CoralReef Trip Report

Couples Swept Away Negril, Jamaica, August 6-15 2004

We stayed at Couples Swept Away Negril (“CSA”) all-inclusive resort in Negril, Jamaica for 9 nights, from August 6 through August 15 of 2004. This resort and the Negril area are both lovely, and we had a relaxing trip. We have stayed at three previous all-inclusives (Sandals Ocho Rios in Jamaica, Iberostar Paraiso Beach in Mexico, and Secrets Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic), and felt that CSA was generally comparable to these in quality. Of the four, CSA had the most laid-back atmosphere. A photo album of this trip is located at

http://community.webshots.com/album/176721735LUSEjg .

This report will discuss the following topics:

I. Travel and CSA Arrival

II. CSA Room

III. CSA Food

IV. CSA Grounds, Amenities, and Excursions

V. Negril Tourism

I. Travel and CSA Arrival

We booked our trip through www.discount-all-inclusive.com , and Katya did her usual fine job of coordinating everything. We were happy to be flying Delta, because when we left Jamaica, the USAir check-in line was at least an hour long; whereas our Delta check-in took less than 10 minutes. We were also pleased to go through U.S. Customs & Immigration in Atlanta, which involved zero wait time (as opposed to the hour we’ve experienced in Charlotte).

We arrived at CSA after an uneventful 80-minute bus transfer from Sangster Airport in Montego Bay. There were no stops. The return bus drive took 70 minutes, after a 15-minute stop at Couples Negril to pick up more passengers. In both cases, the bus was air-conditioned and the driver was slow and careful (maybe even too slow!). The road ran right by the ocean for much of the way, so the scenery was interesting.

We were greeted at CSA with a cold damp towel and a glass of champagne. Registration was quick and easy. We were asked to authorize a $250 deposit on a credit card to cover any charges to the room. On departure, we could either leave the charges on the credit card or make other payment arrangements. We were not armbanded, and our room was ready when we arrived at 3:10 PM.

The room we had booked was the least expensive of the 6 room categories, a Gardenview in the old section. Unlike many other travelers, we aren’t particularly invested in fancy room features as long as the room is clean and convenient; and we actually prefer garden views to ocean ones. I knew that any road noise wouldn’t bother us over the sound of the tree frogs. We did consider an Atrium room, because they looked so charming, but from various trip reports I knew that some were quiet and some were noisy, some were practically beachfront while others were garden views… so I was reluctant to pay for an Atrium room without being sure what I’d get. We were happy to find that Couples upgraded us to an Atrium!

II. CSA Room

Our Atrium room was every bit as charming as it looks in the Couples website pictures. The walls and king bed linens were white, the floor was red tile, and the room was paneled in dark wood. Three walls were made up of louvered shutters. Our room was on the second (top) floor as we had requested, and when the louvers were open, we felt like we were in a treehouse, with lush tropical foliage all around us and the breeze blowing. On the inner wall, facing the building’s palm-filled atrium, there was Plexiglas outside the louvers. On the other two louvered walls, there was only a screen, so air could circulate freely when the louvers were open. We had a large closet with a key safe, an umbrella, hangers, two robes, luggage rack, laundry basket, iron, and ironing board. The room was equipped with a carafe of water, CD/radio alarm, coffeemaker, and anti-mosquito candle. There was no TV or minibar. The bathroom contained small bottles of shampoo, body wash, lotion, and aloe gel, as well as two soaps. We got three towels, two hand towels, and two washcloths daily, except for a couple of days when there were no washcloths.

The best feature of the room was the huge veranda with a hammock, a couch, a table, an overhead light and ceiling fan, a wall sconce, and two reading lights. I’ve stayed in hotel rooms that weren’t as nice or as large as this verandah! You can have a continental breakfast delivered to the veranda, and if you sit reasonably still, bananaquits will fly out of the surrounding trees and land right in front of you to eat fruit and jam from your breakfast tray. We spent a lot of time on the veranda.

