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Hi.
I have never been to a Couples Resort and I heard alot about CSS. I am getting married August 2012 and my fiance and I are trying to decide if CSS is right for us. What is the age range at CSS? Is the penthouse suites worth it? Should we request a certain penthouse? Are there any additional charges we should be prepared for?
Any advice would be great!
Thanks!
Tine
CSS is beautiful. We fell in love with it the first time we were there, and can't get ourselves to try any other one.
The age range is 20's-80's I never stayed in a penthouse suite, but from what was said in the board, they seem to be. However, whatever room you choose, they are all great. As far as requesting a certain room, they do not honor those requests. You can ask when you get to the resort, but there is no guarantee. Once on the resort you can lock up you wallet. There is no charges for anything (other than the spa or if a "wine snob" the wines off the specialty list). When they say "all inclusive" they mean it.
Couples is a great choice. So reserve with confidence.
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!!!! CSS is a very romantic resort, with a variety of age groups. Do not expect 5 star rooms at any of the Couples Resorts, the rooms are average, but the inclusions, food, variety of alcohol, service are pure 5 star!
Of all the Couples Resorts, in our opinion (we have stayed at 2 CN 06, 07 & CSS 08, 10, but visited all 4) that CSS is the most romantic. Our favorite room category is the 1 bdroom ocean suite w/balcony because of the two rooms,and large balcony, and the views from being up higher. We also feel you experience more of the resort being up on the cliffs. Friends of ours prefer the Beachfront rooms, so rooms are a matter of personal choice. I have seen the Penthouse rooms, and personally would not pay the difference, but again this is a personal choice. Do the virtual tours and decide which one calls to you.
There are alot of stairs at CSS but we loved walking hand in hand in the evening back up to our room and stopping in at the Balloon Bar for a nightcap, then the rest of the way up. I love the pathways, so romantic with surprises around every turn. The spa here is a must do for a Couples Massage, the huts on the cliff , well you can't get much better than this, and the staff is outstanding!
One of the things I love about CSS is that every room has an ocean view, which is not the case at the others. There is an amazing Friday night Gala that will make you feel you are at your wedding reception all over again.
Go knowing not to expect opulence, and marble in your rooms, they look like they do in the virtual tours, but it is truly a beautiful resort!!!!
The age range at CSS the 3 times I have been there has included everyone from early-20's to 60's+. Honeymooners, silver anniversary, it didn't seem to matter because everyone was there for the same reason, to connect with each other and have a laid back Jamaican vacation. I think that is more the defining aspect of CSS, "easy going". We're in our mid-30's and LOVE IT! We are finally trying Negril this year, since the beach scene will be a bit different, but I couldn't imagine Jamaica without the rainforest relaxing mecca which to me, is CSS. There are great options for weddings at CSS, including the gazebo and the new beach veranda.
Whether or not you splurge for the penthouse will be open to debate. I haven't done it, so maybe if we had I would never think of booking anything else. We go with 1BR Ocean view suites, and my sister-in-law prefers the beachfront suites, both of those categories have the extra sitting room which I find nice.
Additional charges are really limited to outside excursions, but with a wedding, Dunn's falls and spa/watersports/golf options that are included, you may not necessarily need to or have time for anything else (depending on the duration of your trip - if it's more than 8 days, maybe you will). Pictures and such will depend on the wedding package you choose. You may also end up paying for extra spa/hair services. The only other extra costs will be for souvenirs and tips for the luggage handlers to/from the airport (probably not more than $20-30).
If CSS called to you from looking at the website pictures, from accommodations to restaurants to environment and decor, then you probably have picked the right place. The nightlife is fun and active, but not overtly crazy. Hope this helps!
