Jamaica Trip Report   November 6-14th, 1999  

My wife, Diane and I along with our traveling buddies Lloyd and Jeanne headed from Philadelphia to the Couples resorts in Jamaica on their “doubletake” offer.  We spent three nights in Ocho Rios and four nights in Negril.  We got stuck in Jamaica on our return home because of an over booked flight but I’ll deal with that topic later.  This trip report will be split into three parts: Couples Ocho Rios, Couples Negril and getting stuck in Jamaica.  

Couples Ocho Rios

We left Philadelphia early on Saturday November 6 th .  We flew Air Jamaica from Philly into Montego Bay. Our flight was booked and in fact, we were asked if we’d like to wait a day to travel because the flight was over booked.  This should have been a bad omen of things to come later but we were too giddy with the thought of a week in the warm sunshine to notice.  

The in-flight service on Air Jamaica was wonderful.  The food was excellent.  The flight attendants were very accommodating and helpful and the drinks were just plentiful enough to relax us on our excursion to Mo’Bay.  There was an in-flight short movie about Jamaica but it was more of an infomercial than anything.  (They apologized and advised that the scheduled in-flight movie was unavailable at that time, but we should expect to view it on a scheduled flight home)  

Arrival at Montego Bay airport is a little confusing but it’s best just to follow the crowds.  Our first stop was the bathrooms and were we surprised to be greeted by a female security guard who was in the bathroom the whole time Lloyd and I were.  Talk about awkward.  There’s lots of official looking people everywhere in the airport.  It’s easy to spot them because they all wear some type of uniform.  Just ask for directions to baggage claim and you’ll have them directing you in no time.  Customs check-in was a little confusing as well but again just follow the lines and you’ll be through it in no time.  Baggage claim was a bit of a controlled free-for-all.  We suggest you mark your luggage with some type of distinctive ribbon or marker to make it easier to claim.  After you claim your luggage you head to another line for another customs check but this one is very cursory.  They didn’t ask to see our bags or anything.  Next you follow the crowds to the transportation area.  There’s an official greeter at the entrance to this area who will ask you your destination and direct you to the right station based on where you are staying.  

We were directed to the Couples desk where our names were checked off a list and we were instructed to follow our driver to the bus ride from hell.  Interestingly enough, no one volunteered to carry our bags from the terminal to the bus but no one hassled us for anything either.  As we got on the bus for Couples there were vendors selling colds drinks from a stand.  Take advantage of this and buy a couple of Red Stripe beers.  It’ll make the bus trip more relaxing.  

We read and heard about the bus ride from hell.  We were told by veteran Jamaica travelers that everyone has to experience this at least once.  And they were right.  If this is your first time to Jamaica, take the bus.  Put up with the long drive because it’ll probably be the only chance you get to see the countryside.  If you like roller coasters, you’ll love the ride.  The ride is two hours down a two lane highway that is often very fast and sometimes seems reckless by our standards.  But we were assured that this is normal driving for Jamaica.  There were five couples on our bus, the driver and our tour guide, Courtney.  Courtney was friendly and very informative.  He took great pains to explain the history of Jamaica and to point out some of the more interesting sites.  Plus he answered a lot of questions from all of us.  Like I said, the scenery is beautiful but very undeveloped in parts.  There are lots of shacks and roadside huts selling everything you can imagine.  Midway on the ride we stopped at a roadside rest stop for a 15 minute break.  This is a planned stop to let you buy souvenirs, more beer and hit the bathrooms.  We used the Rio Buena rest stop and it was delightful.  The bathrooms were immaculate, the beer was cold and reasonably priced.  The rest stop came just at the right time because several on our bus were beginning to get car sick from the ride.  About forty-five minutes after this rest stop we turned in to Couples Ocho Rios.  By the way, the driver and guide will accept tips but won’t ask for them.   

The Couples welcome was a pleasant respite from the bus ride.  Music and fragrant towels greeted us along with champagne.  We were all escorted into a very comfortable waiting area where one of the managers informed us that our rooms were not quite ready but if we would like to have lunch and/or a drink at the bar our rooms would be available very shortly.  For most of us, this was an introduction to the slower pace of the islands.  Slow down, get a drink, your room will be ready soon.  No problem, Mon.  After a light lunch and drinks we headed back to the desk and sure enough our rooms were ready.  We had asked early on for adjoining rooms with our friends Lloyd and Jeanne but the best Couples could do was put us on the same floor.  As far as they were concerned, that was adjoining enough.  