Although the room had a wonderful character, and we appreciated the upgrade, there were some features of the room that we disliked. There are two Atrium buildings that are right next to the main Dining Room, and we were in one of these. From our veranda, we could hear the blender being operated in the Main Bar. We were close enough to hear the words of the songs being performed every night. Usually, the entertainment ended about 10:45, so this wasn’t a major problem. But on a couple of nights, the noise continued past midnight. Unfortunately, one of these occasions was our first night. After a day of travel beginning at 4:00 AM, we did not appreciate the noise keeping us awake. The music wasn’t exactly to our taste, either. For example, the steel calypso band performed some Caribbean music that we enjoyed, but also did a Muzak-y 20 minute long rendition of “Chariots of Fire”.

Another issue with the room was those oh-so-charming louvers. They had three settings—open, half-open, and closed—that were controlled by pins. There were a total of 30 shutter pins, plus 2 shades (on the veranda door), that had to be adjusted every time you wanted to change the room’s lighting level, airflow, or privacy. The housekeepers opened them all each morning, and closed them all each night. We spent a lot of time adjusting louvers-- who would want an open shutter right next to the toilet?! You do have to be careful about privacy with the louvers. From our veranda, we inadvertently observed one gentleman bathing with the louvers open in his bathroom. He couldn’t see our veranda directly from his window, but we had a line of sight to his mirror. Oops! Although we were grateful for the upgrade, I suspect we would actually have been happier with the Gardenview room we had booked, which only had one wall of louvers—just enough to be picturesque. That room would certainly have been quieter, since the Gardenview buildings were all further from the Dining Room than ours.

Our other problem is relevant to all three older room categories: the age of the bathrooms. Our toilet handle kept falling off and had to be replaced from within the tank. The showerhead had a crack that sprayed water onto the bathroom floor, until we learned to adjust it so the spray landed inside the shower. Hot shower water was in short supply around breakfast and dinner, although it was ample at other times. The sink taps dispensed water at such a trickle that it took 13 seconds to fill a small glass (a bit less than one cup in volume). You could forget about getting hot water from the tap, because at that flow rate, it took a good 3 or 4 minutes for the tap to warm up. The bathroom tile and fixtures all looked worn. These bathrooms need a renovation! Also, the floors were swept daily, but really needed a mopping every few days; they usually felt a bit gritty/sticky. Our room had two lamps and a good reading light by the bed, and a dim light over the mirror, but lacked an overhead light for night use.

We liked our room despite these minor inconveniences, but if we return to CSA, we would probably want to stay in the new section.

III. CSA Food

Overall, the food at CSA was among the best all-inclusive food we’ve had. There was always a good variety to choose from, and the quality was excellent. The local seafood was fresh and delicious-- usually the best entrée choice. Occasionally the meats were a bit overcooked, but otherwise the food preparation and presentation were skillful. The lunch buffet was not quite as gourmet as at Secrets Excellence, but both the lunch and the dinner buffets were still excellent. The food at Feathers (the reservation-only restaurant) was actually equal in quality to a meal at any big-city fine restaurant. That’s an unusual achievement for all-inclusive food!

Gotta warn you, we’re kind of foodies, so the detail of the rest of this section is long. Skip it if you’re hungry!

For breakfast, CSA guests have two choices: the buffet, or a continental breakfast delivered to the room veranda. The breakfast buffet was very good. We haven’t seen a lot of variation between all-inclusives on the breakfast line; seems like it’s not hard to do breakfasts well, but it is a challenge to provide truly exceptional breakfasts. The CSA buffet had all the same options we were used to seeing: eggs/omelets made to order (usually a 5-10 minute wait), bacon and sausage, cold cuts and cheeses for the Europeans, cold cans of Pepsi for the Americans, 6 types of boxed cold cereals, room-temperature milk, juices, fresh breads and pastries (lovely chocolate Danish!), tropical fruit, waffles or pancakes made fresh, French toast. There was a Jamaican station with two typical Jamaican dishes daily (including ackee with saltfish, fried bammy, fried plantains, and escoveitch fish).

