CSA Review

[Kristy1014]

We just got back on Sunday from our first vacation at a Couples Resort. We stayed at CSA in the Greathouse. The room was ok, nothing special but it was clean and fine for four nights. Next time we definitely want to stay in a Beachfront Verrandah. They looked really nice from the outside.
The food was excellent. We loved Feathers and Lemongrass. The drinks were great. The service was out of this world. I think that is what keeps people coming back. Everyone is so friendly and they treat you so well-remember your name, etc. The beach is gorgeous, nicest beach I have ever been on. The water was beautiful. The ONE complaint I had was that there are not enough beach chairs! I am very confused by this-they know how many people the resort holds, why do they not have that amount of chairs? People wake up EXTREMELY early to put their towels on the chairs. This is ridiculous to me! Again, that was the one negative aspect of the resort.
I went to the Spa one morning and had the best massage I have ever had-and I have had a lot of massages.
We went to the gym 2 mornings and the Sports Complex is great!! I love how it is in a different part of the resport.
I never left a vacation wanting to go back so bad-I usually like to try different places for a new experience and thought it was silly to always go back to the same place--now I know why people do it!!
Do you know id COUPLES will ever branch out to any other locations besides Jamaica?

[Beach-bum]

Welcome to the family. I’m glad to hear you had a great time.

It is a bit hard to find a beach chair during peak hours. We usually walk down the beach a ways until we find a couple of them and drag them back to where we want to sit. But not a problem for us.

CSA soon come....Like in two days

[jamacain_me_crazy]

The beach chairs surprises me as we went to CN in December and there were so many chairs we never had to go looking for them or even think about reserving them.

Have others had the same problem?

[Chris]

The beach chair "shortage" surprises me, also. Perhaps its a matter of perception, given that the resort is spread over such a long stretch of beach. Also, since you stayed in the Great House, it leads me to believe that you may not have wandered toward the middle part of the beach, where there are normally scads of chairs.

Glad you enjoyed the place though... I think I see a repeater dinner in your future!

[Kristy1014]

No, it was not a matter of perception because we had the beach crew helping us find chairs-they were running up and down the beach for us (they were great). We were not the only couple that had this problem. They told us to make sure we woke up early the next day to grab chairs so we would not have this issue again. People were siting in regular chairs-not beach chairs. I was very surprised! Seemed like a common problem thought according to the beach crew.
It was not awful, once we got our chairs we were fine. ANd we put towels on our chairs before breakfast the rest of the trip--it all worked out.

[melody]

Weird. I wonder if some broke and they have yet to replace them or if they didn't get many new ones after opening the Great House. The last time we were there beach chairs were everywhere but they Great House was not completed yet.

[dirtleg]

Oy. The beach chair / floaty issue at CSA came up about four or five years ago. Within a few months Randy announced on the message board that new chairs and floats had been purchased and distributed to the beach at CSA. The problem disappeared.

Till now.

Have they washed out to sea or been dragged off by the crabs at night? Eaten by sand fleas? Snatched up by UFO's?

Let's see how this progresses.

[Redsoxnation]

Hey Beach-bum Iowa_mon ,
Have a great trip. Wish we were going. Hoping for November!

[Beach-bum]

Thanks Redsoxnation

[JumpinJen]

Huh, we had no problem finding beach chairs when we were there. That is weird. There has always been competition for the palapas, but not for chairs.

[Lapsters]

We're at CSA now and the beach chairs are a nightmare. We think people must be reserving them before they go to bed. At 0730 this morning it was hard to find one free anywhere on the resort. We actually think people are reserving more than one each - maybe 2 in the sun and 2 in the sahde per couple, because although they have stuff on them, some seem to be empty all day. I wish people didn't feel the need to do this!

[lbeth]

thats so disappointing. i was hoping that by going to a resort this calibre you would not have to worry about playing the beach chair game.

[Chris]

Hmm... this is very strange indeed!...

In all our previous visits to SweptAway, beach chairs have never, ever, EVER been a problem! Has civility gone on vacation as well?

