CSA Review 11/28-12/05

[UNLVmike]

CSA 11/28 – 12/05

This was our fourth trip to CSA and we had a great time. I’ll try to make this short and to the point.

Arrival/Bus ride:

Was at the airport lounge for about 15 minutes, got a couples Red Stripes and then we were off on the bus. We didn’t stop this time and we made it to CSA in about 90 min.

Check in:

This was the first time our room wasn’t ready when we arrived. No worries, they took our bags and we went and had a few drinks. We came back and were glad to see we were upgraded and we were quickly taken off to the room. The front desk staff was great.

Room:

We ended up in a Ocean Verandah like we booked since we gave our upgrade to the Great House Jacuzzi Suite to our friends that were with us since it was there first time. There room was great… very large and with an excellent view of the sea. We always had worries about the great house and the “hotel” feel. However, it wasn’t like that at all. They stayed on the same floor as the Aura lounge and never heard one sound. It was really nice and the location is great if you are on the newer side of the resort like we are most of the time. Our Ocean Verandah was nice and basic just as we remembered. Clean and the beds and linen were very nice. We aren’t really picky with the rooms. We didn’t see any bugs this year in the room. However, if you leave out drinks or anything you will get ants.

Beach:

The nicest we have scene it in the past few years. The newer section had a much larger beach area than the older section. The water was warm and very calm. This is the main reason we come to Negril… this beach is one of the best in the Caribbean. We ventured out this time and made the “left” outside of the resort. We only made it so far and turned back because we were hassled really bad by the vendors. I like to talk to the vendors and normally a simple “no thanks” will work with those on the CSA beach. However, these guys were sooo pushy. One guy made me hold a cigar; he then cut it, and then insisted that I owed him $15 for his Cuban cigar. One guy asked me if I wanted to but a conch shell and I said “no thanks” and I was then called cheap. This is why I love the security at CSA. I have NEVER seen a vendor that was like those that I experienced off the resort. The guys on the CSA beach keep moving with a simple no thank you.

Dive Team:

We did the resort dive once again. We swear we are going to get certified and never pull the trigger. The next time we will be certified before we go. We did an additional dive for $50 pp and it was great. Anthony, Franz, Jack Sparrow, and Shaggy were all great. They really made the diving experience great.

Bars:

Great service at all bars, everyone was very friendly. I got the best service from Jerome and Dermon in the Aura lounge. They were some of the nicest guys we have ever met, they are right up there with Romaine from a few years ago. Those of you who have met Romaine will know what I’m talking about. Ultimate Chocolate was also great as always.

Excursion:

We had an amazing day with a great tour operator. Private message me if you want their information since I don’t think I can post it on the board. We went to YS Falls and then did a pub crawl on the west end Cliffs. To break it down:

YS Falls – breathtaking will definitely go back. It was absolutely stunning and the pictures we got were well worth the drive. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!

Sexy Rexy – he’s a You Tube legend and an all around great guy. We sat and talked with him for a bit over a few Red Stripes.

Ricks Café – tourist trap? Yes. However, if you have never been its worth a stop. Give a few bucks to the cliff divers and they will put on a show. They can be pushy at times, however.

Ivan’s bar – great place and really romantic. My wife absolutely loved this place. It was really great atmosphere.

Pushcart – Wonderful. We specifically went here to see Romaine from CSA. For those of you who know him he’s doing great and we are planning a trip for him to come out to Vegas in July. Pushcart was a really nice place, live reggae, great food, and good drink prices (I think Romaine hooked us up pretty good). Definitely worth a stop. I had one of the best meals of my life with there Jerk Chicken Salad.

Food at resort:

Here is my only complaint. The food was great but our favorite restaurant Patios had the same menu the whole week. I remember last year a few things would change. Dinner did change on our last night. However, there pizzas are great and I couldn’t imagine it would be too hard to mix up the pizzas nightly. This is something I really hope Couples works on.

Overall:

CSA is amazing. We will be back next year of course.

If you have any questions then fire away. I guess this wasn’t really short, lol.

Pictures coming shortly.

[IACouple]

Glad someone else noticed the same issue with patois. We were actually considering not going back to CSA because of the food. If this problem is addressed, I will be booking my 2010 vacation soon.

[UNLVmike]

I agree, it was a real bummer.

I wish they did something like a make your own pizza selection, kind of like they do with the omlettes in the morning. They can list a variety of toppings and you can personalize your pizza. That way you can always keep it new.

Any input on this Randymon or other Couples staff?

[tammye]

I was very surprised to find the exact same menus as when we were there in 2008. It wasn't just at Patois, either. Everything was the same on the same day of the week, even down to the desert cards. The food was great, don't get me wrong, but I'd like a little more variety. The same menu did give us a chance to eat again the foods we loved from the last trip, but it was a little disappointing to not have more variety.

Tammy

[kikidoll]

Mike, this was really nice to read and so informative! My fiance and I are going there in May for our honeymoon... posts like this make me even more excited!

[Bkhiattky]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to let us know how is was. Can't wait to see the pictures

[UNLVmike]

Here are some of the pictures, enjoy!

http://couplessweptaway2009.shutterfly.com/

[Beach-bum]

The beach looks great!

Thanks for the photos.

[angienkevin]

Great review and loved looking at the photos. Thanks for sharing. Heading to CSA this Friday. Cannot wait!

Angie

[Northern gal]

Thanks for posting the great review. We are headed back to CSA in 7 weeks and can't wait. We have made so many special friends in our last two trips there and it feels like we are going back to visit family now. I could almost feel like I was there when ready your review. Soon!!

[yazmon]

Hi Mike--Great review and photos. Thanks for posting. My wife and I are big CSA fans, too.

A guy that I used to coach hockey with just opened a new bar/restaurant in Henderson. It might be called Hammer's. This was the name of the bar that he had in Peoria. He played pro hockey for 12 years and made his name fighting. Bob "the Hammer" Fleming. He's the nicest guy you will ever meet and big 6'2", 260lbs. no bottom teeth!! Look him up if you get a chance.

[Bkhiattky]

Love the pictures!! Looks like you had a blast

[NJ_Bride]

Mike,

I just friend requested you. I'm not sure if that is how I can PM you. I would love to know about your tour info. My hubby and I are looking to do exactly what you did on this trip.

Thanks,

Danielle

[Margi]

Great review. YS Falls looks beautiful.

[Sue and Randy]

Mike, great pics. from what is on the main page i believe you stayed in OVS 3209. Sue and I have stayed there several times and it is probably our favorite room there. we love it being in the middle of the resort.

we miss Romaine. we will have to go to Pushcart and see him this coming April.

Randy