The lunch buffet was tasty and very extensive. Each day, there was a theme, which seemed to be repeated on a weekly basis, judging from the two Saturdays and two Sundays we ate there. Every day there were also a few non-theme dishes, a “Jamaican Station” with two regional dishes, and all of the following:

- cheese cart with crackers and 6 types of cheese (Brie, Gouda, Bon-Bel, English-style cheddar, etc.);

- 6-8 types of fresh-baked breads and rolls;

- 8 cold salads (marinated mushrooms, shredded carrots with raisins, slaw, antipasto, olives, etc.);

- salad bar with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, several other vegetables, and dressings;

- several vegetable dishes;

- sliced ripe papaya, mango, pineapple, honeydew, and cantaloupe.

There was a separate lunch dessert bar in the far corner of the Dining Room, which usually included several cakes, a pie, a cookie, a couple of other types of pastry, a hot fruit and pastry dessert, and ice cream. For much of our stay, the ice cream was a rather odd flavor, “Grapenut” (vanilla with cereal bits). Very good coffee and rum raisin ice creams were offered on a couple of days.

Some of the desserts were not quite sweet or rich enough for typical American tastes. For example, the cheesecakes were more savory than sweet. Another example: a “Death by Chocolate” cake, which was actually an uniced, rather dry, British-type chocolate cake. This same cake was also served the very same day, topped with chocolate whipped cream and chocolate shavings and labeled “Chocolate Cream Cake”-- and even this decorated version was not nearly as rich as Americans usually envision “Death by Chocolate” to be! On the other hand, some of the desserts were extremely indulgent. For example, the meringues filled with strawberry cream and topped with fruit were scrumptious. Coconut bread pudding, brownies, gingerbread, cookies, peach tarts, chocolate mousse cake, rich chocolate pie with crunchy nut crust, and banana pie were all yummy. There was enough variety that you’d have to be awfully picky not to find something you like.

Here are some examples of lunch buffet daily offerings:

Friday lunch buffet: Indonesian theme. Included noodles with shrimp, stir-fried vegetables, spring rolls made fresh on the buffet line, tempura vegetables made fresh on the buffet line, satay sticks made fresh on the buffet line, ginger pork loin (a little dry), cumin potatoes. Jamaican Station: curry chicken with white rice.

Saturday lunch buffet: Middle Eastern theme. Included Iranian kebabs prepared on the buffet line, stuffed roast lamb, spicy grilled fish.

Tuesday lunch buffet: Indian theme. Included fresh roti stations, navarin of lamb (excellent!), chicken tikka, curry vegetables, carved roast turkey with “turkey sauce” (gravy), mashed potatoes. Jamaican Station: steamed dumplings with callaloo, and grilled fish.

Wednesday lunch buffet: Mexican theme. Included fresh quesadilla station, make-your-own taco station, guacamole, spare ribs, fried chicken.

Thursday lunch buffet. Included mashed potatoes with something that made them taste sweet (??), grilled vegetable kebabs, Jamaican vegetable runup (quite tasty), and a fancy spinach dish.

Another choice for lunch was the Veggie Bar outside by the pool, which served a limited menu including coco bread stuffed with callaloo, Jamaican meat patties, not-very-spicy jerk chicken and pork, several wrap sandwiches, a Mediterranean appetizer platter, and several salads. If you wanted a bar drink (even just iced tea), you usually had to fetch it yourself from the Main Bar in the Dining Room, a few steps away. Sometimes the waiters would agree to get it for you.

Monday was the Manager’s Cocktail Party on the Sunset Deck above the Dining Room. Rum punch was served, and hors d’oeuvres included rotis, samosas, and shrimp on biscuits.

Dress code in the Dining Room was casual for breakfast and lunch. Coverups or shirts over swimsuits was the only requirement, and we never saw anyone refused service at breakfast or lunch. For dinner on menu nights (every night except Monday and Friday), dress code is “casually elegant which means no flip flops, tank tops, or sport shorts”. THEY MEAN IT! (For men, anyway, on all but buffet nights.) Every menu night, we saw men turned away from the Dining Room for wearing flip flops. Oddly, women could often get away with flip flops. Most people did dress up a bit for dinner in the Dining Room (collared shirts, sundresses), but there were also quite a few people in T-shirts.

