Couples Negril

Aldaines secret mimosa recipe is the best!!!

Our stay at Couples Resort was a mixed experience. While we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and much-needed relaxation, there were several disappointments that unfortunately overshadowed some of the positives. Check-In – A Terrible First Impression Our check-in experience was absolutely horrible, easily one of the worst we've encountered in our travels. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon expecting a smooth and welcoming start to our vacation. Instead, we were left waiting for over an hour, only to discover that we had essentially been forgotten. First impressions matter, especially in the hospitality industry, and the resort certainly missed the mark here. Resort Conditions & Accommodations While the resort is certainly showing its age and would benefit from some much-needed renovations and modernization, the grounds themselves were absolutely beautiful. The lush tropical greenery was meticulously maintained, creating a peaceful and inviting atmosphere throughout the property. We also appreciated how easy the resort was to navigate, with everything conveniently accessible. The well-kept landscaping was definitely one of the property's highlights and added to its overall charm, despite the dated facilities. On a positive note, our room was spacious, comfortable, and functional. We had no major complaints about the accommodations themselves, and we appreciated that the mini-fridge was consistently replenished each day. Beach Experience – beautiful but frustrating The beach was enjoyable and met our expectations. We had no trouble finding available loungers during our stay in May, although occupancy was relatively low. I imagine that during busier periods, guests may need to secure their preferred spots early in the morning. Unfortunately, one of the biggest drawbacks was the constant harassment from local beach vendors. Some were particularly persistent and even aggressive, making it difficult to fully relax and enjoy the beach. While Couples does have security personnel monitoring the area, their efforts to discourage unwanted solicitation appeared largely ineffective. As paying guests, we should be able to enjoy the beach without constantly being approached or pressured. This is a significant issue that management really needs to address. Dining – A Major Disappointment The dining experience fell well below our expectations, particularly for a resort in Jamaica, where the cuisine is usually bursting with flavour. We found much of the food bland, uninspiring, and lacking the authentic Jamaican flavours we had hoped to enjoy. The buffet selections were limited and repetitive, leaving very little excitement around mealtimes. Thankfully, the à la carte restaurants offered a noticeably better dining experience and were certainly preferable to the main buffet. Pools & Jacuzzis The pool areas were generally pleasant, but the jacuzzis were frequently crowded. Even the more secluded jacuzzi near the scuba diving pool seemed to be constantly occupied. What made this surprising was that the resort was operating at less than 50% occupancy during our visit. I can only imagine how difficult it might be to enjoy these facilities when the resort is at full capacity. Staff & Customer Service – Inconsistent Our interactions with staff were a mixed bag. We found many of the more senior team members to be warm, welcoming, professional, and genuinely helpful. Their experience and commitment to hospitality were evident, and we appreciated their efforts. We found the staff in the spa more engaging and friendly. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for some of the younger staff members we encountered. Several appeared disengaged, less approachable, and, in some instances, downright rude. The occasional attitude and lack of professionalism were disappointing, particularly at a resort that prides itself on providing a quality couples' experience. Consistency in customer service is essential, and this is another area where management could make meaningful improvements. Entertainment & Atmosphere – Definitely for a Quieter Crowd The nightly entertainment was enjoyable in its own right, with performances generally geared toward a more mature audience. However, if you're looking for a lively resort with an active nightlife, this is probably not the place for you. By approximately 9:30 p.m., the resort became exceptionally quiet. You could practically hear a pin drop! Couples is very much a laid-back, peaceful, almost sedentary resort that seems best suited to mature couples who prefer relaxation over excitement. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, provided it's the experience you're looking for. Overall Impression – Would We Return? We specifically chose Couples because we wanted a quieter, more relaxing getaway, and in that respect, the resort delivered. We appreciated the peaceful surroundings, comfortable accommodations, and the opportunity to unwind. However, relaxation alone is not enough to make a resort experience memorable for all the right reasons. From the disappointing check-in and inconsistent customer service to the underwhelming food, dated facilities, and persistent beach harassment, there were simply too many shortcomings to overlook. Couples has the potential to offer a wonderful vacation experience, but management needs to take a serious look at several areas that require attention and improvement. Would we return? Unfortunately, no. While we enjoyed certain aspects of our stay, there are too many other resorts offering a similar peaceful atmosphere with a higher standard of service, dining, and overall guest experience and better value. We left feeling that although our vacation was relaxing, the resort itself could and should have delivered much more. Colin and Trish

This was our first trip to a Couples resort and we were very pleased. The resort is beautiful and on the smaller side, which we like. We stayed in a Beachfront Suite. It is a lovely room with lots of space. We have stayed at Sandals resorts many times and this resort is right up there with it. The food was all very good and we loved that they changed the menus every few days. Our housekeeper, Niesha was such a sweet lady! She kept our room clean with plenty of towels every day. We feel this resort is a great value and in such a beautiful location. Can’t complain at all about any noise. Our stay was Oct. 9-16. We will return!

