My new husband and I stayed at Couples Negril for our honeymoon from June 7th-June 13th 2008. I had read many reviews online and did all my research so I had my expectations set in stone from the moment I arrived.

Check In:
I heard that champaign would be served along with a cold towel as soon as we arrived and yes, it was. We didnt wait long at check in before we were escorted to our room. All our bags were carried for us and the staff was pleasant upon our arrival.

Room:
We booked the Garden View Suite because the Suites are the only room with jacuzzi tubs and being right on the beach wasnt very important, rather were not important enough for the price upgrade. Plus the layout of the resort is such that the beach isnt far away and we could actually see it from the patio. The suite was nice, the decor very colorfull and the bed was actually very comfortable. The bathroom was HUGE, and the jacuzzi and shower were in good condition. Room did have a little bit of wear so it didnt look brand new. Clean sheets, a stocked bar with champaign, vodka, rum, some sodas, and v8 was stocked everyday. The jacuzzi was less then I expected only because the water was lukewarm by the time you filled the whole thing up. Which does kinda ruin the jacuzzi experience if you ask me but it was still enjoyable. The deck had a hammock and a small table with two chairs. The staff was great about cleaning the room daily and they even made different towel animals each day on the end of the bed. Often times covered with flower petals =). Just a side note that they give you two beach towels in the room rolled up by the tub, these must not be left anywhere because if they are not turned in before you leave you will be charged for them.

Food:
You are provided a door hanging menu you can fill out if you would like breakfast delivered in the morning. The first night I filled it out and put it one the door in the time frame stated at the bottom. In the morning we woke up earlier then I thought so I called in and requested my breakfast be delivered earlier. The gentleman said no problem, but didnt ask my room number. About 45 minutes later (after we were ready and dressed) still nothing. I peeked out the door and noticed that my menu was still hanging on the doorhandle. I was peeved!!! I called again but ended up getting frusterated with the guy on the phone and said just forget it. NOT A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION.
We tried The Cassava Terrace Restaurant and it was pretty good. We ate there everymorning from that day on. Lunch we usually picked up from the Beach Grill. Nothing to write home about but very conveinent and laid back. Plus they have an ice cream machine and nacho bar open all the time when you just want to grab something and go. They have a bar over there too where you can order anything you think of. If you anything like my husband, an all inclusive is a personal challenge to try to squeeze every drop of liquor out of the resort to get your money back. LOL. For dinner we really really enjoyed Lychee. Its the oriental restaurant and is very good. Our server was fantastic its elegant atmosphere had us coming back twice. We missed out on eating at the Otaheite Restaurant because genius left his slacks at home but if you do want to dine there, be sure you reserve in advance because it does fill up quick. Their are some two person tables but very few, if you dont get one your going to be dining at a table with other couples which might be your thing but we were on our honeymoon sooo we would rather have not.

Beach/Pool:
The beach was beautiful and the sand was clean and white. Very nice. The beach chairs all have cusions that float so you can take them in the ocean. Also, the red flag service was nice. If you can find a red flag. The pool was great. The pool bar was where we spent the majority of our time. Socializing and talking with other couples and the bartenders was a lot of fun. The bartenders at the pool bar were the friendliest of all. The two jacuzzis at each end of the pool were very nice. There is also a section of the beach that is nude. It has its own jacuzzi and bar. I only saw a few people over there but I did get a kick out of sipping a drink nude in the jacuzzi =) How often do you get to do that at home?

Activities:
We went on the catamaran cruise and it was fantastic. beautiful sunset on the way back. The caves you can swim into are awsome. I highly recomend it. My hubby also decided to waterski and seemed to have a lot of fun doing that. We rent a jetski from a jamaican sitting directly outside of the resort. You can barter with them for a good deal. We got an hour for $50 bucks which was pretty good considering they started at $60 bucks for half and hour. You can also get some "local greenery" from them if your interested in that kind of thing. They always have something going on but usually I stuck to relaxing and eating. They have a list of each days activities by the beach grill so check it out if you want to try some new things. I will say at night there wasnt much to do. I was amazed that the tv had as many stations as it did so if we happened to be in the room you do have something to watch.


Massages:
We got a complimentary 1/2 hour massage with our package. There are many locations were you can get them but my hubby was dead set on getting it in the treehouse. We paid and extra $10 but it was worth it. It was very relaxing. He fell asleep.

Overall:
I had a great time. it was very relaxing. Everything I wanted it to be. If I had any suggestions it would be that the staff was a bit more friendly. They wernt unfriendly by any means, but a bit more enthusiastic wouldnt hurt. I recomend it highly, and will definetly be doing the all inclusive thing again.