Dinner in the main Dining Room is a buffet on Fridays (Beach Party night) and Mondays (International night). On these nights, dress code is casual. Other nights, service here is 4 courses (appetizer, soup, entrée, dessert) served à la carte, plus a salad buffet and a made-to-order pasta station. There was a selection of 4 vegetarian dishes served buffet-style, as well as a vegetarian menu entrée on à la carte nights. Portions were sensible, but you could ask for more if you wanted to eat yourself sick ;)

Friday Beach Party buffet was held inside both times during our visit, due to rain. The menu was the same both times, and included roast suckling pig (a little dry), spicy jerk chicken and pork, and sweet & sour chicken. The buffet dessert choice was similar to that described above for lunches, with the addition of a banana flambé station.

Saturday à la carte menu included 3 appetizers, 2 soups, mango grilled chicken, kingfish fillet, escoveitch fish, pork loin, and a large succulent grilled lobster tail. (Lobster was in season during our visit.) Feathers, the reservation-only restaurant, also served lobster tail as a special on Saturday, so you wouldn’t miss out by going there instead of the Dining Room. Desserts included a chocolate-chip cappuccino “mouse” [sic], and a rich chocolate slab topped with whipped cream and ganache.

The Monday International buffet included grilled fish with lemon-caper butter, prime rib, steak, creamy seafood ragôut, and stir-fry. There was a serving station for made-to-order crêpes with apple topping, plus the dessert bar.

Tuesday à la carte menu: included prosciutto, gazpacho, French onion soup with no cheesy bread in it, local marlin with tikka masala sauce, beef loin, and roasted lamb. For dessert, I had a coffee crème caramel, which was only about the size of a half-dollar coin! It was beautifully presented on swirled sauce, with a whipped cream and fruit garnish that was bigger than the crème caramel was. It was small but tasty.

Wednesday à la carte menu: included bay scallop appetizer, pesto chicken strip appetizer, “seared” tuna (overdone but tasty) with herb polenta and wasabi sauce, Mexican corn chowder, vichysoisse, snapper, pork loin, small and slightly tough garlic shrimp with very good vegetable pasta, pear/ginger parfait, profiterôles with coffee cream and chocolate sauce.

Other dinner options included Seagrapes Café, offering open-air dining from a light Italian menu nightly except Mondays and Fridays; and the JamAsian Restaurant above the main dining room, with Asian-themed dishes nightly except Mondays and Fridays. The buffets and Feathers were so nice that we never got around to eating here, but we heard mixed reviews from other guests.

Feathers is the gourmet reservation-only restaurant in the Sports Complex. If you watch carefully, you can see hummingbirds darting around Feathers on most evenings. Feathers reservations can be obtained by phone on the day before you want to dine there. You can’t call more than one day in advance; but reservations go fast, so call early. I called at 9:15 one morning, and there were only two spots still available for the following night. You also need to drop by the Sports Complex and pick up your reservation card sometime before that evening. This gives them a chance to warn you about the dress code. Dress code at Feathers is “elegant with NO shorts, flip flops, tank tops, jeans, or T-shirts allowed”, and THEY REALLY MEAN IT! (For men, at least.) Men were turned away unless they wore long pants, collared shirts, and closed-toe shoes that were not running shoes. Women could basically wear anything (even flip-flops!) but most women wore sundresses, skirts, or informal cocktail dresses. Feathers is not air-conditioned and does not get a sea breeze, so the dress code is pretty hard on men in the summer. Wear plenty of mosquito repellent when you dine here. Most guests agreed that the food is good enough to compensate for these inconveniences.

Portions at Feathers were on the small side, but the food was sufficiently rich that we felt very full after all five courses! On Sunday and Thursday, we had the same menu, which included scallop kebab appetizers, artichoke bottom with goat cheese, Caesar salad with jerk croutons, cream of pumpkin soup with roasted squash seeds, lobster bisque, rack of lamb with pumpkin confit, salmon fillet in chardonnay (slightly overcooked), beef tenderloin, coconut crème brulée, Blue Mountain coffee panna cotta with peppercorns served on ginger crystallized pineapple, and a chocolate fudge slice. The second night, I asked for just the ginger ice cream part of a more elaborate dessert. Our waiter was happy to accommodate me, and the customized dessert was offered in a beautiful presentation garnished with chocolate sauce. On Saturday, the menu included crab cakes, artichoke bottom stuffed with smoked chicken, Caesar salad with jerk sausage, a rather bland Campbells-style tomato soup billed as “fiery”, vinaigrette salad with grilled pepper and tomato, snapper with escoveitch vegetables, grilled lobster tail, and a rich “Chocolate Symphony” dessert.

