Denise,

I will be there with my wife and 3 other couples from July 30th to August 3rd. When I get back, I'll be sure to post a review of the resort in the normal hotel section.

Can't wait to go!

Glen

Glen, You are going to have a wonderful time at CSS we have been there a few times. I wanted to know if buildings, A & B have been renovated yet and the condition of the new mineral pool. Have a great time! and I look forward to reading your review when you return.

Denise

Hi Denise,

Can't wait. From what I understand, the A and B buildings are the only ones that have yet to be re-modeled. That’s according to the official Couples.com message boards. We are in an oceanfront Jacuzzi suite, so it will be one of those 2 buildings. I’ll let you know for sure when I get back.

Hi Denise,

We're back! Here's the review I'm submitting to Tripadvisor.

We were at Couples Sans Souci with 3 other couples from July 30 to August 3, 2008. I’ll do my best to break this down into sections and to be as objective as possible. This review is based on mine and my wife’s experiences.

Couples Lounge – A+

The guys that were there were quick to check us in, take our bags and get us some welcome drinks. They did a great job and it was refreshing after a long flight and lines for immigration and customs.

Transportation – A+

We used the Couples supplied transportation. It was fast and efficient. Since it was just my wife, I, and one of the other couples we were traveling with, we told the driver that we would let him know if we wanted a stop. After a while, we decided we wanted to make a pit stop for some Red Stripes and a bio break. We made a quick stop and were back on our way. The ride from the airport with a stop took just under 2 hours. I guess it all depends on the speed of the driver. We heard about others who took much longer because they were driving at a snail’s pace.

The ride back was pretty much the same, minus the stop for beer. Since there were no stops, we made it to the airport in an hour and 22 minutes.

Check in and service staff – C

We arrived at about 2:30 in the afternoon. Since we were the only ones checking in at that time, it was quick, friendly, easy, and our room was ready. For the most part everyone that we encountered was friendly and quick to say hello. However, the staff here is slow even by Caribbean standards. We’ve been to multiple resorts in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico, so we know what to expect as far as speed. These people were slow! I can’t count how many times we had to ask for things more than once or have had the staff come back to us and ask us what we wanted again. How about giving the wait servers a pad and pen? We were at the swim up bar in the au-natural side every day just about all day. Jheanal rarely smiled or remembered what we were drinking and made the wrong drinks a few times. It really seemed like she just didn’t care. We had the same problems with other bartenders at the main pool and the beach bar. You would give your drink order, they would stop to chat with a co worker and then come back to ask us what we wanted again. It got to the point that I could predict to my wife when it was going to happen and sure enough it did! One stand out bartender was Andrew who was in the Balloon Bar and also at the au-natural pool one afternoon. He was funny, attentive, and really cared about what he was doing. I can’t remember the names but the two guys on the snorkeling trip but did a great job and were very friendly.

Rooms – A

We all stayed in the A building (ocean front Jacuzzi suites) on the ground floor. We weren’t expecting much based on the reviews saying they were old and tired but we were pleasantly surprised. We were in A7 and it was clean and spacious. Some areas looked like they could use a little paint or updating but it wasn’t as bad as some of the reviews. I did see our other travel partner’s rooms (A3, A8, and A9) and they were all the same, so I can tell you that at least those rooms were nice. The fridge was always restocked every day and the bar was never used, so I couldn’t really comment on that. The king size bed was more comfortable than most of the other resorts. The bathroom was large and well equipped. The sitting area was small but comfortable with a nice TV that you were able to move to watch in bed if you wanted. The patio was nice and we used it a bit in the mornings and late at night. Our air conditioner was on the fritz for a day or so but once they got a part in, it worked like a champ. Before that, they came 4 times, would get it working and then it would die on us.

Food – A

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been to other resorts, so I wasn’t expecting the best food but we were surprised. I would say the food at Couples was by far the best food we have had at an all inclusive. Everyone loved their meals from the buffets to the reservation restaurants. They did a good job with the buffets by severing the popular stuff every day but by also adding different items to keep it interesting. Restaurant Casanova was very good but slow. Palazzina Restaurant was good. We ate there on “lobster night” we enjoyed it so much that we all asked and received seconds on the main course. By the way, this is also the same place where they serve the breakfast buffet every day. Bella Vista was also good. Since it was right on the ocean, it had great views. I was also excited that for once I was staying at a place that actually had a restaurant that specialized in serving local food. We ate there for lunch and dinner once and the food was good. We also had lunch a few times at the au-natural pool grill and the service as well as the food was good.

