Note: We have been made aware that room service no longer exists at either resort. We thank all of you that have provided this correction. We visited Couples Negril pre-pandemic and our guess is that Covid has taken that amenity away. That fact alone, however, does not alter our review too much as CN still does a much better job of making all of their restaurants readily available. Thank you all for your views and feedback!
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. My husband and I are thinking of going to Couples Negril, and this video was a huge help in deciding between those two Couples resorts. Couples Negril it is!! I do have a question about lounge chairs around pool, do they have ample shade umbrellas, and do you need to get up early in the morning to reserve your chair? Thank you so much for your reply and again a wonderful video!!😊
@@lorettamiller4536 Thank you so much for watching and for your kind and encouraging words! There are certainly plenty of chairs, shade and umbrellas around the pool and there is no need for any reservations. Couples Negril is so chill and laid back that you won't be scrambling for anything. There are plenty of comfy chairs to accommodate everyone :)
Great review guys. You made it easy for me to choose, we were on the fence and couldn't decide. Service means everything, without good service your vacation will be a waste.
we've been to Couples Sans Souci 12 x and Couples Negril 1 time. Negril has the best swimming beach and restaurants but Sans Souci has the nude beach which is very lively, friendly, a pool, lively bar, lotsa room with plenty of palapas. The rooms at Sans Souci are much larger and nicer and many diffent rooms to choose from. Sans Souci is literally carved into a rainforest hillside which is spectacular. And the staff there is very friendly and helpful.
This is a simple decision. We were at both last month. The staff at Swept Away is horrendous at best. We did the day at Negril and the service was much much better. Swept Away is dated and in gigantic need of a complete overhaul. It is not a five star resort. It’s a resort where adults go to get high. They love it because of the ease of getting weed. And Im being kind with my review of Swept Away. We stayed at Jewel Grande in Montego Bay for two days before we left and that place is five star. The staff at Swept Away could care less about customer service. The eye rolls just for asking for a drink were many. Swept Away may have been great at one time but certainly not anymore. Beautiful beach and that’s it and that they truly lucked out there because it’s all they have going for them.
@@dwpolicelli1 We've been there 20 times and never once had a bad experience. So sorry for your experience. Hopefully things are back to normal now Still disagree with the getting high comment. We don't smoke but have seen guests using at every resort where we have stayed. Less at CSA than others
We first stayed at CSA in 2015 and had a great experience. We went back twice in recent years and the service was not the same. I really like the vibe and relaxed atmosphere. However, it took some patience with the restaurant staff and the beach “vendors”. I was planning on trying CN for a different experience. I appreciate the video and your experience
Great video. We have been to three couples, Negril being the one we hadn’t been to yet. We were about to book CSA again, but you’re convinced me to go to CN and complete the tour!
Thank you guys so much for this in depth video! It really helped us make up our mind about which resort to visit. For us it's all about the people that work somewhere and the joy they bring to our trip!
Thanks for your comprehensive review of both CN & CSA. We have only been to CN (6 times every other year) and wondered if we were missing out by not trying CSA. What we particularly enjoy about CN first is its relative small size, then the food and next the beach.
Great video, guys! Always love your stuff. We should have been at Couples Negril for our 7th trip last year, but it looks like we'll have to wait until 2022. Postings like yours are the nearest we can get, so thanks, even though we watched through a slightly teary-eyed mist. One thing is confusing us, though - you said that CN offered full room service. They've never done that when we've visited, unless you're staying in one of the suites. Everyone else gets the same continental breakfast that Swept Away offers. Other than that, we think you were spot on! Wonderful to see Bellard again, too! Keep up the good work, and we'll look out for you on our travels when things are back to normal!
Hi Alan, we stayed in the basic room and you may be right. I honestly think we misremembered and have Couples Negril confused with another resort. If that's the case we unfairly docked CSA for a lack of room service. Thank you for bringing that to light. Even with that, the options and availability at CN trumps CSA in just about every category. However, in the interest of fairness, we'll go ahead and knock off half a star to CN for lack of room service ;)
Love your videos. I hope you give CSA another try post COVID. Been to CN twice and CSA 4 times. We’ve never experience truly poor service at either and never had a problem getting dinner reservations at either resort. Headed back to CSA the first week of December, will be our first return since COVID. We love both resorts but I think the reason we go back to CSA is room choice (Atrium Suites) and resort location. We love to walk off resort and pop into local bars and eateries along Long Bay, that just isn’t available in Bloody Bay. You guys are awesome, great videos!
Hey John! I'm glad you mentioned this. We did encounter a couple at CSA that had been regular visitors since the 90's and they expressed to us that there has been a drastic fall off in customer service. They attributed it to the aftermath of Covid-19. I don't doubt there is some truth there, however, when we did the trading places to CN, their customer service was just as sterling as ever, despite the Covid. Either way, both resorts are wonderful experiences and you can't go wrong booking any of them. Perhaps we will give CSA another go in the future. We may have just caught 'em on a bad week. Thanks for watching and for your insight, we truly appreciate it!
We just booked couples negril. CSA ive read A LOT of people getting sick off the food there so I took a pass on that. We got the garden suite it looked really awesome a little more modern in my opinion so we really wanted to enjoy that as well.
@@itzedc Awesome! You won't be sorry! Both resorts are a lot of fun, neither is a bad choice, but for us, CN just had that magic. Enjoy and please leave an update when you return! Cheers!