Drinks: Wine during our stay was Chilean Carta Vieja brand. In the main Dining Room, the choices included a sweetish white wine labeled as “Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc”, a rosé which was actually dryer than the “chardonnay”, a nice crisp sparkling white wine, and a red which I didn’t try. At Feathers, if you asked for chardonnay, you got a less sweet white wine that was quite decent. One evening, we asked the main Dining Room waitress for a little wine to take back to our verandah, and she happily brought us an entire bottle and uncorked it for us. The Dining Room also features an automatic dispenser for fancy coffee drinks such as lattés, mokaccino, and French vanilla. Bar drinks were usually well prepared, and were more likely to be strong than too weak. Both sweetened and unsweetened iced tea are readily available.

Food and beverage service: CSA has some wonderful staff. The service was gracious and attentive. It was a little inconsistent at times. Our waiter one evening didn’t seem to know what prosciutto and gazpacho were. Both were listed on the menu, but we had to point them out and describe them. That night, there were four of us, and everyone got the wrong entrée—but after we switched them around, everyone got what they wanted. We did have one extra plate… I wonder if it ever found its owner! That night was an exception, though. The food service was generally quite professional, especially at Feathers. It wasn’t particularly leisurely by American standards, and certainly not by Jamaican ones.

Just before we left for Jamaica, I read several reviews complaining about slow drink service at CSA. Having been to Jamaica before, I wondered if this was merely the relaxed “soon come” attitude that surprises some foreigners, or a real issue. Perhaps in response to those reviews, during our visit CSA provided what we called “dueling drink service”. The food server would offer you a “bar drink” (this included soft drinks and iced tea), which generally took about 5 minutes to arrive. During this interval, a special drink server circulated with a tray of popular drinks (rum punch, Coke and diet Coke, sweet tea, etc.) The server would offer you a ready-made drink, and if you wanted something different, he would get it in about 10 minutes. Until we figured out the system, we often ended up with two drinks! We never had to wait longer than 5 minutes in the Dining Room, or 2 minutes at any bar, for a drink.

Tipping is a FAQ about CSA. Tipping is nominally prohibited at Couples resorts. Certainly no CSA employee ever appeared to expect a tip, nor did we ever see a tip being bestowed. On our last night, we said goodbye to a few employees who went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us, and none of them refused to shake hands with us. Neither did our bellman or housekeeper. Just be discreet.

IV. CSA Grounds, Amenities, and Excursions

The grounds were gorgeous! We felt like we were in a botanical garden. By the Sports Complex, there is a large greenhouse filled with plants being cultivated to keep the grounds beautifully landscaped. During our visit in August, a daily rain shower blew in from about 4:00 to 6:00 every evening. Sometimes there was another shower from 1:00 to 2:00. Good times to nap, work out, or hit the hot tub.

Seven-Mile Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It’s wide and lined with beautiful palm trees and sea grapes, you can walk for miles, and the sand is soft and white. I was never bitten by a sand flea in Negril, despite wearing no insect repellent at the beach (and bugs love me!). There was practically no seaweed along the CSA beach. The ocean here is extremely calm. The only time we saw a caution flag was the day after Hurricane Charley, when there was perhaps a foot of chop, and quite a few small jellyfish.

Couples supplies beach loungers with foam cushions that double as ocean floats. Two beach towels are in your room at check-in, and you can exchange these for clean ones at the Watersports Hut (at least in theory; there were no clean beach towels (at least at the times I checked) for three days of our stay. Before checkout, you must turn in the beach towels at the Watersports Hut (which closes at 4:00 PM) and get a receipt, or you will be charged $15.

