Grand Lido Braco Hotel

, Runaway Bay, Jamaica
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Grand Lido Braco Hotel

, Runaway Bay
Trelawny - Runaway Bay - Jamaica Hotel Website | 636-300-0999
1 Traveller

Review - Grand Lido Braco Hotel

3/10
Not So Good
Submitted by: Quiana in 02/07/08
  • Age Group: 26 - 30
  • From: United States
  • Traveller type: Young & Single
This resort was terrible. The service was horrible. They were always running out of food, the bathrooms (prude side) were dirty (stained with mold, mildew). The water sports employees never wanted to take customers out on the water; they were constantly saying it was too windy and the waves were to high; however this was not the case, instead they were too busy drinking alcohol.
 

Historical Traveller Reviews of Grand Lido Braco Hotel

We loved the Grand Lido Braco...try it!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
We spent a week at Grand Lido. I researched resorts and deals and for weeks before deciding on this property. We were delighted with our choice! The property is lovely...9 hole golf course, 2 pools, beach, several restaurants that serve delicious food, ocean front accomodations or garden view rooms, activities throughout the day and evening, excursions available, watersports, and sunny, warm weather.
The staff is very accomodating and looking to make your stay with them special. We met several couples who have visited the resort 3 times, 4 times, 7 times.... The au naturel side is very comfortable, the pool is fabulous, and the people are very nice. You can feel comfortable. If you have never tried it, this is where you should! I recommend this vacation to anyone who is interested in a sunny relaxing vacation. We found room service to be prompt (always within 20 minutes), the staff very pleasant, we saw a few cats but they certainly do not take over the place! We had very nice time at the French restaurant and the Japanese restaurant and enjoyed frozen cocktails or Red Stripe throughout the day. We look forward to returning next year!

FANTASTIC WEDDING!!!!!

from sunnygaza
My wife and I spent an amzing 2 weeks at Braco.

We were married there and will not forget the fantastic way we were treated.

The trip is very long one from Edinburgh via Manchester but once in the resort relaxation and total enjoyment takes over.

We spent a week relaxing and utilising all the facilities prior to getting married in the gazebo on the jetty.

On the lead up to the day, we were very well looked after, even though there was a major power failure on the wedding day. I needed my shirt pressed, contacted the wedding coordinator who took it way and 'hey presto', 30 minutes later a well pressed shirt arrived in time for the ceremony. How this was accomplished without electricity still remains a mystery!!!

We found all the staff, the food, the resort itself, the inclusive facilities such as the scuba diving and water sking all fantastic.

We did not cross over to the AN side, but had friends who did and we did not feel we missed out.

We made some great friends, holiday makers and resort employees alike.

I cannot believe some other totally negative reports that I have read on this website. I can only imagiine they had other agendas!!! (maybe working for some other rival travel company or maybe professional moaners???

My wife and I did not want to leave and will definately return next year.

Would I recommend this holiday to other members of my family and my best friends? YES I WOULD!!!!!!

Gary and Lorna.

Boring!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I visited Grand Lido Braco from Dec 26, 2003 Jan 2, 2004. My wife and I were looking forward to a nice vacation. I have been to around the world, visiting a number of resorts. This was the most we have ever spent for a vacation in our lives. I spent a good deal of time and money getting my diving certification card prior to this vacation. I purchased diving equipment as well. I spent over $1000 getting certified and getting minimum diving equipment. I was excited to be getting two dives per day were included in the stay. However, in a 7 night stay, all I was able to get in was one dive. The wind blew around 10-15 mile per hour each day. As a result, one two foot waves were the norm. The channel where the resort boats travel is narrow and has rocks on both sides. Any wave action, the boat would not go out. Unless the ocean was completely flat, no boats or water sports.The only thing to do at the resort is lay by the pool or beach and get drunk. For those who want to do nothing, this is the resort to visit. Any other action, this is not the place to go.Oh, let s not forget all the cats that roam the resort, including the restaurants. If you enjoy eating with a cat at your feet, this is the resort to visit.What a waste of time and money. We hated the resort and will never go back. Jamaica is a very poor country. The roads suck. We went on a shopping trip through the resort. At one stop, upon leaving the bus, we all were swarmed by Jamacian people trying to sell their junk. They wouldn t take no for an answer. It didn t matter how one tried to say no. A firm no, a polite no. It didn t matter. Buy, Buy, Buy. I would not recommend Gr

