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If you are basing your decision on the price, don't . They have that sale at least every other week. I have been looking at Sandals since August and the prices haven't changed. Just the airfaire so I wouldn't worry about it.
yeah - sandals has those deals all the time. they make it "expire" and then the next morning there's another deal that's just as good. I wouldn't stress about it.
Any mor einput would be greatly appreciated!! I noticed there were a few ladies who decided on Couples resorts. I need to hear from ya! HELP!
We decided on Couples for the same reasons you listed. Better price, more activities and the reviews were absolutely amazing on trip advisor! My FI's brother and SIL went to Couples Swept Away for their honeymoon and said it was absolutely amazing and incomparable to any other resort they have been to. I also thought that their rooms were not as nice as Sandals but we actually booked a suite with our stay because the prices were so much better and we actually wondered how much time we would spend in the room. Yes it is our honeymoon so we will be in the room;-), but we also plan on spending a lot of time on the beach.
I have to chime in in favor of Couples - especially Swept Away. I went there a few years back and it is AMAZING. The room was great - HUGE balcony, HUGE room, nice bathroom. The whole place was immaculately clean and landscaped. The beach was great and not overly crowded. Staff was really nice and helpful. I can't say enough about it. I didn't want to leave!
Sandals always has discounts. I looked at couples, but wasn't overly impressed with some of the reviews I found on various message boards. I also have been to Sandals Grande so I know what they are like. We are doing Whitehouse for our honeymoon.
Were going to Couples Sans Souci in Ocho Rios and we looked at Sandals as well but decided on couples for a few reasons. With Couples we are only going to be spending $2400 (including airfare, airport transportation) for our 7 day vacation. We have a beachfront suite and it looks AMAZING. The resort got incredible reviews on TripAdvisor (Ive read hundreds of them lol) With Couples we are not only getting all food/drinks but we are also getting a glass bottom boat, snorkeling, Dunns River Falls Trip (which usually runs about $100 per person), ALL watersports (including wakeboarding, wind surfing, and waterskiing) AND we get a FREE couples massage at a gazebo on a mountain overlooking the ocean (for 30 mins) plus we get champagne on arrival!!! I know that Sandals is the end all be all of all inclusives, but honestly its too expensive IMO. I think you should do Couples!!! There is Sans Souci, Swept Away, Negril and Tower Isle. All of them are GORGEOUS. We will also get free red stripes while we are waiting for our shuttle to take us to the resort (at the airport)!!
To me there is no comparison between the two. Couples is like going home whereas Sandals is like going to a palace where no one knows your name. It totally depends on the feel you want - Sandals is way more "lavish" but couples is way more "down to earth".
Couples has been my dream vacation spot for years - I have been researching them for a good 3+ years and while all resorts will get bad review, they are WAY outnumbered by good reviews at Couples. And I think most bad reviews for Couples is from people who were expecting it to be more like Sandals? lol The resorts have so so so many repeat customers. Then last summer a good friend of mine did 2 weeks in Jamaica for her honeymoon - 1 at Sandals and 1 at Couples and she preferred Couples hands down.
Now I just need to decide between Negril and Swept Away. I think I will have to eeny-meeny-miny-mo it.
However, if I were going to any other island I'd go with Sandals just because you pretty much know what you're getting.
BTW where are you guys finding a week at couples for $2400 including airfair? The cheapest I can find is $3700 CDN which means we probably won't be going for our honeymoon! :(
We stayed at Sandals Negril before and liked it. The beach was smaller than Couples Swept Away but it didn't bother me, I don't need a ton of sand as long as the water is nice and clear. We got the butler suites which was our reason was choosing Sandals (Couples doesnt have this option). Sounds extravagant and decadent but let me tell you, sooo worth it. Those guys go out of their way to make your trip memorable with the reserved beach chairs and drinks waiting for you every morning, the surprise private dinner they set up for you on the balcony (they even found lobster for me even though it wasn't on the menu!) , the bubble bath with rose petals they prepare in the jacuzzi tub...And they're the nicest, friendliest people! For half of the trip we got upgraded to a river suite and that made the trip for me. Spankin' new and awesome room where you just step from your patio into a semi-private pool! Our second room was old and not so nice. The A/C sounded like a helicopter so we preferred to try to sleep in the heat.
If it wasn't for the butler service and river suite, I don't think I would've been as impressed with the overall trip. Caribbean weather is tricky so we got rain and murky waters some days even though it wasn't hurricane season and facilities and food is just ok. Not bad but compared to the all-inclusives I've stayed at the Mediterranean for the same price, the quality is way inferior.
@noopnoop look on cheapcaribbean.com and actually sorry my FI just told me it was $2600!! Still much better than $3700!! We only had to put down about $1000 for the deposit which was also nice. Cheapcaribbean has a TON of amazing deals!!!
@clare where did you stay with cheapcaribbean? My SO and I wanted to do the sandles resort in Antigua but it might be too pricy? His parents are paying and I'm not sure but I don't want to ask for too much!
I still couldnt afford 7 days at Sandals or Couples. I found prices that were in our budget at Secrets resorts. Secrets-Silversands (cancun) for 7 days and including airfare will cost me $2700.
