Try something new or not

[Angela and Jason]

I always said that I would never go to the same destination or resort twice UNTIL my husband and I went to Jamaica and CSA for the very first time last April...what can I say I absolutly fell in love with Jamaica. We really enjoyed the beach and the laid back atmosphere of CSA...Here's our dilema (if you can call it that)...do we repeat CSA or try CSS this year. It would be nice to see a different part of Jamaica but i'm scared to be disappointed with CSS. Has anyone been to both and how do they compare??? I'm aware that the beach will not be the same but as far as food and accomodations and general vibe of the place, how do they compare?

[mshell]

We had the same dilemma. Solved it by doing a split trip, and were glad we did it that way. We love everything about CSA but wanted to experience CSS. We first attempted a split with going to CSA first, CSS second. Couldn't bring ourselves to leave CSA so ended up staying at CSA. So next trip we did CSS first. We really enjoyed our time there but were very happy on transfer day to CSA. Everyone is different and there are a lot of people on this board who prefer CSS but if the general "vibe" of CSA is one of the things that you love about CSA you may not be as happy at CSS. The beach, location, and "laid back vibe" are the main things that keep us going back to CSA. Don't get me wrong, CSS is a beautiful resort, just nothing like CSA.

[Marnies]

Both are gorgeous resorts. We loved CSA in 2009 and booked CTi in 2010 for 2 weeks. CTI was not our cup of tea and when we went over to CSS for the day we fell in love. They moved us the next morning! God, I just love Couples!
I would give CSA the nod for the beach and the extra dining options, especially the a la carte breakfast. CSS wins for the nude option (once you try it you know!) and for the rooms. The views are just amazing as are the rooms themselves. NO, they are not posh or new but they are huge and charming. This trip, we just couldn't make up our minds and booked a week at each!

[acranger]

Here's our dilemma (if you can call it that)...do we repeat CSA or try CSS this year. It would be nice to see a different part of Jamaica but I'm scared to be disappointed with CSS. Has anyone been to both and how do they compare??? I'm aware that the beach will not be the same but as far as food and accommodations and general vibe of the place, how do they compare?

....We did CN for the 1st time. Loved it, and the entire Couples thing. Heading for CSS in less than 2 weeks. Right now, we want to visit each of the Couples Resorts to see which we like best. I can't see how we could be disappointed with any.

[Bart and Bug]

We've not had that dilema but have been to both. If you go to CSS you need to go with the understanding that CSS is not CSA. While CSA has the beautiful beach and glorious sunsets CSS has a few things that make it special. The views from the cliff are great and the walks through the resort are an adventure just waiting to happen. The room-service breakfast at CSS is a winner over CSA hands-down. Plus at CSS you can order room service for lunch or dinner also! This year we did a split between CSA and CSS. Here' some pictures we took of both resorts so you can do your own comparisons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecsimso...7624040604608/.

Enjoy!!

Bart & Bug

[hillystyles]

Our first trip was in 2009 to CN, this past January we did a split between CN (7 days) and CTI (5 days) and in 2011 we are going back to CN for 10 days and plan on doing a day at CSA...eventually we will hit CSS. I thought the split was fun...especially because it was like taking two vacations! I personally think your first Couples resort will always be your favorite, but don't let it stop you from trying one of the other resorts. I'm sure you will be pleased with the staff and the resort no matter which one you go to and they all have something different which I think is cool.

[JumpinJen]

We were at CSA in 2009 and are headed to CSS in early Dec. If you can wait that long, I will post a review/comparison when I get back.

[IACouple]

I always said that I would never go to the same destination or resort twice UNTIL my husband and I went to Jamaica and CSA for the very first time last April...what can I say I absolutly fell in love with Jamaica. We really enjoyed the beach and the laid back atmosphere of CSA...Here's our dilema (if you can call it that)...do we repeat CSA or try CSS this year. It would be nice to see a different part of Jamaica but i'm scared to be disappointed with CSS. Has anyone been to both and how do they compare??? I'm aware that the beach will not be the same but as far as food and accomodations and general vibe of the place, how do they compare?

We had the same problem... we went back to CSA. I figured it this way, the vacation was perfect, and there was nothing I would improve on. We have now been to CSA 3 times, with a 4th coming up in 60 days. The last trip we actually did have some things we think could be improved, so we are going 1 more time to see if they have been solved. If not, we will try something new next year.

[Sea Ya Soon]

We debated this issue about this time last year and we too "used" to never go to the same place twice before finding couples. We had been to CSA two times and were booking trip #3 and debating a return to CSA or try CSS.

We chose to try CSS in June '10 and loved it! To compare...

CSA - better beach/water, missed the long walks, missed a la carte breakfast options. Like CSA SPA better and CSA has a better gym. Trip to Negril is a little shorter. If you have problems with stairs, stay at CSA. CSA is newer.

CSS - loved that there were so few people on the beach, loved that there were no loud jet skis or the same vendors on the beach everyday IMO distracting some from the beach beauty at CSA, CSS beach feels very private, beach party/starlight gala better at CSS, larger, lush tropcial property with fewer guests I found to be more relaxing than CSA. At CSS you recognized other guests, learn their names and same goes for staff. The staff while great in both locations are much more personal at CSS, again I think because a smaller resort. CSS is older. In general, Ocho Rios is more lush and tropical feeling with the hills running into the ocean.

I can't really say that there's things at either resort that I don't like. Other than the a la carte comment, food and drinks are very comparable at both locations.

All this said, trips 4 and 5 are already booked - SR in 12/10 and CSA 11/11. I think trying CSS made us want to see all 4 locations, this is why we booked SR, CSA is booked already, we are introducing 2 other couples to the Couples chain. We will definitely return to CSS is the future too - maybe 12/10! I suggeset you try something new too! If you don't like it you don't have to go back to CSS, you can go back to CSA.