Why Jamaica?.......Why Couples?.......Hugs from Tommywommy of 10 0 C

[Tommywommy]

I will start out telling you why we picked Jamaica and Couples.

For years we have seen a mega resorts advertisments on the tv and read them in magazines and they had us hooked...My daughter who was a travel agent came up to visit us and I told her what and where we were looking to go.

She STOPPED me dead in my tracks and said "NO,you need to go to Couples Swept Away"...So I checked out the Couples websight on all four of their resorts but after looking and reading I liked CN best of all...And then I discovered the Couples message board...I signed in and a CN loyalist Cnsmitten personally emailed me,sent me pictures and answered so many questions that we decided CN was for us..We still thank Cnsmitten to this day...And today our love for all four of te Couples Resorts still holds true.

At a Couples resort,you are somebody..You are a Couples family member...Not just a number

Couples has allowed us to meet so many strangers and turned them into life long hugging friends.

SO..What got you to Jamaica and to the Couples Resorts?

Hugs from Tommywommy and Peggyweggy of 10 0 C

[warren.cple]

For the wife and I, it was a couple things. Perhaps the biggest factor was getting an e-mail from Couples (I had signed up for their specials) Thanksgiving 2010 with the rates for 2011. After doing some math, looking at the calendar, and reading up on the resorts, we made our reservations for CTI on Black Friday.

We picked CTI for a couple reasons, the rates were among the lowest, and I wanted to try AN while the wife was ambivalent about it. After some discussion, we figured the Isle would be the best way to try it, as it was separate from the resort (avoiding "looky-loos" wandering the beach) and if we didn't like it (or she didn't) or it made us (or her) uncomfortable, again, it was separate from the rest of the resort.

After we made our reservations, I started lurking around the forums, then posting, then posting a LOT of questions.

Once we got there, we both immediately fell in love with the resort, we gave the AN a try (and liked it.) We found the staff to be wonderful, friendly people, willing to still smile at a white guy fumbling between saying "thank you" and "respect" to return their calls of "respect!" (I'm sure they've seen it hundreds of times, and still find it amusing!)

Now, we're going for trip #2 in 60 days!!!
WOOT!

Jason & Kathy
CTI in 60 days and counting!

[kingmelon]

Telling Tommy that he and his wife will enjoy Couples Negril like no other vacation; marrying the love of your life there in 2003; celebrating your 40th there in 2004; being lucky enough to visit until 2009 when the economy and our careers took a hit. Can't say how happy we are to see that Tommy and Peggy are going back and we get to celebrate our 10th wedding anny there - soon come mon. Tommy tell Herbert that King Melon and Rasta Mama from Kentucky are coming - arrive on Saturday April 24th very early and hope he is working!

[FerChitsNGiggles]

Hmmm, what got us to Jamaica and Couples. I searched and searched the internet and read about all the Caribbean islands. I thought I wanted to be closer to the equator for the best sun. I read about the people of Jamaica and I fell in love with their attitude toward life in general. That was my husbands and I way of relaxation.
I searched all the resorts on the island and found Couples. That is all it took, one look, one love. We picked CTI for our first time because of all the inclusions and the style of the hotel. Now we are trying CN in December of this year and the anticipation is killing me. Soon come!!

[craniums]

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer & we decided to go to a Jamaican resort that had AN, before her surgeries. Since it was very short notice, the only resort we could book was GL Sans Souci. We absolutely loved it!!! After experimenting with the other GL resorts, we decided that our favorite resort was Sans Souci. We were concerned the first time we went back since it was now a Couples resort, but we quickly discovered it was even better & now are booked for our 5th CSS trip in Aug 14.

