Couples Swept Away - All Inclusive

“Beautiful beach resort.”

Staying at the couples resort we found staff very accommodating to all our needs. The beach was beautiful which is very important to us . There was however a lack of choice for supper experiences . Having a buffet, one restaurant with two others that need reservations and they were each closed one … more

Staying at the couples resort we found staff very accommodating to all our needs. The beach was beautiful which is very important to us . There was however a lack of choice for supper experiences . Having a buffet, one restaurant with two others that need reservations and they were each closed one night of the week.At other resorts when a restaurant was closed the space was utilized for another restaurant to give guests more options. The food however was excellent at all venues.

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“Authentic Jamaican Resort with Amazing Beach and SOO Much Potential”

I have been dreaming of coming to Couples Swept Away since it opened…so my expectations were high…especially considering the price we paid. My husband and I have been to 5 star All-Inclusive resorts in Mexico, Dominican Republic and Cuba…so I will compare this resort to our previous experiences. Fo… more

I have been dreaming of coming to Couples Swept Away since it opened…so my expectations were high…especially considering the price we paid. My husband and I have been to 5 star All-Inclusive resorts in Mexico, Dominican Republic and Cuba…so I will compare this resort to our previous experiences. For reference, Cayo Coco Cuba was the cheapest vacation and Couples Swept Away was the most expensive resort. We are in our late 40s. Accommodations - 8/10 - My husband and I usually stay in a room with a tub for 2 on the patio or balcony - which really adds to the room experience…but Couples Swept Away doesn’t have that amenity. But honestly, we didn’t miss it. Our top floor Garden Verandah Suite was charming, authentic and airy. We LOVED the wooden shutters and vaulted wood ceiling . Our corner room #2201 had an amazing treehouse feel….it didn’t overlook any other hotel rooms so it felt incredibly private with lush tropical views. However, it was not perfect. It is loud in this room category. The frogs at night were almost deafening. But somehow we managed to fall asleep to the chirping….but you may want to bring earplugs just in case you can’t sleep. However, the motorcycle noise at night will wake you up and scare the crap out of you! The shower spitting water all over the floor also needs to be fixed…everyone complains about it so it is obviously a problem that management refuses to address. Just an annoyance and an inconvenience. But overall, we loved our room! However, we lucked out with a corner room on the top floor of a 2 story building (less stairs than the 3 story building and more privacy than the first floor walkout rooms…which a lot of guests love). It really depends what you want from a room. Some of the Garden Verandah Suites might have less road noise than others based on their location…just so you know. We were going to upgrade immediately if we weren’t happy with our room and we chose to stay. Grounds/Property - 10/10 - This resort is GORGEOUS. It is just as pretty as the previous resorts that we stayed at in Punta Cana and the Mayan Riviera. Lush gardens. Winding paths. Tropical flowers. I love an old established resort with mature trees and lots of greenery. This resort is STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL. Singing Anthony the gardener also made us smile everyday which was a bonus! Beach - 10/10 - soft sand - blue water and beautiful sunsets. Negril beach is beautiful to say the least. Again, the sunsets are breathtakingly gorgeous. Ocean Swimming - 10/10 - Soft white sandy bottom with very few hazards to watch out for. No water shoes are necessary but you still have to watch what you’re stepping on as there are random chunks of coral and the occasional critter. We saw lots of starfish and stingrays right in front of the resort…so that was exciting. The water was warm and relatively calm in the morning and had gentle waves in the afternoon. It was wonderful! Beach Experience - 8/10 - overall we had a great beach experience. We spent more time at this beach than any other resort because it is BEAUTIFUL and tropical with all the palm trees (something that Cuba does not have). We never went into the pools….which says a lot. HOWEVER….management needs to listen up - because the beach area has SOO MUCH POTENTIAL!!! First of all….where are the Bali beds?! A couples resort with no beach beds for 2 is insane to me! It’s the epitome of romance! The resort that we went to in Cuba cost 1/3 the price of Couples and they had endless beach beds AND beach service. There were employees in Cuba whose job it was to help you find a beach chair or bed and then proceeded to DUST off the Sand, spread your towel out and go get you a drink…all day long. This service is non-existent at Couples. Couples advertises red flag service. I call BS on that one. On our last day we finally saw one red flag in a tree….was it the infamous red flag service? I have no idea because no staff member offered me a flag or mentioned the service. Such a disappointment from a girl who has been dreaming of coming to this place since it first opened. Expectations were definitely NOT met. You can do better Couples! Also, the workers need to be out on that beach CLEANING and TIDYING up the chairs BEFORE the guests come out in the morning. Honestly, it was DISGUSTING. Towels and dishes and garbage everywhere all along the Couples Swept Away beach every morning. Management should be ashamed of themselves. Also, management needs to have designated smoking sections marked with signage. Such a simple solution to solve the problem for nonsmokers and smokers alike. We can all coexist in paradise without nonsmoking guests being annoyed by the smoke and the smokers not having to explain that the nonsmokers are indeed sitting in the (unmarked) smoking sections. This should be enforced by the staff not the guests. We all just need guidance from management with a simple sign. And if Couples wants to take it to the next level of luxury…replace all the beach furniture with quality chairs, beds and cushions. Management just needs to take a walk down the beach to a few of the neighbouring resorts who have matching furniture and colourful matching accessories. Like I said - the potential is there. As for the beach solicitors/locals selling their goods and services ….hey - this is their country with their own way of making a living. I believe that we as guests in their country need to assimilate to their culture. Respect and politeness and a firm “no” is all that is necessary if you are not interested in what they are selling. And if that doesn’t work, a quick nod to security and they will help move the seller along. Was it annoying at times? Yes but it didn’t ruin our vacation. Not all Jamaicans are like this…just like how not all Canadians are loud drunks. Overall we enjoyed our interactions with the locals and met more residences than any other country we have visited. Food - 7/10 - If we could have eaten at Lemongrass and Feathers more often during our week stay, we would have rated them a 9/10. The buffet was good but very small. The fish tacos on the beach were good and we also enjoyed the jerk chicken at Scotch Bonnet. However, the reservation system for the 2 reservation only restaurants was AWFUL! Worse than budget friendly Cuba. In Cuba, we checked in and the staff had already pre booked all our dinner reservations for us. If we wanted to change to a different time we just had to ask. Seamless and perfect. In the Dominican Republic, our butler booked all our reservations for us after we told him which restaurants we wanted to go to. No problem. In Mexico, we were able to book every night at the al a cart restaurants the day we checked in. Done. No stress. Not at Couples Swept Away. We stayed 7 nights and we were only able to get into Lemongrass ONCE and Feathers ONCE. The worst experience out of all our resort experiences. Pretend that you are at a budget all inclusive - now get in line at Customer Service…or call and PRAY that you get to enjoy at least 1 reservation during your entire stay. And you don’t do this just once…you have to go back because you can’t book more than a few days in advance. Come on Couples! Do better! At this price point more restaurant options need to be available to EVERYONE not just returning guests. I give Couples restaurant reservation system a ZERO out of 10. On a positive note - we loved having entertainment playing during dinner at the buffet…well, the band/singers anyway. Shows were hard to watch when you are eating and getting up to the buffet. Live music performers during dinner is lovely…although sometimes loud at times. Just fix the restaurant reservation system…it’s awful. Pools - 4/10 - I knew when I booked CSA that the pools were not great. In my opinion, what makes a good pool is a tropical, freeform shape with lots of room to spread out and a swim up bar. We didn’t go into the pools at all because they were small overall…with the swim up bar pool being extra small…which was disappointing. They are also overlooked by the restaurants which kinda makes it an uncomfortable experience if you don’t want to be on display and watched by people eating…if that makes sense. However it was nice that the hot tubs were open all the time…although they are also overlooked…so not much privacy for intimate couple time. Service - 8/10 - The service that the workers are instructed to give is good. They don’t go above and beyond but it’s good. However there are more resting “grumpy” faces here than at any other resort that we’ve been to. These employees should be placed at the back of the house if they can’t fake a smile for the paying guests. Again, I blame management for not training these employees for their service roles….and then making sure that the employees are always making guests feel good about being there. When you can’t even smile at the friendly guests, you should not be working at the front of the house. Included Activities - 10/10 - this is where the resort shines….perfect….no constructive criticism needed. Okay…the fitness facilities are not air conditioned…someone made a very bad decision at the planning stage and no one with common sense said “That’s stupid.” Now they are stuck with this huge mistake. Other notes.. Lack of air conditioning in the restaurants and common areas sucked. My husband was hot and uncomfortable everywhere he went. I signed up for their Loyalty Rewards Program after I booked the resort. This was a waste of time because they didn’t give us any of the alcohol that we requested during pre-check-in. We had to re-request it after we got to our room and we received it the next day. No booze, except beer, in the room for 24 hours. Nothing is done for you during special occasions. I celebrated my birthday here and receive nothing…if that’s important to you. It wasn’t a big deal for me…just unusual for a 5 star resort. Final thoughts…I am soo glad that my husband and I finally made it to a Couples resort. The rooms, resort grounds and beautiful ocean water were exactly like we imagined. We went there to spend a romantic vacation together on the beach…relaxing and enjoying the ocean. However, the couples vibe that we were expecting was not there. It often felt like spring break with loud groups of friends…as opposed to the intimate couples in love experience I was expecting. We would not return because we have been to better adults only all inclusive resorts that know how to spoil their guests and make them feel special - for a MUCH LOWER PRICE POINT. I hope this review helps!