My husband and I were married at the CSS gazebo in April of 2010 and it was perfect! It was exactly what we wanted and so romantic. We had 2 other couples with us and they thought it was perfect too. Some things to keep in mind about getting married at CSS...if you do it on the beach you will have others watching. (Actually this is the case at all the resorts) Its fun for those of us there to watch and you'll get lots of applause and congrats at the end. If you do it on the Gazebo its much more of a private affair and the view is amazing. I highly recommend the Jamaican wedding cake. The folks in the bakery do an outstanding job and the cake is truly delicious plus beautiful. The flowers that come with the wedding package are a simple cala lilly. I personally had one made of silk tropical flowers here and then used it for the wedding reception we had back home. You can upgrade your flowers for an additional cost. The minister should be tipped and we tipped the photographer as well since neither are resort employees. You can also upgrade the photo collection although we didn't. You will actually leave the resort with your photo album and a CD of your photos too. You get to pick out what you want and they put it together for you. I thought that was great since everyone wanted to see them as soon as we got home. For dinner that night you can do a romantic dinner for two on the beach (weather permitting of course) but be sure and book that as soon as you can.
As far as the penthouse vs. other rooms are concerned we've stayed in the Roger Moore and Steve McQueen penthouses the two times we've been there. They are amazing and both are what they show in the pictures with the beach below. The Steve McQueen has more privacy on the balcony since there is a huge palm tree right in front of it. It also has an extra 1/2 bath. This worked out incredibly well for us since that was the one we got when we were there for our wedding and all friends hung out in our room and on our balcony. The balconies with the penthouse suites are enormous! Its nice to have the two rooms too. That being said we booked a one bedroom suite next year and are taking the extra money we would have spent to stay an extra day. 7 nights just isn't enough! Be prepared to climb a LOT of stairs for a penthouse. We don't mind since it helps with all the extra pina colada calories consumed.
As others have mentioned there are people there from 20s and up. You'll usually find the younger crowd that likes to hang out and party down by the pool. It just varies by the crowd at the resort that week. It is not a big party resort like you'll find at Sandals but its significantly more romantic. You really cannot find a better resort for a wedding We've been to CN twice before and love that too for the beach.
One last thing in regards to spending extra money, be sure and go to the spa and get yourselves a couples massage. It is unlike anything you've ever experienced (they do both of you in tandem) and is a fabulous way to start your vacation and the total relaxation process. Also, if you like wine you can upgrade your wine at the Cassanova. We've learned to buy a couple of nice bottles at the airport and bring them with for our room.
Hope this helps!
Age range is varied, I have had drinks and dinner with couples in the twenties up to seventies! and all the age ranges are fun to hang out with. I think its because there is no pressure just be who you are. we are in our 50's (wow that was a shock just typing that number!) and have had the most fabulous reconnecting time at CSS. What i love about couples is, you don't have to mingle. when we stayed at CN in 07, we didnt really mingle, it was just us two on our 25th. People respected that as well. Nightlife is a little more quieter as well. pretty much once the evening show is over everyone drifts off. Of course the beach bar after is fun! (one night we heard folks laughing, we stay in b block, so we went down and had a blast!)
congrats on your wedding! we are celebrating our 30th in may2012
Tine,
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You will LOVE CSS! As the other posters have stated, CSS is a wonderful, romatic haven. My husband and I have been to CSS 3 times, with out 4th trip coming in December, and we have stayed in the Penthouse Suites each time. We love the space, and the large balconies with gorgeous views. We have stayed in Penthouses in D and E Block. D block is our favorite for the views--we love the Steve McQueen Suite! We also loved our Penthouse in E Block. I think it was E-12 the Frangipani Suite. It was on the corner, and we spent many evenings dancing on our balcony to the live music coming from the terrace of the Balloon Bar. It was truly romantic, but it also could be a bit noisy if you go to bed early. No matter the noise, we had a lovely time!
CSS will be a wonderful place to celebrate your marriage!
All the best!
suzyQ
You will love it at CSS, perfect Honeymoon spot!
I would go with the one bedroom ocean, we had one for two weeks and it was great F6 right on the corner above reception, we had views of the sea, mountains and city lights at night, plus we could relax on our balcony with drinks while the bands played at the balloon bar!
Friends had PH C8 for their first night and you could not have given me that room compared to ours!
They then moved to G8 and it was great too, huge bathroom and great views!