CSS Review- December

CSS Review-
A little background- this was our 5th trip to Couples- 1st to CSS. We have been to CN twice and CTI twice.

Arrival: This was a breeze- short lines, we waited about ½ an hour for the bus to leave once we checked in at the couples lounge. I will say the bus rides over the years have become very disappointing. We used to get a “tour” on the way with the drivers pointing out things- not so much the last couple of times..not really a big deal, but it is noticeable.
Once we arrived at the resort we checked in- I requested G block- but it was full. Our rooms were not ready so they drove us down to the beach bar and we grabbed lunch and then headed back and got our room information.

Rooms: We booked a one bedroom ocean suite. We were assigned to the D block on the first floor. We walked in and first appearance wasn’t bad, however we went to the patio which we could only open the door about ¾ of the way and then had to turn our body sideways to get onto the patio as it was soo small. Once on the patio if I contorted my body and looked though leaves, I could sort of see the ocean. My husband and I talked and decided we were not happy at all with the room. He went up to the front desk and asked that we be moved. They called us in about ½ an hour and they put us in a beachfront room. We waited for another hour to be moved- once to our new room in the A block we were much happier- I want to add that we are not picky people, I just don’t think the first room we were given meets the category that it is put into- my opinion. The A block can be a little noisy- but this did not bother us- what did bother us was the smell that I assume was coming from the pond that is behind the building. At some points it was really bad, and sometimes you couldn’t notice it. Overall we were happy with the room- Sandy was a fabulous housekeeper.

Beach: While not a Negril beach- this beach was really nice! The water was always calm and you could just float- Loved it! Some weeds- but no big deal. We were thoroughly impressed with the beach- the service on the beach was also outstanding. Peter and Nordia really took care of us!

Food: This is where CSS lacks compared to the other resorts. Nothing was bad, but not a lot of choices…although I forget his name, but the young man who does the pasta bar at the Pallazina…have him make his specialty…it is awesome! Room service didn’t have much of a menu..The biggest complaint I have is no nachos (Unless you went to the au natural beach). This was always a daily ritual for us, so it was a bummer to not have them.

Specialty nights: We arrived on Tuesday so this was the beach party. It rained all day that day so it was inside. I am never a fan of the food at the beach parties and to top it off we were extremely tired from traveling- had to sit at a table with a bunch of people when we were not feeling sociable- everyone at the table was complaining as it sounded like they had been having bad weather and they were expecting it to be bad the rest of the week, they were unhappy with their rooms and so on... Listening did not put me in a good mood.
Repeaters Dinner was held at the main pool. It was ok- not the standard that we are used to. They served us salad and soup and then we had to go through a line to get the other food- it wasn’t as good and it just didn’t have the same feel. Part of the reason though is the repeaters dinner is so big that they need the large space to accommodate everyone.
Starlight Gala was a great event- good food – the staff worked extremely hard for this event. That day it had rained for about 3 hours straight in the afternoon. It cleared up for the dinner thank goodness and everything was beautiful!

Weather: In the end we had good weather. We had 2 perfect days, and then some days where we got a few hours of sun and then a lot of clouds. Some rain- like I stated before, 1 day it rained for about 3 hours straight. We had more rain this trip than normal- but it does sound like we lucked out as I think the week before there was more rain. I do think the weather was turning around though as the week we left it was supposed to be nice everyday. While not perfect- we had good weather and nothing was ever a full washout for us.

Staff: The staff is amazing! They all work so hard and are caring. I got stung by a bee and they knew at the beach bar because my husband went to get me some ice and he told them. Throughout the day they kept making sure I was ok- very sweet. The staff is one of the reasons we keep coming back- they are so polite and accommodating- they really are what makes couples so amazing in my opinion.

I know it sounds like a lot of complaining…we really had a great time and loved CSS- it is not perfect which is ok…- we will be back someday. Next year we booked CSA as that is the last one for us to try.