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“A little resort with a big welcome”

We stayed for a week at this lovely resort as part of a large wedding party. In general we found the resort to be very clean with staff working throughout the day to maintain this with a smile and always a hello. The staff we met were all outstanding…. Every single one ensured we enjoyed our holida… more

We stayed for a week at this lovely resort as part of a large wedding party. In general we found the resort to be very clean with staff working throughout the day to maintain this with a smile and always a hello. The staff we met were all outstanding…. Every single one ensured we enjoyed our holiday. Miss Talibud in the breakfast service was simply delightful and we shall always remember her bright smile and warm welcome. She is a superstar. During our stay I injured my foot in an accident (not anything to do with the hotel… my husband did it) and the nurse was fabulous and took care of me even though it was midnight. She checked in with me the rest of our stay after a rather expensive visit to the local clinic. Our room was close to reception and the main road. Yes we did hear vehicles occasionally but it was not an issue. The frogs chorus at night lulled us to sleep. The mini bar was filled at request and a simple morning breakfast was delicious. The food was simple but delicious in the buffet… it was repetitive at times. The feathers and lemongrass were fabulous evenings and we enjoyed the atmosphere, food and service. The beach was stunning and we did find a lounger very early in the morning and this was fine for us. The vendors were up and down throughout the day and no worse than Mexico or the Dominican Republic. Security were keen to ensure that they were not a nuisance. A small smile and no thanks once was enough to be left alone. We did have a couple of experiences with other guests who were extremely loud who over powered the whole restaurant and areas on the beach front. They were drunk and obnoxious to be honest. These are the people who were disrespectful of others and the resort. The staff found it difficult to contain these guests at times and I felt embarrassed for them. We have visited many hotels around the world and yes this was a rather expensive week. Yes there were things that could be improved. But my goodness we had a blast and loved every minute.

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