There are a couple of restrooms on the south beach, and you can easily access the Dining Room restrooms from the north beach. The beach only has 5 palapas, located on the south end of the Couples property. The palapa shortage was exacerbated by one couple who would throw down a beach towel to reserve a palapa, then go off for a leisurely lunch. Moral of the story: book a beachfront room if shade is important to you. These rooms are nearly as close to the beach as a palapa, and you can lounge on your own private veranda.

Drink service on the beach is a nice feature at CSA. Stick your yellow flag in the sand, and Adrian will be around within 5 minutes to take your order. Some reviews complained that beach drink service could be slow, but my experience was that you could get a fresh drink every 20 minutes or so.

Vendors constantly walk up and down the beach calling out “Ciiiiiiiiigarettes!” (Tobacco only, I’m sure :o ) There are also vendors selling wood carvings and seafood, but they are never intrusive. There are at least 3 guards armed with walkie-talkies on the beach at all times. We never saw any problems or had any fears for our safety. It was interesting to chat with the guards, who are outsourced from a security company. Unlike Couples employees, they are not allowed to get a soda or water from the bar, and they work long shifts. If you can find it in your heart to get them a drink, you will make them very happy.

Beach attire is another FAQ about any Caribbean resort. CSA clientele is majority U.S., with some Europeans. All the women we saw at the pool wore bikinis, tankinis, or tank swimsuits—no thongs or toplessness. There was a lot of discreet back tanning at the beach, and about 5-10% of the women exhibited frontal toplessness on the beach. The topless ratio was much lower at CSA than we saw at Sandals Negril, but women who want to sunbathe topless shouldn’t feel uncomfortable. A few men and women wore thongs; again, far from the majority, but you also wouldn’t be the only one.

One day we walked south down the beach with another couple, intending to check out Margaritaville. It was closed for a holiday party, so we continued all the way down the beach, past numerous small hotels and restaurants, to the Burger King downtown, a walk of perhaps three miles. (All four of us taxied back for $5). It’s an interesting walk. Beaches are public in Jamaica, so anyone can walk along them; but only resort guests can use the grounds and loungers.

Another day we walked north about two or three miles, past a public beach and other big all-inclusives (Beaches, Sandals, Hedonism II). CSA has a longer, wider beach than any other resort we passed. We saw a large stingray just off the beach. In this direction, you may have to check in with the resort security guards as you pass, but they just want to know where you’re staying. As advertised, Hedo had nekkid folks on the beach. The public beach is quite smoky, and you will encounter numerous offers to buy ganja.

Since ganja is another FAQ, let me address it. We’re so square-looking that we have never before been offered ganja on any of our trips, but in Negril we were solicited at least 10 times. Just say “no, thanks, we don’t smoke” if you’re not interested—no problem, mon. If you do smoke, you will have no problem hooking up here! CSA offered Bob Marley and other brands of rolling papers in the gift shop. We smelled weed near several verandas, especially on rainy afternoons. But CSA was nothing compared to Kuyaba, which we also visited. From the smell there, I think they burned marijuana to heat the shower water! There were even people smoking spliffs in Kuyaba’s open-air beachside bar. If you indulge, use discretion; ganja is illegal even in Jamaica. A driver showed us the Negril municipal all-inclusive resort (AKA the police station), and it didn’t look nearly as nice as CSA.

One of our favorite features at CSA was the Sports Complex. The large gym offered more than 20 Cybex weight stations, free weights, stair machines, and exercycles. For the first half of our visit, there were three treadmills, but one didn’t work and one would only operate on a downward incline. After a few days, a second fully operational treadmill was added. The gym and aerobics studio had ceiling fans, but no air conditioning. Because the Sports Complex is across the road from the ocean and heavily vegetated, there was no breeze. Be sure to wear some DEET here if the mosquitoes like you as much as they do me! The heat and humidity in August were brutal. We soon learned to work out during the usual afternoon rainshower.

