Just back from 10 days at CN

[dank120]

We just got back from 10 days at CN. After our 3rd trip there, this was by far the best yet. I am not big on writing lengthy reviews that touch on a few good things, then dwell on 2 problems for three paragraphs. My wife and I did realize on this trip that the people that complain on TA or the MB, usually spend a lot of time complaining on their vacation, so we steered clear of these folks, once identified. So, if you have any questions about our experience, feel free to ask. This is a list of what we did:

Couples Lounge at airport
Airport Shuttle (no puddle jumpers for us)
Deluxe Garden room in Bldg 3
Breakfast both in room and at the buffet
Lunch at both restaurants
Dinner at all restaurants, including 2 lobster nights, Repeater Dinner, International Buffet, and Beach Party
Chocolate Sunset
Drinks at all the bars
Sunset Bar shuttle (to Pushcart at the Rockhouse, which is the bar on the cliffs above the cat cruise stop)
16 SCUBA dives
Stand-up paddleboarding
Catamaran cruise
Gym
Internet Cafe
Wife did the Beach Hut Massage
Used Resort Credits
Office of Nature (the original)
Chukka Jungle Canopy Tour Zipline
Met several people from the MB (most were cool, some were not)

3 notes about others' standard complaints:

1) Our A/C barely dripped once for about 10 mins, because we had the doors and windows opened right after a brief, but heavy rain the first night, so it was very humid. It was just excess condensation and very little at that. Our deal, not the resort's fault. If your A/C drips, its most likely user error, so try to blame yourself first.

2) We had a little line of ants come about 6 inches into our room the first night, because I dropped a Cheeto crumb by the door that night. I threw away the Cheeto, wiped up the ants, and never saw them again on the trip. Again, USER ERROR.

3) Regarding the road noise, every beach resort in Negril, with maybe 2 or 3 exceptions, are right on Norman Manley Blvd. We were in the closest building to the road and my wife is a SUPER light sleeper, but she never had any issues with the road. It's not a constant buzz, but maybe an occasional loud stereo or motorcycle. If you are going to complain about it, just ask for a different room, instead of letting it bother you for a week, then complaining about it later. We had no issues with it.

[Brian_Mendy]

Awesome review, Dan!

You left out one thing; That you entered the limbo contest at the beach party ;-) It was a highlight of our trip seeing you (attempt to) limbo...lol

Great times at CN! I thought the staff was even more engaging and fun this trip. After our trip last May, I would have said that was impossible, but they stepped it up even more! Thanks to everybody at CN for an amazing time!

[calgontakemeaway]

Glad you had a good time. It was nice to meet you, if only briefly. Once again we found CN not to meet our standards, so this time we actually took the "downgrade" lol to CSS. I guess we are just getting old. I certainly appreciate Couples Resorts for going the extra mile to make us happy! I hope the diving was good for y'all for your time at CN!

[sdsenecal]

really interested to hear about your experience at the original Office of Nature. I really think that I would like to do a late lunch there one day. Will be at CN in four more days

[dank120]

Awesome review, Dan!

You left out one thing; That you entered the limbo contest at the beach party ;-) It was a highlight of our trip seeing you (attempt to) limbo...lol

Great times at CN! I thought the staff was even more engaging and fun this trip. After our trip last May, I would have said that was impossible, but they stepped it up even more! Thanks to everybody at CN for an amazing time!

I forgot the limbo! I definitely showed off my limbo skills or serious lack thereof. I'm glad you got a kick out of it. I totally agree about the staff. They were awesome on this trip. Even the housekeepers were super-fun to BS with.

[dank120]

Glad you had a good time. It was nice to meet you, if only briefly. Once again we found CN not to meet our standards, so this time we actually took the "downgrade" lol to CSS. I guess we are just getting old. I certainly appreciate Couples Resorts for going the extra mile to make us happy! I hope the diving was good for y'all for your time at CN!

