Single Digit Dance But Not Excited

[mstravelbug]

We arrive at CSA on Sunday, May 16th for our wedding and honeymoon. I started out SUPER excited about this whole trip. I'm now second guessing my decision. I think my expectations are so high that I will be let down. Plus I'm having second thoughts about the Garden Verandah Suite that I choose. It looks like it's too late to upgrade because the only rooms available are the Garden View Rooms. I should have did more research on the rooms before I choose the Garden Verandah Suite. We want to enjoy sitting on our verandah without the distraction of all the noise from the road. Plus reading reviews from other message boards that are not so positive doesn't help. My fiance has been to Mexico and Hawaii and I really think he is going to compare CSA to those glitz and glam hotels in Cancun and Acapulco and also be let down. Oh well, at least I get a week away from work :-)

[sndtrevino]

Relax, your trip WILL be what you make of it. We always stay in the GVS and love them and have never been bothered by noise and my wife is a light sleeper. Enjoy the resort for all it has to offer. Remember couples spoke to you when you booked it forget bad review forget good reviews just take the bits and pieces of "insider" info to further enjoy your trip. Remember no two trips are the same what i like you may find annoying and visa versa. Congrats on your impending wedding and honneymoon.

[AHammon]

We are arriving to CSA Tues May 17th for our wedding and few days in Jamaica. We are going to be first timers and I am wicked excited! Even though I have never been, I have some advice. Try letting go of the comparative thoughts. From what I read, we are going to a very special place where you fall in love all over again. When we go on vacation, we tend to like the glits and glam too but you know what, we are excited for some authentic, tropical, plain jane type of vacation, a place without the glitz and glam. This is the real deal and I am so excited to experience this. This is a new experience in another country with a different culture. Just open your mind and let it take you away, and I am sure you and your new hubby will have a great time!! Just ask them when you arrive if there is another room choice available. Or if there will be. As far as the reviews on here goes, there are not many people who complain. As far as the ones who do complain, my guess is, these people are just very hard to please and nothing is ever just perfect enough for those people. Your vacation will be what you make it!!! Just forget about glitz and glam and go to relax in paradise!! I am sure we will both love it!! What day is your wedding? Mine is May 20th at 11. How long are you staying? Looks like we will be there at the same time. Even though I have not even been there, I am willing to bet you will be glad you made this decision once you get there! I mean there are people on here who call this place home away from home and are obsessed with this place...there has to be SOMETHING special about it, or people would not be like that. Chin up sweetie!!! I bet it will be fantastic!!!

[Coloradojuli]

Main thing is don't expect marble and fancy smancy glitz and glamour. Do expect a true Jamaican vibe to the resort. Relaxed laid back and 100% beach resort. You will be fine and you will have a wonderful time.

[NeedBlueWater]

Slow down....take a deeeeep breath.....OK....now...

It will be fine. We stayed in the Gus's (third floor corner) in December. The traffic noise was not that big of a deal. We spent quite a bit of time on the verandah. We really didn't even hear it unless we made a concerted effort to listen for it. Yes, every once in a while we would hear a loud motorcycle or a car in need of a muffler. Not the end of the world. While in our room, with the windows closed and the AC on, we had no traffic noise bother us.

About the glitz and glam....true, CSA doesn't have much of that. But that is part of it's charm. Since you know what to expect going in, it should not be a let down. You will feel like you are in Jamaica. I always felt like I was in Las Vegas when we stayed at those mega resorts in Cancun. What CSA has that the glitz and glam resorts don't is the Jamaican vibe that will have you relaxed in no time. What CSA also has that the others do not is a staff that will take care of you at most any cost. That alone is priceless.

Please don't fret. Plan to enjoy yourself. It sounds like you know what you will be getting. It will be a wonderful trip of a lifetime.

[EinWI]

We arrive at CSA on Sunday, May 16th for our wedding and honeymoon. I started out SUPER excited about this whole trip. I'm now second guessing my decision. I think my expectations are so high that I will be let down. Plus I'm having second thoughts about the Garden Verandah Suite that I choose. It looks like it's too late to upgrade because the only rooms available are the Garden View Rooms. I should have did more research on the rooms before I choose the Garden Verandah Suite. We want to enjoy sitting on our verandah without the distraction of all the noise from the road. Plus reading reviews from other message boards that are not so positive doesn't help. My fiance has been to Mexico and Hawaii and I really think he is going to compare CSA to those glitz and glam hotels in Cancun and Acapulco and also be let down. Oh well, at least I get a week away from work :-)

WE do the same thing to OTHER resorts because we spent our honeymoon at CSA and when we go to those glitz and glam resorts in Mexico that are trying to be more than they are and too "American" we dream of CSA! You'll be fine, just remember you don't spend that much time in your room anyway and honestly CSA does a FANTASTIC job of making you feel at home and pamperd without all the glitz and glam. Make sure they know it's your honeymoon, you may not get an immediate upgrade but ask if later in your stay you can get one if you really want one (may be possible) The Jamaican people are unlike anything else, the most friendly people! Go in with an open mind, try EVERYTHING and just RELAX!!!!! CSA is the best you'll be fine!

