Grand Lido vs Grand Pineapple?

I'm a newbie here and need advice. My best friend and I, both females in our 30's, are heading to Jamaica next month. We definitely want an all inclusive resort, I have been to Negril before and have stayed at Riu TB, Couples Negril and Couples Swept Away. Any thoughts on GP vs GL resorts? We are considering these based on budget. I love Bloody Bay but I also love Long Beach. My friend has never been before. My concern with GP is we may get bored with food or at night, though we aren't trying to get crazy. We just really want to relax. We could do Riu TB instead... Any thoughts? It's been years since I've been and I appreciate any feedback you can offer! Thank you! :)

A female friend of mine and I are heading to the Grand Pineapple next month. We were torn between there and Riu Palace. We chose GP based on its location. There isn't a lot to do on the resort itself but close enough to the "action" so to speak. Whichever property you decide on I'm sure you'll have a great time!

My wife and I really liked Grand Pineapple. It was a good blend of a Sandals type resort and a locally owned more down to earth one. You won't get bored with the food unless you're planning on staying a month or so.. It was very good - as were the drinks and the beach was wonderful. We have never been to Grand Lido so we can't help you there..

Grand Lido is more upscale but has no Negril vibe. Grand Pineapple is in the middle
of Negril life.

Maybe it's just me, but I have always thought of grand lido as kind of the retirement resort. It looks lovely, but also like nothing goes on past the early bird dinner special at 4:30. That is not necessarily bad in my opinion.. Just an observation.

Grand lido offers more food variety, but night time was really lame.... And lately the price isn't on par with Grand pineapple.. I was looking at both for November, and Grand Pineapple was $197 per night.. Which seemed high.. Then I checked Grand Lido....... wow.. $486 per night.. I'm too cheap for that. lol. I got it last year for $129 per night.. That I can totally justify.. lol.. Heck I can justify $197 per night. Especially knowing everything is right there.. Where as we had to all get in cabs to go out from Lido. Not horrible, but not as much fun as just walking the beach, wandering to a few different places and staggering back at will..
I travel on a budget.. That's how I can get away each year.. But even for $197 per night I can see having meals off property.
Lido is nice, and the food and people were great, but it just felt very isolated.. The lamb chops at the grill are dynamite. LOVE!

We just got back from the GP last week and we had a great time there. The staff was great and the buffet's were varied for dinner and lunch. Breakfast was mostly the same every day. However as was stated you can walk up and down the beach. Alfreds is right next door and they have some great fish and chips, and great jerk chicken. Bourbon beach is down a little ways towards the west end. Alfreds and Bourbon beach have live shows during the week. GP does have kayaks and a small catamaran. If you don't know how to sail, the staff would be more than happy to take you out on it. The rooms at GP are a little dated, but they are clean and comfortable. Try to get the beach side if you decide to go there.

I have stayed at all hotels except the Pineapple. In my opinion the Riu TB is WAY overpriced now,Lido is a tired old resort with it's best years behind it, CSA is great (if you're a millionaire)??????

We've stayed at both Grand Lido (in 2011 when it was Breezes) and Grand Pineapple and given the choice of which I would rather go back to, I would pick Grand Pineapple. I prefer the Long Bay part of the beach over Bloody Bay. Also, the evening entertainment was extremely lame when we were at Breezes, same singers singing reggae versions of American songs every night it seemed like. Grand Pineapple brought a small band in 3 nights a week, I think, which was really nice. There's more to see and do at Grand Pineapple and the staff was wonderful when we were there.

I would say Grand Pineapple for SURE! Aside from a huge price difference, GP is located in the middle of the 7 mile beach and Lido is on another beach. I stayed at GP twice, and will return in 2014. My friends stayed at both and overwhelmingly preferred GP. My friends found the guests and the staff at Lido stuffy. The rooms at Lido would be better, and the food might be better BUT the ambiance of staying on the 7 mile beach is beyond compare. There is so much within walking distance. At Lido you have a small , but nice beach, but you cannot walk to anything. You would have to take a taxi or a really long walk to the 7 mile beach. If I was in my 30's I would never consider Lido, unless you are scared tourists wanting to stay behind the hotel walls. The staff at GP is very nice and the rooms are all right and the food was decent . I really think you would be happier at GP. I also think Lido would be a disappointment. Go Grand Pineapple!

We took our kids and friends to the GP in March of this year. (Our kids and their friends are all in their 20's) My wife and I have been to Negril many times, but it was their first time. I picked GP for the location. Right in the middle of Long Beach. GP was a nice resort, but the place folded early. The bar even closed at Midnight. No worries! We bought our own bottle of rum and the party continued! All in all a nice resort, but there is NO nightlife after about 9:00. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Greg

The bar does close at midnight..But like you said..the party can continue at other locations too..Alfred's on live music night..or..you can just sit at the edge of the GP and listen to the music and not have to pay the cover charge..heh heh..the guard told us to do that..BB parties later or if you want to go to a club you could go to the Jungle..I guess it depends on what your looking for. We really enjoyed it.

You can clearly hear the music from Alfreds as you sit on the GP beach. You can also walk to Bourbon Beach or Roots Bamboo.

we've stayed at Breezes twice. First time was in October. We found the 7 mile deserted in Oct, compared to Feb. During primetime, we love the 7 mile, and have stayed at a bunch of places. I agree its wonderful to see so many people, bars and restaurants bustling. Perfect. But we find that during low season, we prefer an all inclusive. There's something to be said for having everything right there. Five a la carte restaurants, buffet for breakfast and lunch. Unlimited drinks of your choice, and beautiful surroundings. We arent much for nightlife, we're early risers. I love to kayak in the morning...
Now that Sunwing is bringing Breezes back to Grand Lido, I want to see what changes they've made. I pulled the trigger today, to go next Friday. Price was right, $2090 for two people, flights in. Cant wait.

To follow up on what Jody said...we are going sept 28-oct 3 and are thinking of splitting our stay b/w catcha & GP, is 7mile deserted suring this time? Please say no. Is Alfred's, Burbon Beach and others open? If not, maybe we'll just stay at Catcha the entire (what a sacrifice, huh?). Thanks in advance