Before I get started, I am writing this report on the Travel Deals Board to give everyone some insight into some properties we stayed at in Jamaica. Although this is not a “deal”, I certainly hope others may benefit from this write-up. Not to mention that some senior members have been (repeatedly) asking me to post this (you know who you are, Bueller) – and I am happy to do so.

OK…so here is our trip report from our Jamaica trip. We finally got a chance to experience one of my favorite resort properties – Couples, which is an all-inclusive, adults only (NOT Hedo style) resort. This is a resort I have sent many couples to over the past year, but we were not able to go since we had a child last year. I finally convinced my wife to get away without our son for a week, and the only place I wanted to go to was Couples. Please keep in mind that I may tend to be a bit more critical (observant) than others, and I also take into account other properties we have been to, or sent others to, to determine value. Also, apologies in advance for the lengthy report. So, here goes…

Resort: Couples Negril
Dates: June 12 – June 16 (4 nts)

We flew on Air Jamaica to MBJ – surprisingly an ontime departure. I really did not want to fly them based on a series of inconsistent experiences, but they are one of the few airlines that fly non-stop from the DC area. But, true to form, our return flight was delayed by more than 2 hrs…

We got to MBJ, and went straight to the Couples reception area – which is an area at the airport designed for Couples guests. We were met with a choice of cold beverage and asked to review our reservation. We then went by air conditioned bus to Couples Negril. Total transfer time – about 80 min.

We arrived at the hotel around 1:00ish and were greeted with cool towels and a glass of champagne – both nice touches. Since our room was not ready (they were almost sold out with an occupancy rate of 93%, despite it being the off-peak season), we went and enjoyed lunch in their main restaurant. By the time we finished, our room was ready.

Room - We stayed in a Deluxe Garden room – nice room, brightly decorated. Included all the basics - A/C, TV, hairdryer, iron, etc. Room Rating – 5 out of 5
Resort – small, contained resort, with most things centered around the main swim-up pool. Nice lobby, piano bar, free internet access (a big plus!), swim up bar, hot tub, etc. Resort Rating – 5 out of 5
Service – Service was phenomenal. I think most of the staff went out of their way to learn our names and then they would remember them. Service Rating – 5 out of 5
Food – Food was very good. Menus at the specialty restaurant did not change much. Food Rating – 4 out of 5
Drinks– Simply awesome. Drink Rating – 5 out of 5
Activities – Extremely well organized and timely. The Entertainment staff went out of their way to ensure everything occurred when they were supposed to. Special shout-outs to “Tall Paul”, who is a great volleyball player and “Krazy Kim”, who led most of the evening entertainment activities. We also did some extras – like take a Hobie Cat sailing lesson (included). We did not have time to take part in any other included activities at this resort - like scuba diving, waterskiing, or the catamaran cruise. Activities Rating – 5 out of 5.
Beach – Awesome. White sand. Clear, clean water. Beach Rating – 5 out of 5.

Then we departed for Couples Swept Away, which was about 3 miles down the road.


Resort: Couples Swept Away
Dates: June 16 – June 19 (3 nts)

We arrived at the hotel around 1:00ish and were greeted once again with cool towels and a glass of champagne – again nice touches. Our room was ready and we checked in immediately.

Room - We stayed in a Garden Verandah room – These are the “newest rooms” at the resort. These rooms all include A/C, TV, hairdryer, iron, and minibar. We loved this room. Even though it was a “Garden view room”, we had a pretty good view of the ocean from our balcony. The original “Garden Suites” are designed for people who really want to get away, and therefore do not incl TV or minibar. Room rating – 5 out of 5
Resort – much larger resort, with focus on health and fitness. The resort features a 10 acre sport complex complete with lap pool, racquetball and tennis courts, and gym. Resort Rating – 5 out of 5
Service – Once again, service was phenomenal. Since we were technically considered “repeat Couples guests”, they gave us each a complimentary 30 min massage – great to have on the last day! Service Rating – 5 out of 5
Food – Food was very good. The specialty restaurant (Feathers) was OK. The buffets and other restaurants were all good. Food Rating – 4 out of 5
Drinks – Again, simply awesome. Complete with a Martini Bar with top shelf liquor. Drink Rating – 5 out of 5
Activities – On site activities left something to be desired. Some say that is because the resort is really catering to honeymooners, and therefore they want to leave people alone to enjoy themselves (which is what most people seemed happy to do). Others say the staff is just “lazy”. The “GR” team (Guest Relations) were very friendly, but not as engaging as Couples Negril. Since I tend to be more on the active side, I give the thumbs up to Negril. Since we did not do many of the “organized” activities at the resort, we did get a chance to do some of the other things that we missed at the first resort. This included snorkeling and the catamaran cruise, as well as sailing again. We also had a chance to experience Parasailing – which was an incredible experience, and I highly recommend it! Activities Rating – 4 out of 5.
Beach – Seven mile Negril beach is everything you may have heard – very, very nice. Beach Rating – 5 out of 5.

Some on the board have asked for pics. Not many, but, you can find them here:

Couples Negril
Couples Swept Away

Hope this helps!

great review!

green!

Great job, Wiseguy! I wonder if we should begin to post trip reports on the board on a regular basis? It would be very beneficial to people who are planning trips to certain locales as far as giving them ideas of what to do while they are there, etc. Maybe we could have an official NEGRIL thread (this one), etc., etc. And it would possibly prevent people asking the same questions over and over again....hmmmmmm.....

I have trip reports for Prague and San Francisco that I could post too. I'm guessing that we're not the only ones either.

Great reviews, wiseguy! I have a few questions for you if you don't mind:
- Would you mind posting the prices you paid at the two locations?

- Is there a reason you stayed at 2 places other than just to see the difference?

- What was the age range of people there?

Thanks for sharing!

Quikstep said:Great reviews, wiseguy! I have a few questions for you if you don't mind:
- Would you mind posting the prices you paid at the two locations?

- Is there a reason you stayed at 2 places other than just to see the difference?

- What was the age range of people there?

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks!
- Would you mind posting the prices you paid at the two locations?

Fortunately, I ended up not paying much for my trip since I was there on their invitation. For airfare, I just redeemed 90K miles for 2 tickets.

But, fyi, the summer is the off peak season. They are actually running a promotion of up to 50% off! That translates to about $130/nt per person at Couple Negril - that is all incl in a Gardenview room! It is about $150/nt for an Oceanview. Details can be found here - Couples Specials

- Is there a reason you stayed at 2 places other than just to see the difference?

As mentioned above, I had sent many people to Couples Swept Away - so, obviously I was going to check it out. But, since Couples Negril was only 3 miles away, we decided to split our time. Honestly, it was one of the best decisions we could have made. We ended up liking Couples Negril better because of all the activities (we - correction - I get bored fast)

- What was the age range of people there?

I would say they were both fairly "young" as compared to other properties we have been to. Since it is adults only, it is predominately people on their honeymoons or anniversaries. Couples Negril seemed to have an age group predominately between their late 20's and 40 (but there were couples outside this range as well). I would say Couples Swept Away was a littele bit youger crowd compared to Negril.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask other questions if you have any.