites to Rejuvenation is what they call the advanced class now. It is only offered twice a week. They do meditation twice a week and the regular yoga twice a week. They do water aerobics most days. There are people here just for the spa that attend every class and are also booking extra treatments. At 3 p.m. on Monday, I attended Maggi's yoga class. It went on until 4:10 , but I spoke with him until 4:25 . He has been vegetarian now for 25 years and said he hasn't eaten cooked food since November. He is still married to the other instructor, and she still wears her hair to the floor. The yoga is offered 3 times a week. It is tame. They do a harder class called Rites to Rejuvenation twice a week and meditation twice a week and do stuff w/ crystals and stones at the beach party. I believe I attended seven different classes at the fitness pavilion. Activities We did not receive an activities schedule in the room, and none was offered. When checking in, we requested one. We received one for the week after the request. The post a few of the activities on a chalk board down by the beach bar. They also post a few of the optional tours. For tours, see the tour desk in the lobby. Our Activities Friday_we had hoped to attend the Grand Gala or at least the entertainment. Instead, we arrived after it was all over due to a flight delay. We had room service very late and attempted to sleep. Saturday_ We took Saturday as a lounge day. We scoped out how the property had changed and took more pictures, played in the pool and on the beach and ate a lot. I went off to aerobics and discovered the computer in the game room and spent a great deal of time there. I went all around the property taking many photos and then settled into the main pool. We had dinner at Casanova, and I attended the show. Sunday_ we had breakfast at the buffet, and Todd went off for golf. It was nice to be able to get breakfast before his bus. The aerobics class I attended on Saturday included 35 or 40 minutes of Pilates and just as long of a cardio workout. By Sunday I was a little bit sore. I chatted at length with a mother and daughter from New Jersey . When Todd came back, we tried the room service. It came within 30 minutes. It was mid-afternoon, and we enjoyed the main pool and then went (dressed) to the c/o area for a great sunset with some amazing pictures. There were about 10 people there, 8 fully clothed. On other occasions we were there at sunrise or sunset for pics. Never saw anyone any of those times that was not dressed. We had dinner at Palazzina and attended the show. Monday_I woke up from the best night's sleep I'd had in months. Todd was sleeping soundly. I was so sore from the Pilates class. I used that as an excuse to skip exercise this a.m. We had our first spa treatments that day_I had two, and Todd had one. We spent a long time at the manager's cocktail party and ate at Bella Vista. We only ate part of our food and came back to the room for room service. I went back out to watch the fashion show. Tuesday_Todd went to golf after we had breakfast. I went for another aerobics class and did one in the morning and one in the evening. We had lunch facials that day after Todd came back. We played in the main pool that afternoon for a while. I saw a reggae dance class going on at the beach. That night, we attended the beach party. The food was of a Jamaican and BBQ theme. It wasn't our favorite, but we found plenty to eat, and we enjoyed the show and the company there. Wednesday_I had the manicure and pedicure this day. Todd and I both had a reflexology. I watched a waiters race at the main pool where people were performing sort of a relay race to run get drinks and carry them on a tray, squat under a limbo pole and then put on a wet t-shirt. I avoided the bingo game because I was afraid it was a drinking game. We attended the show that evening. Thursday_Todd played golf again. I went to the workout again and took a lot of pictures. We had room service and went to the buffet. We fed fish and birds (like every day, several times a day) Todd had his manicure and pedicure. I went for the sunset one last time. This was our last night at the resort. We hung out for drinks at the Balloon Bar and went to Palazzina. I had a better meal this time. I spent some time packing. Friday_We didn't have to rush too much to pack, and we spent some time on the pool and beach and did lots of eating and drinking to finish out the trip. We were on the bus at 1 p.m. after goodbyes with the staff. The activities are a bit vague in this report, as I waited 4 weeks to do my report!!! We had more fun than it sounds, and we did a lot more than I am describing. Beach Party The beach party was a lot of fun and very festive. The food was Jamaican stuff. You could skip Bella Vista and go to this and get a lot of the same stuff. They offered jerk pork, snapper; jerk chicken, oxtails, minute steaks, fish soup, bammies, rice and peas, etc. I did the jerk chicken and minute steaks. It was too dark at our table to tell what was fat and what was meat; so trimming the meat would have been a nice touch. I am not really a dessert eater. They had chocolate cake, pineapple upside down cake, flan, cheesecake, plantain turnovers, sweet potato pudding, and some coconut cake. There were lots of cookies and things like that. I am the type that can try a bite that is the thickness of a postage stamp and feel I tasted it. We dined with a honeymoon couple was there on Lido Lottery. It saved them $1000 dollars. They came in on Sunday from Toronto and wee getting all of the spa treatments. They don't end until June 1 for LL people because their literature comes out at that time. At the beach party, they had some guys dancing to drums (similar to Sandals' show, but Sandals' show is more elaborate). They had a big mama get guys to dance with her. There was a guy that danced with people to the bamboo poles. I went up for that. We used to do that when we lived in Midway and Guam (the Filipino dance, the tinicling). I never miss an opportunity for that. It was thrilling. The guy did it himself with two sets of poles. I know how to do that, too, but he didn't invite anyone. He is the same guy that does the nail dancing. Then they had the fire dancer/breather. The show lasted until 10:10 . They had the house band from 7:30 to 7:50 while everyone was in line. Then they took a break as soon as everyone was seated. It was almost 9 before the regular show started. Everyone simply visited. Maybe that is what they have in mind. I thought it was going to rain out yesterday but nothing happened except thunder. After the beach party, they had bingo. They were giving away a case of Appleton . Todd wanted me to go because I usually win one or two games at a bingo session, but I am too intimidated by the name Appleton bingo. They had one during the day. `I told Richard Bourke that everyone all over the Internet is talking about being forced to drink during these games. He said that is another reason they are starting over w/ these social directors and their program. He says drinking games are what turn things wild and that they are NOT changing the ambiance of this property. They are totally booked, and everyone we've met loves it. Manager's Cocktail Party At 6 p.m. on Monday, we went to the manager's cocktail party. We spent about 30 minutes speaking to Richard Bourke, the resident manager. He said that they are going to redo the grill/Bella Vista and make it "what it should be". He said they are going to put a Japanese restaurant out in the middle of the duck pond. He said they are going to put glass on top of the lobby pool and put fish in it. People will sit on top and look at the fish. The stage will move off where that gazebo is and the balloon bar will move outside and they will make a true piano bar inside. Richard said that the nudes would be happier at Braco and that his personal preference for property depended on his mood and who he is with. He still has a soft spot for Braco and had to move to Ochie for this job. Sometimes he enjoys going to GLN or Hedo They want to keep the ambiance at GLSS as is and will not let this place have Hedo type parties. We had some discussion about the social directors leaving and the starting over w/ activities that would occur. Chef Jean-Marc Vernon is the executive chef. He did a great job on the manager's cocktail party. There were some veal chunks to die for (unlike what was to be had last night at La Palazzina). There were canapés and fried chicken wings and fish and some other great things I can't name. The good stuff wasn't replaced. They had an open bar. Internet Connectivity They have an Internet café in the game room. If you plan to check email briefly or email family and friends, this is a viable option. If you have a laptop and plan repeat visits to Jamaica , I recommend getting the economizer plan at http://www.infochan.com. General Comments We have enjoyed all of our visits to Grand Lido Sans Souci. Each one has been a bit different from the others. Consistently, though, they provide lovely rooms, good to outstanding food, a nice spa, beautifully surroundings, and an excellent value. We are hoping to return in the fall of this year. We had an OK return, although we did get delayed nearly an hour.
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