A couple questions about CSA/honeymoon

Hello all,

I am planning my honeymoon for July, 2013 and am strongly considering CSA. I do have several questions though.

1) My fiance and previously visited Montego Bay and Punta Cana and stayed in very "modern" AIs. I keep on reading about CSA having "rustic" rooms. Is that code for dated? I know tripadvisor reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, but almost all the negatives reference how the rooms are not befitting to a 4/5* resort.

2) Also, the resort seems very spread out. Roughly how long of a walk is it to the major points in the resort (beach, pools, restaurants, lobby, sports complex?) While we're not against walking, I would not want to have to walk 10 minutes every time I want to get food.

3) Are there lots of random people (locals, people from other resorts) using the beach?

4) I know there really is no room service, so what food options are there after midnight or so?

Thanks in advance! This msg board is an amazing resource.

Brian

Hello Brian,

Congrats on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon. CSA is a great resort to choose for a honeymoon with beautiful beaches and gorgeous sunsets that'll make the occasion memorable (but bring a camera anyhow)! We've been there twice and will do our best to answer your questions.

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Originally Posted by boog204

Hello all,

I am planning my honeymoon for July, 2013 and am strongly considering CSA. I do have several questions though.

1) My fiance and previously visited Montego Bay and Punta Cana and stayed in very "modern" AIs. I keep on reading about CSA having "rustic" rooms. Is that code for dated? I know tripadvisor reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, but almost all the negatives reference how the rooms are not befitting to a 4/5* resort.
- Those who have used "rustic" to describe rooms at CSA certainly would not use that to mean "dated". They are modern and in good repair. Just don't go there expecting to walk into an upper-crust, elegant resort hotel. For instance, we've stayed in the beachfront suites at CSA and they are very nice but rustic. Here's a link to some pictures that may help: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecsimso...7624040604608/.

2) Also, the resort seems very spread out. Roughly how long of a walk is it to the major points in the resort (beach, pools, restaurants, lobby, sports complex?) While we're not against walking, I would not want to have to walk 10 minutes every time I want to get food.
- It will depend on where your room is, where you are wanting to go and where you are as to how far things are. At a casual pace it might take 2-3 minutes to go from one end of CSA to the other. The restaurants and pools are located at the ends of the resort with the rooms in-between. Nothing is that far away...just spread out.

3) Are there lots of random people (locals, people from other resorts) using the beach?
- While CSA doesn't have a "private beach", those from outside the resort are not allowed to use the beach. Locals or those from other resorts will pass through but are required to stay below the water line and not approach guests staying at the resort. CSA has uniformed people walking the beach that will quickly escort an outsider away. As the beach is really beautiful to walk you'll probably find yourself walking along the beach and following these same "rules" as you pass other resorts.

4) I know there really is no room service, so what food options are there after midnight or so?
- The Cabana Grill, near Patois Patio, is open from 11 AM to 5 AM so you can always find a place to grab something to eat or drink.

Thanks in advance! This msg board is an amazing resource.

Brian

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Hopefully this has answered your questions and helped in your honeymoon planning.

Bart & Bug

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!!! I JUST returned from our honeymoon at CSA this past Sunday and I'm still blown away by how amazing and memorable it was. Here are my thoughts.

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Originally Posted by boog204

Hello all,

I am planning my honeymoon for July, 2013 and am strongly considering CSA. I do have several questions though.

1) My fiance and previously visited Montego Bay and Punta Cana and stayed in very "modern" AIs. I keep on reading about CSA having "rustic" rooms. Is that code for dated? I know tripadvisor reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt, but almost all the negatives reference how the rooms are not befitting to a 4/5* resort.
I understand your concern. We went to two nearly brand new AI's in Playa Del Carmen and Riviera Maya this past year and both were HUGE, shiny, marble, glossy...etc...resorts. While we really enjoyed them, I felt like something was missing. I didn't ever feel a connection with the staff, and there were sooo many people that it was impossible or just pointless almost to make small talk with anyone. At CSA, rustic means....a very different experience from those huge glossy AI's. Everything is very clean and the air conditioning, mini fridge....lights...etc...is all new and up to date, but they are basic in the sense that they aren't trying to sell you on a room, they are trying to sell you an experience. I thought I'd never be able to go to a resort without a hot tub in the middle of the room or balcony, which is almost standard at many other AI's, but the rooms at CSA were sooo relaxing. We had an Atrium Suite, which i'd highly recommend. We had the top floor with the vaulted, thatched ceilings. The huge balcony with the hammock and couch was amazing and I would have loved to relax there all week, if there weren't so many other beautiful things to see! I felt like I was in the middle of a very exotic local....oh wait...I was! :)

