Heading past magnificent Montego Bay on the way to Negril, our driver, Island Man, volunteered countless bits of information about Jamaica. Island Man claims he got his nickname because in his 50 years of life, he has never left and has no plans ever to leave the island. That house over there was John Candy's house in the movie Cool Runnings, and that hill just ahead is where they set up the bobsled run. The usually short 1 1/2-hour, 55-mile ride to Grand Lido Negril took a little longer than usual because the rain was quite hard and parts of the roadway had been washed out. Road construction on a new highway from Montego Bay to Negril also contributed to slow progress. Luckily for us, Island Man made for an entertaining ride as he singled out interesting landmarks along the way.
My wife Ayelet and I were looking forward to the second leg of our honeymoon at Grand Lido Negril. We had just spent four marvelous days at one of the sister resorts, Grand Lido Sans Souci, and were definitely in the mood for more fun and romance. Tucked away in a protected cove in Bloody Bay, the Grand Lido Negril Resort lies on a two-mile crescent of Negril's famous white-sand beach. The beach is definitely what sets the tone in Negril, and this beautiful 22-acre resort does a phenomenal job of integrating the free-spirit atmosphere with an elegant setting. The Resort's Mediterranean-style tile and stone lobby are a must mention. The resort has a total of 210 suites, including two presidential suites and eight luxury beachfront Jacuzzi suites. Our room was a beachfront split-level junior suite that featured a large living room area, king-size bed, air conditioning, ceiling fans and color television. The unparalleled view of Bloody Bay from our balcony was inspiring. As we witnessed our first fiery red-orange sunset, it became clear why Negril has a reputation for romance and beauty.
Grand Lido Negril, like all SuperClubs' Grand Lido Resorts, is what the company calls a super-inclusive resort. These resorts are intended for couples, singles and adult families 16 years and older. The super-inclusive package takes personalized service to new heights, offering luxury accommodations, meals with premium-brand cocktails, 24-hour room service, land and water sports, recreational activities, entertainment, and full-service weddings or vow renewals. The resorts also have a no-tipping policy that is strictly enforced.
Ayelet and I had tried to do as much as possible during the first few days of our vacation; in Negril, we were finally getting into island mode and starting to kick back. Aside from lying on the beach, one of the great things to do in Negril is to take a long stroll down the white-sand shoreline. A number of resorts line the beach. A walk past the resort area finds people engaged in all sorts of activities: swimming, snorkeling, skiing, sunbathing and parasailing.
At one end or another of a resort's periphery, you can usually find a clothing-optional beach for those who don't believe in tan lines. Once past the resort area, you can find local vendors set up in small tents on the beach, trying to sell clothes, woodcarvings and all sorts of other goodies including miscellaneous contraband. This added character and provided but a minor distraction from the overall picture of the panoramic blue on blue of the sea and sky contrasting with the white and green of the tropical beach.
Later in the day, we had made arrangements to join the evening cruise on the 147-foot M/Y Zein, a luxury power yacht that was originally presented as a wedding gift to Princess Grace and Prince Rainier by Aristotle Onassis. The M/Y Zein is anchored off the Grand Lido Negril; daily sunset cruises are complimentary for guests. The cruise takes guests to the most western point of the island. The view from the water provides a great vantage point of the West End lighthouse, which is located near world-famous Rick's Cafi. As we passed the cafi, we could see the local cliff divers jumping into the sea. The cruise was absolutely exquisite a romantic adventure that included live entertainment, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The ship's commander, Capt. Wynne, was extremely hospitable and had an interesting conversation with Ayelet about the various uses of radar.
Back at the resort, a variety of dining options are offered. Breakfast and lunch are served at the Gran Terrazza, a casual, open-air buffet. For dinner guests can choose from La Pasta for casual Italian, Cafe Lido for continental dining, or the Piacere for fine French-style dining. Ayelet and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and belated honeymoon at the Piacere. I ordered a light, smooth, red French wine, which we casually drank through the delicious four-course gourmet dinner. For desert our waiter brought out a specially prepared anniversary cake for us to share. Relaxed and content, we set out to enjoy the rest of the evening.
The resort provides live nightly entertainment; the themed parties at the Gran Terrazza are quite festive and audience participation is required. We especially enjoyed the Caribbean Carnival Showcase. The visiting Montego Bay Group gave a spirited performance. A calypso band played as dancers performed traditional African and Caribbean dances; the amazing Slinky kept us dazzled with his flexible contortions; and the fire eater kept things hot hot hot as he worked his fire-breathing magic. Once again, my wife somehow convinced me to participate, and I soon found myself attempting contortions of my own as we were led through an exciting round of limbo.
The Atlantis disco seemed to have potential but never really got going during our stay. This was partially due to the fact that September is off-season and the resort was not at full capacity. Grand Lido Negril is adjacent to another SuperClubs resort called Hedonism II, which has a reputation as a swinging place. One evening we decided to head over for the pajama party. Held at the resort's disco, the dress code, or better yet, the no-dress code, was strictly enforced. Only those wearing pajamas, nightgowns , lingerie or nothing were allowed to enter. We quickly discovered that the G-string was the most popular garment of the evening for both men and women. This was not necessarily a good thing, since many of the men were showing a little more than we cared to see. The women were also dressed provocatively, but I had an easier time dealing with this. Can you imagine? To top it off, a body art convention was being held at the resort, so many of the guests were tattooed from head to toe. I'll spare more details, but suffice it to say that Hedonism's wild reputation remains intact.
For daytime fun, the Grand Lido offers scuba with resort certification; snorkeling; water skiing; glass-bottom boat rides; windsurfing; sunfish sailing; Hobie Cats; and kayaking. The water-sports staff usually requires at least one lesson before taking out any of the equipment. This was somewhat problematic because lessons were only offered twice a day, thus limiting the possibilities. If you wanted to go skiing and take out a Hobie Cat on the same day, it wasn't so easy. In my opinion, the water-sports staff could have shown some flexibility, especially since we were rained out a couple of times. When we did manage to obtain equipment, we had a blast. On our last day, we got up early, packed up our luggage and headed out to the beach for sailing. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a good, stiff wind. Ayelet and I sailed back and forth in the bay for hours. It was really a great way to end the trip: sunburned, tired and ready to head home. It had literally been a Grand honeymoon, one that exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed every minute of our stay at the Grand Lido Sans Souci and Grand Lido Negril. The people we met and the friends we made will not fade anytime soon from our memories.
Posted online 11/01/99.