The accommodations were great.  We had deluxe ocean view rooms with a king size four poster bed.  The bathroom had the standard fixtures.  The balcony was very private and looked over Tower Isle.  We fell asleep to the sounds of the ocean lapping against the shore each night.  The weather was warm at night but the air conditioner worked very well, and was very quiet.  

The grounds at Ocho Rios are very lush and tropical.  Take the time to explore the paths during daylight to fully appreciate it all.  There is an aviary on one side of the property that is very interesting.  The aviary is near the two two-person secluded hot tubs.  By the way, the two person hot tubs are very easy to find and very private.  The grounds on the ocean side of the resort are very plain but well maintained.  

The beach at Ocho Rios is small.  It’s well kept and raked each morning to remove seaweed.  There are lots of lounge chairs and enough palm trees to provide shade for those who are sensitive to the sun.  The grill and beach bar are convenient to the beach.  Off to one side there is a pier with lounge chairs where some folks chose to soak up the sun.  For those who are wondering, we noticed a few topless sunbathers on the beach and by the pool side.  No one really seemed to care.

The food at Ocho Rios was great.  We never had a bad meal during our stay.  The variety is good and everything was fresh.  Breakfast was typically a buffet with a large choice fitting a variety of tastes.  There was always someone making up fresh omelets each morning.  Lunch was a buffet and featured hot and cold selections.  Dinner was an experience.  The Bayside restaurant was closed and we never did find the Calabash Caf.  But while we were there we had dinner in the Patio Restaurant, the Verandah and Le Gourmet.  The Patio Restaurant was the same place where breakfast and lunch was served.  The attire was casual and like I said the food was good.  Lots of variety and always a fruit and salad bar.   

The Verandah was my personal favorite.  Casual elegance is the description used by the hotel.  For the men, nice shorts and a golf shirt were okay.  For the ladies, nice shorts and a nice top were appropriate but some chose to wear dresses as well.  Dinner was a la carte from a menu featuring beef, fish, pork and a vegetarian main dish.  The staff was pleasant and very efficient.  The service was quick which surprised us considering that the general pace of life in Jamaica is slow by our standards.  We selected a variety of appetizers and entrees.  Everything was great.  Eddie, the strolling troubadour, made the rounds singing soft tunes.  The Verandah was very romantic.  

I thought dinner at the Verandah was elegant but I wasn’t ready for the experience at Le Gourmet. To begin with, you have to make reservations at Guest Services for dinner.  There are two seatings at 6pm and 8pm.  You need to dress.  Men must wear long slacks and a button down shirt.  Ties and jackets are not required.  Sandals are not appropriate.  For the ladies, dresses are the order of the day.  This is the “dress up” restaurant and the experience is worth getting gussied up for.  Take everything I said about the Verandah and move it up a notch.  Just a wonderful dining experience.  

To close out the topic of food.  Make sure you order room service in the morning.  We had tea and coffee delivered and a selection of pastries.  For those of you who cannot drink caffeine, decaffeinated coffee is a packet of Sanka and hot water.  Diane said it wasn’t bad, but would have preferred brewed decaffeinated.  I was very nice to have tea and coffee sitting on your balcony in the morning.  Then you can still hit the breakfast buffet to make your morning complete.  There’s also a beach grill for snacks during the day or night.  Jerk chicken, burgers and fries abound.  

There’s nightly entertainment on the patio after dinner.  Local talent is featured and some acts are very good.  The shows are always over by 11pm and the resort quiets down after that.  