My husband and I stayed at Couples Negril for 9 nights at the beginning of October and we were very satisfied with the hotel as a whole. The main highlights worth a mention would be; the staff were all very friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean with ample clean towels left daily, the pool and pool area was very clean, the beach was absolutely stunning with crystal clear water and the sand was combed each day, there was a good selection of alcoholic beverages available at all of the bars (although the piano bar has the most premium spirits available), the food at the Helonica Grill restaurant was really good for lunch but particularly good for dinner as the menu changes most nights and the service didn’t feel rushed in there, so it was relaxing. The watersports on offer were incredible and the guys who run the snorkelling trips were great (I definitely recommend doing this trip more than once!). And lastly, we were on an 11pm flight home, so we weren’t being picked up from the hotel until 5:45pm, when we asked for a late checkout it was immediately arranged with no fuss which definitely made a big difference to us and was much appreciated. A few things that could be improved upon, in our opinion, would be; the breakfast buffet wasn’t the best, we found the offering to be quite limited some days and it was definitely catered more towards the US guests, the queue for eggs was painfully long and slow most days, the mini bar in the room is only topped up if you order the previous day via the app (we only found this out halfway through our stay), although the sun loungers are good (because you can take the cushion in the pool to use as a float) the ones at the beach are definitely looking past their best and in need of replacing. The pool bar can be quite rowdy in the afternoon (many of the US guests seem to act like they are on ‘spring break’ in their 50’s/60’s!) but we took ourselves off to the beach most days where it was much more calm and relaxed. On the whole we had a great holiday and I’d recommend the hotel to others looking for a relaxing holiday in Jamaica.

We just spent 8 days at CN for our anniversary, this was our first time here and we love this resort!! The beach is beautiful, and the au naturel beach is where we spent most of our time, it is on the end of the resort and bordered by a row of trees. The food is great and Lychee-Asian was our favorite in the resort. Walk down the beach to the Office of Nature for a handpicked lobster lunch, that was our favorite of the trip!! The complimentary catamaran cruise, glass bottom boat , trip to Ricks Cafe and visit to Couples Swept Away was amazing and the beach there is stunning!!! We had a beach front suite in bldg 1, these are located in buildings 5,1,6,9 looking at the resort from the water. 5 is on the far left and quiet, 1 and 6 are on either side of the main pool, and 9 is on the far right on the naturel beach. Request a top floor if you want the view, and a bottom floor only if you want the access to walk out onto the sand, the bottom floor rooms are partially obstructed by bushes. Huge shout out to Ricardo in guest services, Yvonne in reservations, Shamonie at the Au Naturel bar, Elkie at Heliconia bar, Michael and Jerome on the glass bottom boat, Julian at Lychee, Revaldo and Petro-Anne at CSA bar, they all clearly love their jobs and made our trip enjoyable!!! NOW FOR THE BAD. This could have so easily been a 1-2 star review based on the customer service we received but I am fair because we had such a great time BUT housekeeping and the front desk made our trip miserable!!! The phone system didn’t work from the US or our room as they can’t hear you on the other end, and we almost didn’t even book a room because we couldnt get a connection, the same thing happened trying to call from our room and we reported this multiple times!! Our phone wouldn’t dial out without multiple tries. The phones, the buildings and most of the rooms are very dated but clean, the beachfront suites are huge and the only ones with the soaking tubs and were very nice. There is virtually no entertainment here , no theatres or professional shows etc, except the small piano bar late at night.( we liked the quiet intimacy of this resort though). There should be clear visible signs on both ends of the au naturel beach stating no photography, and couples guest only!! We saw several altercations with security and guests taking photos and coming from other resorts. The fridge in our room froze and busted all the plastic bottles of soda and juice that ran. In the floor, I had to call about this 3 days in a row before they cleaned this or replaced the drinks. Other than the one clean up, they never once re stocked our fridge or coffee( I had to go get my own coffee twice) and I sit here now before we leave this morning with no coffee!! We called almost daily for extra towels and washcloths and they would take them all back the next day, they took our bath mats for the tub and shower and never replaced without us having to call, and had to use the towels as bath mats This is unacceptable and we do not understand why????? Most of the male staff were friendly and helpful but nearly all of the female staff from the front desk, guest services and all the bars and restaurants never smiled and were not friendly and do not appear to love their jobs or appreciate your Couples guests. Most of the staff were not worthy of an all inclusive guest clientele and Couples Negril should rectify this immediately. So as we leave today we do plan to come back or possibly try CSA because we did love it here, but hoping our next trip has a better customer service experience.