[Coloradojuli]

I had taken a cruise to the Caribbean and Jamaica was one of the islands that we stopped at. I ended up buying a pound of coffee as I had heard it was very good. I loved the coffee. Forward a few years and I decided I wanted to do a cruise again for my 40th, but in January before my birthday in May we went on a cruise from...well...you know where. It was awful. I vowed never to cruise again. I decided instead to go to Jamaica and get more coffee, but after the cruise fiasco I wasn't about to go anywhere where other people's children would ruin my vacation. So I booked the S resort in Ocho Rios and began reading reviews (which weren't good), so I started looking elsewhere for an Adult only all-inclusive. I stumbled upon CN, read tons of reviews and booked. That was 8 years ago and I still love CN. I made the right decision and can't wait to return in 256 days.

[jgsaks]

I'll repeat our story for those who haven't yet heard it
In 1971 Jane & I went to Tower Isle Hotel for our honeymoon. It was our first trip to Jamaica and out of the USA, It was great!
We traveled elsewhere but went back to Tower Isle in 1973.
In 1978 we yearned to go back to Jamaica. Our same travel agent urged us to try a new concept(All Inclusive) called Couples. We went only to find out that it was the original Tower Isle still owned by the Issa family(the most gracious family that we have ever met).
Since 1971 we have made multiple trips to Jamaica and to all of the Couples.
In July of this year we will make our 78th. trip to Jamaica and Couples (77 to CTI).

[RandyP]

Hi Tommywommy

I always wanted to visit Jamaica because of the music of Bob Marley and the vibe it gave us. My 1st trip out of the USA was to Jamaica. We chose the other resort brand (S) the first couple of years... which got us even more hooked on the music vibe, especially the "every little ting gonna be alright" song. Priceless! Both of those trips were to Montego Bay.

We kept hearing about the Negril side of the island and the famous 7 mile beach. The Couples Brand of resorts just so happened to run a special in the paper... and we booked a trip to CN. It was heaven on earth. We were hooked! The message board played a role as well... as it is so much fun to talk travel with folks.

Heading to CSS in 33 days! Every little ting gonna be alright!

[lsm1212]

Hubby and I wanted to get married on a beach and not in the US. We didn't want to have to travel too far (like Hawaii, etc). We wanted a resort that was couples only and wasn't difficult to get a marriage license. It also needed to be easy to get to from the UK (where he is from and his family resides). So we settled on Jamaica. And then after doing a lot of research, we chose Couples Swept Away. We got married there on Oct 2, 2004. We went to CN in 2006 (for just 3 days as we had a credit from another resort chain that we needed to use that messed up our Honeymoon). Life and other stuff got in the way and we hadn't been back.... until 2 weeks+ ago. We went to CSS to try another shore (3/16 to 3/23). We stuck with the Couples chain as even though we haven't been back in a long time, we knew we could count on them to have a lovely vacation. And we were right. We are going back to CN in Nov (Thanksgiving week) and seriously considering going back to CSS next spring (2014). We have tossed the idea around of going to CSA in Oct 2014 for our 10 year anny since we got married there. Haven't decided yet but we have time.

We have loved every trip we have taken there.

[Susan and Randy]

HI! we are visiting CN for the first time in February 2014. I have been lurking on this message board for 2 years and have been itching to get there and we are finally going for our 35th anniversary. Why? smaller size, to try AN, beach, and all the comments here from all of you who have gone. It sounds fabulous and I cant wait
Sue

[Mike@Debbie]

I'll tell our story of how we decided to try Couples. 12 years ago we did our 25th Anniversary in Jamaica. It was at another adult-only, couples-only chain. I'm sure you know which one. We absolutely loved it. After that we tried a few other places like Aruba, Mexico and Punta Cana. They were nice, but they were not Jamaica. We continued to visit the other chain a few more times, but over the years things changed. While the trips were enjoyable, the feel of the resorts was not like it was in the beginning. They got too stuffy, too fancy, etc. It's hard to put into words, but it stopped feeling so right. We tried another adult only resort in Jamaica. We enjoyed that, and returned for a second visit. But it has since been sold and is no longer adult only. So we found ourselves looking for a new resort destination. And we looked into Couples. Reading reviews and postings on this and other message boards, we decided that Couples may have the right atmosphere for us. After researching all 4 Couples resorts we decided that Couples Negril may be the best one for us. We have booked that for October of '13 and are counting the days until we arrive. The more I read and the more I learn, the more I think that Couples is really the place for us. And I keep smacking myself on the forehead and saying "what took us so long". I hope after October I feel the same way.