As someone else noted, the palapas have been a problem since they put them in. At the risk of being pounced on, I find the behavior of some folks who will stake a claim to these (or ANY beach accommodation) before they go to bed (and yes, this HAS happened!) abhorant; bad form; crude; uncivil; and other less savory expletives.

I know, there are those who will say they can't tolerate the sun, they burn easily, they have reactions to excessive sunlight, etc. This doesn't excuse this behavior, in my opinion. There is plenty of shade to go around along this gorgeous stretch of beach, and there are (or were) plenty of chaises to go around as well. If not, its due to the above mentioned behavior, thieves walking off with them, or possibly another explanation, which would have to come from Randymon or someone at Couples....

[dirtleg]

Yikes!

Randy, more evidence of a beach chair shortage at CSA. This makes about a half dozen very similar reports about this issue. This is getting serious.

Somebody fix the beach!

I love the beach and it is in distress!

[melody]

That is quite a bummer! I wish there was no reserving. You just used things as you needed them and then when you left someone else got to use it. The last time we were there was April 2006 and there was no competition for chairs. I don't want to get sucked into that game but darn it, I would like a chair once in a while.

[rjammin]

Oh Oh!! We are heading to CSA for the first time this coming April. I hope this is fixed by then because CSA is 100% booked for the wek we will be there. We have been to CN and CSS 2 times each and never had a problem with beach chairs. Please fix this Randymon!!!!

[EinWI]

There will always be a beach chair game, always regardless of where you go. Yes I will be the first one to admit I wake up early to get a palapa for my hubby and I as he is fair skinned and red haired and cannot be in the sun for long so for us it is a necessity, if we are not using them we get up and leave and let someone else have it but I have to play it as I cannot risk not getting one or else his/our vacation could be ruined due to sunburn. It stinks that it is that way but it is...

[lalaillinois]

That is very disappointing. We are going for our first trip in March and I really hope this is not the case. I don't mind so much about the palapas but was looking forward to the beach chair and floatie. I hope this isn't true or, if it is, that they can fix it before our trip!

[EinWI]

There will always be a beach chair game, always regardless of where you go. Yes I will be the first one to admit I wake up early to get a palapa for my hubby and I as he is fair skinned and red haired and cannot be in the sun for long so for us it is a necessity, if we are not using them we get up and leave and let someone else have it but I have to play it as I cannot risk not getting one or else his/our vacation could be ruined due to sunburn. It stinks that it is that way but it is...

[Kristy1014]

I think there should be more chairs thant the amount of people the hotel holds. People had their towels on chairs all day and never used the chairs! It could easily be solved.

[yazmon]

This will be our 6th year going the first week in March and beach chairs have never, ever, been an issue. My wife is on the beach from 8:30 til 4:30. She sets them up for our group of 6 and we have never had a problem. If you get up past 10 am you might have to walk down the beach a ways, but you could always find a spot.

Maybe all of the extra loungers are now around the pool!!!

[jamacain_me_crazy]

Can someone at CSA please order more chairs before april?

Thank you

[Sue and Randy]

we saw a bit of this issue last October. that being said i thought it was later in the morning that this happened. maybe near 11 or so. i saw the fine guys from watersports assisting folks in locating loungers for the beach.

Randy

[EinWI]

lala,
last time I was there, there were PLENTY of chairs...but that was in 2007. It was the race for the Palapas we noticed.

[fawnridge]

We've been to CSA four times and the only time a lack of beach chairs was a problem was over Christmas and New Years. Even then, the staff managed to pull several wagonloads of spare chairs from some secret hiding space on the north end of the beach.

We normally go to CSA in April and October and have never had the problem of finding a beach chair then. Of course, the issue of space under the palapas is another thing, and a thread that's been rekindled here enough times that I won't start it again. But with the largest of the beaches, Randy, I think someone in the corporate office ought to be aware of the situation by now regarding the chairs and the floaties. Along with all the other wonderful renovations being done at CSA, how about you fix up the greatest beach in Jamaica?