Me and my wife have been to both resorts and I agree 100% with this review... CSA was like a maze lol going back to Couples Negril in December can't wait 😊
Bless you both for your review. Me and my hubby went to Swept Away around 11 years ago and it was probably at that time at its best. I am looking at an All-Inclusive to celebrate my birthday next year and that WAS in the runnings with Couples Negril - thank you for your honest review. CN is a contender!! 😊
Thanks so much for this, we were booking a split stay at 2 Couples resorts and were trying to decide the new location we wanted to check out. We really love Sans Souci in Ochos Rios, but people there told us we need to try Swept Away. But after watching this, I think Negril is WAY more our speed. Sans Souci and Negril seem to have similar vibes. Much more personal and accommodating, more interaction and fun, more of a smaller, cozy space in the resort. I don't think the larger is better here, at least for us. So I think we're steering toward Negril now! Thanks! (sucks they don't do room service anymore, Sans Souci does, at least it did last year).
Love your review! We are finally getting around to visit Swept Away after having been to Negril - and now just a tad nervous. Service is a huge thing for us, sad to hear that Swept Away was not up to par. But the BEST Couples Resort for Service and Staff has always been Tower Isle on the Ochi side of the island! Best service, and best food of all the Couples Resorts.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, service is a major thing for us as well. Although, I wouldn't be too nervous, you're certainly going to have a great time at either resort as you well know. Just maybe your experience with service will be better than ours. Let's hope so! Do us a favor and let us know :)
We loved everything about Ocho Rios, with the one key exception is their beach doesn't come close to matching either of the two Negril resorts. But the hotel itself was our personal favorite, even more so than CN, so that's really saying something.
I had been on the verge of booking CWA until your video. You have totally swayed me to couples Negril which I have now booked for December. Can’t wait and thank you for this video!
Sounds as if CSA is just too big and understaffed, making it a bit stressful for the employees. We just booked a stay at CN for Feb. 2025 and glad we chose it from your review. Thanks you.
Great job! Love the review and comparison. One point deduction for us against CN is the nudist beach. Prefer to hang out with people that are not into that +1 CSA. Love you guys! #AWB
try Couples Sans Souci in Ochi. This will be our 8th year in a row, no complaints, great staff, good food, amazing setting. And the best nude beach separate from the main beach with its own pool and self service grill with amazing bartenders. The nude beach gets half the guests, very social and friendly.
Some years back the Mrs and I were debating which of the two Couples resorts in Negril we were going to stay and we decided on CN, altho we did visit CSA once on a day pass. Based on your more thorough review, we're super glad we opted for CN. BTW, the other half of our stay was at Couples Ocho Rios, and we really loved that resort as well.
Thanks for sharing! We would agree that you both made the right choice! We've heard a lot about Tower Isle and Sans Souci as well. We plan on visiting both and offering another comparison video.
@@abroadwiththeburrells We did the same thing in Ocho Rios that we did in Negril. We stayed at Tower Isle, but also included a day pass at Sans Souci. Each brings its own vibes & positives, so I hope you get to stay at both.
@@haleym We only stayed at Tower Isle, altho we also visited Sans Souci. The latter is a little more dramatic being it's situated on a cliff, and their beach is nicer. But we liked Tower Isle better due to more restaurants and more of a classic post modern touch to the property.
We have been to couples negril. Going to couples swept away next month. Couples negril was the best vacation I've ever been on. You making me feel like we made the wrong choice lol. Great video
I mean...we're not, not gonna say you made the wrong choice...lol. No, there is no wrong decision here, both resorts are fantastic. It's not too late to change though...just sayin. Appreciate you watching the video!
Ohh my gosh guys so happy you did this comparison on both resorts because my fiance and I.. couldn't make up our minds lol..we are definitely going with Couples Nigril 100 percent! For our wedding and honeymoon 😍! Thank you both for this wonderful review 😊!
Lol, so glad we were able to help! We were agonizing over the decision as well and wanted to help out others going through the same thing. Thanks for watching!
@@abroadwiththeburrells it was amazing! Thank you 🙏 so laid back and relaxing. Wish there was a little more entertainment while I was there but it was still an AMAZING trip all around. So laid back. So relaxed. Rooms were nice. It was just an easy trip 💕
@@lizzy__brock Sooo glad it worked out for you! We're wondering if the entertainment team has taken a step back in light of recent events? The both times we were there, the entertainment team really went out of their way to keep you engaged. Ecstatic that you weren't let down and that you had an amazing overall experience though!
@@abroadwiththeburrellsdefinitely a step back BUT i might go back to swept away again. I should clarify i went to couple swept away in negril not just couples negril. 🙊 was the entertainment different at the other? Swept away was so small and cute but very little entertainment / night life. Ps: secrets akumal is more now but i got it cheap last year and that may have been my favorite vaca because of the snorkeling!
Got married at csa in 2013 and went back in 2024 and there was a big difference. The bartenders and water sports staff are not friendly and seem to sit around on their phones most of the time. The attendant at the outside grill could not make a smoothie and that was her job. I was very disappointed. The weed is the biggest plus to csa.
We have been to both and your review is closely what we experienced as well, love the staff at Couples Negril!. Couples Negril is our favorite. My husband does prefer Swept Away because we love taking the Hobie Cats out and there is more room to sail at Swept Away, I like the safety of sailing in Bloody Bay at Couples Negril.
Hi- thank you for your video- we just came back from Couples Negril and was exactly how you described it!! I had a wonderful time - they treat you like royalty ❤
Absolutely loved this review! We are booked at couple’s negril in December this year, and I so excited after watching this review. I was wondering what time of the year you were at the resorts? Thanks a bunch ❤️
Just got back from Couples Negril and it is an awesome place! A few of the couples we talked to there said that they did the trading places with CSA and they all said the service was pretty bad.
I only stayed at couples negril, but my god it has been THE BEST all inclusive resort we ever stayed at so far. I have nothing negative to say about it.