Bars – C-

As I mentioned, the bartenders for the most part were sub-par, so I won’t go into that again. The Beach Bar and Sunset Bar (swim up bar at the au-natural pool) were the best for location. Nice atmosphere and beautiful ocean views. The Balloon Bar/Piano Bar was nice too. Much better service there and the piano sing-along was fun. Here’s where there is a big problem though. As I mentioned, we spent most of our time at the au-natural bar. Late one afternoon, they ran out of vodka. It was odd that a bar could run out of a bar staple such as vodka but we let it go because it was late. The next day when the bar opened, they were still out of vodka and it took them a while to get more. A couple of days later, they ran out of beer, vodka, club soda and some other top shelf liquors. In my opinion, this is unacceptable. The food service manager should always make sure that this never happens. Also, the bartender (Jheanal) should have known she was running low on these items and had them send replacements BEFORE they ran out rather than waiting for them to run out and then taking her time to get them replenished. I don’t think that’s asking for too much. The other odd thing was the same brand of liquors was not served at each bar. A few no brainer improvements could really make the bars much better.

Entertainment – B

The entertainment at Couples was better than most places we’ve been. The effort put into the Gala night was obvious. They spent the entire day setting up. The show was decent and they did a very good job of getting people involved. We did the piano bar one night and spent a while singing and having a good time. We also caught a show one evening on the patio outside of the Balloon bar. After the Gala, they opened up the bar at the au-natural pool and turned it into a disco. The entertainment staff spent the entire night dancing with everyone and teaching different dance moves. The entertainment staff also came to the au-natural pool a few times during the day to play different games and gave away bottles of rum as prizes.

Excursions – A

The only excursion we participated in was the free snorkel trip. They take you out in a glass bottom boat to a shipwreck about 10 minutes away. The views are spectacular and you can see the wreck very clearly. After you are done with the wreck, you swim over to a reef that is teaming with colorful fish and coral. They supply everything you’ll need from fins to mask to a life jacket. The excursion is one hour and you get about 35 minutes of swim time. I highly recommend this to everyone.

Grounds/Beaches – B

The grounds of this resort are beautiful and lush. They are out from the crack of dawn to the end of the day cleaning and grooming the grounds. There is a lot to see and I suggest taking the time to roam around the resort to see all of the areas. The au-natural beach is shallow and calm but rocky. The rocks are smooth but it’s not ideal for hanging out and swimming. The main beach is much better. Nice soft sand and calm waves. If you are a swimmer and plan on spending a lot of time in the ocean, you may be disappointed. If you’re looking for the occasional dip, you’ll be fine.

Overall – B-

Overall, we were happy with the resort. Some simple changes could really make the difference and make this an outstanding resort. We had a good time, most of the staff did a good job and we met a lot of fun people socializing in the pool. I would highly recommend this resort to couples looking to get away in a quiet atmosphere. If you’re looking for a real party atmosphere, this place is probably not for you.

Glen,

Thank you so much for your detailed review. Sounds like the good outweighed the bad! You are so right there was no excuse for running out of Vodka and beer. People are there to party. Either they should up their inventory or keep better tabs on whats selling that week.

I was wondering if you got a chance to go to the mineral pool? if yes any feedback? Are they working on the beachfront rooms yet? I know they were suppose to update A and B late spring early summer I guess thats Jamaica time.lol

I'm glad you had a wonderful vacation, and I hope the sun was shinning brightly.

Denise

Great review Glen! We will be at CSS the first week of December in the same room category. Did you guys have a 1st floor room or higher up? Just wondering if you had any input on what you think would be worth requesting at checkin, the higher you go the better the view?

>>the higher you go the better the view?

That would only apply in regards to the building. As far as Block A & B they are both on the beach level, so what floor is really preference. We like to be at least one up. We also prefer block A. SS is one of our favorite properties.

As far as any issues with the bartenders or other staff, that wasn't the case when it was Grand Lido, however since the Couples takeover either some good people were forced out or simply left & that is a shame. We were there many times & most the staff knew us & it made for a pleasant visit. In fact our last visit during the beginning of the takeover we went with my cousin & her husband & everywhere we went on the resort we were greeted by someone & they were like gee's does everybody know you here. Our last visit was sad as only two people were left, I only hope during our visits to other properties we come across some of the people we known for all these years. As for SS it's still a nice place but for us it has lost it's sole, so it will be a long time before we go back, if at all. But we had many great times there & will always be fond of them.

Does A & B Block have 3 floors?

Hi Denise,

I did see the mineral pool but did not go in it. The water was sparkling clear.

As far as I know, they haven't started on the A or B buildings. We were in the A beachfront rooms and as I said in my review, all of the ones I saw were very nice. I'm sure updating them will only make them better.

Glen

The A & B blocks have 3 floors. All 4 of our rooms were in the A block on the ground floor. We prefer the ground floor because you get a little bit bigger patio and you can walk right out of your room to run to the bar or get something to eat. The only downside to that is the doors leading to the patio don't lock from the outside. We just left ours unlocked when we were running out for a few minutes. Others in our group left theirs unlocked all the time and had no problems. Either way, if you have something that you don't want stolen, I suggest you keep it in the safe regardless of the room location. Then you won't have to worry about it.