In spite of the climate, there were always a few people working out. The facilities were so good, it wasn’t hard to stay in shape. This is the first trip where I’ve gained zero weight, despite enjoying the food! Quite a few CSA guests were fitness-oriented; but don’t worry, you will also fit in fine if your idea of exercise is lifting a beer stein. The squash and racquetball courts were air-conditioned. If you play squash, bring your own ball, because Couples’ ball was dead. The Sports Complex also included a lap pool (where you could swim laps, just putt around on a kickboard, or simply float on a cushion), a hot tub, fitness parcourse walking trail, men’s and women’s sauna and steam room, and clay and regular tennis courts. Couples provides an unlimited supply of clean towels here for workouts. There is also a pool table, ping pong table, and bar with TV and jukebox, where you can get pizza, wings, fries, and other junk foods in the afternoon.

We knew before our trip that CSA offers little nightlife, which was fine with us. There is a show every night in the Dining Room, and a piano bar singalong in the early evening on the second floor of the Dining Room. Pretty much all the activities revolve around the Dining Room. We did find ourselves wishing for a quiet area, preferably air-conditioned, where we could get a drink in the evenings and people-watch a bit, without the noisiness of the show. I don’t mind heat all day on the beach, but sometimes it’s nice to dress up a little in the evening and chill out (literally!) without sweating on your outfit. CSA could use a few more entertainment areas, in our opinions. However, I was pleased to see that despite the recent addition of so many new rooms, we never felt crowded. In fact, we couldn’t figure out where all the guests were! The most people we ever saw at one time was around 8:00 on Friday in the Dining Room, and even then there were less than 1/3 of CSA’s occupancy number.

Free excursions, including a glass-bottom boat trip and snorkeling, are provided. Sign up at the Tour Desk in the Lobby (where you can also book paid excursions through JCAL tour company). On Tuesdays and Fridays, there was a free catamaran cruise at 4:15. During our visit, it started raining heavily at 4:20 both Fridays. We heard that waterlogged passengers on the first Friday cruise were begging the captain to turn back, to no avail. Luckily, we took the cruise on Tuesday, and had overcast but dry weather. The catamaran motors south along the coast to Pirates’ Cave, where you can jump overboard, climb a ladder in the cave, and pay $2 for a drink and the privilege of hurling yourself off a 35-foot cliff into the sea. You can also stay on the cat and drink rum punch, or do as we did and snorkel in the crystal-clear green water. (The cat had life vests, but snorkel equipment was not provided; we brought our own.) We enjoyed watching the cliff divers, but the most entertaining event was when someone’s room key and credit card went floating to the sea floor, and the catamaran crew dived 30 or 40 feet to retrieve them. The cruise is a nice opportunity to see the Cliffs area of Negril.

Greens fees at Negril Hills Golf Course are also included in your CSA stay, and the resort provides free shuttles at 8:05 and 1:05 (Jamaican time; the PM shuttle actually left at 1:20). After 1:00, you can only play 9 holes. Guests must pay for the mandatory caddy, as well as a cart if they use one. Jim golfed Negril Hills and enjoyed the course. It was hilly, with some lovely mountain views, and exceeded his expectations based on Web reviews.

Free Internet access is available on the second floor of the CSA Lobby, at a zippy 11 MBPS. You can also enjoy wireless high-speed access here using your own laptop, if you need more time online. (Except during lunch and late nights, there were usually people waiting to use the Couples machines.) The new suites are supposed to be wired for high-speed Internet access, but one person I talked to said his laptop would only work from above the Lobby, not from his suite. The Lobby gift shop offers souvenirs, magazines, candy bars and potato chips, Gatorade, sunscreen, medicines, beachwear, plus long pants and collared shirts for men aspiring to dine at Feathers.

CSA will provide special gift packages upon request. For example, there is a romantic private dinner served on the beach or the room verandah for $150. The menu is customized and must be arranged 24 hours in advance. They can also provide flower arrangements, roses, a couples massage with souvenir polo shirts or robes, etc. You can make such arrangements at the Tour Desk in the Lobby.

V. Negril Tourism

Having been to Jamaica previously, we thought we were prepared for a relaxed attitude. We discovered that Negril is really much more casual than Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, which are more tourist-oriented. In Negril, you can’t do anything right away. You have to sign up a few days in advance, then check back later to see if the event will really materialize.