True story on Braco

from A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I have been to Braco once a year for 7 years staying 7 nights. I am a visiting tennis pro and have stayed at the nicest hotels in the world. Braco is very nice, not perfect, but very nice. It is not up to Hawaii's standards on cleanleness but the staff is very friendly.
We always get whatever room is leftover and yes the bathrooms have a little mold but otherwise very clean. I agree with most reviewers and if you are a bit prudish you have to suck it up and spend your time on the nude side. You can book a cheaper room and nobody will give you any grief. We have met, through giving lessons, numerious couples who never thought they would cross over to the "dark side" but were always glad they did. There are some obnixious small groups but the pool/beach is so spacious we just avoid them. The age range is 35/60.
Food/entertainment is very good. I hope you enjoy yourselves.

Lampshade and Jan Return to Jamaica

from A TripAdvisor Member
What's not to like. Twenty-Four hour food and drink. Dancing and loads of fun. Wonderful fellow guests. Not a sad face anywhere. The staff went out of their way to assist and make you feel at home. Not everything is perfect, but I have a few things to do around the house too.

For anyone who played with Jan & Brian from November 6 to 16th, give us an email. We would love to hear from you. Jan and I are returning to Braco from February 15 to 22nd, hope to see you there.

Brian & Janet Melville melville@computan.on.ca

The atmosphere makes this place.

from A TripAdvisor Member
We just stayed here on our honeymoon and had a great time. We stayed on the au natural side and the room and view was beautiful but the bathrooms need work. The shower had no pressure and alternated from hot to cold and the toilets leaked. The service is slow but the people are nice. Don't order room service unless you have an hour. The beach is beautiful but wear ocean boots because I got stung by a sea urchin. The nude side is very laid back and comfortable. No one gawks at you and I saw nothing that would make anyone feel uncomfortable. We had fun in the clubhouse playing pool and ping pong in the nude. We found it very relaxing. If you are looking for a wilder time, try Hedonism.

It Sucks!!!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed there in July 2003. No way this property is a 6, a 3 at best.
property run down, cats everywhere, I guess to keep the mice or rat population down, rude service, etc. Overall rated a 3, should have stayed at the Ritz for a little more money. It sucked!!

One of my favorite resorts!

from A TripAdvisor Member
I am a frequent traveler and I have never posted a review before, but I felt compelled to put out some accurate information on this beautiful resort. I visited GLB once in 5/99 and I loved it so much that when I decided to get married in Jamaica, this had to be the place. My husband and I stayed there from 7/9-14/03. The resort grounds were as immaculate as I remembered. We had a beachfront room and I believe that most of those have been remoldeled, so it was beautiful! Rich mahogany furniture, tile floors, seperate vanity area, bathrobes and slippers. I had relatives in the gardenview rooms, which were also nice, but not as well appointed. The rooms are sparse, but they provide the things that you need. It is what one should expect in the Caribbean. If you book the least expensive room at a hotel, you get what you pay for. The beach here is just okay, but I personally don't choose a place for the beach alone. I have visited Jamaica eleven times and I know that I won't find the islands best beaches on the northern coast, but I also know that I won't find someplace like Braco anywhere else. The pool area on the textile side is not as large as the au natural side, but it's still pretty big. For those that complained of the cleanliness of the pool, it is only as clean as the people in it. How do you think trash and cigarette butts got in there? The resort staff certainly didn't do it. It's the tourists who leave debris everywhere and then whine if someone isn't walking behind them cleaning it up. Would you want a guest in your home to do that to you? Every staff member that we encountered there were friendly and accomodating. The food at all of the eating establishments is some of the best that I've ever had in the islands. Yes, room service was slow, but so what? You're on vacation, RELAX! The nighttime shows were often mediocre, but again, so what? It's not meant to be Broadway. The main bar was under construction while we were there and closed the entire time. I heard people complaining about it. These are the same people who would complain that the bar was really rundown. They have to close it to fix it don't they? They set up a bar out on the town square every night instead, which was fine. My wedding went off without a hitch, and even though I knew I wasn't the only one getting married there, they made me feel as if I were. Bottom line, no island, resort or vacation is perfect, but before you complain, think about your expectations. After all, it isn't the resorts fault that you got bitten by mosquitos.