It was great meeting you guys too! We were bummed when we didn't see you at the dive shop the next day, and my first guess was CSS, after our previous conversations. I am glad to hear they took care of you & David and everything worked out. Totally interested to hear about the gift. We were wondering about that at the Repeater Dinner.

[dank120]

really interested to hear about your experience at the original Office of Nature. I really think that I would like to do a late lunch there one day. Will be at CN in four more days

That was our second time to the OON and we love it. They grill the lobster over an open wood grill, so in addition to the freshest seafood, covered in seasoned butter, you get that smoky flavor from the wood, which really sets it apart from your typical broiled or steamed lobster. Gritty is the cook and when we got there he was taking a nap, but he sprung into action quickly, which is not typical for Jamaica. We had our food after about one beer (our Jamaican timekeeping system). Here are some pics. I included one pic of our lobster at Otaheite on 11/25/11. The presentation is nicer, but the taste is what matters most!

[smroot]

Loved your review. 77 days till we get home. I am interested in hearing more on Office of Nature, may be tempted to try it, but I often feel I spent the money for CN why would I eat somewhere that I have to pay for. I think I read it is $20, but what does that include? How much was Red Stripe, cause I can drink a lot of that. I feel about the same way you do about the complainers by the way.

[TravelBug]

Thanks for your post!! Is stand up paddle boarding part of the Couples watersports, or did you do it off resort?

[kurt and Angie]

Great post. We were there about the same time and have the following to add about the three standard complaints that you listed:
1) Our AC worked great. No drips, no issues.
2) Over the 9 days we only had a one of time where ants tried to come in the room. Quick shot of the bug spray that was in the room and they were gone.
3) We were in Block 8 which I've seen has a lot of road noise complaints. I heard a couple of motorcycles and stereos but nothing that ruined the mood or the setting. To hear the road noise was very rare.

One additional comment - we did the couples tree house massage. This was great and the hour went way to fast. My wife gets regular massages and said the tree house massage was one of the best (if not the best) she has ever had.

[dank120]

Loved your review. 77 days till we get home. I am interested in hearing more on Office of Nature, may be tempted to try it, but I often feel I spent the money for CN why would I eat somewhere that I have to pay for. I think I read it is $20, but what does that include? How much was Red Stripe, cause I can drink a lot of that. I feel about the same way you do about the complainers by the way.

It's $20 each for the lobster and comes wth bread and some veggies. Red Stripes are a couple bucks a piece. We feel the same way about the money we spend on the trip, but sometimes, it's good to get off the resort and meet some locals, and for $20 each, which includes a whole grilled lobster, it's one of the cheapest excursions around. This time, we brought our own beers from the resort and some cheapo foldable travel coozies. Saved us some money on drinks.

[dank120]

Thanks for your post!! Is stand up paddle boarding part of the Couples watersports, or did you do it off resort?

Yes, they have 2 yellow SUPS at the Watersports hut, plus a few windsurfers that have no sail, which can also be used as SUPs, just much harder to balance on. When we first walked up, the 2 SUPs were out, so I took out a windsurf board, and while it was a little difficult to balance, I quickly got the hang of it, having used a windsurfer in the past. After the SUPs came back in, my wife and one of the Watersports guys raced them out to the snorkel boat and back. She said it was very fun, super easy to balance, and almost impossible to tip. You will notice that many people on the beach and in the swimming area are watching in amazement, but it's really not as hard as it looks.

[calgontakemeaway]

They took care of us very well, but what else would you expect from Couples?! We ended up having our anniversary dinner at Casanova, since at CSS the repeaters' dinner is on Thursday. At dessert, they presented David with the watch I had purchased for him. It is an Invicta model 6761 watch. His last watch was ruined on a shallow dive, pretty sure it was after the battery was replaced- the woman had a terrible time trying to reseat the crystal

[cleversole]

Kurt and Angie, we were also there at the same time and also in building 8. Though we frequently read of complaints about this building, it happens to be our favorite. Road noise isn't that bad, IMO.