This was our first trip to GL Braco. It proved to
be "at least" everything that had been promised, and in most
ways, more than we had hoped for. Everyone knows the basic trip report
format, describing the room, pool and restaurants in exacting detail, so
don't expect another rerun of the same old stuff here. I will try to highlight
the good and bad experiences that are the most memorable to us.
We arrived at Montego Bay airport about 10:30am on the 18th, and all our bags made
it on the same trip, too! We had no problems,
mon, clearing customs and headed toward the
Superclubs Desk. They seemed to be a little surprised about our Braco destination,
they were not ready for us and had to round up a driver. In the meantime,
there were other "pretend" baggage assistants that were making
a play for the tip intended for the "real" baggage handler. When
he showed up, in official uniform, they scattered to the wind, no problem!
In all, we had to wait about 15 minutes before we were on the bus and on
our way to the resort.
About the drive,
well just pretend you are in a re-run of "Dukes of Hazzard" or
"Mad Max" and just relax, mon! Being from the rural south, I
grew up driving narrow, unmarked two-lane and sometimes dirt roads, my
boyfriend Bob did also, so we weren't shocked or outraged or (very) scared.
When you go just realize that the roads are narrow, shoulders are dirt,
people walk verrrrry close to highway traffic, and than in an hour you
will be in paradise! The van was air-conditioned, the driver very courteous
and eager to point out items of historical interest to us. The drive to
and from the resort was in no way the "bus ride from hell," that
so many trip reports describe.
When we arrived at Town Hall about noon, we were greeted very courteously and offered
the cold towels and anything we wanted to drink. I took them up on both.
Check-in was fast, and since our Au Naturel room wasn't ready, we took
a walk-about. We checked out the merchants, the prude pool & bar, the
piano bar and ended up at Victoria's Market for lunch.
The photo on the right shows a view of the resort from the ocean wall.
To the left of the wall is the prude beach and accommodations. To the right
is the downtown area. Victoria's Market is under the large, white roof.
The prude pool is in front of Victoria's Market and borders the beach.
The Au Naturel accommodations, beach, bar, clubhouse, pool and hot tubs
are further down the beach on the right, separated by another ocean wall.
The AN area is very secluded.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner buffets at Victoria's
Market were always delicious, filled with wonderful
salads, savory soups, heavenly breads, decadent desserts, luscious fruits
and all kinds of entrees you could imagine. Being a vegetarian, I was delighted
to have so many choices to make at each meal there. I did eat the seafood;
Bob enjoyed just about everything on the menu. He especially loved the
food from the Jerk Pit, and visited there several times between meals.
I have read about the scanty drink service on several trip reports and
wish to say that you can hardly get one cocktail finished before another
one magically appears before your eyes! The Braco staff in all the
restaurants bend over backwards to make sure you have everything you need
and try to anticipate your desires. They seem determined to make your stay
most pleasant in every way.
On the two "big nights" - the Beach
Bash on Wednesday and the Street Dance on Friday, both ended
up being held in Victoria's Market, due to rain in the afternoons. The
layout of food and presentation was just amazing and delicious. You will
be just as pleased, when you visit. On Wednesday, a Jamacian cultural group
did a show of Jamacian dances, folk songs and a history lesson! They had
wonderful voices and it was a very colorful and enjoyable show. The Friday
night street dance did get to be held in the streets in the "downtown"
area, and it was a blast. The entertainment staff led hundreds of us dancers
through the paces of countless line dances, there were dance-off contests,
circle dances, you name it. What a lot of fun.
Other nights we enjoyed the house
band and featured local entertainers at Victoria's
Market. We also visited the karoke
bar in the piano lounge. We were treated to some
amazingly good performances by other Braco guests in the karoke competition.
We visited the French restaurant one night and the Japanese
restaurant another night, and both were equally
professional and elegant in their presentation, atmosphere and quality
of food. They were exactly as you have read about on all the other trip
reports - just great!
The other talked-about event, the PJ
Party, was on Thursday night. All modes of dress
were represented. At one extreme was flannel pjs for both sexes. At the
other end of the spectrum of disco-wear was g-strings for the men and a
"topless" merry widow with garters and stockings for the ladies.
Bob wore a red/white/blue g-string that we discovered glowed in the disco
lights. The "stars & stripes" were flying high that night!
I wore a black spandex "spider web" bra and thong with metal
grommets in strategic places. I did not participate in the "sexiest"
competition, though Bob did. The female winner was a lovely lady in black
see-through lace camisole and matching thong. The male winner was a very
cute 20-something on his honeymoon. He did not have on anything very revealing,
but the ladies liked him a lot! The winners in the most virginal division
were the flannel pjs.
Bob and I both had the manicure &
pedicure services. I had read a lot of past trip
reports commenting on the poor attitude and service at the nail salon.
