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Couples Ocho Rios 10/26/02
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
My boyfriend and I stayed at Couples Ocho Rios in January 2002 and thought it was absolutely fabulous. This was my 3rd all-inclusive Caribbean vacation, and would definitely return to Couples Ocho Rios over the others. Rooms/Buildings The resort grabs you from the very beginning. I will never forget the moment I got off the shuttle bus and stepped into the lobby. It was open air on one side, with a wall of beautiful Palladian style windows/doors opening onto the crystal clear turquoise blue Caribbean waters. We were immediately greeted by someone who took our luggage, brought us champagne and brought us to a comfy seating area to fill out all the check-in paperwork. Our room was great. The lock started sticking (because I stuck my sandy key in it.) And without even mentioning it (I assume the maid noticed when she came in to do cleaning), they fixed it. The rest of the building(s) was very nice as well. It is an older structure, but that adds to the charm in my opinion. Grounds The grounds were quite nice. The beach was pretty good as well, although not as nice as some others we've stayed at. And it was quite clean. Staff raked the beach every morning and picked up cups, etc. all day. Saw staff cleaning up the seaweed frequently as well. Food For an all-inclusive the food was good. At any of the AI's I've stayed at, the food is bound to be a little on the institutional side. Service The service was absolutely outstanding. We did encounter quirky things that some may view as poor service. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. Sometimes service was a little slow by American standards. Jamaica simply has a more relaxed pace than in the U.S. (Maybe we can learn something from them?) But for us, it just added to the relaxing experience. Because it is an older building, there were renovations occurring while we were there, but they did absolutely everything to minimize the annoyance. For example, there was a guy on a ladder in the hallway working on lights on the ceiling. He saw us coming down the hall and, completely unnecessarily because the hall was more than wide enough for us to pass, he scrambled down the ladder, closed it up and moved to the side to let us pass and apologized. The water sports staff was absolutely GREAT. Richard gave us sailing and windsurfing lessons. Talk about patience!! In addition to being an excellent instructor, he was so encouraging and patient! Even as we were leaving, the maid stopped and asked us how our stay was. Ambiance We really loved that the main dining area was open air. Nothing beats starting your morning with a plate of fresh fruit and Jamaican coffee on a covered patio overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We also liked that the nightly music, shows and disco were on a stage in the main dining area. It was nice to have the warm breeze blowing in as you watch the show or dance at the disco. At the Bayside restaurant they had strolling musicians every night we ate there. Sitting at an open air restaurant jutting into the sea, waves crashing on the side of the structure, romantic live music, warm breeze... What could be better? Some evenings just before sunset they had a saxophonist playing out on the pier, which just really added to the ambiance. We just had the lowest priced category room, and when we got to our room a bottle of champagne was awaiting us. Good to Know Definitely a good place for couples looking for just the right mix of rest and relaxation and activity. Also, for us, the perfect balance of refinement without being stuffy. Here, all-inclusive means all-inclusive. No limitations on the number of times you can eat at the al a carte restaurants. Instruction is included with all the watersports (except scuba). And no tipping really means no tipping. Weíve stayed at other all-inclusives where tipping was supposedly included, but it was absolutely expected once you got there. While we were there, the clientele ranged greatly in age (but adults only, of course). We really enjoyed this. I had been to a resort where the clientele was generally closer to my age (30), but actually enjoyed the wider age group at Couples. The nightlife is not quite as lively as another all-inclusive I've stayed at, but still enough for us. After the nightly entertainment the disco ensued for a couple of hours. Sometimes it stopped sooner if it cleared out earlier and vice versa. After that, there was still a regular bar and a piano bar with sing alongs until the wee hours. The ride from the airport to the resort is long. (3 hours) So grab a Red Stripe (or a Pepsi if you don't drink), sit back and enjoy the trip. I viewed it as a good opportunity to see some of the countryside and the "real" Jamaica. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at sleeplessinstcloud@yahoo.com
Diana
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