Review Couples Swept Away All-Inclusive Resort,
Negril, Jamaica - page 6 of 6
Couples Swept Away Review
Negril, Jamaica
Five more web pages are linked at the bottom of this page.
I'm Patricia Blackstock and my husband is Wally Snider. We live in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and we've been taking yearly adult couples only resirts every year since 1997.
Very shortly after we arrived at the Couples Resort Lounge in MBJ we were called to identify our luggage and board the bus to Couples Swept Away. We encountered some construction and someone asked for a bathroom stop, so we arrived in aa little under 2 hours. The return trip was 1.5 hours with no stops.)
Couples Swept Away is a large resort on a 7-mile beach. It offers 6 restaurants, 8 bars, 3 pools, 1 Swim-up Bar, 4 Jacuzzis, and a 10-acre fitness area with 10 tennis courts including clay courts.
Overall review of Couples Swept Away: We were greated wit ha glass of champagne and some paperwork which included information regarding our trip home. We were given a Welcome Bag of toiletries (picture on page 2) along with two t-shirts,a returning coupon for a 30 minute "couples massage" and information about the resort, including a list and map for activities. Once our luggage was identified again, and we were taken to our room. We were also surprised with a lovely wooden box which contained three "barrels" of Blue Mountain Coffee. What an excellent introduction to Couples Swept Away.
Couples Swept Away Room Review:
Our room was on the 3rd floor of the Garden Verandah Suites. It was basic, but roomy, with sufficient space to store our gear. You can view several photos of it on Page 2 (below.) We loved the iPod dock which served as a clock and an iPod player. We brought two laptops. I use a MacBook Pro and Wally has a PC. We were able to share the wi-fi in the room and on the patio. The desk is wide enough to accommodate two laptops if needed. Kings size bed, digital LCD TV, bathrobes, blow dryer, safe deposit box, coffee and tea bags, plus a fuly-stocked mini bar.
Couples Swept Away Housekeeping Review:
Every day, late in the afternoon or evening, one of the housekeepers would come by to ask if she needed to re-stock tissues, towels, toilet paper, toiletries, etc. When we returned to our room at nightthe bed was always turned down for us.
Couples Swept Away Sports Review:
Beach volleyball, drink mixology, pool vollyball, beach volleyball, basket weaving, Jamaican cooking, how to talk Jamaican, pool tournament, snorkeling, glass bottom boat, basketball, and salsa dance class.Evenings feature the Aura Lounge piano bar, shows, beach bonfire,\dance, live bands, and casino night. You can participate in one, all, or none of the actvities at Couples Swept Away. A lot of effort and love have gone into these activities, and I encourage ytou to take part as time allows.
Reviews of the pools Couples Swept Away
Couples Swept Away features two very nice pools, one with a swim-up bar. There were plenty of lounge chairs, and each chair (including those on the beach) had their own floatie. No need to get to the pool or beach early to claim "your" chair/floatie. We mostly stayed around the pool, near the dive area on th3e beach. There are no "Playmakers" at Couples. Even though there are activities going on throughout the day, it was left up to us whether we wanted to participate. I was never made to feel guilty if the only exercise I wanted was to raise a glass to my lips.
Bar Review: At Couples Swept Away and Couples Negril, drinks are delivered to you on the beach by the use of little flags placed in the sand. Or,if you are in no hurry, there's always a bar nearby. (Hint: Ask the bartender for his or her favorite drink.) This will usually be a rum mixture with "special" additons, known only to the bartender! They are always happy that you asked for their specialty.
Review of solicitations:
We never saw any Couples Swept Away employees soliciting Spa Business, hair-braiding, or anything else. Our Couples Swept Away Massage was done in silence. The massages were wonderful, and totally relaxing. We were not asked to upgrade, extend our sessions for a price, or offered their products for sale. Thank you, Couples!
Local Participation Day Review There are various areas at Couples Swept Away where locals display jewelry, wood carvings, etc. The locals are proud of their work, as they should be. The locals are proud of their work, as they should be. But unless we stopped to look at something, the only contact was a frendly nod. We purchased a couple baskets from one local woman who was weaving as we watched. The participation of locals at Couples Swept Away made it easy to choose gifts for our friends at home with no pressure to purchase.
The beach is public at Couples Swept Away, at least by the water's edge. We often saw locals selling items, but they were all friendly and not annoying. I know there have been complaints on some forums, but it was their beach long before it became a resort beach. I can't imagine how I would feel if a resort were built in Myrtle Beach and someone told me I could not walk on that part of the beach anymore.
