Couples Swept Away

The road to negril was terrible . It took close to 4 hours given the numerous potholes , traffic and construction delays . Room was ok except for mould in bathroom and AC that did not work properly . Toiletries were of poor quality and resort did not provide slippers for the room . Food was ok . It was evident that resort offered food choices of mediocre quality . Recreational facilities and location was excellent . However this resort is NOT 5 star category and the price charged does not merit this resort . My first and last time . Read less

As much as I love CSA I feel that it is drifting downhill for various reasons. The beach is still great and the people are still very friendly, it is just little things that are adding up. When we started going 13 years ago the Palm restaurant was a buffet every night and it was always possible to get something that you liked, now it is Ala Carte with 4 main choices and if you don't care for them your out of luck. Before they had a salad bar and a pasta station you could access when it was Ala Carte night. The activities are somewhat limited, there is no longer a Rum 101 class, they stopped Casino night during Covid and never started it again. During the Silent dance party they are handing out headphones that the vinyl covers are schredded so you are placing the foam against your ear, I don't think you can safely disinfect foam. Our last trip in October there was no drink service on the beach, it's a little thing but one we were used to and we are paying for. Read less

This was our 5th visit to Swept Away, and this review will cover every aspect of our trip from the airport lounge, shuttle, food, room, service, etc. After making your way through customs, Couples has a lounge in the airport where you will go to await your resort shuttle. They offer water and Red Stripe beer, as well as a one-stall restroom. There is typically a line for the restroom. The shuttle drivers load your luggage and then your journey down a very rough, ill-maintained road through Hopewell, Sandy Bay and Lucea to Negril begins. The road runs along the shore for a large portion of the ride, so it is beautiful to see. Our driver expressed his frustration that while they pay a significant gas tax for road maintenance, the roads are never repaired or maintained. Tourism is Jamaica's number one industry, and the roads get worse every time we travel in Jamaica. We talked with other guests who said their travel times varied from 90 minutes to 4 hours which is incredible. We arrived just as Tropical Storm Rafael was coming ashore, and in many places, at least one lane was fully flooded and our driver spent his time navigating one lane that was usable (which was often filled with large potholes). The driver was amazing telling us all about Jamaica's history and pointing out interesting points along the way. I will also preface this review by saying that because of Rafael, it rained and flooded the afternoon of Monday when we arrived, all day Tuesday and Wednesday with the sun finally showing itself on Thursday (we were there until Monday). Due to this, there were staff shortages, the beach-side restaurants and bars moved indoors (which wasn't communicated where they were). Check-in: Relatively chaotic as many folks arrive at the same time, so the lobby is filled with people who have been on the road since early morning and are tired and very hungry. Knowing which restaurants are open when you arrive is not clearly communicated and even though we have been to Couples many times, after we got to our rooms, we walked the entire length of the beach trying to find something to eat. It would be wonderful if the resort would set up an area with finger foods for arriving guests to enjoy while they are waiting for check-in, and in many cases, for their rooms to be ready. There is a coffee bar right off the main lobby which would a great location for guests to be directed for a quick bite to tide them over. Check-in staff are very nice. Room: The rooms haven't changed much at all in the years we have been coming. This time, however, the bed was very comfortable. It appeared to have a mattress topper on it. On our last visit, the bed was not great. Beds are large with a multitude of pillows to choose from. The bathrooms are fully tiled with walk-in showers. There is plenty of room to set toiletries in the shower area. Having a lighted make-up mirror is very nice as well. The best feature is the balcony, although the patio furniture is outdated. Some more comfortable and modern would be nice. Our room (3213) was relatively close to the beach and could be seen from our balcony. Tip: Housekeeping is in the room daily to clean unless you put out a "do not disturb" sign. Also, someone will be in to keep the mini bar filled with beverages you request on the daily tag that you put on your door handle. There is also "turn down" service, so if you go to your room to nap or enjoy sexy time, be sure to put out the "do not disturb" sign or you most likely will have company. The room we were in could