Couples Negril: Roy & Nancy - June, 2013
Couples Negril
June 13 -20, 2013
Some photos from
the trip can be viewed at :
http://royinva.shutterfly.com/
Note to Hedonism
II lovers:
My wife and I have vacationed at Hedo more than any other place since the late 1980's. As the resort went down hill we began to spread our vacation choices around and found that there are a lot of great places to vacation in Jamaica. We do not suggest Couples Negril as an alternative to Hedo if you are mainly at Hedo for the open sex, the non-stop party, or the group takeovers. We have found none of that at Couples Negril but we have found a resort that is a great value for the $ and is perfect for a romantic, relaxing vacation with a beautiful nude beach. The price at Couples is usually (but not always) more than at Hedo but with that price comes outstanding food, and upgrades like free wifi all over the resort included in the price, Four weekly sunset catamaran cruises to the cliffs that include rum punch, beer, and some other drinks. Nice rooms (nothing fancy) but bright, clean, and with excellent A/C and a ceiling fan in every room. In all our trips to CN we have never had a day when we didn't get face cloths with our clean towels. I cannot imagine why this is such a challenge at Hedo, but it is not at Couples for some reason. The evening turndown service is a great perk as well because I love coming back to the room at the end of the evening to find clean towels replenished since we used them to shower before dinner. The Mini Bar in each room is stocked with what you want and includes a few bottles of liquor of your choice if you want. The price at Couples also still includes a great arrival lounge at MBJ with Red Stripe on tap and other drinks as well. All of these things more than compensate for the higher up front price than some other resorts. Just something to keep in mind as you price a vacation. Couples has been a great value for the $ for us because of all these things and the many other inclusions. The really low group rates at Hedo cannot be matched, but the down side is that if you are getting those low group rates then there are groups there.... and we began to find some of the groups a real challenge when it comes to enjoying the resort when they are allowed to 'take over' and run the resort the way they want when they are there. This is not an issue at Couples resorts. Every paying guest is treated the same at Couples. We are by no means 'done' with Hedo though! In fact our next trip will likely be to Hedo since I have always said we were waiting for signs that management loves Hedo as much as we do .... and the new management certainly seems to be doing it. The challenge is still to find a way to dodge the more obnoxious groups and this gets harder all the time. Keep in mind that Denny can get good rates to Couples Resorts too!
Transportation:
We flew AirTran Non-Stop from BWI to Sangster and have continued to be happy with that flight and have taken it several times. Not many stations were open at Immigration and it took about 30 minutes to get through. The really different part for us (after dozens of trips to Jamaica) was that at Customs things came to a standstill. They were actually opening and going through suitcases of incoming passengers taking things out in a very thorough way! I have never seen that before when entering Jamaica Finally someone called our flight # and opened another station where they only allowed our flight. Our luggage was not opened nor was anyone else in our line. Not sure what was up with the other lines. We got no clue as to what was up, but it was very different than every other trip. I can only guess they were looking for things being brought illegally into Jamaica for resale or things not claimed on the customs forms.
Couples Lounge
and Transfer:
Excellent as always! Some of the lounges are gone and some resorts don't include transfers anymore ( SuperClubs for example) but the Couples Lounge is still excellent with its own clean bathrooms, free Red Stripe beer and other drinks. We were on our way within about 10 minutes.
Couples Negril Resort:
Check-In was quick and efficient. I was going to request a room in a particular building but they were fully booked at full capacity and we had already been assigned a room in Building 2 in which they had already stocked the mini-bar to my requests in my online check-in. Red Stripes in bottles, Pepsi, Ting, Ginger Ale, Club Soda, Orange Juice, Pineapple juice, Cranberry juice, and a bottle of chilled white wine. On top of the counter was a full bottle of Appleton Run. Every day they filled the ice bucket with fresh ice so that we could make a drink whenever the mood struck us. This stocked mini-bar is included with every room at every level at Couples. I think you can only get it pre-stocked if you are a Romance Rewards Member and check in online otherwise you can still do it, but you need to call and order what you want after you arrive in your room. The stocked mini-bar including full bottles of booze you request, beer, and mixers is a really nice part of the A-I package at Couples Resorts.
