Grand Lido Braco Trip Report
November 5-12, 2003
Terry & Jean Ann’s Weddingmoon
I’m glad that I’m finally getting around to writing this trip report because as each day passes I forget more details about our wonderful trip! Terry and I went to GLB to get married in November and we found it to be one of the greatest times we’ve ever had. Of course there were a few little problems here and there, but when you look back, it doesn’t really matter at all. The good outweighs the bad 100 fold. So I hope that I don’t bore you all with my detailed accounts (actually I hope that this helps someone like this website helped me!)
Day 1 (11/5/03): We arrived at the resort at about 1pm and we were tired and extremely hot! I had heard so many people talk about having bad check-ins so I was ready for a fight! My tension was quickly eased when a cool towel was handed to me and I was able to sit in the office sipping a very refreshing fruit punch (I didn’t quite dive into the alcohol right away, but trust me, I got my share). Our rooms weren’t ready ( I guess that I should mention that we were traveling with another couple who were to be our "witnesses" for the wedding) which really didn’t bother me because someone showed us around and lead us right to Nanny’s Jerk pit and we had a fantastic lunch. When we were done eating we walked around for a little while longer and then our rooms were ready. There were a number of people in the lobby pitching a fit because their rooms weren’t ready, but it just isn’t worth it. Have your bathing suit in your bag and go relax while you’re waiting!
We had a basic gardenview room which actually had a view of the ocean from the balcony. The rooms are nice with enormous king size beds. I see what people are talking about in the bathrooms. Our plumbing was fine, but the grout was a little mildewed and we did have a few ants, but I grew up in an old house and these things didn’t bother me in the least. I mean, how much time do you plan on spending in the bathroom anyway? I think I actually made more trips to the pool bathroom than the one in my room. So if you’re really picky about moldy grout, you may have a problem with some of the bathrooms.
Once we were settled in our rooms we put on our suits and headed down to the pool which is where I spent about 90% of my time. I had such big plans to do every available water sport, take day trips and other things, but I ended up being a complete bum! And this was just fine. We met Novrick who was my favorite bartender! He kept us happy for the entire trip. Beverley Hawthorne (the wedding coordinator) met with us to discuss all of the details for our big day on Saturday. We picked out the location and our cake and other things like that. We then headed off to the beach party. We found the food to be very good, but the lighting is very low and you can hardly see what you’re eating. I was introduced to party punch and couldn’t wait for every party so that I could get some more! There was good entertainment at the party (singers). We were so exhausted from the day so we ended up in bed by like 9pm.
Day2 (11/6/03): We woke up very early which tends to happen when you go to bed at 9pm. So we ordered breakfast, ate that, and then met our friends for more breakfast at 8am in the Victorian Market. I don’t think that I have ever eaten so much food in my entire life! I put on 8 pounds in a week and when I got back to the states I was hungry all of the time. We ended up by the pool for most of the day (except to go and eat a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner.) Terry quickly learned that beginning your drinking day at 9am means that you’re going to end up in bed by 6pm. So I was single with my friends for the night. We did dinner at the pasta restaurant which is fantastic. This place is especially good for a light lunch because they have so many salads out. And the pumpkin soup is to die for! We fought very hard that night to stay up for the pajama party. I was really excited because I had received the cutest pajamas at a bridal shower. Our friend Matt wore standard men’s pajama pants and a T-shirt , while his wife, Kara, has pj pants and a tank top. Let me explain to you that we were the most overdressed people there! And I did find the disco room to be very scary and dark (and it smelled kind of weird). So we stayed all of 3 minutes. I’m not saying that the pj party was bad, I think it’s just not something I’d ever get into. A lot of people were having fun and apparently the party goes late into the night.
Day3 (11/7/03): Again, we spent most of our day by the pool/beach. We hadn’t tried out the beach yet and I found it to be very relaxing. There are really no people out there (the pool is definitely more popular). The water is fantastic and it is shallow out to the end of the jetty (which is quite a distance). We had bought pool floats at WalMart before we took our trip and blew them up when we got there. This was a great idea because there are no floats on the beach and it is so nice to just drift in the water. It also helps to keep your feet off of the bottom if the seaweed and all freaks you out like it does me. Thinking of things that I recommend taking, my friend suggested that I bring a beach bag and I don’t think that I ever would have thought to do so. I bought a super cheap one and it came in so handy going to the pool and beach. You can put everything in it: cameras, books, sunscreen, towels, beach cover-ups, hats, etc., and not have to worry about holding it all in your hands. So I definitely suggest it. Anyway, back to the trip. The guys had manicures and pedicures in the morning (that was a hoot!), and we had our manicures in the late afternoon. I did find the ladies in the saloon to be a bit rude, especially if you smudge a nail they are not happy about fixing it. Then we got ready for the street party. THE STREET PARTY! I cannot say how much I enjoyed the street party! I actually wish that we had been married on Friday so that it could have been our "reception" (although we still had a wonderful time on Saturday night). It was a good way to start celebrating the next day though. They set up table all throughout the streets of the resort and they have so much food. Yes, they do have lobster which is terrific, but that is not the best part by far. They have sushi and an unbelievable Caesar salad. They have chicken and beef and soups and so many things I can’t even remember. Save room for everything because it’s easy to fill your plate at one side and not even see what’s on the other. There is dancing after dinner which of course we missed because we were so tired. We were in bed by 9pm again (I advise taking a nap in the afternoon when you’re sitting by the pool).
