| Author | Message | ||
| Elainechick |
We're thinking of doing our fourth trip to Couples to a new resort. We've been to CSA three times, and we are looking at CSS for this fall. Can some long-time CSSers answer a couple questions for me? 1) Snorkeling off the beach - it looks like there's a private cove that the beach is on. Can you snorkel all the way out to the reef from there? I'm sure there is an area for the boat, but I'm wondering how far out you can snorkel. 2) What's that forested peninsula area between the main beach and sunset beach? Is that CSS property? 3) Would you recommend Dunn's River Falls, or has it gotten "too touristy"? I know the presence or absence of the cruise ship crowd makes a big difference, but I've read a lot of things about pushy vendors and so forth. 4) What night is the repeaters' dinner, and what nights are the other restaurants open/closed? 5) Room category or location recommendations? 6) Has anyone gone from CSA to CSS, and can you comment? We love the sand at CSA and know we're going to a less-nice beach, but we love the look of the property - do you miss the Negril-style beaches too much? | ||
| Shari_and_james |
1. The reef is to far out to swim to but it is waist deep shallow pretty far out with snorkeling right off the beach with the most to see near the rocky out croppings. There are three beaches at CSS. The Sunset beach, main beach and the little beach by Charlies grotto below the mineral pool. It is three coves separated by rocky out croppings covered in vegetation. You can actually walk in the water from the main beach around to the little beach by Charlies grotto. Wear water shoes though as when you get pretty far from the beach you will run into some rocky areas. 2. Yes that's CSS's property but you can not go there because it's basically a big mound of jagged rocks covered in vegetation. There are no trespassing signs on it. Part of it is where Miss Amy's house is and is her private property. She was the original owner of the land where CSS was build. 3. Just go when there are no cruise ships in port and avoid the craft market they try to get you to exit through. 4. Repeaters dinner is on Thursday and the restaurants are closed on Tuesday cause of the beach party and Friday because of the Star Light Gala which is spectacular don't miss it. Room service for in room dinning still runs. 5. Ocean View with Balcony buildings D, E or G 6. do you miss the Negril-style beaches too much? - Heck NO the Ocho Rios beaches are way better to me because they are natural private coves with no jet skis zooming around or para sail hawkers yelling. You feel like you are in your own private tropical island paradise instead of at the local public beach. The Negril beaches are just like a big bath tubs to me. Sandy bottom and nothing much to see. Saw a big crab and several kinds of fish at CSS even though the water was all stirred up at the time. | ||
| Nazie |
I agree with everything Shari and James posted except for the room choice. I saw 5 different rooms up on the rock, and the view and sounds are beautiful. However we and most that were with us last year would pick a BF. You look out over the beautiful grounds and are located almost in the middle of all of the special occasions. LOVED IT!!!! p.s. Set out on the balcony at dusk and listen to the strolling sax player, have morning coffee on the balcony while listening to the strolling flute player. I really did enjoy CSS. | ||
| Nazie |
I agree with everything Shari and James posted except for the room choice. I saw 5 different rooms up on the rock, and the view and sounds are beautiful. However we and most that were with us last year would pick a BF. You look out over the beautiful grounds and are located almost in the middle of all of the special occasions. LOVED IT!!!! p.s. Set out on the balcony at dusk and listen to the strolling sax player, have morning coffee on the balcony while listening to the strolling flute player. I really did enjoy CSS. | ||
| Matrigail |
