We chose the Couplesresort for our honeymoon because, as well as sun and sand, we wanted a resort where there would be plenty to see and do (yes, even on honeymoon ;-)). This was certainly true of Couples.
We travelled with Unijet (now part of First Choice I believe) from London Gatwick to Montego Bayairport. Since we were flying charter and the flight is around 8 hours long, we booked a "premium upgrade" for around £300 which gave us a longer seat pitch, free drinks, a choice of meals with real cutlery and seat back entertainment.
Arrival at the airport was a little chaotic. On clearing customs, there were LOTS of porters offering to carry our bags. My advice is not to bother because it is literally only a few feet to the Couples desk and then out to the bus. Yes, I did say bus. OK, it had air conditioning, but it was a bone-shaking, frightening hour-long drive to the resort (close your eyes). Considering their laid-back reputation, the Jamaicans seem to come alive in their cars! The convention seems to be to, don't look before overtaking the vehicle in front, simply sound your horn
and pull out, and the driver of the vehicle in front will sound his horn in reply - one beep for clear, two for oh my god, you're going to die…
The Resort
As we were on honeymoon, we received a free upgrade to an ocean-view room at the hotel. Actually, we were allocated a room on the side of the hotel, but that was great, because we could see the ocean AND the mountains, and it was very quiet, being furthest from the bar area. The downside was…it was furthest from the bar area lol. The room itself was spacious and brightly decorated, with a HUGE 6ft bed. There was a balcony with a table and chairs, where we had breakfast most mornings and the odd sundowner drink. There was also a large satellite TV if that's your sort of thing.
The beach front is not huge, but there is enough space not to feel crowded. There is the usual provision of sunloungers, and also very comfy hammocks under the trees which we enjoyed snuggling in! Offshore, there is an "au naturel" island to get an all-over tan which is very private and reached by speedboat from the main pier.
There are two big Jacuzzis, one on the deck by the main pool, which is very sociable and a quieter one in the lawn. Also, dotted around the beautiful grounds there are little two-person secluded Jacuzzis perfect for…erm, two people and a couple of pina coladas.
Value for money
The cost of the holiday was around £3,500 for the two of us. Couples is a "super-all-inclusive" resort: the price includes the cost of all meals, alcoholic drinks, activities and even excursions (see below) so I think it's pretty good value. There is also no tipping, so you don't have to carry cash at all, and unlike some "all-inclusive" resorts, there are no restrictions as to which drinks or food are included - so you can have your favourite brand of tipple with no qualms!
Food & drink
There are five food outlets at Couples:
The Beach Grill - serving burgers, grilled chicken, ice cream and other snacks from dawn 'till late. A bit too convenient really as I came back a few pounds heavier!
Bayside - an Italian restaurant on a pier over the sea. This is candlelit and very romantic, but it is very popular so you should book in advance and also is outdoors and can be a little warm.
Main restaurant - buffet breakfast and lunch, and you should eat here at least once in the evenings to get a true taste of Jamaica. Mmmmm, jerk chicken, hot and spicy!
Continental restaurant - standard Europeanfare, nicely served in a pleasant atmosphere. Thankfully air-conditioned. (You may tell by now that I am fair skinned and wilt easily lol).
French restaurant: this is formal dining at 2 sittings; you have to book and can only dine once per week (the only restriction we found on food and drink). Excellent 5 course banquet and piano music to accompany!
The food is not exceptional in any of the restaurants - genuine foodie gourmets would be disappointed, but we found it good enough (my husband is a trained chef).
There are two main bars: one next to the pool and main restaurant, and a piano bar where you can relax with a drink before dining in the Continental or French restaurants. One slight disadvantage I heard some people complain about is the small glasses that drinks are served in, but we never found this a problem because we were not embarrassed to simply order lots and get a tray lol. Also, you can request a bottle of wine to be sent up to your room at no extra cost, so you can stroll back along the beach and have a nightcap waiting for you.
Activities on site
There's plenty to do at Couples without ever leaving the resort (although to do this would be a great shame). There are all sorts of watersports, including diving, which is included in the price. We dived every day that it was possible to do so (not the day before departure); we have subsequently trained as Padi Open Water divers and would recommend that you undertake a structured course like Padi (not included) to get the most out of your experience, as the instruction we received was very basic. But the dive instructors were extremely friendly and you must have a chat with Jeff who drives the boat. Apparently he came for a holiday and just never left - his greatest worry each day is what fruit to serve the divers on return to the boat, and this just about sums up Jamaica's unhurried atmosphere, which is pretty contagious. Just don't look carefully at what your instructors are smoking under the dive school steps, if you have any safety concerns ;-)
Excursions
There are a number of off-site excursions included in the price. The one that everyone must do is the trip to the famous Dunns River Falls, where you climb up a waterfall holding hands in a big "crocodile" led by a guide. You will need to tip off-site - take US$. There is an excellent trip to a plantation, which was really interesting. Horse-riding is available across the road from the site. There are stalls selling local wares on the way; we didn't feel pressured to buy or harassed, but it is polite to at least look over the stalls and by this time you should be feeling relaxed and unhurried anyway :-) You may be approached with offers of certain combustible substances, but we found a firm, polite "no thanks" was readily accepted. I believe there is also Golf available, but we don't play. Finally, take the sunset cruise on the catamaran - you can either party with rum punch on the deck, or relax on the rigging over the water for a quieter experience. Ahhh, paradise.
I must just mention, the one gripe about the activities and excursions is that, even though they were included in the price, you did have to book them once you got to the hotel, and they couldn't be booked too far in advance, eg all on your first day. This meant that my poor husband had to get up early on a few occasions and go down to reception to book them.
Who goes there
Well, clearly - couples! There are no under-18s allowed, and we found that there was a surprisingly wide age range of people, mainly Brits and Americans.
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