Our room (2309) is a Garden Deluxe room, the least expensive category. We always book that category and have always loved our rooms at CN. The room was spotlessly clean every day with a different cute towel creation on the bed. The rooms are not fancy but are bright and comfortable. We were on the third floor, which is what I would have requested anyway. The balcony overlooked the beautiful gardens and the spa area. I love 2nd and 3rd floor balconies at CN. One of the things I love about all the rooms at CN is that they all have ceiling fans! A ceiling fan is the difference between wet clothes drying over night or staying wet damp all week. I wish every resort had ceiling fans.
Beach:
The beach along Bloody Bay is simply stunning, spectacular and with less foot traffic that Long Bay. This is my favorite beach ever in all my travels and Couples Negril has the very best part this amazing beach. Every single lounge chair at CN is in good shape and has a clean float on it. At some other resorts it is sometimes hard to find a chair and even harder to find a float and even harder to find a float that is not gross. This is not the case at CN at all. In addition there are plenty of small tables to go around. Other resorts should pay attention to how CN does this.
Nude Beach area: The nude beach area at CN is beautiful. They have recently upgraded the bar there and Mesha does an excellent job. The beach area is outstanding and the water is so clean with such a white sandy bottom that I almost don't miss having a pool there.... almost. I do wish there was a pool there but I don't think it's in the cards.
Both beaches at CN had red flag service available, but we prefer to go to the bar and order our own. In addition the main beach has a self service bar that has self-serve booze dispensers and a soda machine so you can make your own simple drinks very quickly and easily. It's nice to be able to grab an Appleton Run and Pepsi as you walk by rather having it made at the bar. It's all good!
Pools: The main pool is very large and very clean. It has a hot tub at each end, plenty of room to float around and a water volleyball court that is in use off and on all day. There is another smaller pool that is quieter, used also for scuba training and it also is set up with chairs and pad/floats. There is another hot tub there recessed into the gardens.
Restaurants: Overall CN has the best food of any resort I have visited, but it is an very individual thing. Some might not like it, but we find it perfect! The restaurant choices are excellent.
Otahiete: This one requires reservations and men must where a collared shirt, long pants, and shoes. Well worth it though! The Filet Mignon was amazing both times we ate there. My wife chose the fish of the day and raved about the Red Snapper and Sea Bass she had. Service here is excellent, the drinks are great, and A/C feels awesome. Very good!
Lychee: This is my favorite restaurant in Jamaica (any resort). I love that it is quiet enough to talk to the people I am with but still casual. I love that it has superb Air Conditioning. I love the food!!! Shrimp and Chicken Pad Thai after some fresh sushi or a Tasting Platter for two is outstanding. This is our go to place. No reservation, no long pants, great A/C, and not a lot of noise, and very good warm saki!
Heliconia: This one is Italian themed and is very good. It is open air dining under a roof right on the beach. It doubles as the beach grill during the day but they put out the white linen table cloths and napkins at night and it is a great place for dinner. Very good!
Cassava: The main dining room is an excellent buffet at breakfast and lunch but becomes a very nice restaurant at night. There are nights when food is served as a buffet at dinner (Beach Party, etc...) but most nights you order from a very diverse menu here too. Much more classy than the buffets for dinner at most other resorts.
Entertainment was different outside entertainers every night, all very talented. We love that we see the Silver Birds Steel Drum Band there every trip so far.
Activites/Inclusions:
Turn Down
Service:
I used to scoff at this but I love that after we
shower and go to dinner and the shows that we come back
to our room to find the bed fresh again and all the
towels replaced with clean towels and face cloths.