We tried CSS this last November, we had been to CSA 6 X and decided to try another Couples Resort. Although the property was very pretty, when we book again in November it will be at CSA or CN. If you are beach people and the water and beach are important to you (like they are to me) do not go to CSS, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. CSS doesn't seem as "busy" as CSA. It's more of a laid back atmosphere. Now if you are going to Sunset Beach during the day I can not tell you anything about that beach. We spent most days at the pool because the sand was rough on your feet and the clarity of the water was 0% clear and I don't like the seaweed muck that kept hitting my feet. I personally think that the beaches in Negril are the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to, but we just wanted to see if we were missing something. I thought Dunn Rivers was gorgeous and I am glad we went, but very touristry (is that a word?). The Gala was really cool Friday Night and make sure you fill out ticket for the drawing (they give them to you on the info tour of the property and on the beach) and get it turned in before the drawing, we won a pendant and it is really pretty. I have to say i won a lot of things this trip, a bottle of rum a $ 50.00 gift certificate for the gift shop and on our last night the pendant. I am glad we went but now I know where my heart belongs and that is in Negril. | ||
| 1965mustang |
Do you get the snorkeling gear from the dive shack or do you take your own? Also, what is the Star Light Gala? CN had the beach party but do not remember a Star Light Gala during our 2 previous visits. Is there a separate district/area where the locals shop vs the tourist trap by the docks? Also, has anyone tried any Ochi restaurants? If so, any recommendations? Thanks | ||
| Trish |
I also agree with Shari, except for the beach. The beach at CSS is small and rocky, not large with smooth sand like CN. When you are in the water, the bottom felt muddy, with lots of seaweed and not soft and sandy. We've seen fish and rays at the beach at CN, didn't stay at the beach at CSS long enough to see anything! We spent much of our time at the mineral pool after the disappointment of the beach. We went to Dunn's River on a Sunday morning and there were less than 50 people there. It was nice except for when we were leaving, they pushed us through the craft market. We just didn't make eye contact with anyone and walked right through. We stayed in G block. Loved the view, and the room, but not the trek to the restaurant. Round trip from our room to Palazzina was almost 3/4 of a mile! That was our first and last trip to CSS. We've been to CN numerous times and will be going back in April. Sorry, but as they say, just my opinion. | ||
| Debbievann |
We went from CN to CSS and I can honestly say that I like the sand and beach at CN better. The sand to me felt like quick sand. Other than that the resort is beautiful and the food was really good. We stayed in G10 and loved it. We had a big balcony with the view of the sunset. I think Sunday is the day when the cruise ships don't dock and try to go to Dunn's River Falls then. It is worth the trip even with the pushy vendors. Just say no thank you and walk by. Enjoy. | ||
| Elainechick |
We do like the beach and the sand at CSA, but we recognize it's totally different at CSS. We do like the beach when we're at CSA, but we don't spend the whole day there or anything like that. We usually go out for 3 hours or so in the morning and float and then lie on the chairs. The rest of the day, we either snorkel, or do activities, or explore, or sleep. Will we not like CSS? We do like Negril beaches, but we know that's what we're not getting on this trip. Also, I asked in a separate thread, but when is mango season in Jamaica? Were there mangoes at CSS in October this year? My husband loves mangoes and is sorely disappointed when they aren't there in December. One of the reasons we're trying October this year, believe it or not, so please let me know if there are mangoes. Has anyone snorkeled right off the beach? I'm worried about this "murky water" stuff - another reason we're going is that we hope, with the rocky bottom, we'll see a bit more when we snorkel off the beach than we did at CSA (we have our own equipment). Thanks everyone for the really detailed information so far. | ||
| Drbcwp |
the beaches are MUCH nicer in Negril. If you want to try an a/n beach then CSS is the place to go. The rooms are much nicer at CSS than CN and the room service was fabulous. Our BFJ room (A31) was perfect. It is all about location for us and we do not stay in the room that often. Our balcony was perfectly fine and had a great view. The steps at CSS are killer. | ||
| Shari_and_james |
Typically the water in Ocho Rios is just as clear and beautiful blue as Negril. The water clairity totally depends on the weather conditions and if there are any storms passing by. When we went there had been storms the week before that stirred up the water but I still saw much more sea life right off the beach than you would in Negril because of the rocks and sea grass where the critters live. I think you'll have a great time. There is so much more to explore on the grounds of CSS than any other Couples resort. You will have a fantastic time just wondering around the property and finding all the little nooks and crannies with hammocks, benches and unreal vistas. Take the seep plunge and go to CSS you'll love it! | ||
