CSA room quality, view, and things to do?

[TiffanyW]

My husband and I are going to CSA in June for our 10yr anniversary. We are super excited... as long as we don't read reviews. I am getting nervous about room quality and views of the beachfront veranda suite. I read that the rooms need major updates and the view are obscured. I requested a 3rd story room in January and now I am reading that requests are not really paid attention to. Help!! Please tell me the reviews are wrong. I really want this to be perfect. It is not cheap to stay at Couples, so I would hope the rooms are up to par.

Also, and recommendations on things to do in Negril?

Anything within walking distance on 7mi beach?

Any day excursions recommended?

Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide

[lutely]

My wife and I have stayed in the BFVS 4 times, always on the ground floor, but you can't get closer to the ocean! Literally 10 steps from our verandah and we're on the beach. 2nd and 3rd floor rooms may have some obstruction due to the trees but there will be awesome views of the ocean and beach. The rooms are not marble and glitz, it is pretty much as the pictures suggest, but we have never had an issue with the room quality or cleanliness.

We walk the beach lamost every day and will stop in at local bars, restaraunts or shops and get a little local flavor. We tend to stay away from the chains, ie Maragaritaville, etc. but you will be approached by vendors selling any and everything but a polite no thanks or I'm taken care of will usually suffice.

We have been to Mayfield Falls, Appleton Estates, Y'sFalls, Dunns River Falls, Pelican Bar and as much as we enjoyed all of those places, the drive and stopping along the way is almost as much fun. We found a driver 15 years ago on our first trip and he is now a part of our family and we usually ask him where would he go if he could take a day off and then we take his whole family on an adventure.

No worries, your fears will be taken care of with the entire experience at CSA. The beach, people, food and amenities are what keeps us coming back. If you are scuba divers, they have the best team of all the spots we have ever dove.

Enjoy.

[redinthehead]

Welcome to the couples family.
There are always going to be people who go to Couples thinking rooms should be updated. You have those who go thinking 5 star means marble,brass, a four poster bed and a fountain in the lobby. You wont find those at CSA so they are disappointed. And there will always be those who look for something to be wrong, got to feel sad for people whoes vaction was ruined by a cracked tile in their room. We found the rooms to be bueatiful in their simplicity. As for views, yes it might be a little obscured, Couples doesnt cut down the trees growing on the beach but rather blends the buildings into the natural landscape of Jamaica.

Couples does not take room request until check-in but will try to make you happy once your there.

There are lots of things to walk to on 7mi beach as your faceing the ocean turn left. A "No Thank -you" works well with vendors.

Is Couples perfect? No, but it is close enough that for some of us we can not dream of going any where else.

[louieandsusie]

3 trips=3 stays in a BFVS--love 'em. Everytime=3rd floor corner room. We ask when we check in and have always been accomodated. We will write a review after we get home(4/14)---love it here---great times.

[softail19]

Just like the others have said, some upper floor views might be obstructed. That happened t9 us with a second floor a few years ago. We had a first floor bfvs last April (4¹22) and it was awesome. We had actually booked a greathouse veranda and got upgraded. Like the others said, Couples is not fancy but clean and comfy ans CSA is my favorite. We have trip #5 booked. If you are interested in some pics of the view we had, email me at clemonssara40@gmail.com

[rckbert]

You are staying at a very unique beachfront resort. Most buildings are more like beach villas rather than the hotel feel of a huge building you get elsewhere. Not a lot of polished brass, crystal, and marble here. If you want that go to Vegas or some huge over the top resort in Mexico where you will stand in lines for everything. This is a layed back, relaxing, full service, wonderful food and drinks, amazing beach, clean, we make you feel at home resort. You will want to come back year after year...like we do.

Seven Mile Beach is mostly resorts, restaurants, small shops, and people selling souvenires. Margaritaville is a short walk south on the beach but not much of anything to see. Mostly the beach is great for morning walks that help all the stresses from home melt away.

