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Couples Negril is a spacious 18-acre property with a tropical rainforest landscape and a relaxing, romantic ambiance. The 3-story beachfront buildings have a rustic finish in vibrant tropical colors,each room has a CD player and private patio or balcony.
The property features natural fresh water ponds set in tropical gardens with an eclectic mix of original art deco furniture. There is a piano bar, nightly entertainment, a fitness center, and complimentary greens fees for Negril Hills Golf Course.
Beach: Couples Negril rests on 1000 ft of pristine beach. There is a clothing optional section with self serve bar and jacuzzi.
“Loved the Location, Beach & food”
We stayed at Couples Negril Sept 19-24. It was absolutely lovely.
Booking Tip: We found the best rate on www.usairwaysvacations.com. They beat all other travel websites we found. We live in Charlotte, which flies direct to Jamaica, so perhaps that is why. We heard people on our bus talk about their flight. They live in Louisiana and booked their layover thru Charlotte cause they said customs in Miami is brutal; Charlotte is much easier (if that helps anyone!)
The Commute:
Customs in Jamaica was a breeze. I think we tipped too many people regarding our luggage, cause it cost us $10 to get it loaded on the bus. It was POURING when we landed...thus the trip took about 3 hours from the airport to the hotel. The streets in Montego Bay were flooded and traffic was backed up. Good thing we packed some granola bars...by the time we stopped, we were almost to Negril. Everyone just wanted to get to the resort, so we didn't get anything to eat, just headed to the bathrooms and back. The driver told my husband to stay near the restrooms and wait for me...don't leave the area without "your woman". Nice... Yeah, parts of Jamaica we saw were scary.
Most of the people on our bus return to Couples every year, which I think says a lot about the place. They got off the bus and the employees working in the lobby greeted them by name and hugged them; good memories! It was like watching a family reunion. This was our first time there, so no one remembered us. :)
MISC: By the end of day 2, the reggae music played all over the resort got old. I was dying to hear anything else. Entertainment at night did provide some relief to that. The older gentleman who plays and sings in the piano bar was really great. Definitely go see him, especially during martini hour. We went and only 2 other couples were there. He said if more people don't show up, he'll lose his job. I doubt he was kidding. We also went to the champagne and chocolate hour, which was great.
The Room:
We stayed in a standard Garden room, 2202.
Pros: It had a nice view of the pond. It was clean, although it could have used some freshening up, and a more modern bathroom. The TV was very sharp with regular cable channels you'd expect, TBS, WGN, etc. Also had wireless internet in the room. Our laptop fit in the safe no problem (standard corporate issue IBM thinkpad)
Cons: It STANK! On first walking in, we noticed it smelled very musty. We thought it would go away if we turned on the air and the fan. It didn't. It was awful. By the next day we realized it wasn't going away, but we had already unpacked and didn't feel like up and moving. So if your room stinks on the first day, CHANGE IT IMMEDIATELY. We spoke with several others and their rooms were fine, so I guess we got the bad one. It was so bad that our luggage and all of our clothes stank when we got home. Maybe if they cleaned the AC out or something... Oh, and the mattress was very hard. Not as hard as the ones in Mexico, but still uncomfy. There is a featherbed on top, which just compresses down to nothing; it was useless. If you are allergic to down, let them know ahead of time.
I also found a smoked joint stuck on a tourist book on top of the mini-fridge. ICK. I guess housekeeping never bothered to pull the book out. The fridge didn't have any alcohol in it; there was an order form where you could request some but we never did.
The Staff:
About 60% of the staff went out of their way to be friendly and cheerful. 20% were indifferent. 20% were rude. The bell hop had a severe attitude when we showed up (with everyone). He also delivered our luggage and showed us around a bit and was not very happy. We did tip him though, and it took some persuading for him to take it. We left tip money in our room every day and it was never taken. But most of the staff will very discreetly take a tip when offered. It disappears like a magic act. :) We were told by Ramona, the activities director, that they cannot accept tips but can accept gifts; you can leave a "gift" in an envelope with a staff members name on it (I think at guest relations) and it is supposed to get to them. The bartenders at the grill were the least friendly (they forgot to make our drinks several times and didn't apologize when they realized we'd been waiting for a while) but the ladies in the main bar downstairs were fantastic.
Bob Marley drink:
:o) I ordered one and the bartender blanched, and immediately said I had to order a chaser, and wouldn't serve it up until she'd made the chaser. That worried me, so my husband agreed to split it with me. It's straight alcohol basically, which is in a martini glass and you suck it through a straw quickly until it's all gone. The rules of the Bob Marley are: no sniffin, no sippin, and no throwin up on de bar. LOL We had 2! They weren't all that bad. maybe cause we split em... :)
Food in general:
It was very good. The portions were the perfect size; enough to get a taste but small enough to save room for more! Every Jamaican dish we tried was great. Friday night was Lobster night; Lobster was served in all restaurants. We tried all restaurants except the Italian one, and enjoyed them all. The pad thai at Lychee isn't very spicy, so feel free to request additional chili sauce for it. The appetizer platter there was my favorite. The Lychee mojito was also fantastic! In fact, mojito's were our favorite drink overall. The best I've had was in Mexico but they are a close runner up.
If you don't think the drinks during the day are strong enough, request some straight rum in a second cup and top up your drink. That's what we did. We aren't alcoholics...we just like to know that there is some in the glass.
Activities:
Snorkeling was great - saw an eel! Catamaran cruise takes you out about an hour to some caves; you can slide off the boat, swim around, go in the caves and just horse about for an hour. They didn't provide snorkeling equipment so bring your own if you want to see below. The water is AMAZINGLY clear!! A guy swam into some other caves close by and saw some sting rays. We also rented a jet ski from one of the vendors there; guy with a silver one...Yahama I think. My hubby negotiated for $90, 1 hour today, 30 min the next. We had a blast on it; you can go around the point to the other side, past Hedonism (ick), Sandals and see the other Couples resort. We didn't go to Rick's Cafe but people I know have gone and LOVED IT.
The Ocean:
This was by far the best feature. :) Warm, relaxing, beautiful. Little fishes nibble your toes. People complained of jelly fish and several got stung (very mild) but we never saw any. There is a nurse on site who can treat your sting. We also saw a small ray swimming around in our area; very cool.
The Beach:
Certain vendors are allowed to set up and sell you stuff on site, but they don't harass you. Some will come across the beach and sing you a song and ask for some money or try to sell you a CD; we found this very annoying. But security stayed on top of things and asked them to move along if they outstayed their welcome. We were never asked if we wanted to buy drugs, but others there were (guess we don't look like druggies!)
Don't throw your drinks out on the sand; it attracts ants, which bite. There are also microscopic mosquitoes which will eat you alive! We came home with dozens of bites on our legs. We got most of them in the evening watching the sun set on the beach.
Overall it was a great trip; very relaxing and fun. We would definitely return again and just make sure our room didn't smell.