| Shell |
I've never been to Jamaica during October but I'd be surprised if you found many mangoes at that time of year. Mango season is May-July. The lack of mangoes is one of the few downsides to a winter trip. This past December I did find 3 small ones at one of the fruit stands at the roundabout.Must be real unusual to see any that time of year tho, a local women saw them and asked where I got them. She said she hadnt seen any in a long time. Now.. when we went in June..I was in mango heaven! Must have tried at least 6 different kinds. As to whether or not you'll like CSS.I dont see how anyone couldn't like it BUT I myself am glad we did a split with CSA when we went there. We had already been to CSA 3 times and love it but wanted to try CSS. Its a beautiful resort with a lot of good features but as you know the beach doesn't compare to CSA. I'm a beach person but at CSS we actually spent more time at the pool, figured we'd get our beach fix when we got to CSA. We plan on going back to CSS or CTI but I'll only do it as a split with CSA.But if the beach isn't that important to you you might not miss CSA as much as we would have. I also did find the water rougher and not as clear at CSS and COR as it was at CSA. | ||
| Desireduo |
Elainechick CSS is a beautiful resort the grounds are stunning and getting lost in the nooks and crannies is a nice bonus... My gf and I are beach folks. We went to CSS for SSB and had a blast however if we were not SSB folks i would prefer to be on bloody bay. The ultimate down side of CSS is the inability to take the long walk up and down long bay and or bloody bay... We stayed in block D and had a wonderful room wit ha very nice view. | ||
| Elainechick |
Okay, I think we're sold and we're booking. Thanks for all your answers. It's too bad about the mangoes - they were plentiful the once we went in May.  We're very excited about our first time to CSS (though we'll miss CSA). | ||
| Currlygirrl |
Elainechick, glad to hear you're booking at CSS. I wanted to add my two cents, just 'cause I like reminiscing.  1) Snorkeling off the beach - My hubbie and I are divers and when it wasn't raining we went snorkeling every day off the beach. We always bring our own masks & fins on trips because they are better quality and it gives more flexibility to just jump in the water whenever, which we did, and had a fine time. Visibility wasn't too great but we did see lots of sea life off the main beach and the bend by Charlie's grotto. I would bring your own equipment so you can hit the water whenever the mood catches you and go exploring. 3) Dunn's River Falls - Definitely touristy and WAY crowded when we went. It felt like a school field trip with all the people and hand-holding, but our first falls-climbing experience so it wasn't all bad. But if you've already done falls somewhere else I might skip it... 5) Room category/location recommendations - We had B block beachfront jacuzzi suite and absolutely loved it. The room and bathroom were huge, the jacuzzi was great, and our balcony looked out over the beach and lawn. Very short distance to several of the restaurants including the grill, bar and pool. Also, no crazy steps to climb at all except from second to first floor, so this eliminated the 'hiking' problems many others have complained about. I would stay in the same room again in a heartbeat. Overall we LOVED CSS and recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet romantic getaway. | ||
| Goodspkr |
We did miss the beaches at CSA. CSS is terrific, but if you are a big beach person, you will be disappointed with the beaches in Ocho Rios. | ||
| Rae_dave |
If you want to snorkel on your own, bring your own equipment. You can only use the resort's equipment for the resort's guided snorkel trips. We stayed one night in a BFJ, then moved to an Ocean Suite (beach view), Bldg. D, (D17). Even though we had to go up 69 steps to our room, we liked it better. We don't need a jacuzzi (I heard they take forever to fill) and the room we had in Bldg. B (B18) seemed cramped to me. The Starlight Gala is just what it seems from its name: a fancy dinner on the lawn, with live entertainment and wonderful food! People dress up and the atmosphere is magical. | ||
| Elainechick |
Thanks for all the info! We do have our own masks and snorkels (no fins), so we can do some snorkeling off the beach. We booked the oceanview balcony room - which building or location should we try to ask for? I know nothing's guaranteed, but they've always tried to honor location requests. We don't mind stairs - in fact, I think I'd prefer a "cliff" location. |