Loved the video but very concerned that the beaches don't have umbrellas & have to depend on trees to be kept shaded & that's if we get the right trees
Thanks Katie! Yea, umbrellas are very few and far between. Unfortunately, you have to get there early to get a good umbrella on the beach. Other than that, you are correct, you have to hope to find a good shade spot. In all honesty, we found more shade available at CN than we did CSA.
I browsed comments and didn’t see anyone mention…I think you got the room service offerings backwards! CN only offers room service for certain rooms…not the entire resort! They do offer the continental breakfast for everyone!
Okay, thanks to this video we chose Couples Negril, but now we wish you would of had a Couples Negril vs. Sandals Negril. We don’t know which one to choose!!!!!
Hi Thanks for your honest review I’ve been to Montego Bay not Negril yet debating where I love the beach. So no rm service sucks bc website says Rm service. Sorry about ur service but I’m wondering after 5 yrs how well CN is holding up in all the things u enjoyed?? I want that 7 mi beach but I’m not opposed to going to another part of the island like ocho? Rm service 24/7 good food and premium drinks and service are important to me although I’m not a big drinker when I do I want something I can drink nothing fancy lol I’m still debating may go another route st Lucia or mexico
Thank you! We don't believe there's a time limit. We hung out at the pools until the wee hours of the morning a few times. However, the swim up bar and the outdoor grill connected to them will close at around 6 pm and midnight respectively.
I love C N I went 2x a year for 14 years love the resort and people one of the best places on earth some of the best times in my life love diving at C N
@@abroadwiththeburrells Tower Isle is similar to CSA with size (but better service), activities, and less intimacy. Def a social party vibe and I'm not complaining. Couples San Souci had that intimate vibe, I'm facebook friends with the bartender (haha) made friends with the guests at this resort, etc. Both are worth the visit!!!
@@abroadwiththeburrells We found Couples Tower Isle had the best Service, Staff and Food of the 3 Couples Resorts we have been to (Negril, Sans Souci and Tower Isle.) Now we're a little nervous about trying Swept Away....
Awesome! We're glad we were able to help! Honestly, the excursion options are virtually the same. Maybe CSA has a few extra water toys that you can play with (a la sea bikes) but other than that, there's virtually no difference. If you haven't already, we recommend going through both our CN and CSA full reviews respectively. You'll get great in depth information on both resorts and have an even better informed decision. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Debating these two right now for our first trip. TA telling us the beaches are not even close swa far better…. She trying to upsell us ? We’ve never done AI in our travels, this will be a first. What is the nightlife like at negril ? Will we be bored at 9pm with nothing to do ? swa has beach bone fires and it appears to have other nighttime activities. Do the pools really close at 5pm at both places ? No night swimming ?
If the pools are closed at 5pm that is a relatively new development. That has never been the case during any of our visits. The pools were open 24 hours, however, the bars at the pool would have a last call. As far as the beaches, we're going to have to wholeheartedly disagree with your TA. The difference in the beaches is negligible. If you want to give CSA the nod, it'll be by a slight margin, not a land slide. As far as the night life, CSA would definitely win out due to the higher population which is going to naturally lend to denser crowds at night. That said, It's not like CN was dead. We had wonderful evenings dancing the night away there as well. If we're being honest, it sounds like your TA gave generic answers based on quick google searches as opposed to actually having been on location. Just to be clear, we don't know them, and we're not knocking them. Maybe they have been and if they haven't, it's realistically impossible to expect every TA to have visited every location they're looking to book. But in this case, we're certainly relaying personal experience to help people make a more informed decision. Bottom line is, you WILL NOT be disappointed with either decision! We hope it works out for you guys!
Just curious what your experience with the beach vendors was like? I’ve read that the vendors at swept away can be quite persistent and loud at times and that there are less of them/less aggressive ones at Negril. I want to be able to just relax on the beach and in the water so I’m slightly concerned, so just wondering how you guys felt about it!
I’ve been to swept away every year since 2016 for my honeymoon the staff from personal experience has been great now my parents have been going for years so that transitioned well for me and my wife but tipping a few dollars which goes a long way even though they’re against tipping you can get whatever you want if you tip now the thing to keep in mind they haven’t been full staffed since Covid hit at any of the resorts now the vendors will approach you but all you have to simply say is no thanks and they’ll let you be it’s they’re way of life and only source of income so you can’t blame them for trying to make a living now drugs are pretty accessible the only person I would deal with is Elvis if that’s something your looking for cause he’s actually concerned about your well being and having a good time the only annoying vendor is bob the baker but the security guards are pretty good about keeping an eye on them and you can even tell the guards to tell the vendors to leave you be and the Jamaicans are very good with faces and who not to talk to but Elvis has anything and everything depending on how much you wanna have lol and he’s not pushy you have to approach him he also does parasailing as a front for his drug selling
Honestly, 99% of the people we met were couples. One guy was there solo due to the fact that his wife got sick just before they left and he decided to come anyway. We heard legends of people coming with friends but never saw it personally. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
Great question! We actually found Couples Negril to have more available seating. Smaller resort, less people, easier to accommodate the demand. CSA on the other hand...you better get there early :)
We’re planning our vacation next year for Couples Negril. Have you been to Jamaica in June or July? How is the weather during those months? I appreciate any information you can share.
Funny that you ask. We're always in Jamaica in late July early August. The weather is hot and beautiful, just be prepared for frequent dark clouds and squalls coming in nearly everyday. You'll be drenched for for a few hours and then they blow over and everything is lovely again :)
Hey guys, great video. Me and my wife are going to go to couples swept away soon. Can I ask roughly how much was the private dining on the beach at 8:30 ??? just so we know to budget for it.