Disappointing !

Needs serious improvement.

This was a second trip to Couples, the first being in 2002.

The overall appearance of the Resort is sadly lacking it looks kind of beat-up,the property needs to be cleaned ,buffed and painted: nothing has been updated in years and so consequently is sadly showing its age.

The rooms are past their prime:despite so-called refurbishment , poorly furnished with the only real additions a flat screen TV and an unstocked mini-fridge,the bed was lumpy ,uncomfortable and needs to be replaced,inoperable blinds and torn stained curtains with chipped and broken floor tiles.

Inadequate Housekeeping added to the thrill of the experience,dirty floors and counters in the bathroom,broken plumbing fixtures and soap only available by request.

The room service staff is inattentive, a simple request for a bottle opener was ignored the first 3 times; an opener was finally obtained via the front desk. The GM explain that they had new procedures and that the system had kinks.
Not what is expected of a so-called 5 star resort !
Their attempt to soothe us with a bottle of cheap Spanish champagne and a half dozen chocolates although appreciated does not excuse the problems that should NOT exist in a resort of this caliber

Food was generally very good but lacked variety ,there was a nice atmosphere at each of the restaurants although at dinner in the semi-alfresco Italian restaurant there was dining space competition with cockroaches the size of field mice, maybe each table should have been provided with a can of Raid.

As usual the after dinner hours at CN were quiet and unassuming;with stage shows of amateurish quality (maybe I'm spoiled by the cruise ship experience), a piano bar populated by no more than 10 guests and a fake Las Vegas night with gambling for Monopoly money.

This property boasts of its upscale ratings ,however it is sadly lacking when compared to the adjacent resorts like Riu.

More attention needs to paid to the property to restore to its former glory.

believe the hype! our second trip to ja...could not have had a better time....the staff, food, beach...all were excellent!

dont believe the bad reviews unless you are miserable anywhere you are!

We stayed at Couples Negril from June 14 to June 21/08.

Let me start off by saying that I have been to several places in the caribbean so I have lots to compare this to. I have been to Costa Rica, Cuba, Cancun Mexico and Europe.

The resort was a lot smaller than what we had expected and was rustic looking. We were expecting a more a extravagant looking resort and hotel for the price, and we thought this is what we were getting-wrong. Everything sort of looked a little worn, we prefer the spanish style looking hotel - Kinda like the Large Riu next door.
The overall feel was a little boring, really quiet and not a whole lot of anything going on. The nightly entertainment, left a lot to be desired. The resort itself seemed like a ghost town at times.

When I first walked into our room, I noticed urine on the toilet seat, this was a really bad first impression on the cleaning staff. Even though we didn't encounter any other problems with the room the remainder of our stay... it was to hard to erase this first impression. The fridge was well stock with drinks- this was a nice treat.

Food - The food was good, but it was lacking in variety. We were very disappointed as we thought that there was going to more seafood- no lobster, crab or shrimp- again for the price we paid, we expected that this would be included. The buffet overall just seemed kinda skimpy. I must say however, that the Lamb was excellent at the outdoor grill- supper was better than lunch. Otahete, also had excellent meals and really good rack of lamb.

Beach was excellent - the water was crystal clear and very calm, nice soft sand. We actually took a walk down to sandals to see what we missed out on and apparently not a whole lot. The water line seemed so shallow and the water was a little rougher (it's not located in the bay)

The catamaran is a must do, we also went snorkeling and took a trip to Ricks Cafe- which we enjoyed.

The staff for the most part seemed to be very friendly and helpful,but a few members weren't so hospitable. The girl at the photo desk actually rolled her eyes when we asked to re-review our wedding photos. Overall, I didn't feel the warm, fuzy feeling that I experienced in other parts of the caribbean. It was a little disappointing for both my husband who has never been to the caribbean and myself as this was our wedding/honeymoon. Which have to say did go over well. Giselle the wedding coordinator was very thorough and organized, however, the cake did not turn out as I had expected- but overall no complaints. It was just the two of us, so I didn't expect to have any mishaps that way. We used the wedding photographer and the pictures turned out good, so I'm grateful for that.

Overall, I have to say if your looking for a bit more to do with that more extravagant feel, I would book with the Riu next door, it's the exact same beach and has beautiful grounds and it's like half the cost! Our resort did include a few sports activities and the catamaran, but in the end it still doesn't make up the difference in price- not even close. The red flag service on the beach was nice, but we certainly weren't being served with a smile. I would prefer to get my own drink at the bar and have a nice warm friendly greeting from someone who enjoys their job and is happy to be serving people.