All inclusive Couples Resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Here is what to expect upon arriving
at the airport, you will be greeted and taken to a private Couples Lounge where
you will be given a draft beer, a cold soda or beverage of choice while the
friendly staff check you in and tag your luggage for transport to the
resort.
Transportation is included from
Montego Bay (MBJ) airport, not Ocho Rios. Caveat, Montego Bay is 2
hours from the resort.
Pros: Couples is truly an all-inclusive resort from the "All
inclusive - a.k.a Free" option of having your bar fully stocked
with full size liquor bottles along with an array of mixers to all
inclusive scuba diving (2 tanks per day), hobie cats for the sailor in you
or me :), paddle boarding, kite surfing with even free instructions (yep), 2
times a day - free snorkeling trips, 2 times a day Catamaran Party cruise,
daily trip to Dune River Falls with entrance fee paid for, free shopping
excursions and transportation, 3 tennis courts with beginner, intermediate and
advance instructions, 2 pools, a private island for the full sunbather in
you, top shelf liquor at selected bars (Grey Goose), otherwise Absolut,
Smirnoff, Dewars and more.
Free Wifi is another plus throughout
the resort unlike most other all-inclusive resorts that I have been to.
Lobster night is every Friday at all the restaurants on the
resort, I would recommend Bayside or Eight Rivers for the best cooking of your
lobster.
The
full size bottles with snapped in pourers for your convenience &
champagne.
The
funny part of all this was when we saw this list in the room and it had
a note saying, only 1 of each type per day, we thought, wow, really? so
we can only get 5 mini bottles, that is ridiculous, so we selected them all,
came back to room to 5 full size bottles, HA!! :)
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Cons: Long ride from the airport as previously mentioned, 2
hours ride from Montego Bay airport to the Resort, so make sure to get
comfortable and take a couple of those beverages with you.
Couples is very small resort in
comparison to others that I have been to, however if you don't want to hike
around from one part of the resort to the others then this is perfect for
you.
We met these couples on the bus
on our way to the resort, we asked why they selected this resort versus Sandals
or the other Couples Resort nearby - San Souci or Couples -
Negril, they said, they like it better because it is more
intimate and they didn't have to hike to get around, like Sandals, or
Couples San Souci or Couples Negril. They also said, for the price, they
get more for their money. Sandals, although nicer, was and is much more
expensive. See my upcoming blog about Sandals.
Couples Tower Isle rooms are small, no bathtubs in the
standard rooms, just showers, not luxurious in feel, very plain and
simplistic, no frills for travelers that like spending time in the room. I
personally don't care as much because I would rather be out doing all those
activities that are included and just go back to the room to get ready,
grab a drink before dinner or go to sleep. Although I think it would definitely
be more beneficial to Couples resort if their rooms are equipped with Jacuzzis,
however, I can see that they would need to do a complete renovation for that to
happen as this was one of the first all-inclusive resorts. Their rooms are really small, so it would be
difficult to put in regular size tubs let alone Jacuzzis.
This
is a Premier Ocean view standard room, this is really how big it is,
What
you see is what you get in this picture.
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Tips for Dune River Falls: Do bring your own water shoes or buy it at the Falls, the
driver will do this pull over to a small hut along the way making it seems like
the Falls will not be selling any water shoes, so you are stuck buying
expensive water shoes for $20 a pair when you can get it at the Falls for $8 or
even rent it for less or you can get it from Amazon for $6 and up.
Restaurants: 5 restaurants
Patio: buffet
style that is open daily for all meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner with option
to order from menu.
Pool grill: cook to order, pizzas, hamburgers, chicken tenders, Jamaican
jerk chicken, open all day/night. My favorite was the Jamaican jerk chicken
with their bbq jerk sauce, yum!
Verandah: Caribbean flair dishes, soups are served in a coconut
shell. No reservation needed but only open on certain nights. Food was
ok, not amazing.
Eight rivers and Bayside are reservation only and only open for
dinner on certain nights. Continental and Asian cuisines
Note: Do NOT expect to get seated without a
reservation, unless you don't mind the 2 hours wait like we did on our last
night there. Just make all your reservations upon arrival even though they give
you a sheet that looks like you can only make 2 reservations, submit that and
stop at the concierge desk to book the rest.
Eight Rivers: Inside seating, perfectly cooked and prepared lamb chops (no
fat excess even, they actually trimmed all the fat and you actually get perfect
lamb chops), excellent salad cart and prep, made right at your table with an
array of toppings to choose from, fantastic desserts and organic tea
selections. The organic tea selections are only available at these two
restaurants and I love a good cup of tea!
Bayside: Outside seating, fantastic food as well, the
option to pick your protein of choice and sauces, delicious. Soups were amazing
as well. Hot sake was very good, overall, yum!
The food and ambience were excellent
for both Eight Rivers and Bayside.
Veggie bar is also available on the first floor by the
beach, more like mini take out area with veggie summer rolls, hummus,
spreads, vegetable plate, fresh coconut water, and coconut meat shavings.
I love summer rolls normally but
maybe it was the prep person, the summer roll I had was very loosely wrapped so
it fell apart upon touching and was served with a sweet and spicy Asian sauce,
which you can't go wrong with as it comes from jar.
I especially enjoyed the freshly
picked coconuts and coconuts meat shavings from the veggie bar and thought it
was awesome that they included this as other all-inclusive resorts charges
$5 for a coconut. Paradisus at Domican Republic and Dreams at Cabo San Lucas does.
As a foodie, I love good food and as
a deal seeker, I don't like having to pay extra for things like coffee or
coconut or a ride into town or paying for scuba or catamaran excursions. With
that said, I especially enjoyed the all-inclusiveness of this resort in
comparison to others that have better rooms with the nickel and dime attitude.
I would recommend this resort if you
like doing activities in the water or doing excursions that allows for you to
see the town and enjoying the outdoors and having full liquor bar in your room
for time where you want a drink while you are getting ready for dinner. Or even
full sunbathing on a private island or have a romantic dinner with the love of
your life or celebrate an anniversary with a sunset dinner on the pier.
For those that like white sand
beaches and crystal clear water, this is not a resort for you, the beach is
mediocre, brown coarse sand and the water is not crystal clear like St. Maarten
or Grand Cayman.
See my other blogs for Dreams in Cabo San Lucas and Paradisus in Dominican Republic.
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