Day 4 (11/8/03): OUR WEDDING DAY! We woke up early (yes, my husband did see me on our wedding day but that’s hard to get around unless he was to sleep on the beach) and went down for breakfast with Matt and Kara. Matt, Kara, and I had massages scheduled for 8:30am. We chose to have them outside by the water which was very relaxing except for the guy with the leaf blower who just would not go away. I recommend getting a spa treatment while you’re there. It’s expensive (to me anyway), but you don’t do it very often so it’s worth it. After showering, to wash the excessive amounts of oil off of me, Kara and I went to the salon to have our hair done. I was a little scared about having someone that I had never met do my hair (I usually like to see their style first), but there was no need to be worried. Unfortunately, I do not remember her name, but she was fantastic! She did exactly what I asked and you could tell that she has a lot of experience. She put orchids from my bouquet in my hair and it was just fantastic (I will eventually post some pictures on the web site). Another woman did Kara’s hair and also did a fantastic job. At that point the time was getting near and I started getting a little nervous, but I think that I was more excited than anything. I must say that I have no regrets about getting married there. I have been in a number of big weddings (including Kara’s) and the bride is always stressed for at least a week ahead of time. I honestly didn’t think much about the fact that I was getting married until that morning. I had just been enjoying myself so much at the resort, and everyone else took care of all of the wedding arrangements so there really wasn’t much to worry about. After our hair was done, Kara and I went back to the room (the men had made themselves scarce) and did our make-up, got dressed, and took pictures of each other. Terry (my husband) had left a note for me saying that it was extremely windy at the gazebo but there was no way that we could change the location so we just went with it. The wedding coordinator came to the room to get us, and walked us down to the beach.
The ceremony was magical! We laughed and we cried, and we also had a hard time repeating after the minister because of his accent, which made us laugh some more. I walked down the aisle to Bob Marley! They had Terry face the ocean until I made it about ¾ of the way and then he turned around. This was exactly what we wanted for our wedding. The day was absolutely beautiful so our pictures are outstanding. It was extremely hot so we were all sweating as soon as we got away from the water (so the high winds at the gazebo were actually a blessing in disguise.) The photographer did a nice job and walked us all around the resort so we have a lot of unique shots. There was actually a photographer from Glamour Magazine in Spain doing a story on GLB and she took our picture walking on the beach (she said that it will be printed in May and she took our address to send it to us)! We spent the afternoon in the pool because it was so hot. Then we got back into our wedding clothes for dinner at the French restaurant. We all found the menu to be extravagant which was very nice for our wedding dinner. Afterward, Terry and I walked around the property for a while, then retired to our honeymoon hideaway.
Days 5,6,7, & 8: My report here is obviously getting very long so I will combine the remainder of our trip. Again, we spent most of the days lying by the pool, enjoying the attention of being "newlyweds". We did take the shopping and Dunn’s River Falls trip one day and are sad to say that we didn’t have the greatest time. The shopping is madness! We both found it to be very stressful with people pulling you in every direction. The duty free shop was not as bad and they have some very good deals on T-shirts, coffee, etc. Dunn’s River Falls was beautiful but it goes by very quickly. I actually did get nervous climbing up the fall because it’s very unsure footing with water gushing over your feet. I recommend that if you go on this trip, when you are done climbing the falls don’t immediately go back to your bus. Walk back down to the bottom and look around. You can actually walk up the falls by yourself if you’d like. We didn’t do this because we thought that we needed to go directly back to the bus, but there would have been plenty of time to get more pictures and look around a little. As for a camera at the falls, we took a waterproof disposable with no flash (I don’t know if they make them with a flash) and the pictures came out very dark because there is a lot of shade. Other people in our group had taken regular cameras and the guide will hold them for you so that you don’t drop them in the water (which you most likely will). The guide will also take so good pictures of you during the climb. Overall, I just think that we had relaxed for so long at GLB, that the craziness of the day trip was too much. I wouldn’t have minded just staying at the resort.
We ate at the Japanese restaurant twice and these were my favorite meals (especially the sushi). Kara and Matt left a day before us, so we spent the remainder of our time lying by the pool together. We had to get in a few more dirty bananas before we went back to the states. The last day is very sad, you really just want to get home quickly as not to prolong the agony of leaving such a terrific place. The bus ride to the airport was uneventful and we got there in plenty of time to look around the shops in the airport and buy some alcohol. And of course, the very cold weather in Philadelphia greeted us when we got home.
In reflection, we both look back at this trip as a wonderful experience. People ask me if I have regrets about getting married down there and not having my family with me, and I tell them that I don’t have a single regret about it. We had a reception the next weekend in NJ so that our family could celebrate with us. I actually think doing it this way prolongs the fun and excitement because you start out in Jamaica, get married, come home, and get the big party at the end. So rather than all of it going by in one big day, we carried it out for two weeks!