Rick & Judy - July, 2010
My wife and I recently return from a vacation at Breezes Grand Negril. It was our 2nd time there; we were there for the first time last Nov. This was the first time we returned to a resort. In the past ether we didn’t feel like we wanted to go back or we were afraid that it would not meet our expectations on a 2nd trip. We are both glad we went back and are looking forward to a third trip next year.
Arrival and transportation to BGN went smooth. I did kind of miss the water this time at the Superclubs lounge, I know it is a little thing, but after dealing with customs and immigration after a long day of travel little things mean a lot and since this is the first encounter with Superclubs a little cool refreshment would be appreciated. We arrived at the resort at about 10:30 at night and check-in went fast were immediately escorted to our room.
Two weeks before we went, I e-mailed the resort with a request for what building we hoped to be staying at, we had stayed in room 2048 last Nov. and loved it, and wanted to be back in the same building but in a ground floor room. One week before our trip we were notified that our request would be granted, but when we arrived we were assigned room 1078. Big disappointment, the room was real musty, maybe it had not been in use for awhile, and it didn’t have the 8 head shower we loved so much. I can now see why some people have issues with the Jacuzzi tubs with the step. They really need to redo these bathrooms. Hardly any water pressure for the shower and I would imagine it would take forever to fill the tubs. Since it was late they could not change our room that night, but the next day we were assigned our old room and all was good, we were home again. The room was clean and comfortable with no musty smell. Housekeeping was better this trip than the last one for the most part. Our room is cleaned usually by lunch time; the only issue was on fully restocking the room. One day it might be the lotions that my wife loves so much or only 1 coffee cup, little things, but they do affect your attitude, on our last full day they didn’t restock the bath towels, they took the old ones but didn’t replace them. It only took a quick call to housekeeping fix but it should not have happened.
The food is very good for an AI resort. The breakfast buffet was great. We found he lunch buffet was pretty good, if a little repetitive, but you could also go to the Reggae Café or the c/o grill. The Grand Café was our favorite of the ala cart restaurants; we had great food and service the three times we ate there. The French restaurant is also excellent for food and service but they need to get rid of the rule about men wearing jackets. We were disappointed in La Pasta, the food there was ok but the service came up short, I guess our sever could just have been having a bad day but it seemed like she just wanted us to leave as soon as possible. We didn’t eat at the Japanese restaurant this time. As for the Reggae Café, when we first arrived it was the only place available to get something to eat. All they had to choose from was Jerk Chicken, Jerk Pork or a Jerk Burger, we were just glad to get something to eat. But later that week we went there for lunch from the beach with some friends and they refused to serve us because one of the ladies beach cover-ups was too revealing, that it was a restaurant and beach wear was not allowed. I mean if one time you are there and all they have is Jerk Chicken, Pork or Burgers it would seem to be a grill and that casual beach wear would be allowed. If it is a restaurant maybe it should have a full restaurant menu. The c/o grill was great alternative for lunch the burgers and patties are very good, I was more than a little bit disappointed that the c/o grill did not have any lamb chops this trip, they did have grilled lamb which my wife preferred but I did miss those chops. I hope they are back for our next trip.
Of course the main beach is outstanding, the resort sits on a perfect location, we only did the glass bottom boat this trip and it was fun, the staff are very entertaining. They also had all the other water sports there such as scuba, snorkeling, sailing, I didn’t see the ski boat this trip, I think it was broke down from what other people have said. We spent most of our time on the clothing optional beach which I feel is one of the best features of this resort. You meet some of the friendliest people when you are all naked. I would not like BGN to change their policy on a clothing optional beach, it is a great way to get into the whole being naked thing but I did see a lot more people in full swimsuits this trip. Our last trip there was only one guy there that did not completely strip down and he left after about 15 mins. And about 90% of the ladies were ether topless or nude. My wife felt uncomfortable at first with so many this time in suits. Also there were a group that liked to monopolizes the Jacuzzi while wearing full bathing suits, I mean come on, they could use any of the other Jacuzzis. Maybe the resort could change the rule and make the pool and Jacuzzi, au natural, nude only.
As for pools, this is where BGN really comes up short; the main pool has really nothing to offer. Maybe the resort could add some umbrellas and tables and include drink service at the main pool. Even though BGN has a great beach there are some who don’t like to swim in the ocean and don’t like sand in the bathing suits and this might satisfy them somewhat for not having a pool with a swim up bar. The c/o pool is small, just big enough for a quick dip to cool down or a game of volleyball. It got more use than the main pool.
The Staff at BGN is outstanding, except for the issues with housekeeping, and that could just be that the resort was not providing them with all that they needed to restock the rooms, we had no issues at all with the people that work here. They are the biggest asset at BGN. We found most all of them to be friendly and helpful.
Breezes Grand Negril is no longer a Grand Lido, and without a major shutdown and total refurbishment there is no way it could be a “5” star resort. But that is ok. It can be a great “4” star resort if they pay attention to the little things that make or break a vacation. When we are paying Breezes prices we don’t expect the Grand Lido, we had a great vacation and met some great people, we are looking forward to our next trip, hopefully next May.