definitely use some TLC. The wood is looking dried out and in need of new stain, and repairs to ceilings and walls looked like they were done by toddlers. However, everything was very clean. Our toilet had a slow tank leak, so it ran constantly and then would fill 24 hours. You also had to hold down the handle when you flushed. We did report that to the front desk on our way out. Beach: Of course, the beach is stunning since it's on 7-mile Beach. There are plenty of included excursions: paddle boarding, catamaran, snorkeling, glass bottom boat ride, scuba diving and a sunset booze cruise. You just sign up at the watersports shack and you’re all set. There are vendors who stroll the public section of the beach, but they are not allowed onto resort property. If you wish to purchase something, you go to the vendor, and quite often, if the transaction is taking a while, security will come stand and supervise to ensure everything is legal. Weed is legal in Jamaica, so be prepared to see it and smell it most of the time. The resort does a great of keeping the beach clean, chairs arranged nicely, and there is plenty of shade to put your chairs under. This year I noticed there are a few beach chairs (with the short legs) that you can take down to the waves and sit in to read or relax. Grounds: The grounds are quite nice with buildings scattered throughout the property. It is a lengthy property, but it’s a beautiful walk from one end to the other. It’s also an easy walk off-site to some local shops, massage areas, Margaritaville, and parasailing. There are beautiful tropical flowers blooming, tons of palm trees, and other sites. There are several hot tubs at the resort. Two by the swim up bar, one behind The Palms Restaurant, and one toward the middle of the resort. There could be others that we didn’t see, but these are the ones we knew about. We did notice an unusual amount of dirty dishes sitting around longer than necessary. At the bottom of our stairs, there was a full cake (one slice missing) covered in plastic wrap that sat on top of the air conditioning unit for a full 2 days before it was removed. It’s very common to see plates, cups, etc. sitting around. There are stray dogs and cats roaming the property, but they do not cause any issues. The cats have a little house towards the back of the resort and they are excellent pest control, especially when nearly all of the restaurant are open air dining. The dogs wander the beach and look well cared for. Food: In all the times we’ve been to this resort, the food rarely, if ever, disappoints. The lamb chops that we had twice were incredible. Grilled to perfection and they fell off the bone (served tomahawk style). Although the restaurant schedules are a little hard to keep up with, there is a list of the days/hours they are open in the check-in packet to help find where to eat. The beach bar (Scotch Bonnet) is located by the swim up bar and they serve a daily soup, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, a red snapper sandwich (delicious), fries and onion rings, along with ice cream and often a daily special. Sometimes there is also pizza. Our favorite reservation meal was at Feathers. The service is stellar, the menu incredible and the food was impressive. It is the only restaurant that is indoors and climate controlled. The Sea Grass Grill is located on the beach and serves vegetarian food. We fell in love with their grilled fish tacos and sweet potato chips with fresh hummus. There was also an ice cream machine located in that vicinity. A daily breakfast buffet is served at The Palms with an omelet station, pancake/waffle station, tons of fresh fruit, side dishes, pastries, oatmeal, you name it. We were always stuffed at breakfast. One day we went deep sea fishing and caught a tuna. The chef at Patois cooked it for us for breakfast and it was amazing. If you have a picky eater in your family like I do, finding something to eat will not be an issue. Service: Swept Away has the best bartenders. They recognize you, remember your drink order and make the experience fun. One of the breakfast servers asked if I wanted coffee, and when I told her I didn’t drink coffee, she offered to make me a coffee drink she was sure I would like, and I did! It was a cappuccino of sorts and it was very good. Housekeeping and turn-down staff keep the rooms looking incredible, and this year the folks who fill the mini fridge did a great job. In the past, that has been an issue. Guest services was incredible helpful, especially with all the changes due to the tropical storm. Entertainment: The entertainment this year was better than we have seen in the past. Singers at The Palms were very good, as was the fire dancer. The beach bonfire is a must-do! There are always cornhole games on the beach, beach volleyball, and the entertainment team works to keep everyone involved. We did not use the spa or fitness center, so I can’t review those facilities. We rounded out our final full day at the resort feeling the tremors from the Cuba earthquake only 80 miles away! Read less

