I will start by saying that we are both in our early 30’s and have three small children at home. This was our second trip to a Lido and the first time we stayed at Braco. We loved Braco so much, but decided to book the Lido Lottery because of the huge difference this made in price. I was definitely keeping my fingers crossed the entire time for Braco while my husband was wishing on Negril. San Souci was our 3rd choice (out of 3 to those of you not familiar with the Lido Lottery.)
We found out the day before we were leaving that we would be vacationing at San Souci. By this time, we were so ready to escape life, we were excited and starting researching San Souci as much as we could before we headed out the following morning.
Once arriving in Montego Bay, we got through immigration lines and my husband immediately went out to find us some cold Red Stripes. Right outside the airport there were guys selling big plastic bags full of ice and Red Stripes for the trip. I would definitely recommend this for the 2 hour trip (or even one hour to Braco), but once you go out and purchase the beer, you can not come back in. So, make sure that one of you does not mind staying inside with the luggage while the other is out with the beer. I was watching Brad out there sipping on a Red Stripe talking to some friendly Jamaican man and I could NOT figure out why in the world he was not bringing me a beer! Well, you can’t, so be patient!
Only about 10 miles into the trip, our driver stopped at a small restaurant, gift store, beer shack, for a short break and for anyone who wanted to purchase drinks and smoking materials for their vacation! Yeah~ You are also able to buy more Red Stripes for your bag, which just might be empty already! The trip was long, but we didn’t mind it. We had a fun group on our bus, a few of which also ended up at San Souci with us. We ran out of beer the last 45 minutes and we would not allow this to happen next time!
When we first arrived at San Souci, we were greeted by Carmalita, whom we absolutely grew to adore. She is the friendliest most beautiful person and if you head to San Souci, you would be missing out if you don’t get to know her. She always greeted us by name no matter where she saw us throughout the resort and she was ALWAYS there… I don’t know when in the world she rested! She offered us champagne, Rum Punch or Red Stripes and we quickly were given all necessary information for the remainder of our trip.
We were then taken to our rooms. Once we arrived in our room, we were a little displeased because we had a ground level room. The view was beautiful as was the room, but within 5 minutes, I had already had to speak to 4 guests from our Verandah, because they were walking by within 5 feet of us! We like to sleep on vacation with the doors wide open as well as the blinds and this would have been impossible in this location. Everyone could have seen us. Brad immediately called up and spoke with Carmalita and within 5 minutes, she called us back and told to us to bring our luggage back to the lobby and she would see what she could do.
We quickly ordered room service and had it delivered to the pool patio outside of the Piano Bar. Brad ordered us our first fruity rum drink… yum!… and our food was soon delivered! It, of course, was delicious, as is all food at the two Lido Resorts we have visited! We sat and relaxed (and ate and drank) for almost an hour and then Carmalita informed us that our Room was ready!
We were once again escorted to our room, this time G-17! We were in shock! Not only did it have an even more beautiful view from a larger Verandah, it was a suite! It had an entire large sitting area, refrigerator area, table and four chairs and a separate bedroom, bath on the back! It was beautiful and definitely a giant step up from our first ground level room! We were officially in HEAVEN! Don’t hesitate to ask to change rooms if you are unhappy, they most likely will do what they can to accommodate you… it is your home base quarters for your entire vacation, even though you do spend very little time in your room.
From here I will simply breeze through the week pointing out the highlights and must do’s that we found throughout our vacation!
We spent everyday at the clothing optional beach, which we absolutely loved! The beach is rocky, but has the most beautiful view of the ocean and mountains all around! If you want to float, just hop on your yellow mat as soon as you hit the water and the rocky bottom will never bother you!
The sunset on this beach is breathtaking! And people from the regular beach would start wandering over around 6:00 so they could see the sunset. Brad and I never put on any clothes, but they didn’t seem to mind and as long as you don’t care either… they are NOT “gawking” as I had previously read… they only want to see the sunset! If you prefer the regular beach, do make suere you make it over the c/o beach for a sunset. Also, for any of you who are skeptical about the nude bathing thing, this is the perfect resort, because there were people dressed (and undressed) in all varieties! It is very comfortable and if you want to towel up to head to the bathroom or even wear bottoms, tops, whatever, it is fine… no one really cares!
Damian was our bartender and he turned out to be our favorite person for the entire vacation! He is so warm and friendly that we formed a friendship in a week that would probably take years in the States! Seymour, the clothing optional beach grill chef, was also one of our very favorite people at the resort! He would make us little surprises throughout the week, even when we had not asked. How special that was! He also makes the BEST jerk pork at the resort! Seymore and Damian would sit at the c/o pool bar and eat with us, which we loved, sharing their lives with us… they definitely helped to make our vacation the best we have ever had! Another special person was Jermaine, whom we met close the end of our trip, but were very glad that we had! Make a point to meet these special people if you have a chance, they are all very uniquely extraodinary!