2) Also, the resort seems very spread out. Roughly how long of a walk is it to the major points in the resort (beach, pools, restaurants, lobby, sports complex?) While we're not against walking, I would not want to have to walk 10 minutes every time I want to get food.
It's spread out perfectly, in my opinion. You are pretty much always on the beach path if you want to be, so walking from one place to another is half the fun! On one end of the resort is The Palms, and the other end is Patois, in the Great House. If we had to walk from one to the other, it would take between 5-7 minutes, depending on how urgent it was, although we always tended to take longer because we'd get distracted by the ocean, sunset, or beach bar on the way there.


3) Are there lots of random people (locals, people from other resorts) using the beach?
No. Not at all. Just vendors, but they are harmless.

4) I know there really is no room service, so what food options are there after midnight or so?
The Cabana Grill. We went there around 1am after a night at Aura Lounge. Two grilled cheeses with tomato and a side of onion rings later.....eeek! I can't tell you exactly what they have other than hot dogs, burgers, grilled cheese, jerk chicken I think....onion rings, fries, nachos...I don't have the exact menu committed to memory because I'm a vegetarian so it wasn't my favorite place, but it SURE did the trick that night!!

Thanks in advance! This msg board is an amazing resource.

Brian

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Let me know if you have any other questions!!!!!
Laura

I must walk slower. I bet it takes me 5 minutes at least to walk from one end to the other. I do need the exercise though! It's a lovely and very scenic walk! We got married there in 04 and have trip #5 booked. You are going to love csa. Have an awesome trip!

We usually stay in a BFVS room at CSA. There are certainly nice updated features like a huge flat screen TV and ipod docking station, so I would not call it dated. But it does not have many of the frills that some high end resorts have, like the jacuzzi or updated bath. We love the big balcony and the proximity to the beach. I have yet to find a similarly priced room at another resort that has a room that gets us that close to the beach. So we are definitely paying for location, location, location.

It is spread out, but certainly not so much that you could not easily walk anywhere slowly in under 10 minutes. I just got back from a conference in Phoenix where the resort was so spread out that I had to call the front desk for a golf cart to go to the spa or to the front desk. CSA is nothing like that.

The beach at CSA is not like other islands. We've been to Aruba and Barbados where anybody can use the public beach. Although the waterline is public, the beach itself is private. You will get families strolling the beach and of course the vendors, but it isn't anything like many other Caribbean islands.

There actually is room service for breakfast (fruits, pastries, coffee, juices). And the Cabana Grill is a great option for late at night.

We LOVE CSA. Having stayed at resorts on several islands and in Mexico (as well as Jamaica), I'd say that the vibe really is pretty rustic in comparison. If you're looking for the marble and fountain and fully updated bathrooms, I'd honestly look elsewhere. We've stayed in most of the room categories at CSA and we have always found them to be very clean, but honestly, they're no comparison to some of the other places we've stayed in terms of high end amenities.

That being said, there's a definite reason we've had our "sun and fun" vacations at ONLY at CSA since we discovered it back in 2000. The staff is phenomenal, the beach is out of this world, the food is great and the rooms totally suit the laid back beach vibe.

Enjoy your honeymoon!

thanks everyone for all the comments... we are still considering CSA, but "gonegril's" comments are pretty much what I anticipated. we are a little cheesy in that we like and look forward to the marble/fountains and the glitz that goes along with it so I'm thinking CSA for our honeymoon, while I'm sure it would be great, would be a slight let down in the room category.

boog204,

I believe if you get a Beachfront Verandah Suite at CSA that you won't be disappointed at all. To have the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea right out your front door is spectacular. There aren't many places that you have a room in this position. For me, I would much rather has beautiful surroundings and the most spectacular beach you will ever see, than marble and brass fixtures. I love gorgeous hotels too, but when you are going on a beach vacation to the tropics, marble and brass and super fancy stuff just doesn't seem to fit. Keep reading TripAdvisor reviews and you may be swayed. CSA is paradise to my husband and I. It's paradise to a lot of couples out there. You're missing out if you don't go.

Margi