We are going down for our destination wedding. Currently looking at either CN, CSA, or Sandals Negril. Any opinions on this? We will be staying for seven nights and coming all the way from North Dakota. It’s an extremely rare opportunity so we want to make the best of it.
Well, we can't speak for any Sandals resorts first hand because we've never been. Some of my family members have visited Sandals and have reported Couples to be a better overall experience. Take that for what it's worth. Personally, we will always vouch strongly for CN. It's just the perfect balance between relaxed and lively with great food and incredible service! We're sure you won't be disappointed with either choice though. It's a highly competitive area for resorts and each one is trying to outshine the other. You're typically going to get everyone's best foot forward. Except for CSA's customer service...I'm not sure what they're doing over there. Still, we had fun at both locations :)
Wondering how you liked cn for your honeymoon in 2023? Wondering if cn is showing its age and also if the nude beach bothered someone that isn’t in to that?
What about a review of the Au Naturel facilities in each. Wife and I like to hang out in the nude and we are considering Couples (we have been to Desire in Cancun). Thanks.
Hi Carlos, we're not into au naturel so we are unqualified to give any sort of meaningful review. I do know that CN has a small section of beach for those that are into that. I hope that's helpful. Thanks for watching!
We're assuming you're meaning to say "tip". If so, as per the rules you're not supposed to tip. If you're asking if we did?...We can neither confirm nor deny :)
@@TrustMeMore We've been made aware by several people that room service no longer exists at either resort. We were at CN pre-pandemic and perhaps Covid has taken that all off the table.
@@abroadwiththeburrells you posted the video 9 months ago and the pandemic has been around for a little more than 2 years. Unless you uploaded the video at a later time?
We really couldn't tell you tbh. We don't smoke at all, however, there are plenty of locals walking up and down the beach offering to sell some to the guests. Those guys wouldn't be there if there wasn't a market for it, so I guess by that reasoning there must be a healthy population of weed smoking guests? *shrug* Put it this way, if people are blazing trees they keep it discreet and not open and obvious. Hope that helps!
Admittedly, I've only been to Swpt-Away, but when you say the beaches are equal, I have to believe you're bias towards Couples Negril. Swept-away isn't just the beach in front of Swept-away. It's the access to 7 mile beach in its totality. Walking that beach at Sunset is amazing! It's hours of exploring little pubs swimming in amazing aqua waters, and meeting many wonderful Jamaican people (not limited to resort staff and other people from the same resort).
Fair point! We appreciate that broader perspective. That is very true, if you're down for exploring and taking long walks along the beach front, CSA will offer you more access. However, we also realize that 90% of people are not going to venture much further than the beach front right in front of their resort. We made our comparison based on that. Thanks for watching
Note: We have been made aware that room service no longer exists at either resort. We thank all of you that have provided this correction. We visited Couples Negril pre-pandemic and our guess is that Covid has taken that amenity away. That fact alone, however, does not alter our review too much as CN still does a much better job of making all of their restaurants readily available. Thank you all for your views and feedback!
Oh no! Will this service return at some point?? That will definitely be a factor in our decision for our next trip. Thanks for the info!
@@cwearne83 Unfortunately we're not sure if it will ever return :(
Yes, They still provide room service, I’m a waitress at Couples Negril
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. My husband and I are thinking of going to Couples Negril, and this video was a huge help in deciding between those two Couples resorts. Couples Negril it is!! I do have a question about lounge chairs around pool, do they have ample shade umbrellas, and do you need to get up early in the morning to reserve your chair? Thank you so much for your reply and again a wonderful video!!😊
@@lorettamiller4536 Thank you so much for watching and for your kind and encouraging words!
There are certainly plenty of chairs, shade and umbrellas around the pool and there is no need for any reservations. Couples Negril is so chill and laid back that you won't be scrambling for anything. There are plenty of comfy chairs to accommodate everyone :)
Great review guys. You made it easy for me to choose, we were on the fence and couldn't decide. Service means everything, without good service your vacation will be a waste.
we've been to Couples Sans Souci 12 x and Couples Negril 1 time. Negril has the best swimming beach and restaurants but Sans Souci has the nude beach which is very lively, friendly, a pool, lively bar, lotsa room with plenty of palapas. The rooms at Sans Souci are much larger and nicer and many diffent rooms to choose from. Sans Souci is literally carved into a rainforest hillside which is spectacular. And the staff there is very friendly and helpful.
This is a simple decision. We were at both last month. The staff at Swept Away is horrendous at best. We did the day at Negril and the service was much much better. Swept Away is dated and in gigantic need of a complete overhaul. It is not a five star resort. It’s a resort where adults go to get high. They love it because of the ease of getting weed. And Im being kind with my review of Swept Away. We stayed at Jewel Grande in Montego Bay for two days before we left and that place is five star. The staff at Swept Away could care less about customer service. The eye rolls just for asking for a drink were many. Swept Away may have been great at one time but certainly not anymore. Beautiful beach and that’s it and that they truly lucked out there because it’s all they have going for them.
Your take on the customer service is spot on. Couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Totally disagree with your review
@@donnabrice3770 I don’t. CSA is horrendous.
@@dwpolicelli1 We've been there 20 times and never once had a bad experience. So sorry for your experience. Hopefully things are back to normal now Still disagree with the getting high comment. We don't smoke but have seen guests using at every resort where we have stayed. Less at CSA than others
We first stayed at CSA in 2015 and had a great experience. We went back twice in recent years and the service was not the same. I really like the vibe and relaxed atmosphere. However, it took some patience with the restaurant staff and the beach “vendors”. I was planning on trying CN for a different experience. I appreciate the video and your experience
Great video. We have been to three couples, Negril being the one we hadn’t been to yet. We were about to book CSA again, but you’re convinced me to go to CN and complete the tour!