I can say that they were very kind, professional and friendly. When my
time for an appointment arrived, Bob hand-delivered a tray of hummingbirds
from the bar for our enjoyment (salon ladies included). We had a great
time!
Bob and I worked out in the ocean-front
gym twice, then the island rhythm got the better
of us. The gym has a great view of the ocean with a lot of excellent equipment,
treadmills and free weights. The trainer/instructor is enthusiastic and
very energetic.
This was our first trip to an au naturel resort. At the ages of 46 &
47 we weren't worried about the being nude part, just how a lifestyle of
living "in the buff" would be. After doing a lot of research
over the net, I was convinced that I had found the BEST place in the Caribbean
to "try this out" and as far as I am concerned, I was right!
The whole set-up - the beach, clubhouse, hot tubs, pool, separate accommodations,
make Braco a most comfortable environment. If you stay on the AN
side, you literally can take your clothes off when you arrive, and never
put them back on AGAIN until you get ready for your ride back to the airport.
With 24-hour room service, a separate clubhouse with grill/bar/pool
table/ping-pong, a separate tennis court, 2 hot tubs, on-the-beach volleyball
and in-the-pool volleyball, strolling musicians, the visiting fruit lady,
and a whole range of au naturel social activities (like mixology, aquacize,
line dancing, body painting, etc.) there isn't much reason to leave the
AN side at all! Here you can see Bob helping out the musicians that entertained
us daily.
The big hot
tub on the AN side was filled to the brim with
people (couples and singles) each night. I had read many trip reports complaining
that the temperature was too hot, but for the 6 nights we were there, it
was just fine. Most of the time, after the dinner entertainment, everyone
ended up back in the hot tub by 11:30 - midnight. Several nights we were
there close 'til 3am. All the husbands and boyfriends provided "nude
butler" service to us girls, shuttling back and forth from the AN
grill and bar, serving up mixed drinks, champagne and all sorts of snacks
from the menu. Many of the people that joined the hot-tubbers each night
came over from the "clothed" side. I heard many, many comments
that the people on the "other side" were not friendly, did not
speak to each other, were rude to the Braco staff. Everyone just seemed
to like the atmosphere more on the AN side.
We had a Junior Beachfront Suite, the lowest-level accommodation on the AN side. We were
on the first floor, and had a lovely, unobstructed view of the nicely maincured
lawn and the beach from our patio. Our room had a living-room area with
sofa, coffee table and TV with 24-hour Playboy channel to enjoy. We had
a king-size bed and ceiling fan and a kitchen area, with sink, refrigerator
and stove. The housekeeping staff kept the whole place immaculate and the
refrigerator fully stocked at all times. The bathroom had a built-in hair
dryer, soap and shampoo dispenser in the shower, and a nice large vanity
area.
Room service
was always friendly and speedy. We ordered once about 3:30 am and it was
delivered promptly within 15 minutes. Another morning, although we had
not specified it the night before, we decided to have breakfast in the
buff on the beach. After calling, we were enjoying our breakfast under
the umbrella beach-side in 20 minutes.
The best part about the vacation was the people we met. We spent a lot
of time socializing, enjoying the various activities, just relaxing and
enjoying a drink - always in great company. The age range on the AN side
varied from very early 20's to late 70's. Ages or body types didn't seem
to matter there. Most everyone was completely "all the way" au
naturel. Two or three of the ladies wore a bottom, but it seemed to make
them stand out all the more instead of helping them to blend in. There
were no men who had the problem going au natural.
Are there any downsides to include in this sunny report? A few, but even though
they irritated me at the time, they hardly seem significant when compared
to the wonderful vacation we had.
1) The air-conditioner is positioned on the wall just above the bed
and the vent is rigid. It blows directly down onto the bed! That is the
only position. We solved that problem - we put the a/c on "sleep"
cycle and turned on the ceiling fan.
2) The maintenance crew sent someone around every evening about 6pm
to "fog" for insects. It was loud, smelly and annoying.
3) I went into the Pastry Shop 3 times, twice for a cookie and once
for a drink of Coke. The attendants were rude, said they were closed, and
told me to go the Piano Bar for a drink. I went to the Pasta Shop after
one rebuttal, and asked for a drink. The attendant replied "Is that
all ?" and told me to get one in the bar downtown. These
incidents happened during the day or early evening, when both places are
supposed to be open.
Stupid things I packed:
swimsuits, too many shoes
Things I needed more of: sunscreen, photographic film
We can't wait to get back next year. August soon come,
mon! Hope you enjoy your trip to Braco as much as we did!
Martha and Bob
August 18 - 24, 1999
Grand Lido Braco
Rio Bueno, Trelawny
Jamaica