[Mzambo]

Jamaica had always called to me, the reggae, the laid back attitude, the rum, the place was pulling me. We decided it was our 25th Anniversary destination. I wanted to go to Negril first based on the beaches, we were looking at the S resort as I had always wanted to try them as well, until I really started researching and it seemed you were treated differently at S resorts based on your room grade. I did not want to feel like a second class citizen because I could not afford the higher category rooms. Then I came upon Couples by searching adult only AI's. We like so many were torn between CSA and CN, but CN seemed to be the better fit. I found this board through the website, and Tommywommy and others who convinced me CN was the resort for us. That was in 06 which is when we actually met Tommy & Peggy. We returned to CN in 07 with them and other new friends we made while at Couples then convinced our group to try the other side of the island in 08 at CSS. We returned to CSS in 10, and will be returning to CN in 11 days for our 5th trip. In the meantime Tommy and the others were checking out CTI, returning to CN and CSS... We were checking out new places and some other AI's

Having said that we have stayed at several other AI's in various regions of Mexcio and The Dominican, and so far Couples remains our favorite. I'm just hoping some of the things I have been reading on TA are not true because they will be determining factors in whether we return yet again. We saw changes in food selections at CSS between 08 & 10, however everything else remained wonderful. Recently I am hearing premium liquor is no longer offered at all bars. Food, Service, and Premium liquor are some of the reasons we keep returning to Couples in spite of the fact the rooms are not glitzy, for us that can be overlooked as long as other things do not start to lack as well..

Looking very forward to this trip and hoping it is everything we remember it to be and then some. CN was the place my husband & I did indeed fall in love again! CN will always be special to us for that reason, although CSS captured our hearts as well, and I could literally flip a coin over which is my favorite at any given moment.

Marie
CN 06, 07
CSS 08, 10
CN 11 days

[mjd]

We found the couples family in a bitter/sweet kinda way. It started in 2000 when the company my wife works for gave a travel book and said pick somewhere we are sending you for working for us for 10 years, we looked at mexico but our son inlaw is mexican and said what would you want to go there for so we decided on jamaica-negril- s-resort. We put it off until feb. so we could go for our anniversary since we had never been out of the country before. It was our 2nd day into the trip and we were getting ready for dinner when the phone rang and it was the call no one wants to get on vacation, my dad passed away. My mom says finish your vacation she would wait on services until we got back, I said no we are coming home. My wifes boss says dont un-pack your bags your going back (trip ins.), we liked jamaica but were not thrilled with the s-resort so picked couples negril and went back in april and fell in love with the resort. We are going back for trip 12 in a couple weeks (16th), we have seen many staff members come and go with a few outstanding ones still there and some changes around the resort some good some not so good but not deal breakers in anway. We have met many wonderfull guest and life long friends that we have crossed paths with in past years and will again in a few weeks and are looking to book next years trip again before we go this year which makes coming home after a fun week much easier LOL.

[vicster]

I started going originally for my friends, better known to me as my sister, wedding. Her parents were long time repeaters. They ended up getting married before we left, so it ended up being a vacation. I had to convince my husband to go. Finally told me it would be a once in a lifetime thing. We were there 2 days and he said, " Oh we are coming back"!. That was 11 years ago and have been to CTI 7 times, CSS 1 time and 3 other resorts on the island with our son 3 times. This Dec will make out 11 trip to my home away from home. I have met many wonderful people, including a few on this thread. I have many friends that I see there on our trip every year. And the staff are like family to me, they are all wonderful!!

Every year I don't know if I will have the money to go back.....but I somehow find it. It isn't just a vacation anymore..... Once you go you will know!!!