Thank you guys so much for this in depth video! It really helped us make up our mind about which resort to visit. For us it's all about the people that work somewhere and the joy they bring to our trip!
Thanks for your comprehensive review of both CN & CSA. We have only been to CN (6 times every other year) and wondered if we were missing out by not trying CSA. What we particularly enjoy about CN first is its relative small size, then the food and next the beach.
This was so helpful! You just helped me make my decision!!! Couples Negril for our 16th anniversary in July!
Great video, guys! Always love your stuff. We should have been at Couples Negril for our 7th trip last year, but it looks like we'll have to wait until 2022. Postings like yours are the nearest we can get, so thanks, even though we watched through a slightly teary-eyed mist.
One thing is confusing us, though - you said that CN offered full room service. They've never done that when we've visited, unless you're staying in one of the suites. Everyone else gets the same continental breakfast that Swept Away offers. Other than that, we think you were spot on! Wonderful to see Bellard again, too!
Keep up the good work, and we'll look out for you on our travels when things are back to normal!
Hi Alan, we stayed in the basic room and you may be right. I honestly think we misremembered and have Couples Negril confused with another resort. If that's the case we unfairly docked CSA for a lack of room service. Thank you for bringing that to light. Even with that, the options and availability at CN trumps CSA in just about every category. However, in the interest of fairness, we'll go ahead and knock off half a star to CN for lack of room service ;)
Love your videos. I hope you give CSA another try post COVID. Been to CN twice and CSA 4 times. We’ve never experience truly poor service at either and never had a problem getting dinner reservations at either resort. Headed back to CSA the first week of December, will be our first return since COVID. We love both resorts but I think the reason we go back to CSA is room choice (Atrium Suites) and resort location. We love to walk off resort and pop into local bars and eateries along Long Bay, that just isn’t available in Bloody Bay. You guys are awesome, great videos!
Hey John! I'm glad you mentioned this. We did encounter a couple at CSA that had been regular visitors since the 90's and they expressed to us that there has been a drastic fall off in customer service. They attributed it to the aftermath of Covid-19. I don't doubt there is some truth there, however, when we did the trading places to CN, their customer service was just as sterling as ever, despite the Covid. Either way, both resorts are wonderful experiences and you can't go wrong booking any of them. Perhaps we will give CSA another go in the future. We may have just caught 'em on a bad week. Thanks for watching and for your insight, we truly appreciate it!
We just booked couples negril. CSA ive read A LOT of people getting sick off the food there so I took a pass on that. We got the garden suite it looked really awesome a little more modern in my opinion so we really wanted to enjoy that as well.
@@itzedc Awesome! You won't be sorry! Both resorts are a lot of fun, neither is a bad choice, but for us, CN just had that magic. Enjoy and please leave an update when you return! Cheers!
@@abroadwiththeburrells absolutely! How long ago was your stay at couples negril? Just curious.
@@itzedc We stayed 11 days, really only needed 7 or 8 tbh
Couples Negril!!! Been to swept away 3 times before going to Negril this year and couldn’t have been more pleased with Negril!!
Me and my wife have been to both resorts and I agree 100% with this review... CSA was like a maze lol going back to Couples Negril in December can't wait 😊
This is exactly the video we needed! Thank you for the comparison.
I like this resort’s bout. For us, from the get-go, an emerging winner was Couples Negril, since we prefer boutique places with fewer rooms
Bless you both for your review. Me and my hubby went to Swept Away around 11 years ago and it was probably at that time at its best. I am looking at an All-Inclusive to celebrate my birthday next year and that WAS in the runnings with Couples Negril - thank you for your honest review. CN is a contender!! 😊
Thanks so much for this, we were booking a split stay at 2 Couples resorts and were trying to decide the new location we wanted to check out. We really love Sans Souci in Ochos Rios, but people there told us we need to try Swept Away. But after watching this, I think Negril is WAY more our speed. Sans Souci and Negril seem to have similar vibes. Much more personal and accommodating, more interaction and fun, more of a smaller, cozy space in the resort. I don't think the larger is better here, at least for us. So I think we're steering toward Negril now! Thanks! (sucks they don't do room service anymore, Sans Souci does, at least it did last year).
Love your review! We are finally getting around to visit Swept Away after having been to Negril - and now just a tad nervous. Service is a huge thing for us, sad to hear that Swept Away was not up to par. But the BEST Couples Resort for Service and Staff has always been Tower Isle on the Ochi side of the island! Best service, and best food of all the Couples Resorts.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, service is a major thing for us as well. Although, I wouldn't be too nervous, you're certainly going to have a great time at either resort as you well know. Just maybe your experience with service will be better than ours. Let's hope so! Do us a favor and let us know :)
We loved everything about Ocho Rios, with the one key exception is their beach doesn't come close to matching either of the two Negril resorts. But the hotel itself was our personal favorite, even more so than CN, so that's really saying something.
I had been on the verge of booking CWA until your video. You have totally swayed me to couples Negril which I have now booked for December. Can’t wait and thank you for this video!
Sounds as if CSA is just too big and understaffed, making it a bit stressful for the employees. We just booked a stay at CN for Feb. 2025 and glad we chose it from your review. Thanks you.
Great review ! I hope couples resorts watch this video so they can make some changes !
We're with you! Let's hope...
Great job! Love the review and comparison. One point deduction for us against CN is the nudist beach. Prefer to hang out with people that are not into that +1 CSA. Love you guys! #AWB
Big Mike! Solid, solid point! One we should've definitely put in the video. Thanks for bringing that to the fore :)
try Couples Sans Souci in Ochi. This will be our 8th year in a row, no complaints, great staff, good food, amazing setting. And the best nude beach separate from the main beach with its own pool and self service grill with amazing bartenders. The nude beach gets half the guests, very social and friendly.
