The Grand Lido Visitors Hangout

Weather – We’ll start here, and I 100% understand that it has nothing to do with Braco or it’s management/employees. The weather was terrible. It rained 4 of the 5 days we were there, and often rained very hard. It was extremely windy all week as well. We did get a no-sun voucher for 1 free day on our next trip. We asked several people if the weather was typical for this time of year. About 50% said yes, and 50% said no, and that includes people who work there. That was kind of annoying.

Travel – Delta lost our bags. We had nothing for 2 days. Air Jamaica was no help at all either. After Delta (supposedly) sent our bags from Atlanta to Mo Bay, Air Jamaica insisted that they had no record of them. Finally, they showed up at 11pm on Monday, and guess what? Air Jamaica (who had delivered the bags to Braco) STILL had no record of our bags arriving at Mo Bay. How can that be? Obviously, they had them, as they delivered them. Very, very frustrating.

A/N Pool – The pool looks great. However, once you’re in it, you realize a few things. First, it’s too cold. I know this is a relative thing, and what’s cold for me may not be cold for you. However, to a person, everyone I heard mention the pool temp complained that it was too cold.

Second, there are numerous rough spots on the pool floor, especially where we play volleyball. I don’t mean a little rough. I mean dangerous, hurt-your-feet rough. I cut my big toe on one of them. Several other guests suffered similar injuries, as did Rohan, who works there. There was one couple who could barely walk the following day because their feet were so badly scraped up by the pool floor. Even one of the staff members complained after being in the pool. This has to be corrected, and I can’t believe that they spent all that time and money to end up with such poor results.

A/N Beach – Very nice. Well kept, plenty of chairs and floaties, and A/N policies were enforced.

A/N Hot Tubs – Awful. The large tub didn’t work until Wednesday night, and when it finally did, it was lukewarm, and the jets didn’t work, so it was like a bathtub. The small tub was about 3 million degrees until Wednesday, and since the large tub didn’t work, the small tub was usually at capacity during prime hot-tubbing times. Numerous people complained that the small tub was way too hot.

A/N Bar – On the occasions that we went to the bar and ordered our drinks, it was great. However, EVERY time I ordered a drink while I was in the pool, my order was ignored. Not one time did anyone I placed a drink order with actually bring me my drink. I waited and waited and waited, and every time, I ended up going to the bar myself. It’s not as though the A/N side was overcrowded or anything, and I’m not an impatient person, but when a staff member asks if you’d like a drink, and you place an order for a drink, you should get your drink without waiting for an hour (yes, an hour. No exaggeration). Lunch at the bar was fantastic.

Food – For the most part, it was really, really good. We loved the Italian and Japanese restaurants, as well as Victoria Market (though they just can’t seem to make scrambled eggs that aren’t runny). We didn’t eat that the French restaurant because they don’t have a coat that fits me (I’m a big guy), and I didn’t pack a sport coat. The service at the Italian restaurant was spotty, depending upon who our server was, but otherwise, the service was excellent. We ordered room service for breakfast one morning, which was a muffin/croissant/fruit plate, and the muffins and croissants were very dry and hard as rocks. That was our only negative experience regarding the food.

Spa – Wonderful. Great staff, excellent treatment. We both had massages, I had a wrap, and my wife had a facial. The only downside was that they were very quickly booked for the complimentary manicure/pedicure, though that was a very minor issue.

Staff – Outstanding, except two occurrances. Tamara was a huge help with the airlines as we tried to find our bags. Hioka, Carla, Rohan, and the rest of the entertainment staff was phenomenal. Housekeeping, turndown service, grounds crew, watersports…all polite, friendly, and helpful to a fault. Again, service at the restaurants was great overall. My only gripe was with my attempt to get my shoes shined before going to the Japanese restaurant. I called to have my shoes picked up, but they never got them. I called again the next day, and proceeded to have the woman who answered speak to me very rudely. I tried to explain that I wasn’t upset, and that they could pick them up anytime that day, and she snapped, "We’ll get them," and then slammed the phone down. Guess what? They never came and got them. Also, there were no extra pillows in our closets, so we called about 6pm the first night we were there to order some. 5 hours later (!), they showed up, after we were already asleep. That’s too long to wait, if you ask me.

Room – OK. Our textile "Ocean View" room had a view of about 2 feet of the ocean if the wind happened to blow some of the palm trees in the right direction, so I guess that counts. I would have rather spent less money for the Garden View room, in hindsight. Our roof leaked buckets when it rained. The housekeeping staff did a great job keeping our room clean, and the bed was nice and comfy. The air conditioner was very loud, and it rattled so much that it sometimes woke us up. It was obviously in need of maintenance, though it worked OK.

People – We met some wonderful people from all over the world. We had a great time hanging out and chatting, playing volleyball and trivia games, etc… Everyone was very laid back and friendly. It was easy to make new friends.

Misc – There were people staying on the A/N (including one in a Luxury Suite) side that had no hot water for 3 DAYS! They were not happy.

Overall – Will we go back? We think so. However, there were some pretty significant disappointments on our trip, some of which had nothing to do with Braco (bags, weather), and some of which should absolutely be corrected by management.