Printable View
Hi everyone, we're getting ready to book trip #4. We've been to CN twice and CSA once...love them both!!! We are total beach people and spend the majority of our time either on the sand or floating in the water.
We'd like to try CSS, but are concerned about the beach. Given our love of the calm blue waters of Negril, would we be disappointed at CSS? We're really looking for honest opinions, please.
Thanks and happy holidays to everyone!!!
Kristen & Matt
Kristen and Matt,
We just returned from CSS after having been only to CN before that.
The main textile beach is much different than CN - much narrower and shorter - still beautiful - just smaller. The pool is also alot closer to the beach which is a nice experience.
If you are into the AN experience than CSS is hands down the better beach. There is a full service bar - grill - and daily lunch buffet brought in for AN guests. The beach area is quite large and goes verydeep so you can find an intimate spot if you are shy.
CSS is absolutely beautiful! We loved it and plan to return.
You MAY be disappointed in the beach at CSS. It is nothing like the beaches at CN or CSA. We personally were a bit disappointed the first day, but by the 2nd day of our stay we loved it. It is small. Most of the time I was the only one floating in the water. People at CSS seem to be more interested in sunbathing on the sand than floating out in the water. So I loved the privacy. It takes some getting used to after Negril beaches due to no vendors, no other resort guests walking by, the footing in the water can be slimy with the algae and it never gets above your waist no matter how far out you try to go, plus the size is just so small, with cliffs on each side, it's like a cove, that you can walk from one end to the other in about 3 minutes. BUT, there are fewer guests so we never felt crowded. So it just depends on each person. You probably will be disappointed.. but you may find you like it for its own uniqueness. Just give it some thought and weigh the different qualities and decide for yourself.
DO IT!
We were hard core CN fans and tried CSS this year. We loved it (almost as much as CN). The sand is not soft and white like the Negril side of the island, but it is still a beautiful beach. The waters were very calm when we were there in March...just like at Negril. The beach is smaller, but then there are fewer rooms too. The resort was at full capacity when we were there, but the beach (or any of the resort) was never crowded like CSA is. The bottom of the swimming area has a little seaweed, but it is easy to see thorough the crystal clear water, so you can just walk around it. Sunset Beach is also very nice, with sand closer to the sand at Negril. There are four pools at CSS and they are all very nice too. We hung out at the main pool and mineral pool quite a bit as well as both beaches. CSS is the most romantic of the Couples resorts with the cliffs, foliage and many, many secluded pathways through the grounds. Our advice: Give it a try! CSS will not disappoint you.
Same concern we have about going to CTI or CSS.
In a word: maybe.
We've been to CSA 4x and CSS 1x and CTI 1x. We also love the beach. (Thanks Dirtleg.) And we honestly were disappointed with the beach at CSS. It was smaller and the sand was darker and the sand in the water was, well, squishy. That being said: we were NOT disappointed with the resort overall, and it is so lush and lovely and you couldn't help but be enthralled with the resort. Gorgeous. CSS didn't speak to us in the way that CSA did, however, and we may or may not visit CSS again. Who knows. (Again, still had a WONDERFUL trip.)
This last November, we visited CTI. IMHO, the beach at CTI is better than the beach at CSS and we weren't disappointed with THAT beach at all. (Go figure.) CTI called to us MUCH more than CSS did, and I know we'll be back to CTI.
My short winded advice in a VERY long winded post is this: if you are going to visit the "other" side of the island, expect that it will be different, and you may not like the beach as much. Take advantage of the other things the resort has to offer and enjoy it for what it is instead of what it's not.
Kristen & Matt - You ask for an honest opinion so here's mine ............. I think if you are "beach people" & the clear calm blue water & soft white sand of Negril is a major part of you vacation enjoyment then you are going to be disappointed in a stay at CSS because we were. We have stayed at CN 4 times & CSA once & a couple of other Negril AI's 3 times but in May we did the SR & ended up at CSS. We were thrilled to be trying something new & thought CSS was a gorgeous resort but realized quickly that we REALLY REALLY REALLY missed the beach in Negril ....... especially CN. Also, really missed the pool area at CN. We are glad that we tried CSS but personally would probably not go back to that side of the island. That beach in Negril is just too awesome & too much a part of what we love about Jamaica.
We have been to CN 3x and love it too, but decided to give the other side of the island a try this year. We absolutely LOVED CSS. I highly recommend it. The beach is sort of in a cove which makes the water nice and calm for floating all day on. The resort oozes romance. I can't recommend CSS enough. Give it a try, you will NOT be disappointed. We have a hard time deciding if we like CSS or CN better.
We too love the beach at CN. We tried CSS this past March. Though CSS is very beautiful an honest opinion of the beach is that we were disappointment in that. It was ruff every day and so I did not want to try the glass bottom boat ride. I get sea sick easy and every time I saw it go out the waves were more than I know I could handle. The good part though was that it is a private beach and so no vendors bothering you. The beach itself is much smaller and we also thought it had more rocks in the water. We are going to try CTI though in 3 month and I know I am taking a chance on that beach being ruff too, but I'm willing to give it a try because I've heard other good things about that resort. We're thinking of trying the horseback riding too.
CSS is much bigger than CN. It did not matter how many people there were because it was never crowded anywhere, except when people save their shaded spots and are never there, but that is a whole diff. issue. In my opinion, it doesn't matter which resort you are at, there are just some rude people that save spots and you never see them.