We are staying for 7 days at Couples Sans Souci (in Ocho Rios) in Jamaica on cheapcaribbean. Everything including airfare will be $2600...this includes transportation to/from the airport! There is another website that the FI tried to use at first and they were going to charge more but cheapcaribbean is amazing!!!
OH sorry I just looked at the reservation details and total cost will be $2766!!! I apologize! Its not that far from what I originally said but still a little bit more! We also have hurricane insurance (they fly us home right away if there is a hurricane and we get a full refund of the days we didnt stay AND we have sunshine guarantee where for every day it rains we get a free night at the hotel)
We are flying out of Atlanta...maybe that makes a difference?
we are also leaving and coming back on a Monday...
@clare thanks! such helpful info! is your resort all inclusive? are there activities? and what about your room? suite?
http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/core/qsByResort/cc.2966.xml heres the info!
I put in your info (leaving on June 27 coming back July 4 from Detroit) that I didnt know if it was right but for what I put in it was about $200 more per person
thanks so much!
we want to leave the DAY after (but how long is the flight and stuff? we'd fly out of detroit tho for sure) and we want to be gone a full week...so 6 nights I'd guess?
So our room is a 1 bedroom beachfront suite with a balcony that overlooks the ocean! Our package includes the following:
-airfare
-lounge when you arrive at the airport to wait for shuttle with free red stripe beer
-transportation to resort
-all meals and drinks and options for food 24/7
-3 pools, 2 swim up bars, 2 beaches (1 is au naturale) mineral grotto (natural springs)
-ALL watersports including windsurfing lessons, scuba diving lessons (in the ocean NOT the pool) wakeboarding, snorkeling, etc
-glass bottom boat ride
-Dunns River Falls trip (FREE and it is usually about $100 per person)
-FREE couples massage in a gazebo on a cliff overlooking the ocean
-champagne upon arrival
-fully stocked mini bar (and if you leave a little extra tip it will be stocked with premium alcohol or your personal requests)
-entertainment, starlight gala, beach dining, etc.
SERIOUSLY it is everything!!! And to top it off the reviews say that 99% of the staff at this resort is the nicest you could ever imagine. Our flight there will be about 4 hours from Atlanta and then on the way back it will be a little bit longer (6 maybe). We are leaving 2 days after on a Monday which I think is a cheaper day to travel. You should google it and see all the pictures it is absolutely incredible and it was voted the number 1 resort in the caribbean for 2009!! I cannot wait!!! I think for what you get it is very reasonable!
Ok clare I want to know how you got that deal! lol
I priced it out on cheap carribean and flying from Buffalo (we are in Toronto so its the closest US airport) it wa still $3100 for a garden view suite! not even an ocean view suite with a balcony, which would have been another $250 per person. Maybe there really is just that much of a difference between Negril/Swept Away and SS/Tower Isle? I really want to go to Negril since the beaches are better, butttt SS and TI get the free Dunns River Falls tour. AND TI has free horseback riding on the beach! But they just don't "speak" to me like Negril and Swept Away do :( Sans Souci is also supposed to have 392039203902 stairs.
Orrrr maybe its the month we're looking at going in. When are you going? I was looking for November. Hmmmm, I'll go price out July and August!
Does everyone get the free massage or did you book a honeymoon package?
Nevermind, looks like July is more expensive than November, go figure. By like $200 each, and SS is $200 less per person than CN for a week and SS has more activities included.
SS and TI are just so much more affordable but I sure had my heart set on CN or CSA.
@clare, thanks for the tips! :)
The time of year and your flight details will change the cost of your booking. We also got a pretty good deal I think - 5 nights at Couples Tower Isle for $2500, and we are going in February which is a peak time (ie expensive) of year for the Caribbean. We went through cheapcaribbean.com. We are also flying out on a Monday and leaving from Tampa (so airfare is pretty cheap probably)
If you go to the Couples website, they also have a deal where you can put in your dates and you don't get to choose what resort, but you get a big discount on the price. I think it still came out cheaper to use cheapcaribbean though.
There is a review on Trip Advisor near the top if you search Couples Tower Isle. It compares that resort with Sandals (and Couples came out on top). It all depends on what you're looking for. I've heard that Sandals is more lavish and has a luxurious look, but the Couples staff are better and it's more customer service oriented (and cheaper!).
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My FI and I are starting to narrow down choices for our honeymoon. Although we are only planning to go next December to Jamaica, we wanted to take advantage of the current deals being offered by different resorts.
As some of you may already know, Sandals is currently having an "up to 65% off" deal which ends this Saturday. We had a look at some of the resorts and were really impressed by the rooms offered and the discount. For example, you can get a great oceanview room for about $3,400, which would have been originally $7,000! (That's not including airfare though).
Then we had a look at Couples resorts, and while the rooms/hotels may not seem as fancy (in photos) compared to Sandals we were still really impressed with the decor, and most especially with the free trips and activities.
So - here's the debate. Sandals' discount sale ends this Saturday, and after that I'm guessing their prices go back up. Is there a reason why their regular prices are so damn $$? We're a bit nervous to book so far in advance, and debating whether we should just skip the Sandals sale and book later with Couples (since it appears as though their regular prices are much less $$ - unless they are currently showing sale prices too?!). And why would Sandals be so expensive if they don't even offer free trips like Couples?
Why should we consider one over the other?