The hot tubs at Ocho Rios are plentiful and much better situated than the tubs at Negril.  There are two large tubs by the pool.  These each hold about 10 people and are very close to the beach bar.  We always had friendly chatter with other guests when we were at these hot tubs.  There are two small hot tubs secluded in gazebos in the jungle on the opposite side of the resort from the ocean.  When you approach the paths leading to the tubs you can tell right away whether they are occupied or not.  You’ll see folks heads before anything else.  The common etiquette is if you see they are occupied, go no further.  They’ll soon be empty and you’ll have your turn.  Our favorite tub was to the left of the pier just past the shuffleboard court.  The tub was large and could hold 10 but we never saw more than one other couple in the tub.  The tub is very dark so you can be sitting at one end and not see the couple sitting at the other end.  It’s secluded by palm trees that open up to let you get a great view of the stars.  Talk about romance.  

You can’t go to Couples Ocho Rios without noticing Tower Isle.  Tower Isle is a little spit of rock about 125 yards off of the main complex.  This is Couples’ au natural island.  It’s not a clothes optional place.  If you take the launch to the island the staff will remind you that it’s for nude sunbathing.  Period.  No halfway measures allowed.  The four of us had been to a clothes-optional beach just once before, so we weren’t exactly experienced naturists.  However, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience on Tower Isle. Most of the people there were in their 40's and 50's (We are all in our late 40's.), so our comfort level was great.  Clothes not being optional,  everyone was in the same boat, so to speak.  We went early one morning and found a spot away from the bar and pool that was not crowded at all.  It was more comfortable than we thought it would be.  There’s no real beach to speak of but there are stairs leading to the ocean where you can skinny dip and cool off.  There is no “beach” to speak of and you have to wade out to get to your waist, but the water is beautiful.  A note of caution: Bring water shoes.  There were a lot of pointy sea urchins in the water.  Water shoes enable you to move around without always being worried about stepping on something.  Lunch is brought out to the island and consists of burgers, fries and jerk chicken but the booze supply never runs out.  Bring lots of sun screen and try the frozen mudslides.  

The only excursion we tried at Ocho Rios was the included trip to Dunn’s River Falls.  This is a must-do experience.  Again, bring water shoes because the rocks are very slippery.  You can wear sneakers but these get pretty waterlogged and heavy.  The tour is great and it’s only about 15 minutes from the resort.  You climb the falls in groups of ten with a tour guide.  The tour guides will tell you that if you aren’t getting wet, you aren’t having fun.  “No Wet. No Fun.”  We recommend you take a waterproof camera.  If not, the tour guides will hold your camera.  They’ll even take pictures for you at the two spots where it’s “de rigeur” to get your photo taken.  Couples will also be taking your picture at some key points and will have the pics ready by the time you leave.  They go for about $7US which was very reasonable.  This is not to be mistaken for the photo entrepeuners who have a straw hat with large red flowers.  They tell the gentleman to wear the hat and give the lady a flower to put behind her ear.  Then they take the picture, take back the hat, let the lady keep the flower and send you to the end of the line to pick up your Polaroid.  You find out that the red flower is the key to pickup you picture, so don’t lose it. This picture likewise was $7US. There’s a beach party after the climb sponsored by Couples.  It’s a nice touch.  They provide beer, rum punch and sodas.  When we were there two cruise ships were in port so Dunn’s River was very crowded.  Pay attention to your bus number and your bus driver’s name.  It was a little confusing trying to find the bus to take you back. The bus number and the driver’s name are very important.  Make sure you take some money to tip the bus driver and the tour guides.  It’s customary, and they’ll tell you so.  There is an outdoor market as you leave.  The vendors are polite but persistent.  A polite “no” from you will suffice.  Don’t cop an attitude.  These folks are just trying to make a living so if you laugh and smile your experience will be okay.  Speaking of vendors.  We never were bothered by vendors at either Couples resort.  Ocho Rios is somewhere secluded so there’s no way for vendors to get on the beach.  And Negril’s beach is guarded 24 hours a day so no one gets there either.  

Here’s some closing thoughts about Couples Ocho Rios.  Couples Ocho Rios is an older hotel.  There is an air of elegance about it but at the same time there are a few wrinkles in the property.  If you can look past the wrinkles you’ll have a wonderful time.  The staff is friendly and accommodating but the ladies thought the staff was more solicitous to the men and that the staff at Negril was just a little friendlier. We were there at the tail end of the rainy season so we had rain everyday but the sun also leaked through each day.  There’s enough to do at this resort during the rain showers to pass the time pleasantly.  The private balconies provided a great place to watch the rain and plan your next adventure.  