Karin
If you are really beach people, yes you will be very disappointed with CSS beach. We just returned from CSS last week and while the resort and spa is amazing, the beach in no way compares to the beach at Negril.
Yes, based on the question you possed you will not be as happy with the beach at CSS.
The resort itself is a classic treasure built on the cliffs, very nice.
your call...if the beach is the deciding factor, go back to Negril.
Kristen, & Matt,
We have been to CN twice and toured CSA, CSS once, returning to CSS in April. We shared the very same concern! The beach at CSS is small, it is a private cove beach (which also means no vendors!) it is not Bloody Bay..........nor is it 7 Mile Beach BUT having said that, I can honestly tell you that we really did not miss it very much at all. CSS has so much to offer aside from the beach. It is the most romantic of the 3 resorts we have been to in our opinion! The setting in the cliffs lends it to having surprises around each corner, there are 4 pools, although we parked ourselves on the beach everyday! The food is fantastic, we felt the service was outstanding, the grounds just beautiful and the room we book is huge, 1 bdrm oceanview with balcony! Room service all 3 meals. Every room has an oceanview.
The water is still very calm, and the same beautiful colors, you just don't have as far to walk on the beach, but you have lots of grounds to walk through, and a second beach over at Sunset Beach.
You really should try CSS, it is incredible! Heck we even have Tommywommy going back if that tells you anything, getting him to go the first time was NOT an easy task, because of your concern as well as the stairs, but now, well they were torn so much so they decided to do a split trip this year to CN and CSS, because Peggy loves CSS so much!
We have 3 couples joining us this year, 2 of which were with us at CN in 06, I have told them what to expect, but I am not concerened at all, I know they will LOVE CSS and will appreciate a different experience, but still JA, and still Couples!
CSS is a great property however it is not Negril. If you are considering the SSB then i think you will have a blast. As the AN set up is top notch.
If you really enjoy floating in bloody bay or long bay the smooth sandy bottom and calm water then CSS may disappoint. No beach in ochi can compare to bloody bay. The beach is nice the water is usually more choppy and not as condusive to floating. The property itself if off the charts in being so distinct the steps the layout makes it truly unique. If you want a change of pace you cant go wrong with CSS however if you love negril beaches manage your expectations accordingly
if they could somehow figure out how to get SSB on a negril property you would have the best of the best ... enjoy
1) CSS sand is more course then negril
2) water is noticebly rougher then bloody /long bay (that is normal for most beachs east of mo bay )
3) on the SSB side water id much cooler do to the river
4) the beach is self containd so no long walks
Hey Kristen,
I am glad you asked this question. Dan suggested trying the other side of the island, but from everything that I have read and the pictures, I dont' think he and I would be happy with the beach.
Merry Christmas,
Karin
Hi Kristen & Matt!
We met at CN last year! The beaches at Negril are way bigger and longer than CSS. That being said CSS has a LOT to offer. The beach at CSS is smaller but it is private so there are no vendors trying to sell you cigarettes, parasail rides, etc. CSS is the only Couples resort that offers 24 hr. room service. It has the least amount of rooms and they are all suites, most with breath-taking views. CSS has the most beautiful grounds and is the most romantic of all the resorts. The staff is fantastic starting with the general manager Pierre and the food is to die for. If you've never been to Ocho Rios you should give it a try. Dunns River Falls is a must do activity and it is included. Mystic Mountain is another fun excursion but you do have to pay extra for it. The spa at CSS is the best we've been to. You can't beat the massage hut overlooking the ocean. Check out the many pictures on the website and message board to help you decide. If your heart is set on long walks on the beach you might want to stay with Negril but if you want to try another side of the island you can't go wrong with CSS. Good Luck with your decision. I can e-mail some pictures of the beach if you like.
Sue
Probably not.. We're big CSA fans and we also love the town of Negril. We decided to try CTI this year,(on a whim!) and I worried about the same things.Quote:
Originally Posted by MnK
I was very pleasantly surprised by CTI, and the town of Ochos Rios. CTI was great and I'm sure CSS will be also. Just go with an open mind and a "ready to have fun" attitude, and you'll probably be just as pleasantly surprised as we were. It is NOT Negril, and yet we really had a fantastic time. It is definitely worth going. That's just my opinion. We didn't regret trying out one of the Ochie Resorts at all. Well worth it actually.
If you love the beach in Negril and don't want to downgrade, you could very well be disappointed. The water is calm and warm in Ocho Rios as well, but the sand is squishier. Our honest opinion is that we loved everything about CSS but probably won't return because the beach wasn't like it was at CSA. Good luck to you!
We have been to CSA 3 times and CSS once. If you are a beach person and spend all day on the beach, then you might be disappointed with CSS. The sand is coarser at CSS than at CSA. Of course, it is also much smaller. We liked that the beach at CSS is private - no jetskis buzzing around, either. But, most importantly, if you miss long walks on the beach, then CSS is not for you.
Here is my opiniong- we were in negril exactly 2 years ago- we just returned from CTI. We liked both- however prefer negril for the exact reason you do. The water was never calm at CTI- 4 out of our 8 days was a red flag and the water was always choppy. I can't speak for CSS, but CTI is just down the road so I would assume they had the same waves we did. This may have just been weather related, as I am not sure what Negril was like during our stay this time.
Thanks everyone!! As usual, amazing advice and support from Couples fans and friends.
Sue---I'll email you in a bit. Would love to see pics!!
Karin---are we ever going to go to Couples together again??? We miss you guys!