Some years back the Mrs and I were debating which of the two Couples resorts in Negril we were going to stay and we decided on CN, altho we did visit CSA once on a day pass. Based on your more thorough review, we're super glad we opted for CN. BTW, the other half of our stay was at Couples Ocho Rios, and we really loved that resort as well.
Thanks for sharing! We would agree that you both made the right choice! We've heard a lot about Tower Isle and Sans Souci as well. We plan on visiting both and offering another comparison video.
@@abroadwiththeburrells We did the same thing in Ocho Rios that we did in Negril. We stayed at Tower Isle, but also included a day pass at Sans Souci. Each brings its own vibes & positives, so I hope you get to stay at both.
@clubmogambo3214 which did you prefer in Ocho Rios?
@@haleym We only stayed at Tower Isle, altho we also visited Sans Souci. The latter is a little more dramatic being it's situated on a cliff, and their beach is nicer. But we liked Tower Isle better due to more restaurants and more of a classic post modern touch to the property.
Can't wait to go, thanks for the breakdown. Very insightful!
I am currently in Mexico and deciding were to go, so thanks to you guys going to couples negril ❤❤❤❤🎉
We have been to couples negril. Going to couples swept away next month. Couples negril was the best vacation I've ever been on. You making me feel like we made the wrong choice lol. Great video
I mean...we're not, not gonna say you made the wrong choice...lol. No, there is no wrong decision here, both resorts are fantastic. It's not too late to change though...just sayin. Appreciate you watching the video!
Ohh my gosh guys so happy you did this comparison on both resorts because my fiance and I.. couldn't make up our minds lol..we are definitely going with Couples Nigril 100 percent! For our wedding and honeymoon 😍! Thank you both for this wonderful review 😊!
Lol, so glad we were able to help! We were agonizing over the decision as well and wanted to help out others going through the same thing. Thanks for watching!
How was couples negril ?
@@jessieb163 leaving tomorrow actually.. I'll let you know when we get back!
@@ChickContender HI - we are thinking of going to CN (or Sandals) in Feb of next year, would love to hear how your trip went!
I switched to Negril over this video! Wish me luck this January!
You won't regret it!
@@abroadwiththeburrells it was amazing! Thank you 🙏 so laid back and relaxing. Wish there was a little more entertainment while I was there but it was still an AMAZING trip all around. So laid back. So relaxed. Rooms were nice. It was just an easy trip 💕
@@lizzy__brock Sooo glad it worked out for you! We're wondering if the entertainment team has taken a step back in light of recent events? The both times we were there, the entertainment team really went out of their way to keep you engaged. Ecstatic that you weren't let down and that you had an amazing overall experience though!
@@abroadwiththeburrellsdefinitely a step back BUT i might go back to swept away again. I should clarify i went to couple swept away in negril not just couples negril. 🙊 was the entertainment different at the other? Swept away was so small and cute but very little entertainment / night life. Ps: secrets akumal is more now but i got it cheap last year and that may have been my favorite vaca because of the snorkeling!
Got married at csa in 2013 and went back in 2024 and there was a big difference. The bartenders and water sports staff are not friendly and seem to sit around on their phones most of the time. The attendant at the outside grill could not make a smoothie and that was her job. I was very disappointed. The weed is the biggest plus to csa.
We are going next Friday !!! Yayyy!! I hope we will have a great time!
Which one did you guys choose?
We have been to both and your review is closely what we experienced as well, love the staff at Couples Negril!. Couples Negril is our favorite. My husband does prefer Swept Away because we love taking the Hobie Cats out and there is more room to sail at Swept Away, I like the safety of sailing in Bloody Bay at Couples Negril.
Couples is Amazing! Been there a few times
Thank you for your review of both resorts . We thought we booked at CSA and are CN ! You have helped us possible not cancel ! We are going Jan 23-31’
Thank you for this comparison. It made our decision very easy. Couples Negril for the win
Went to CSA in April. Service was TERRIBLE! This review is spot on for CSA.
Hi- thank you for your video- we just came back from Couples Negril and was exactly how you described it!! I had a wonderful time - they treat you like royalty ❤
Glad to hear you had a wonderful time! Thanks so much for coming back and updating us all on your trip!
Absolutely loved this review! We are booked at couple’s negril in December this year, and I so excited after watching this review. I was wondering what time of the year you were at the resorts? Thanks a bunch ❤️
Thanks so much for watching and we're glad we were able to provide some insight! We were at both resorts in late July/early August.
We are heading there tomorrow, thank you for this review!!!!
Have a fantastic time!
How was it? Headed there in November changed from csw based on this
Thank you for this!!! Its extremely helpful
Go to the beach then either go left or right to either side to restaurants pretty easy lol the hot tub is the middle point of the resort
Thank you guys for all your honest opinion ☝👍
Thank you for this review! Definitely helped narrow down! Any insight on Sans souci? Or comparisons to the Jamaican Sandals resorts?
We haven't made our way to those just yet, however, it's certainly in the plans. Stay tuned!
Great review guys, I am getting married in December and we plan on going to Couples Negril. Thank you for the review!
Our pleasure! Enjoy your time!!
Went to CN last year and going back again this year!
Either or, won’t go wrong
Wat his video was so helpful. Thank you!
Just got back from Couples Negril and it is an awesome place! A few of the couples we talked to there said that they did the trading places with CSA and they all said the service was pretty bad.
Big Facts!
I only stayed at couples negril, but my god it has been THE BEST all inclusive resort we ever stayed at so far. I have nothing negative to say about it.