Braco Mystique

from A TripAdvisor Member
There is definately a mystique about Braco. People are very defensive of their little jewel in the Caribbean. The reviews here appear to be a little more impartial.

That being said, we went to Braco for our honeymoon the first week in October. I will dwell on what I feel is important and what people should know.

First Impression:

I wasn't sure if we were going to the nude side or not. We have gone nude quite often in the past, but things change once you are married.....so we stayed on the Textile side. My first impression? The room itself was nice, the bathroom was disgusting. The tile was white (originally), but now it is very dirty and yellow. The tub was in pretty rough shape too. I tried to stay open minded because we normally vacation in Mexico where the tile work is magnificant. Turns out the bathroom worked as poorly as it looked. Faucets leaked, tub never drained (one day it flooded into the room), it was very difficult to regulate the water. After getting settled we made our way to the textile beach. The beach was horrible...dirty (cigarette butts, towels, glasses, and plates everywhere and the resort was only 50% occupied), the beach chairs are pathetic (broken and strun about everywhere), and they park the dive boats right in front of the beach (oil and gas dripping from the engines). I was thinking, what am I doing here, nevertheless on my honeymoon......

This is where I agree with other reviews 100%. We made our way over to the nude side......its like a whole other world. The beach is spotless, nice cushy chairs, the pool is huge and clean (textile pool is gross), peolpe are friendly, etc.

Final Thoughts:

If you want to enjoy Braco, you have to spend the majority of your time on the nude side. The textile side is getting run down. Everything is better as mentioned above. In terms of our room, we probably should have requested another one, but we didn't....we talked to other people and their rooms had been remodeled, and still other people had the same problems as us.

The condition of the textile is why I give this resort a neutral rating. Everything else is FIVE STAR. Food, staff, transfers, golf, tennis, etc.....were all excellent.

I just think people should know what they are possibly getting into with the rooms and the beachs.

Needs MAJOR improvements

from Jersey*Mommy*
We went there for our honeymoon in May 2003. We had spent the first half of our vaca in Sandals Dunn's River, and wanted to go to GLB 2nd, because we heard such overwhelming reviews....well I think not. The resort was very run down, nothing to do during the day, the pool area was shot and dirty, the pool mats were all cracked and foam was all over the pool. The rooms were nothing to brag about....rather yucky. No amenitiesMy husband is allergic to cats and there were stray cats all over the place!! We think that one of them got into our sheets one day because at night he had an allergic reaction to his pillowcase and had to go to the property nurse for a benedryl!!!! the only nice area was the au naturel area, and unless you are into that kind of thing, you cannot stay over there for very long! Naked people everywhere!! The food was good, though. The japanese restaurant was excellent, but we couldn't go to the french restaurant because we got there and there were no reservations available for our entire stay!! but that turned out to be fine because the japanese restaurant was excellent...best sushi i have ever had! Overall: If I could have gone back to Sandals, we definately would have.

Top Local Tips for Runaway Bay

Resort Tips Make restaurant reservations in advance of your arrivail via email; confirm any special arrangements in advance of your arrival directly with the resort; not a place for teens even if the stated minimum age is 16; A/N area is outstanding but you might need to stake out a shady spot early; depart for the airport earlier than stated on your departure notice because of unpredictable transport stops/slow airport check-in/enhanced security/stricter security standards than US (we almost missed flights 2x and will not take that chance again or have to stage a riot in the security line to get through and literally run to the gate). MBJ has great shopping so end your vacation on a relaxed note with some shopping and another Red Stripe.

when to go we went in april the weather was great just a little rain for a couple of days but its getting near the end of the season then and the staff levels drop off a little if i go back i,ll go in march

GlB Bring bug spray...nobody seemed to have problems but me. Also, bring sunscreen even if you have a tan and bring swimming shoes!

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  • Address: Trelawny - Runaway Bay - Jamaica
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8.0/10

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"Not So Good" - Quiana

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