Review of Complimentary Cruise at Couples Swept Away:
The Catamaran Cruise is available twice a week. Reservations requested. Shopping Tours are Mon. Wed. and Sat. "Margaritaville" is every Wednesday at 5:15 (a short walking distance.) Day exchange with Couples Negril (10 min. bus ride) every Wednesday, leaving at 10 AM and coming back to Swept Away at 4. This cateamaran cruise was certainly a highlight of Couples Swept Away.
Review : Couples Swept Away Food and Drinks:
Couples Swept Away food and bars were excellent I took a lot of photos which you'll find on Page 3 below. The returning guest dinner featured Surf 'n Turf. Saturday is Lobster Night, and Lobster is available at all the restaurants. The local catches such as snapper were flavorful and wonderfully prepared. Since we're from Myrtle Beach, we know how good locally-caught seafood should be prepared and served. W were never disappointed with the food at Couples Swept Away.
Review : Couples Swept Away Bars:
Couples Swept Away has top brand liquor and of course Red Stripe Beer. We prefer Baileys Irish Cream to Rum Cream, and were happy to find it in all the bars. New snazzy high-speed blenders do a fantastic job of mixing blender drinks. We enjoyed the best Mudslides and Dirty Bananas we've ever had. We visited the Martini Bar and looked forward to the different selections available. Grey Goose may have disappeared from Sandals, but it is still availble at Couples! Feathers and Lemon Grass require reservations. We went to Feathers twice and Lemon Grass once. Both are very good! We preferred Feathers, but that was a personal choice and someone else could easily choose the menu at Lemon Grass as bring the best. We also enjoyed The Palms and Patois. You can have breakfast delivered to your room, order à la carte from The Patois Patio, or enjoy a continental breakfast spread at The Palms.
Reservations for restaurants and other activities (Policy Review)
There are no "Concierge level" rooms at Couples Swept Away. No matter which room level you have chosen, everyone has the same option to book reservations with the Concierge. You can reserve the restaurants and seating times of your choice including Catamaran Cruise as many times as you want (or as space allows.) Naturally, the further ahead you book, the more choices you will have.
Snorkeling Review:
The Watersport Team at Couples Swept Away was excellent, and the Snorkeling crew went out of the way to be sure that everyone went to a different snorkeling area on each trip.
Wine Review:
Our only disappointment with Couples Swept Away was the wine selection. Merlot was the only red available and it had no body. With a little persistence, a fuller body Cabernet Sauvignon could be obtained for dinner, but it was almost impossible to get it with lunch.The Chablis was deplorable, and although they had a blush, it was difficult to find, and not carried at all restaurants. Feathers Restaurant offered wines at an additional cost, but we felt there should be a better wine included with the "all inclusive" price. In a discussion with the management at the returning guest dinner we learned that this complaint has been brought up previously, and we were told that they are in the process of addressing the problem. On the positive side, since I didn't care for their wine, I would often order champagne at dinner, and we could request a bottle of champagne at any bar to take to our room.
One high point of our vacation:
I could not end this review without mentioning that we were fortunate enough to meet Elias "Lee" Issa, the owner of Couples Resorts at the Lemon Grass Restaurant. (Picture on Page 5.) He is loved by the employees, and it's not hard to figure out why. He's friendly, easy to talk to, and totally charming. We finally had to insist he stop talking to us and get back to dinner companions.
Our only complaint:
We booked 7 nights, instead of our normal 10 nights.
Couples Swept Away Checkout:
We were given an insulated lunch bag with the Coples logo. Surprise! It contained two bottles of water and two Nature Valley Breakfast bars.
Our Travel Agent:
Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Amy McHugh and her husband Mike with Dream Makers Vacation Services. Wally and I booked two previous Sandals Resort vacations with Amy, as well as this recent trip. She is all you could hope for in a travel agent - dependable, responsible and reliable... and she always follows up. And this is all at no cost to you. If you don't already have a travel agent, do yourself a favor. Contact Amy. Tell her I sent you!
I hope you have enjoyed our review of Couples Swept Away as well as the photos below. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions..
PHOTO PAGES:
You are viewing page 6 of 6 - Couples Swept Away Review
Page 1 - Couples Swept Away - Index page
Page 2 - Couples Swept Away Bars, Restaurants, Food, Drinks
Page 4 - Couples Swept Away Catamaran Cruise, Beach and Pool
Page 5 - Couples Swept Away Sports Complex and Miscellaneous
* Review: Couples Sans Souci 2011 HERE!
* View Compare Sandals to Couples
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