We couldn't agree more!
Loved the video but very concerned that the beaches don't have umbrellas & have to depend on trees to be kept shaded & that's if we get the right trees
Thanks Katie! Yea, umbrellas are very few and far between. Unfortunately, you have to get there early to get a good umbrella on the beach. Other than that, you are correct, you have to hope to find a good shade spot.
In all honesty, we found more shade available at CN than we did CSA.
thanks for that in depth review! We were seconds away from booking with CSA, but service in EVERYTHING in an AI right. We will go with CN
Great choice! You won't regret it!
Couples Negril, exclusively since 2006!❤
I browsed comments and didn’t see anyone mention…I think you got the room service offerings backwards! CN only offers room service for certain rooms…not the entire resort! They do offer the continental breakfast for everyone!
Great review!! Thanks so much
Okay, thanks to this video we chose Couples Negril, but now we wish you would of had a Couples Negril vs. Sandals Negril. We don’t know which one to choose!!!!!
Haha! Looks like we'll have to head to Sandals Negril and provide that for you!
Great review!!
Hi Thanks for your honest review I’ve been to Montego Bay not Negril yet debating where I love the beach. So no rm service sucks bc website says Rm service. Sorry about ur service but I’m wondering after 5 yrs how well CN is holding up in all the things u enjoyed?? I want that 7 mi beach but I’m not opposed to going to another part of the island like ocho? Rm service 24/7 good food and premium drinks and service are important to me although I’m not a big drinker when I do I want something I can drink nothing fancy lol I’m still debating may go another route st Lucia or mexico
Dope review! How late do the pools/hot tub stay open? Any of them open late night?
Thank you! We don't believe there's a time limit. We hung out at the pools until the wee hours of the morning a few times. However, the swim up bar and the outdoor grill connected to them will close at around 6 pm and midnight respectively.
Did you guys have problems with sand flies at both locations? I assume so, same beach at different ends, but wanted to ask.
Sadly, we did! Especially Jamie. They destroyed her both times 😬
I love C N I went 2x a year for 14 years love the resort and people one of the best places on earth some of the best times in my life love diving at C N
Thanks so much for the videos!
Absolutely! Thank you for watching :)
Wondering if you tipped at either resort. I know you are not supposed to.
Hmmm...we wonder...
Swept Away is where we tell the kids we went when we're actually at Hedonism II! 🤣
So what kind of room did you have if you had room service as I've been told you have to have a suite
These comparisons almost mirror my comparison of Couples TI vs SS
Really? We were looking to get to those as well. Very interesting that they're along the same lines of differences and similarities.
I would love to see how you think they compare!
@@michellesmith9442 Looks like we'll have to make that happen! Which one of those is similar to CSA and which one is similar to CN?
@@abroadwiththeburrells Tower Isle is similar to CSA with size (but better service), activities, and less intimacy. Def a social party vibe and I'm not complaining. Couples San Souci had that intimate vibe, I'm facebook friends with the bartender (haha) made friends with the guests at this resort, etc. Both are worth the visit!!!
@@abroadwiththeburrells We found Couples Tower Isle had the best Service, Staff and Food of the 3 Couples Resorts we have been to (Negril, Sans Souci and Tower Isle.) Now we're a little nervous about trying Swept Away....
Are there more excursions included at CN? We were leaning toward CSA but this changed our minds about CN in a good way lol
Awesome! We're glad we were able to help! Honestly, the excursion options are virtually the same. Maybe CSA has a few extra water toys that you can play with (a la sea bikes) but other than that, there's virtually no difference. If you haven't already, we recommend going through both our CN and CSA full reviews respectively. You'll get great in depth information on both resorts and have an even better informed decision. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
What would you say are your top 2 resorts in the Caribbean? And why?
Would love to go to Couples Negril but everyone looks young in the video. We are (a young) 67 and 64 years old. Do people our age visit there?
Yes! Plenty! We met and talked to many couples your age. Wonderful people! Please do not hesitate to go and enjoy :)
Debating these two right now for our first trip. TA telling us the beaches are not even close swa far better…. She trying to upsell us ? We’ve never done AI in our travels, this will be a first. What is the nightlife like at negril ? Will we be bored at 9pm with nothing to do ? swa has beach bone fires and it appears to have other nighttime activities. Do the pools really close at 5pm at both places ? No night swimming ?
If the pools are closed at 5pm that is a relatively new development. That has never been the case during any of our visits.
The pools were open 24 hours, however, the bars at the pool would have a last call. As far as the beaches, we're going to have to wholeheartedly disagree with your TA. The difference in the beaches is negligible. If you want to give CSA the nod, it'll be by a slight margin, not a land slide.
As far as the night life, CSA would definitely win out due to the higher population which is going to naturally lend to denser crowds at night. That said, It's not like CN was dead. We had wonderful evenings dancing the night away there as well. If we're being honest, it sounds like your TA gave generic answers based on quick google searches as opposed to actually having been on location. Just to be clear, we don't know them, and we're not knocking them. Maybe they have been and if they haven't, it's realistically impossible to expect every TA to have visited every location they're looking to book. But in this case, we're certainly relaying personal experience to help people make a more informed decision.
Bottom line is, you WILL NOT be disappointed with either decision! We hope it works out for you guys!
Super helpful !❤
Planning on visiting Couples Negril next summer! I was wondering how early you’d recommend booking?
We'd recommend at least 4 or 5 months in advance :)
Just curious what your experience with the beach vendors was like? I’ve read that the vendors at swept away can be quite persistent and loud at times and that there are less of them/less aggressive ones at Negril. I want to be able to just relax on the beach and in the water so I’m slightly concerned, so just wondering how you guys felt about it!
