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Hi all, we have been going to CSA for the last 2 years and love it! We wanted to try CTI or CSS in April 2012 so my husband can get to Dunns Falls and other things on that side of the island. So, since both of these are much closer to those sites we wanted to know which one people think is better?
Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated....can't wait for our next Couples trip to wonderful Jamaica!
Rose
Hopefully you will not hear that one resort is "better" than the other, they are simply different in decor, layout and vibe.
My short version: CSS is set within a lush rainforest, and is a super-spacious resort (aka. a bit more walking between locations/rooms but lots of private nooks to explore) with a bit more laid-back vibe and CTI has the more "zen-inspired/modern-clean" -like decor, easy to navigate resort with a bit more playful attitude. There are au-naturel facilities at both locations, Sunset Beach at CSS, and the impressive Tower Island at CTI which requires a short boat ride to access. If decor and A/N doesn't help you decide, check out the restaurants, as there are differences in menu offerings, although both are fabulous.
I personally prefer CSS, but think CTI has lots to offer and they each provide wonderful options on the Ocho Rios side of the island.
Thanks for replying, appreciate getting a response from someone and all this information is very helpful!
Just 6 months until I am back home ya mon :)
Thanks again!
One resort must be calling you more than the other. Both have very different vibes but I had the pleasure of going to css and would go back again in a heartbeat! We did and secret rendezvous and I must say both ochi resorts were at the bottom of my wish list with cti in dead last. We were given css and to my surprise I love love loved it!!! The grounds were lush and big enough to get lost (mentally if not physically). The food was fantastic and the night life/ entertainment was just enough. From what I have seen and heard cti is more compact and has more of a hotel feel. It would be harder to feel alone there. However that is just what I gather, as I have not been there I can not speak from experience. What I can say is that css won a place in my heart and I would highly recomment trying it. And this is coming from someone who went in with doubts. Perhaps cti would have won me over also, but after visiting negril next time I would go back to cti in a minute! Dunns river was a great time. I am sure whichever you choose you will not be disappointed:)
If you like hotels on the beach, although with extra resturants then you choice would be CTI. If you eoulf likr to stay at a romantic lush resort, go to CSS. It was a bucket list choice for me before it became Couples and now we try to go every year. Must say that in 2005 we went to CN twice in the same year. Then again in 2006 and 2007, 2008 we went to CSS, went again in 2009, missed 2010, went back to CSS in 2011 and will be going again in 2012.
LOVE IT!
Hey there, I posted the same question a few weeks ago and got some great responses, I'll try to post the link below, but if not..it's only a few pages back... (we decided on css!)
http://couples.com/mb/showthread.php?16105-CTI-vs.-CSS
Thanks all, I think we are leaning towards CSS since that would be more like CSA with all the lush grounds and romance!!!
Thanks for all the help...appreciate it! Can't wait for April 2012!!!
Rose
Our choice is CTI. We like that the rooms are so close to the ocean. We like the island for AN. We love the staff. There are more restaurant choices and now they offer room service and mini bars in all rooms. The spa is amazing and one of the best in the Caribbean. If the Cat Cruise is of interest, it is not included at CSS. It's different from Negril in that it goes out into the ocean, then back to OR and over to a cove for some swimming. No cliff diving. Also when we have gone on the cruise, not other boats in the swimming area. We have visited CSS and decided it wasn't our first choice. But what is important to us, may not be important to you.
We found the resorts to be quite different. CTI had a hotel feel, while CSS had a resort feel. CTI seems much younger and active and CSS was more reserved and laid back. CTI always had a buffet option. I found the dress to be more upscale at CSS than CTI. There were more Hawaiian style shirts and sundresses at CSS and more t-shirts and shorts at CTI.
Having been to CSA, I assume AN is not a necessity for you, but for others who are reading, CTI has a private island, no beach, small pool with swim up bar. CSS has a large beach with a good size pool and swim up bar. The pool also has some really cool seats!
CTI has a great stage for the evening entertainment. CSS uses one of the bar patios for entertainment.
CTI is very compact with no need to walk very far to anything. CSS has wonderful long walks available and a really cool pond.
Hopefully I am just pointing out the differences and not saying my bias, but both resorts are Couples and you can't go wrong.
Having been to the Negril side of the island, we found CSS more to our liking.
We just got back from our second trip to CSS and while we we there this time we did a one day trading places at CTI. The resort was clean ,staff was very nice and the Isle was nice. But do us it felt way to much like a hotel and not a resort. At CSS it feels like Jamaica.
We had been to CSA 3 times (which we love) when we decided to try one of the Ochi Resorts, mainly for Dunn's River. I choose CTI which had the catamaran cruise and horseback riding at that time. We got there and it was nice but we didn't love it. Seemed very much like a beach hotel in Florida. It probably didn't help that the week we were there, they had bad weather and the ocean was full of seaweed. We did the trading places to CSS on Wednesday and fell in love, so much so that we came back on Friday. It had the same feel as CSA to us. We now switch between CSA and CSS.