The one tour we really wanted to take was the Black River Safari & YS Falls tour. It was offered by JCAL Tours through the CSA tour desk for $75 per person, but we called Clive at http://www.clivestransportservicejamaica.com/airporttransfers_1.htm and booked it for $60 per person, with a much smaller group than went on the CSA-sponsored tour (just one other couple, plus a guide and driver). We were picked up at 8:00, as arranged. The tour was supposed to last until 4:00 and include lunch. The day we booked this tour was the day Tropical Storm Charley was scheduled to pass Jamaica, but Clive’s employees called ahead that morning to verify that the attractions would be open. After a drive of 1.5 hours along the south coast, during which our guide Allison told us some interesting information, we arrived at the Black River-- only to find that they were just about to close due to Charley, who was now shaping up to be a hurricane. They did agree to take our group as the last tour, but much to our disappointment, YS Falls was already closed.

The Black River safari was interesting. We took an airboat ride with a knowledgeable guide, who pointed out plants and told us their roles in the ecosystem. The Black River is remarkably clean and free from trash. The river takes its name from the peat deposits along its bottom, which make its crystal-clear water appear black. Mangroves help purify it, and aside from shrimping, it is largely unexploited. We also saw quite a few crocodiles, some of whom are trained to approach boats when guides slap the water and offer chicken. The guide was looking for crocodiles in specific locations, and they all seemed to have names. We enjoyed the chance to see these undeveloped wetlands. After the boat ride, our driver burned rubber back to Negril to beat the storm, which was then predicted to make landfall at 1 PM. Clive generously charged us nothing for the transportation, so our only cost for the abridged trip was $18 per person for the safari, plus tips. We could have finished the tour another day, but we didn’t want to repeat the drive (interesting as it was to do once slowly and once at high speed).

As we arrived back in Negril just after noon, shops were closing and being boarded up. CSA was taping windows, moving beach loungers and watersports equipment inland, and removing the blades from ceiling fans. The Montego Bay airport closed down at 1:00 that afternoon, requiring some guests to stay an extra day. (We heard that Couples comped their rooms for the extra night.) Charley dilly-dallied, but eventually passed by Jamaica late that night, as a wimpy category 1 hurricane. He generated some heavy rain and wind gusts, did some minor damage, and one life was lost. At CSA, we never even lost power. Charley went on to hit Florida hard.

The day after Charley, we decided to visit the Royal Palm nature preserve, which we had driven past on our truncated tour. We phoned ahead to make sure it was open, then called a taxi. Our driver at first thought we wanted to go to Palm Beach, but when we described the attraction he remembered it. He located it even though he had never been there and the sign was down. Unfortunately, there was no sign of life other than a couple of mongrel dogs. Since the dogs declined to sell us admission, we went shopping for souvenirs instead at Times Square.

In a last-ditch attempt to experience something besides the resort, we had dinner at Kuyaba on the Beach, a hotel and restaurant just south of CSA. Kuyaba sent a free shuttle to pick us up at CSA. We had a nice view from their ocean-front deck. Service was leisurely, but the food was good. They had several conch dishes on the menu, but unfortunately conch was out of season. Lobster was in season, and we enjoyed grilled lobster tail and fresh local snapper with “rice and peas” (rice and beans, a local dish).

Overall, we felt that our 9-night stay was about 1 day too long for the attractions available at CSA and in Negril. This is not a problem we’ve encountered on past trips. It was partly due to our bad timing vis-a-vis Hurricane Charley, and partly due to the laid-back pace of Negril in general.

In summary, Couples Swept Away Negril is a charming resort with plenty of amenities, and most people will have a fun vacation there once they slow down and relax. If a convenient modern room is a priority for you, book in the new section, and expect to pay a bit more for the room than you would at some other all-inclusives. Swept Away is probably best suited for people who plan to spend most of their time on the beach, may have some interest in fitness, and are looking for a relaxed all-inclusive with very good food. We enjoyed our time there and hope you do, too. If you have questions after reading this report, please feel free to e-mail them to EmmaB4976@aol.com .