I’ve been to swept away every year since 2016 for my honeymoon the staff from personal experience has been great now my parents have been going for years so that transitioned well for me and my wife but tipping a few dollars which goes a long way even though they’re against tipping you can get whatever you want if you tip now the thing to keep in mind they haven’t been full staffed since Covid hit at any of the resorts now the vendors will approach you but all you have to simply say is no thanks and they’ll let you be it’s they’re way of life and only source of income so you can’t blame them for trying to make a living now drugs are pretty accessible the only person I would deal with is Elvis if that’s something your looking for cause he’s actually concerned about your well being and having a good time the only annoying vendor is bob the baker but the security guards are pretty good about keeping an eye on them and you can even tell the guards to tell the vendors to leave you be and the Jamaicans are very good with faces and who not to talk to but Elvis has anything and everything depending on how much you wanna have lol and he’s not pushy you have to approach him he also does parasailing as a front for his drug selling
Honestly, they were about the same at both resorts for us. A stern and obstinate "no" seems to deter them after the 3rd and 4th admonition, lol.
Silly question? Do just couples go to these resorts or are there ever friends or solo travelers ? Thanks ! Great video !
Honestly, 99% of the people we met were couples. One guy was there solo due to the fact that his wife got sick just before they left and he decided to come anyway. We heard legends of people coming with friends but never saw it personally. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
Did both resorts have a lot of covered beach seating? So umbrellas? I love to spend all day in front of the water but I burn easily!
Great question! We actually found Couples Negril to have more available seating. Smaller resort, less people, easier to accommodate the demand. CSA on the other hand...you better get there early :)
We’re planning our vacation next year for Couples Negril. Have you been to Jamaica in June or July? How is the weather during those months? I appreciate any information you can share.
Funny that you ask. We're always in Jamaica in late July early August. The weather is hot and beautiful, just be prepared for frequent dark clouds and squalls coming in nearly everyday. You'll be drenched for for a few hours and then they blow over and everything is lovely again :)
Thank you for the info. This helps a lot
Hey guys, great video. Me and my wife are going to go to couples swept away soon. Can I ask roughly how much was the private dining on the beach at 8:30 ??? just so we know to budget for it.
Thank you for watching! We recall it being approx $200 per couple. It's well worth it!
@@abroadwiththeburrells thank for the heads up, will look to give it ago. Is that US or Jamaica dollars? I'm from the United.Lingdom you see lol 🤣🤣🤣
By the way- thanks so much for this very detailed review!
We are going down for our destination wedding. Currently looking at either CN, CSA, or Sandals Negril. Any opinions on this? We will be staying for seven nights and coming all the way from North Dakota. It’s an extremely rare opportunity so we want to make the best of it.
Well, we can't speak for any Sandals resorts first hand because we've never been. Some of my family members have visited Sandals and have reported Couples to be a better overall experience. Take that for what it's worth.
Personally, we will always vouch strongly for CN. It's just the perfect balance between relaxed and lively with great food and incredible service! We're sure you won't be disappointed with either choice though. It's a highly competitive area for resorts and each one is trying to outshine the other. You're typically going to get everyone's best foot forward. Except for CSA's customer service...I'm not sure what they're doing over there. Still, we had fun at both locations :)
@@abroadwiththeburrells thank you! We chose CN for a May 6, 2023 weddingmoon! ❤
@@jessicap3120 Excellent choice!
Wondering how you liked cn for your honeymoon in 2023? Wondering if cn is showing its age and also if the nude beach bothered someone that isn’t in to that?
Are these resorts for all ages?
No, it's adults only :)
What about a review of the Au Naturel facilities in each. Wife and I like to hang out in the nude and we are considering Couples (we have been to Desire in Cancun). Thanks.
Hi Carlos, we're not into au naturel so we are unqualified to give any sort of meaningful review. I do know that CN has a small section of beach for those that are into that. I hope that's helpful. Thanks for watching!
Did you tio at CN? I was reading reviews on TripAdvisor and a lot of travelers did at CN
We're assuming you're meaning to say "tip". If so, as per the rules you're not supposed to tip. If you're asking if we did?...We can neither confirm nor deny :)
@@abroadwiththeburrells is there full room service at CN? I just called the resort and the receptionist said it wasn't available at either resorts
@@TrustMeMore We've been made aware by several people that room service no longer exists at either resort. We were at CN pre-pandemic and perhaps Covid has taken that all off the table.
@@abroadwiththeburrells you posted the video 9 months ago and the pandemic has been around for a little more than 2 years. Unless you uploaded the video at a later time?
@@TrustMeMore Exactly, we were at CN in 2016 and at CSA in 2021.
Is there a lot of cannabis use at Couples Negril?
We really couldn't tell you tbh. We don't smoke at all, however, there are plenty of locals walking up and down the beach offering to sell some to the guests. Those guys wouldn't be there if there wasn't a market for it, so I guess by that reasoning there must be a healthy population of weed smoking guests? *shrug*
Put it this way, if people are blazing trees they keep it discreet and not open and obvious. Hope that helps!
Admittedly, I've only been to Swpt-Away, but when you say the beaches are equal, I have to believe you're bias towards Couples Negril. Swept-away isn't just the beach in front of Swept-away. It's the access to 7 mile beach in its totality. Walking that beach at Sunset is amazing! It's hours of exploring little pubs swimming in amazing aqua waters, and meeting many wonderful Jamaican people (not limited to resort staff and other people from the same resort).
Fair point! We appreciate that broader perspective. That is very true, if you're down for exploring and taking long walks along the beach front, CSA will offer you more access. However, we also realize that 90% of people are not going to venture much further than the beach front right in front of their resort. We made our comparison based on that. Thanks for watching