Travelling from the airport to Negril on a Friday afternoon is not a good idea. A one & half hours journey turned into 4 hrs, there is one road into Negril. However, when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised. The staff were kind polite & made us very welcomed straight away. We found all staff throughout our staff were so kind & accommodating. 1: Accommodation, our room was recently refurbished, plenty of storage for clothes. Walk in shower & room cleaned daily with plenty of towels with a turndown service nightly. The fridge is replenished with drink after you complete a form request each night. However we were situated near the road which is busy, we were offered a change of rooms but we decided not to change room & for us it wasn’t a problem as we are good sleepers. 2; The beach is stunning, there were plenty of sun beds which are cushioned. The best thing for me was taking the cushioned part of the sun-bed & floating in the Caribbean Sea, “paradise” 3: Catamaran trip, a great trip, alcohol & soft drinks served on the trip. You will get to cruise to Rick’s cafe & watch the sunset, with an opportunity to swim into a cave. 4: Glass bottom boat, we found the crew friendly & knowledgeable, we had the opportunity to see & touch a starfish, it is a trip worth doing. 5: Restaurants: Feathers is air conditioned with a lovely ambiance. Men dress code is definitely long trousers. Lemongrass restaurant has an Asian theme, we enjoyed both restaurants. The Martini bar is excellent, the bar staff are very professional & entertaining. No reservation is required for Patois restaurant, it is waiter service & speciality dishes each evening. 6: Guests do not have to wear wristbands, beach towels are plentiful & you can use as many as required. 7: We watched the most spectacular sunsets. 8: There is live entertainment every night which finishes at 22:00 hrs. During our stay there were good singers & musicians. 9: I had the opportunity to learn paddle boarding on this holiday There is a good variety of water sports for you to access. 10: There are a lot of beach vendors, some of them are talented musicians. However if we said “no thank you” they left us alone. We found them entertaining at times. There are always faults you can find in a hotel however I hope I have given you 10 reasons to visit this beautiful authentic resort, situated on the best part of the 7 mile beach. Read less

We've been on few holidays is the Caribbean and the accommodation is normally excellent for a reasonable price, we decided to spend more this time as it was our honeymoon and the accommodation was actually worse than what we normally receive. We had to move rooms twice. The first room we were given was next to the main road and the room had 0 sound insulation, it was as if the door was open you could hear the road so clearly, it was like being in a busy city, not restful at all. So we asked if we could change rooms in the hope of getting a restful night sleep and they did change our room to a room that was in the same price bracket but was quieter from the road, you could still hear it and now we had the added noise of the band playing at the main restaurant coming through the walls but was more bearable. 2 days later the weather turned and there was a lot of rain. Water started leaking down our internal wall and through the plug sockets. We called up maintenance, there was nothing they could do as the issue would require some serious work. We eventually changed rooms again for safety reasons and were now upgraded to a better room which was a nice gesture. The only blip there was an electric shock when turning on the bedside lamp. So I'm left saying overall the fundamental quality of the rooms we were in was poor. The road noise is simply unacceptable for a "5 star" hotel no matter what room you are in and having to pack and unpack everything up 3 times was a real pain. The food and drinks were good in general but little cost cutting details which reduced the quality were evident. For example when asking for a banana smoothie they would pour in some concentrated banana from a bottle instead of putting in a banana to the smoothie maker. Sometimes your pina colada would be drawn from a slushie machine! Again for a 5 star hotel - this is not good enough! In fact all the tropical fruit was poor, the pineapple was always so pale and unappealing, the melon was bland, there were never any fresh bananas to eat, how do you get tropical fruit so wrong in Jamaica! There were certainly positives though, the staff were lovely, the food was good (not excellent), the desserts were very good. The water activities were really good and included, the golf was included but they left out some pretty important information that you had to hire a caddy and after hiring clubs you were looking at 100USD to play golf so that felt a bit cheeky. The beach was lovely, very calm sea if that's what you are looking for. The majority of cocktails were really good, just the pina colada was really poor! The pools were nice and the general service was really good as well. So overall pretty disappointing honeymoon, this place was no where near worth the money they're charging. Fundamental issues with the rooms and quality issues highlighted which could be so easily fixed with a bit of investment. Read less