[Ayslinn]

Awwwwww, chin up!!! If your room has road noise, ask to be moved. Tell your fiance you're not in Cancun or Alcapulco, you're in Jamaica and offer him a rum punch. And last of all, relax!!! I bet you are going to have a wonderful time. Remember, your trip is what you make it- going in with super high expectations won't help, but neither will going in with very low expectations- wanna avoid those self-fulfilling prophecies and all that. =)

So pack your stuff, get excited, and when you get to Jamaica have a drink (or 5), it's on me! enjoy your vacation. =)

[ChrisNDeb]

We stayed in GVS at CSA in April. We heard the road noise but it didn't bother us at all. I live in a Rural area with no traffic so it should have bothered me but it didn't. We thought we would sit out on the balcony more than what we did but it turned into more of a clothes drying area. We were either on the beach, fitness area or just out walking the property. The balcony was just a second thought. Now and then we would hear a loud car stereo or someone laying on their horn telling the crossing guard they aren't stopping but we just laughed at those moments. Now and then we would go to our room to take a nap or get out of the sun for awhile but again...the noise did not bother us at the least. I know everyone's tolerance is different but I wouldn't worry about it. We plan to go again in the next couple of years and would not hesitate to stay in a GVS.

[KrisJamie]

I expect your review to begin with a copy/paste of this post. Life is what you make of it.

[Vee]

First. Take a deep breath. Seriously.

You're gonna LOVE CSA. It's marvelous. I was totally worried on our first trip that it wouldn't live up to my expectations, and it really really DID! You have to take it for what it is: rustic, relaxed, gorgeous, and don't look for marble and stuff, but you really will be fine. I never even noticed road noise, and the GVS's are pretty soundproofed from what I hear.

We'll be arriving tomorrow. (WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO) so look for us wandering around. We're in an Atrium suite.

Doug is 6'8" and looks like a cross between Lyle Lovett and Ryan Stiles. I'm tall-ish with multi-colored hair.

See you on the beach!!

Vee

[Allans_Angel]

While I have never been to CSA, I can honestly tell you from my perspective as a repeat CTI guest, you are over-thinking the whole thing. Try to relax and know you have made a good decision as to where you will have your wedding and honeymoon.

The Couples resorts as a whole are one of the best vacation values you will ever find! Staff, facilities, meals, activities, all are top notch. I remember feeling like this just before our first trip to CTI, wondering if I had made a bad decision, all the "what if's". That worrying was all for nothing - Couples is fantastic!! Relax and enjoy your special time! And best wishes for your special day!

[Wendy Borie]

Just a word from a "Couples many-time-repeater" - Jamaica is an attitude and a feeling, not marble and glitz! Relax and enjoy!

[mstravelbug]

Thanks Guys! I just want my wedding and honeymoon to be so perfect that I'm obsessing over everything. You only get one wedding and honeymoon afterall. I hope once we get there everything will be irie.

[Jimnmariann]

I think you just have a case of pre-wedding/honeymoon jitters. OMG- You get to be married on a beautiful island and spend a week with your new husband!! Count your blessings and I can't wait to hear your review! I know already what you will say.

[Northern gal]

I know everyone has different ideas about the perfect vacation but I am confident you will love CSA. I too was worried that I would be disappointed on our first trip there in 2008 and we just made our third visit a few months ago so that should tell you how things went. We are making plans to return in January. We absolutely love CSA and it is really not possible to explain the magic to someone who has not been there. Once you go, you'll know! No, it's not glitz and glamor, quite simply it is pure heaven. Relax, let the magic surround you, and enjoy!

[Paul & Sue from NY]

While the rooms may not be all glitz,gold and marble ,just how much time will you be in the room LOOKING at the DECOR'. There is a world class beach 30 seconds away from almost any door on the property,and even at full capacity the resort is not crowded. Go and enjoy a fabulous place and let the majic of Couples and Jamaica cast its spell over you..

[Gayle Ann]

We have stayed in a Garden Verandah Suite the last 3 out of our 4 visits to CSA. We love them. On our 4th visit last month, we could actually see part of the ocean from our 1st floor room. You won't spend much of your time in the room anyway, but even if you do the rooms are very nice - tropical, very comfortable bed and they have everything you will need.

In the morning, when you go out and look at that beach it will take your breath away, it is so beautiful! The staff will pamper you and each morning when you wake up the only thing you have to do is decide where you would like to eat and what fun things you would like to do. It is as close to being a child again without responsibilities but with adult privleges that you can imagine.

On your way home you will wish you were back and start planning your next trip in your mind. Enjoy your trip. If you are like the rest of us, you will go back.

[emms137]

We were married at CTI in November. It was AMAZING. Low stress, beach time, and focusing on each other. We weren't worried about how glitzy the hotel was (although it was lovely), the food was delicious, the beach was lovely and there was plenty of time to relax and rejuvenate. Once you meet with the wedding coordinator and realize that you have a no-stress wedding ahead of you, its the best thing ever. Try not to compare to other resorts, take it for what it is and embrace it (this is not hard to do once you get there). Also, we scheduled our couples massage the day before the wedding, which was perfect for alleviating any pre-wedding jitters.

Couples did am AMAZING job of spoiling us over our wedding/honeymoon. We are booked to go back (to Negril next time) next year, and already excited. While I know we won't have some of the wedding magic, we will have the Couples vacation magic and I can't wait!