Grand Lido, Negril, Jamaica (Second Trip)

Back for the second time in just three months.  The second time was even better then the first.  They have added new floaters that are very popular.  These are the same type floaters that couples resorts use.

There is a cool calendar website that you can see who is going to Grand Lido called http://tripcalendar.org  .  It’s free to use and to help link up with others going to the resort.

You can also read  my review from our January 2014 visit here.

Main updates from our visit three months ago:

• The check-in seemed a little faster.
• No one complained of no hot water so it seems that issue was resolved.
• The staff seemed even friendlier.
• They added the very popular floaters (great move).
• Added new beach chairs.

Interesting that Apple Maps has already updated their satellite photos showing the floaters.

You can see the floaters in the red circle on the CO beach. Hundreds of fish beside this point (blue circle) will fight over a bagel. Main beach is show by the yellow line and the crabs make their home in the yellow circle area.

Grand Lido is very unique from all the resorts in Jamaica and any where in the Caribbean.   I don’t think you will find a resort like this anywhere.  It’s not a new resort, it’s small and some people call it rustic.  So what makes it so special?  It has a private clothes optional beach.  Not like the nude beach at couples that is  separated from the main beach by a line in the sand but a private cove. Since it is not a nude beach but a clothes optional beach people are nude, topless and even wearing bathing suits.  This is definitely the key to Grand Lido’s success.

This time we had a room on the ground floor.  I usually don’t like a ground floor room but this was so nice to be able to walk out the patio door and be on the beach in just 20 feet.  We would sit on the deck each night and watch the sunset before going for dinner.  Our room was the same layout as the room in January 2014 visit.

Our Patio on the ground floor.

Views from our patio:

Don’t go to Grand Lido if you want crowds and loud music and lots of activities.  It’s a relaxed resort that feels a little like going to your own private cottage but with the benefit of never cooking, cleaning or doing all the upkeep to a cottage.  You can always get a beach chair or seat for dinner.

Staff & Dinner Pictures

Bottom line:

Grand Lido is a great resort to meet people in a quiet relaxing atmosphere.  It’s an adult resort with no kids running around and feels like a home away from home.

 

Grand Lido, Bloody Bay, Negril, Jamaica

Water wheel in Lobby

Lobby

View from our room

View from room

Service road

Bed

Coffee Maker

Shower

Sink

Guest for lunch

Main buffet

Feeding the fish

Stingray in cove

Fish in cove

Stingray in cove

Overview:

The resort is an older resort that was once the top hot spot in Jamaica to visit. It was recently sold and the new owners have said they will be spending 65 million dollars to upgrade the resort.  By today standards the resort is smaller than most with 210 rooms and lots of pillars in the way in the lobby.   This does make it less crowded and you can always get a beach chair or pool chair or get into  the À la Carte restaurants with no reservations.  This is a refreshing change of pace.

The resort has three areas, breach front, ocean view and cove view with is a cloths optional area. The beach front where rooms are located right on the beach with a grassy area between you and the beach but you are closer than any other resort I have been too.  Other rooms are located with an ocean view on the small cliff.  We stayed here and our patio deck was only about 30 feet from the ocean with a great view.  The other area is cloths optional.  It has three building and goes from the cliff area to the beach with their own private beach with no public access, pool and bar and both are cloths optional.

The main buffet restaurant is only open for dinner on Monday and Friday.  This seems unusual but forced one to use the À la Carte restaurants which turned out to be a great idea and the À la Carte restaurants were great.

During our stay we had no hot water and asked to be moved to another room.  Others were not so lucky and this seemed to be the main complaint of most people.  At least five or six couples had the same issue.  Even with this issue the resort is so relaxing and had such a variety of friendly guests that it was easily one of our favourite vacations.  We plan to go back as soon as possible.

Drive to the Resort:

It is a long drive from the airport to the resort.  Count on two full hours or more if their is road construction.

Check In:

Very bad check in service.  It’s slow and complicated.  It would be better if they just let you go to the bar or buffet to eat and have you check back with them.

Beach:

The best beach in Jamaica if not the Caribbean.  Pure white power sand with gentle slope into the shallow water.  You can walk out into the water for 100’s of feet and still not be over your head.

The resort is located at the end of Bloody Bay on cliffs that over look the ocean and a long section of beach.

The resort is next to the couples resort that has a nude beach section.  You need to walk through the couples nude beach section to continue along the beach.  There is virtually a line in the sand, nude not nude.

At the far end of the beach near the RIU resort you can feed lots of colourful fish in knee deep water.  The water does not look as clean at that end of the beach due to less water movement and leaves falling and decaying.  At our end of the beach the water is crystal clear.

Rooms:

The rooms are a little dated but clean.  You don’t spend much time in your room anyway and I really don’t care if it’s new as long as it’s clean.

The balcony is very tiny on the second floor.  Just enough room for two chairs but we did sit out most evenings since there were no bugs at all to bother you.  Our room over looked the ocean and was only 30 feet from the waves.

Food:

There is one main buffet restaurant and three  À la Carte restaurants.  The food was excellent in every one.

• Japanese Restaurant
• Italian Restaurant
• Mediterranean Restaurant
• Ice cream and coffee bar
• Jamaican Restaurant ( more like fast food ) 

Bottom line:

This resort while has some short coming including the terrible check in process and the overall age of the resort, it grows on you.  It has a small resort feel where everyone is friendly and you keep running into the same people at different restaurants.

Even with the bad checking experience, hot water issues and dated resort it was one of our favourite vacations.  It’s a relaxing resort with friendly staff and fun guests with a great beach.

RIU Palace Tropical Bay, Bloody Bay, Negril, Jamaica

Located on Bloody Bay in Negril Jamaica.  A small cove that is sheltered making the water very warm and calm.  Great for playing in the water or just floating without worry about undertows.

One of the friendliest places we have stayed not just the staff but the guests.

The beach is the best we have ever been on.  The sand is power smooth and the water is super hot and shallow and calm.  This is great for people who are not great swimmers and worried about  undertows.  No seaweed on the beach and it’s nice and wide.

You can rent a Sea Do for $40 per half hour and have a blast going all over the cove.  We rented one every day.

There are statues all around the property and they have watermelon carving at meals.  The buffet has an area by the beach so you can wear your bathing suit to grab a bite to eat.

There is a lot of marijuana on the beach and you will be asked but they don’t really bother you.  The beach has a public area where locals hang out but don’t bother you other then to ask if you want to buy some marijuana.

There is a sister RIU hotel at the end of the beach where you can go in to get a drink after walking down the beach.  Thats a great bonus.  They have water aerobics everyday in the ocean.  Other hotels usually have this in the pool but since the beach is so calm and shallow they do it in the ocean. My wife is not a water person but was in the ocean every day.  The cove seems like a giant swimming pool (or hot tub).

The hotel property is narrow but not too narrow.  You can sit in the lobby and watch the sun set over the ocean every night.  Some rooms are near the road and may cause some noise issues.

It is a long drive to the hotel from the airport but interesting.  Some road is good and some is very narrow going through small towns.You also see small goats on the road.  I’m not sure why they don’t get hit.

 

All in all it’s one of the best places we stayed, mainly due to the beach.  We spend more time swimming here then anywhere else.