As far as dining goes, the breakfast and lunch buffets both offered a wide variety! Both breakfast and lunch had a huge selection of fruits, which were absolutely delicious! We would usually start off with an entire plate at each meal! At breakfast they offered made to order omelets as well as many other egg varieties, even eggs benedict. They had pastries and breakfast meats and waffles and french toast, etc… Anyone could be happy!
At lunch, they always had soup, many vegetable choices, mexican food, fish varieties, deli sandwiches, and a made to order sandwich griller. They also had tons of mouthwatering desserts! We only ate at each buffet two times because Seymour kept our bellies full all day at the c/o beach grill and we ordered in room breakfast most mornings to hold us over until we saw Seymour at noon!
We ate at the Italian restaurant twice and both meals were very elegant and the food was exceptional in our opinion! Both times we ordered the specials, which were seafood and make sure you order noodles on the side. You do have to ask, but they will serve any meal with Fettuchini or whatever pasta you prefer. The menu here was large and had non-Italian choices such as Filet Mignon as well.
The French restaurant was equally delicious! We only ate there once, but thoroughly enjoyed the ambience. It was quiet and Trevor, another HAVE TO MEET!, played the piano the entire meal. I would recommend sitting inside so you can hear him play while you enjoy your dinner. I ordered the Filet this night and it was one of the best steaks I have ever had. Brad ordered the fish special and loved it as well!
The Jamaican restaurant was situated right on the beach and had a beautiful atmosphere with lit trees and the faint sound of the waves coming in. We both ordered the specials this evening and it was our least favorite meal of the week. There were many choices on the menu that we heard from others were delicious, so definitely give it a try! The locale is worth experiencing! Cadre, the main beach bartender, was another wonderful person to get to know! He was very attentive and even in the evenings when the bar was packed, he had “Jamaican” time to chat! What wonderful people they all are!
Each evening, after enjoying a spectacular meal, and then enjoying drinks with Cadre, we would wander over to the piano bar to watch a show and later sing with Trevor. Trevor plays piano at the piano bar most evenings and had the most beautiful, strong voice I have heard… forget the microphone! His smile takes over his entire face! This would normally go on until 1:00 in the morning and then the group we had made friends with would all go swimming (nude) in the mineral pool and mineral hot tub! No one cared this time of night (security guards and such), but might peek at you every once in a while to make sure you were safe, after drinking all night with Trevor! Kevin, the piano bartender, is also a great person. He would send us off to the mineral pool with just about any thing we asked for… several champagne bottles, wine bottles, etc…. We would stay here until the wee hours… actually saw the sun RISE 2 mornings! PHEW! But, our group swears that it was floating in the mineral pool every night that kept the hangovers away and kept us drinking the entire next day after next… after next…
Spa… The spa treatments were not included in our Lido Lottery package, but Brad and I did pay for a massage together in a cliff hut over looking the ocean one morning! It was unbelievable! Do book your spa stuff in the morning, because I heard several people complain at the c/o beach about having to leave the beach for a treatment… you kindof get settled (and intoxicated) and we were very glad to start off our day with such a relaxing treat! I only heard wonderful things about all the treatments, a lady we became very close with had the seaweed wrap and lost 7 pounds (of toxins) in one hour… literally!
Water Sports… The only water sport we experienced this time was snorkling and the water was a little choppy this day. I loved it, but Brad kept sucking in water the whole time. This trip, which we took on our last day, only made me wish we had done the scuba as we had in Braco. Next time we head to a Lido we will be certified! We were enjoying our days of NOTHINGNESS too much to give up a whole morning to get recertified.
I think we are the first of all the trip reports to say that we prefer San Souci to Braco. They are both incredible vacation spots, but here are a few reasons for our judgment: San Souci’s surroundings are absolutely beautiful… the foilage, the cliffs, the views, etc… are way more breathtaking than Braco. San Souci was very relaxing! We loved the atmosphere at the c/o beach, even though we both go totally nude.
Everyone has to wear clothes to get there, so you don’t get the irritated looks that I felt at Braco if I wanted to cover up to make it to the bar or bathroom. The pool is not nearly as large as Braco’s pool, but while you float in the pool and sit at the pool bar, your also looking at the ocean because it is so close. We loved this! The hot tub at Braco surpasses San Souci’s by strides! We found San Souci’s help to go way more out of their way to get to know us, make us happy and actually form friendships, than at Braco! Don’t get me wrong… we loved Braco as well, but if we were given the choice, we both agree that we would choose San Souci!
Please don’t hesitate to write us with any questions on comparisons of the two and you can also read our April 2000 trip report of Braco to hear our thoughts before experiencing San Souci, we were equally impressed at the time with Braco!
Happy Lidoing!
Joy and Brad
April 2002