There were many highlights and few lowlights of our trip. The staff, service, and facilities at GLB were outstanding, the food and entertainment good. This was the first vacation spot my husband and I ever visited that he said wants to return to.

The staff quite simply made our trip. Everyone was friendly, personable, and relaxed. We really felt like we got to know a few members of the staff. All tried to do their jobs well. Management must be doing something right because they were very low-key, yet the staff were always doing their best. I had read a lot about "Jamaica time" beforehand, but I thought that, most of the time, service was nearly as efficient as in the States.

Our experience at Braco might have been a little different than some because we spent our time pretty equally between the Au Naturel and textile sides. Our room block (block seven) was the farthest from the nude side that it could possibly be. Consequently, if we had only an hour or two before a trip, restaurant reservation, etc., we were just as likely to head to the textile beach as to the A/N. (In hindsight, it is pretty laughable that it seemed such an effort to walk across the resort, but we got so relaxed that making it from the bar to our room sometimes seemed like a real exertion!)

We also stayed on the textile beach because the bar at the far (east) end of that beach is an absolute gem. I had not read about it much prior to our trip, although I had read trip reports across the Web for months beforehand. The afternoon bartender there, Devon, is incredibly sweet, attentive, and friendly. To sit at the bar and watch the sun set across the beach was heavenly. The crowd there was also very mellow. I noticed that there seemed to be more British and Canadian guests there than elsewhere. I suspect that the beach bar was more "pub-like" and therefore familiar to those guests.

In terms of facilities, the A/N beach and pool are so much better that there is simply no comparison. There is absolutely no reason, to my mind, to go to the textile pool. It was uniformly too loud, rowdy, crowded, and borderline dirty. The A/N pool, on the other hand, was relaxed, clean, with plenty of space to spread out. The lounge chairs were plentiful and comfortable.

Those who might be worried about trying the A/N side of life might take heart in my husband’s experience. Before we left, he said he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it. On our first full day at Braco, he agreed to go to the beach, but only if we walked through a dirt path to get there and not on the main sidewalks. Once there, he would only go from his chair to the ocean. I had to get all drinks, floats etc. On our second day there, it was so windy that he agreed to go to the pool. On the third day, he was walking up to the bar for drinks. By the end of the week, he was sitting nude at one of the tables by the bar eating lunch!

Outside the resort, we went on the "mountain to sea" bike tour offered by Chukka Cove Tours and also visited Dunn’s River Falls. Everyone said that the Falls were a "must do," but both of us thought that the bike tour was much more interesting and enjoyable. The tour company brings bikes and passengers to the top of the "mountain" (2000 ft. above sea level, according to the guide), and then you coast down from there through several very small towns. The ride ends at the cove, where you can jump from a low cliff into the water and snorkel from there. The guides are knowledgeable and friendly and will go at the pace that you set. We felt like we saw at least a little of the "real" Jamaica.

Because we transferred our reservations from Sans Souci after the resort’s owners and Superclubs parted ways, we had four spa services included in our stay: a massage, body scrub, facial, and "reflexology." We received the massage and body scrub outside under a stand of trees in the afternoon. Hearing the ocean and thunder rumbling in the distance, while the wind was rustling the leaves above us was great. I would have enjoyed the experience more but found portions of the massage to really hurt. This was the first massage I’ve ever received so don’t know if this is typical. All in all, I enjoyed the facial and reflexology treatment (which appears to be a glorified foot massage ) more.

Our minor gripes were that the pasta dishes and service at La Pasta, the Italian restaurant, were pretty awful. Our own order was completely wrong once, and the order of the couple sitting next to us was also totally wrong on another occasion. Basic service like getting silverware and filled water glasses was also noticeably worse than at any of the other restaurants. When the food finally arrived, it was barely edible. We ordered pizza from La Pasta on a different occasion and that was fine.

We also found that it is next to impossible to find a clean beach towel when you want one. If we saw clean towels, we’d grab two and haul them around with us all day, which was a pain.

Finally, not to fuel the flames of an earlier discussion on the Grand Lido Hangout Board, but we both found the street party to be a fairly lame experience. With a few exceptions, the buffet food was mediocre at best. I mostly filled up on cheese, crackers, fruit, and a vegetable dish. The PA system was far too loud. Many people were still eating when the entertainment staff cranked up some cheesy music and started a conga line. As my husband noted, more of the excellent bands who had been playing during the week would have been much better.

On the whole, however, our stay at Braco was a memorable, relaxing vacation. We definitely hope to return someday!