[novastar]

It was 3 years ago when my Fiance at the time, and I, were busy planning our wedding (second time for us both), when the search for a honeymoon location was at the top of the to do list. We looked at several places, different islands, different resorts, and so on. We had never heard of Couples, as we had yet to travel as a couple. Most trips involved the kids ( 5 between us ), or trips back home to visit with family, or just even renting a cottage.
I wanted our honeymoon to be just for us, our time, our way, without family, without kids. I took a chance to see if there was such a place that was couples only, I had no idea that there was. I Google d " Couples resort" totally by chance. Well, up front and centre was Couples. I looked in amazement at the resorts, so picturesque and so quaint. They had the three things that I wanted. NO kids, no singles, and not huge.
I was giddy with excitement!!!! Couldn't wait till she got home to show her!!!
When she looked, all she could say was "perfect". We checked out all the resorts they had, and she decided Sans Souci was the one. Little did she know then that it was also my pick. It called to me right away. Within 2 days it was booked.
Little did we know at that time exactly what we were in for. Everything we expected was surpassed at the resort. The staff certainly are the shining jewel of the Couples resorts.
The one thing that got me was there is a certain ambiance to CSS that is hard to describe, but it's certainly there. You feel relaxed. You feel welcome and at home. You feel romance. You feel special. You feel at peace. We had never before experienced such as this, this little piece of paradise and all that goes with it. We completely fell in love.
That was 3 years ago, and this October will be trip number 3. Knowing we are going back home keeps our daily lives more easy, more tolerable. Bob Marley is the only CD in my truck, I check the message board daily, Have a beach pic of CSS as my cover page on FB, another pic as my screen saver, and a countdown clock on my Iphone... This is what this little resort and the staff and management has done to us.... and we would not want it any other way.

177 days, 32 hours, and 17 minutes until we are "home" again.

[Cdnwhseguy]

We went to a resort, just out side of Montego Bay way back in 1988, for our honeymoon. We were there for two weeks and did lots of stuff, one of which was a day trip to Negril. (I think we stopped in at Couples Negril) Absolutely loved the place, especially the beach, given the beach at the the other place....well...sucks.

Fast forward, 20 years later, no trips, two kids, and a lot of hard work/long hours career building, we finally had some cash to go away for our 20th anniversary. Without a doubt we automatically looked at Negril, specifically Couples. Tough choice, but we decided on CSA over Couples Negril.

The next year we came back to Negril, but tried a different AI on Bloody Beach.....mistake. Nothing against the other resort, except for the fact that it wasn't Couples. Different vibe, just not us.

We returned to CSA in 2011 for our second stay, 2012 for our third stay, and now returning for our fourth stay, this April for our 25th anniversary. Our friends and family always ask us why? Why not try another resort, another country, etc......but CSA is us, our place. We know what we will get. We love the resort, the staff, people, the culture, the food......and on top of that we get a "Couples Experience"' which offers everything we want from a resort.

I must add that for the past two visits and for this one as well, we kick off our Jamaican visit with a short stay on the cliffs before we hit the beach at CSA. Tried it in 2011 and 2012' and just loved it, need to be in the cliffs for a few night before Couples. There are lots of nice choices, but Tensing Pen is our "West End" spot.

10 more sleeps then we will be in our home away from home, Negril Jamaica, it's the only place. Couples CSA is our place,.

Doing Trading Places, so off to CN for a day, and the One Love Pub Crawl too. Aside from that, we'll be on the beach chilling and have fun with all who are there!

Irie mon....bring on the Red Stripe and Jerk chicken!!

[Bbref]

Hi Tommy and Peggy. My wife Patti and I are at CN 4/12 and are bringing you big "hugs" from Amy and Scott from Pekin Il.

[Tommywommy]

Bbref..you have just made my day...Sweet Amy and Scott know that I require big Hugs daily...Peggy and I are looking forward to meeting you and yours at CN.

CN..Couples Negril..Where strangers meet,swap hugs and become life long hugging friends.