As part of the double take offer, Couples flew us from Ocho Rios to their resort in Negril.  The flight was on a twin engine prop plane that held eight passengers.  The flight took 40 minutes.  Our pilot, Joseph, hugged the coast line so we got a great view of the other resorts.  Since we’re small plane novices, this was a great experience for us.  Even the “fainthearted flyer” in our group (Diane) was pleasantly surprised at how short and easy the ride was.  

Couples Negril

The Negril Aerodrome is just a short walk from the entrance to Couples Negril.  But they put us in a cab anyway.  We were met again with music, cool fragrant towels and chilled champagne.  We only had to wait a few minutes for our rooms.  Yet again, we had asked ahead for adjoining rooms with our friends Lloyd and Jeanne but could only get rooms on the same floor in the same building.  I guess we should be grateful because the property is expansive and if we were in different buildings we could be several minutes walk from each other.  

The rooms, and in fact the whole resort, is very modern.  It’s only about a year old.  Our rooms were very art deco in style but reminded me more of a motel.  The floors are tile with a few straw throw rugs.  The bathrooms were standard feature.  Each room had a patio which was a great place for sipping morning tea and coffee (brewed decaf this time).  There were no hidden hot tubs or jungle paths at Negril.  They do have several natural spring pools scattered throughout the property.  You can even swim in one of them but the water is supposedly very cold.  Also, it’s deep and there’s no easy exit from this plunge pool.  We never saw anyone go near it.  Better to enjoy the visual beauty of these pools, especially the one stocked with hundreds of fish.  

The grounds are Negril are well kept and still in development.  It’s a very expansive property and there’s still quite a bit of work going on to improve the gardens and greenery.  The beaches, and any other sandy area, are raked everyday.  The beach at Negril is beautiful and big.  The white sand beach is wider and much longer than Ocho Rios.  The water is beautiful.  You can wade out for 30 or 40 yards and only be chest deep.  There’s no real waves to speak of so you can take your seat cushion float and spend hours laying in the water.  There’s palm trees for those needing shade and plenty of lounge chairs.  At Negril there’s even a server who walks the beach taking drink orders.  

There’s a clothing optional beach on the east side of the property.  Compared to Tower Isle, this was a disappointment.  It’s next to the water sports area so there’s a lot of foot traffic.  Also, since it’s clothes optional, there are people in bathing suits, and people topless but very few people who were nude.  We all agreed that this beach experience was not comfortable at all.  We did see work being done on the west side of the property where we understand that Couples is moving the au naturel beach.  

The pool at Negril is very nice.  It’s long and only about 4 feet at any point.  There’s a 10 person hot tub at either end of the pool.  This was a big difference from Ocho Rios as well. These hot tubs are not at all secluded.  There are a few people in the tubs at night but most activity is over by midnight.  

The food at Negril is also wonderful.  Again, we never had a bad meal during our stay.  Breakfast is served on the Terrace Restaurant.  It’s always a buffet and the variety offers something for everyone.  A variety of omelets are made fresh daily as well as local favorites.  The Terrace was also the place for lunch and dinner as well.  The lunch menu was always a buffet.  The dinner menu was sometimes buffet style and sometimes a la carte.  All of the selections were wonderfully fresh and appealing.  We had dinner one night at the Otaheite Restaurant.  This is Negril’s fancy French restaurant.  Reservations are required and the dress code is elegant.  Long pants, button shirts for the men.  Dresses for the ladies.  Very nice, very elegant.  Once during our stay the staff put together afternoon tea on the main patio overlooking the pool.  Diane and Jeanne opted for the tea and found it very quaint, relaxing and a nice change from the beach.  By the way, on this main patio in the upper level of the main building there are four large swings suspended from the ceiling that provide views overlooking the entire main area of the resort and pool.  It was a wonderful place to end the day, sitting in a swing with an after dinner drink and watching the resort slowly quiet down.  The view looked almost like a postcard.  

