Couples Swept Away

We just returned from a fantastic trip to Couples Swept Away in Jamaica. We highly recommend this resort. We enjoyed all of the water sports, the beautiful beaches and the amazingly friendly staff. All of the staff treated us like family. The visiting tennis pro, Annie, was amazing and we took advantage of the beginner tennis clinic and private lessons almost daily. The only area we felt could use improvement was the wine selection. We are not fancy wine drinkers but we did not enjoy the brand they offered, Frontera. But, we found great alternatives in the mixed drinks offered all of the time!!!

Wow, what can we say. It was so hard to leave and would be so easy to return. The hotel is lovely, the grounds are beautiful, the staff are great and the beach is stunning. Located in the middle of a long sandy beach with blocks of rooms set on meandering paths it is easy to forget what a big hotel this is. That is due to the space the site occupies, the good planning (e.g. leaving lots of depth to the beach so that people spread out), the diversity of activities (a fair few people playing tennis and sports at the site across the road) and the number of places to eat and drink. We loved the fact that we could be as active or lazy as we wished and quickly settled into a routine of enjoying the pool first thing when it was quiet, finding a shady spot on the beach when the sun was at its hottest and then going onto the beach mid afternoon. There were always lots of sunbeds and as they had detachable foam covers that float, we spent lots of time in the sea. We loved the fact that the beach had a gentle slope and was so soft underfoot as well as beautiful to look at. We saw some wildlife in the sea both from the shore and on the glass bottom boat and the catamaran. They included colourful fish, rays and a a turtle. The two boats go in different directions allowing you to see other hotels etc. Some looked very nice but none seemed to do such a good job of disguising their size, at Couples when on the beach we saw mostly palm trees rather than buildings. Some staff quickly got to know what we ate and drank and all seemed genuinely friendly and helpful. The company seem to have a really good ethos working hard to get things right. For example there are cats roaming the gardens who get fed and neutered (those that have been can be spotted as the tip of their left ear is removed - painlessly I'm sure). The turn down service included changing any towels etc. left on the floor as well as a basic tidy and clean up of the rest of the room. So every afternoon and again in the evening you can return to a room which as well as spacious and welcoming was tidied beautifully. If you don't like cats I'd recommend rooms with a balcony. We had a ground floor room and befriended a beautiful ginger cat who became a regular visitor over our two week stay. Unlike may other hotels the evening entertainment was diverse and delivered by professionals. The house band played for an hour most nights in one restaurant followed by another act, e.g. a magician, or a steel band who were amazing. We watched a film on the beach with the sound of waves gently breaking in the background - yet another memorable experience of an amazing holiday. Like anywhere it is not perfect in every respect. The pool bar could get a bit busy close to lunchtime as people started to gather in earnest. Some of the steps could be a challenge for people with reduced mobility. Being a big site means that you could walk a long way over a day (which we enjoyed) but also makes it confusing at first particularly as there are relatively few signs. The hotel offer a quick tour which is probably worth considering to help orient yourself. Little bits of maintenance could have been better but nothing that we thought would cause a real hazard or danger. The hotel is not the cheapest but for us represented good value given the experience we had. On reflection I'd happily go on vacation less often to somewhere that stands out rather than more frequently to somewhere less good. Overall we had an amazing time and really look forward to going back. The one caveat is in the title, We spoke to lots of people who go back year after year and we can see why. Doing such a good job will make it hard for other places to get onto our shortlist going forward.