Couples has a desk set up to help you schedule any day trips. Most things will take about an hour and a half to get to (Appleton Estates, Black River, YS Falls, etc) Just do a little research online and decide on a couple in the same area if you go. Just remember that once on the beach at CSA you will be hard pressed to leave. They also provide you with included snorkeling trips, sunset catamaran trip, glass bottom boat, and various other activities to help fill your day if needed. We usually hire a driver for a day in advance and go to a couple places at our own pace. We usually end these trips with a stop at Rick's to see the cliff divers. Try googling "things to do in Negril Jamaica" and settle on only a couple. Don't overbook as this is a place to relax.

[Miaimee22]

Just like the others have said, some upper floor views might be obstructed. That happened t9 us with a second floor a few years ago. We had a first floor bfvs last April (4¹22) and it was awesome. We had actually booked a greathouse veranda and got upgraded. Like the others said, Couples is not fancy but clean and comfy ans CSA is my favorite. We have trip #5 booked. If you are interested in some pics of the view we had, email me at clemonssara40@gmail.com

Yes, pictures please: miaimee22@yahoo.com Thanks!!

[BobandJudy]

We have stayed in BFVS rooms five times at CSA, most recently this past February. There are palm trees lining the beach, so you will not have a completely unobstructed view of the ocean. During the five trips, only once, in a second floor room, did a palm tree obstruct our view of the sunset. Every other room provided a great view of the sunset. For the price, as far as I'm concerned, you really can't get any closer to the beach than at CSA and a beachfront or BFVS room. The attached photo is from our first floor veranda room from this past February.

They don't IGNORE your room floor requests - they have stated often on this board and elsewhere that specific room requests or floor requests made in advance of arrival will not be honored. However, you can request a floor or room at checkin.

As far as the room itself, there are lots of nice touches that we love - the ceiling fan on the verandah, the huge verandah. However, I like to think that I am paying for the location on the beach, and not for lots of marble and glitz. If they added all of those trappings, there'd probably be very few people who could afford to go to CSA.

[Bearso]

We happen to love walking the beach to the south and hitting beach bar after beach bar...we never Stop at Jimmy's place, too touristy for us. We want to meet and talk to the locals in a more natural setting.... we have atayed in the BFS, the Atrium suite and the BFVS...loved them all....

[TiffanyW]

Thank you everyone!!!! Very helpful info. I am glad that I found out now that CSA doesnt take room requests in advance. I would hate to show up with expectations of a specific request and then feel disappointed. I will keep in mind that rooms are a rustic beach vibe. I have been to Mexico a few times and I do not want to compare the experience since it sounds like Jamaican resorts are different.

I also appreciated the feedback on he rooms. Some people are so negative and the comments they leave can really make a person second guess their resort choice!!

I think we might do the YS Falls and Appleton rum trip!! All the included activities, beach, and Ricks cafe should keep us a little busy. I am so excited to go to Jamaica and just want it to be a wonderful and romantic trip

[slugger78]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry to much about bad reviews. Way to many good ones. We have are planning our honeymoon at CSA. After reading the bad ones, it seems if they didn't even research or hard to please. Luckly, a friend offered us any place in Jamaica, we just had to get there. I picked CSA for the beach, adult only, all the included activities and the rooms. I like the screen windows and villa style buildings, when in Jamaica, I wanna feel like i"m in Jamaica, not in a hotel in Florida. I already warned my fiance about a possible bug or two and told her about the mold reviews. Her response, "It's a tropical island." I was in Jamaica in 2009, little warning about the excursions.....Jamaican time sets in and you lose ambition to leave the beach and the pool, lol. I'd wait till you get there to book anything. After a day or so, you may not wanna leave the resort.
If you're like me, you've looked at all 2700 pics and reviews on TA, and all the treads on here. CSA looks amazing and sounds the same. A little dust on the shades or a scratch on the table won't stop us from having a amazing time. Now go get Bob Marley's Legends cd, put it on repeat and count down the days.