I like this!
Free/Included
Wifi:
This would cost $90 a week at some resorts but it is
included for free at Couples.
I was able to connect in my room, the beach, the
pool, the nude beach, the main dining room, pretty much
everywhere except in the Lychee Restaurant.
We use Facebook to keep in touch with my wife's
business and our kids at home and the reliable,
free/included wifi is are really nice part of what
Couples offers for the price.
There is a long list of daily activities posted every day, and unlike some place they do take place as scheduled as long as there are people interested in taking part in them. Arts and crafts, Tye Dye Tee Shirts, Couples Massage class, mixology, Jamaican cooking classes, all types of water and land sports...
The Gym is well equipped and nicely air conditioned. There is also a yoga/aerobics studio area that seems to get a lot of use.
The Tennis program is well run and fun. The club pro is personable and competent and the visiting pro was excellent.
The Piano Bar is sing-along with the piano player some nights and Karaoke some nights. The drinks are great there and the A/C keeps it very comfy!
Sunset Catamaran to the cliffs- Don't miss this! At many other resorts you would have to pay extra to do this while it is included at CN four times per week. The drinks flow both ways and they stop in the water below the Pushcart Restaurant at Rockhouse resort. Here you can continue the party on the huge catamaran, or try the sliding board into the water, or swim into the caves for a look. This is a very nice inclusion and at goes out four times per week so if you love it you can go more than once.
There is also a shuttle to a bar on the cliffs for sunset that is included, but if you drink while at the bar you need to pay for those but the included shuttle is a really nice inclusion.
Romance Rewards Program:
This is among the nicer repeat guest programs. After only one trip (if you sign up for free) you get $100 resort credit (we spent ours on a fantastic couples massage) but you can use it in the shops, for laundry service, and a few other things. On arrival we got a package with T-Shirts, Welcome Back Letter, and an invitation to the Repeat Guest Cocktail Party and Repeat Guest Dinner. The cocktail party is in the Piano Bay with great appetizers and drinks. Managers from every department at the resort from the GM himself to the head of the Groundskeeping department, are all there to circulate and talk to the guests. They are keen to find out what you like and don't like as they are always trying to refine and improve the vacation experience at Couples. The dinner was help in Lychee and each group table has a member of the administrative department heads. We were seated with the GM (Ricardo) and had a very informative conversation and a wonderful dinner of Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Shrimp Thermidor (lobster is the norm but was out of season on this trip).
Romance Rewards members even on their first every trip to Couples can choose to do the "Trading Places Day" at another Couples resort with free transport both ways. We spent day at Couples Swept Away and enjoyed a LONG walk down that part of the 7 Mile Beach (Long Bay) choosing fun bars to stop at along the way for a drink and to visit. It was nice day trip and we really enjoyed exploring CSA since we had not been there since long before it was a Couples Resorts (just Swept Away back in the day!).
The night before we left a Romance Rewards departure gift was delivered to our room. A small "Couples Resorts" foldable cooler with bottles of water and granola bars inside. We made good use of them on the trip home!
What would I like
to see improved?
The beach grill, serving burgers, Jerk Chicken, Wraps, etc.... seemed extraordinarily slow this time. This needs to be improved. There is no reason it needed to be this slow! The Jerk Chicken is basically already cooked but instead of putting out the jerk chicken orders quickly they methodically filled the orders one by one in the order they were placed. This may seem to make sense, but if you order Jerk Chicken but they won't give it to you until they have cooked and served all the burgers and wrap orders placed ahead of you ...? The food that is ready should be served right away rather than waiting in line for everything else to be cooked and served. Anyway, that is my view of it!
Overall, Couples provides a great All-Inclusive vacation experience with inclusions that are a cut above most other A-I resorts we have visited. The sticker price may seem a little higher than some other places but the inclusions more than make up that difference for us. We will be back and will continue to try the other Couples Resorts over time.