The beach grill at Negril is similar to the beach grill at Ocho Rios with one exception.  You can get jerk chicken, burgers and fries anytime of the night or day.  The exception is that the staff dresses up the tables for dinner with tablecloths and silverware and serves from a terrific dinner menu.  It’s very casual.  Shorts and t-shirts are okay.

After dinner there’s always a show featuring local talent with some very good singers.  The show is over by 11pm and the resort quiets down by midnight.  There is a piano bar that kicks in about 11pm for the night owls.   

One afternoon Lloyd and I asked the front desk is they could arrange for flowers to be sent to the girls just to thank them for a great trip.  The Couples staff took care of it all and had gorgeous flowers delivered to our room before the evening.  The girls loved them.  

Check-out at Negril was uneventful.  We opted to fly the air shuttle back from Negril to Mo’Bay.  Arrangements were made for us by Couples.  The cost was $45US per person and was well worth it.  The flight took 10 minutes and helped us avoid the hour and a half bus ride back the airport.  We asked for a later check-out because of our flight times but the front desk was not able to accommodate us.  They did provide a room for us to shower and change into our traveling clothes.  It was just another of the thoughtful touches by the Couples staff.  

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at both Couples Ocho Rios and Couples Negril.  We agreed that we would return but first would like to sample a few other resorts and islands.  

Getting Stuck In Jamaica

I did mention earlier that the report would be in three parts.  Our shuttle from Negril to Sangster Airport in Mo’Bay was a pleasant ending to a wonderful vacation.  Little did we know that there were more surprises in store for us.  We arrived at Sangster an hour and a half before our Air Jamaica flight to Philadelphia.  The lines were horrendous.  We waited in line for an eternity only to find out that our return flight back to Philly was completely over booked.  And it wasn’t just the four of us.  According to our unofficial count there were a couple of dozen passengers like ourselves who were booked to Philly but couldn’t get boarding passes.  We asked to be moved to a flight to Baltimore or to New York only to discover that those flights has also been over booked.  There were dozens of people from those flights in the same stranded boat we were.  The Air Jamaica staff was going up and down the lines asking for “volunteers” to stay over until Sunday.  We were stranded but not voluntarily.  We agreed to stay overnight if we could be booked out on the first flight to Philly in the morning.  Little did we know that there is only one flight per day by Air Jamaica to Philadelphia so we’d have to wait until 6pm the following day.  We again asked to be booked on an early morning Air Jamaica flight to anywhere in the eastern United States but couldn’t get connecting flights to help us out.  So we became captive in Jamaica for another night. 

The worse part of all of this wasn’t being stuck in Jamaica.  It was the attitude of the ticketing staff.  As far as they were concerned it was just too bad that we had to stay.  They couldn’t do anything about it and frankly, didn’t seem like they really cared.  We had to wait more than two hours in line just to sign up to get a hotel and vouchers for meals and transportation for the night.  Saying it was a fiasco is an understatement.  Remember, this wasn’t just the four of us.  It was dozens of people, including families. When we asked if we could make sure we’d be on the passenger list for the next day, we were told they could not guarantee it, it would only be assured if we got to the airport early enough.  This did nothing to soothe our apprehension about getting home the next day.  As a matter of fact, we saw a man who had been “bumped” 3 times.  (He did make our flight the next day).

The airline put us up at the Wyndham Rose Hall Resort which I’m sure is a very nice spot.  But it wasn’t anything like Couples.  We were also annoyed and tired which didn’t help matters.  The room we had doubled as a layover spot for the flight crews so it was somewhat spartan.  We made sure that we were at the airport on Sunday a full six hours before our flight just to get a damn seat.  We made it onto our 6pm flight which was delayed by 90 minutes but we were told as we were finally leaving that there was another twenty or so people scheduled for our flight down at the main gate who couldn’t get seats and would have to stay over until Monday.  Seems like a strange way to run an airline.

We did hear from a few people that their resort (Sandals) was able to obtain boarding passes with seat assignments over the phone but Couples apparently can’t do that.  A word to the wise.  Forget about showing up an hour before your flight from Mo’Bay.  Be there at least three hours ahead of time to avoid the type of snafu that we encountered.  

Enjoy Jamaica.  It’s fun, warm and exotic.  Just what you need to beat the winter blues in these cold climates.