Whats the difference between Sandals and Couples??

to my knowledge (from research alone--i've only been to Sandals) Sandals is the party place and Couples is more for the fitness types. they have better inclusions from what i've read. for instance, if you're honeymooning, you get a free couple's massage. they also still have excursions to Dunn's River Falls at the Ocho Rios resort (something both SDR and SOR dropped last year). . seems like they may also include horseback riding, but i'd check on that.

Thanks

I have not been to Couples either. I was going to go last year but the couple we vacation with chose not to go because of price. I did research it and here's what I found. There are three resorts Couples Ocho Rios, Couples Negril and Couple Swept Away which is also in Negril. Couples Ocho Rios owns an island about a 100 yards offshore which has a pool and beach with a bar that is for nude sunbathing. Couples Negril has a portion of the beach dedicated to nude sunbathing while Swept Away has no nude sunbathing area. Here is a link to the Couples Message board:

http://www .dennisphoto. com/wwwboard/

There are people who have been to both Sandals and Couples who swear by Couples. From the pictures on the web it just doesn;t look as nice as Sandals to me. Couple Ocho Rios is an older resort and it shows its age.
The reason I was considering it was it was slightly cheaper than Sandals with regular pricing. I booked the new Sandals Ocho Rios this year because of the 40% savings. Someday I will try it though. I believe its hard to have a bad experience at an upscale AI resort.

I've never heard of Couples being for fitness types except Swept Away. Believe me, you won't see too many at the gym at Couples Ocho Rios. We were there for the second time last October, and even the instructor didn't show for class, and I chased him down to try to have the class.

Couples is good for a first trip because they include tours. They still have the Jamaican flair, IMO, whereas Sandals has become more Americanized.

We like the dine-around in the same area thing that Sandals has and also feel the properties are better maintained. This is kind of a generalization, though. Each reasort has its own personality and pluses and minuses.

Have you looked at Sans Souci? They have great deals a lot of the time and still include a couple of spa treatments. We've stayed there 5 times and find it a notch above overall, especially the French restaurant. There are a lot of steps, so it isn't for everyone, but every spot is like a Kodak moment.

Somehow I hit enter by accident. Couples Ocho Rios has included horseback riding for a long time. It used to be something to do often on a stay. Now, they have combined the plantation tour and the horse riding. When you go, it is not too far from the resort, but you should bring some money. The guides want a tip. Also, they stop various places for photos and also for coconut tasting, etc. You aren't obligated to buy the pics, and the sell is not too hard.

The shopping tour from Couples Ocho takes you usually to Island Village. It was too long for me, and I've been to Jamiaca like 43 times, so I just walked around. I know the area. I go to the grocery stores and buy jerk sauce, etc. Walking around is not for everyone.

The catamaran at COR is like the booze cruise type thing.

Repeat guests and honeymooners do get a massage. They are short, but they are nice.

Couples Negril has changed their tours recently one or two times. They still do a catamaran trip, but it changed. Swept Away and Couples Negril include the same tours. My mom is supposed to return to Couples Negril Thursday and also go over to Swept Away.

We like Sandals Royal Caribbean, Royal Bahamian (only in summer) and Royal Plantation and all the St. Lucia properties. We like the beach and activities at Sandals MoBay, but the food is very weak compared to the rest of the Sandals resorts. We just came back from there on Nov. 13. We were married there a long time ago and have been over for a day or evening but hadn't been back in a while to stay. Lunch buffets had been scaled down. Had a lovely lunch at Royal Caribbean. The staff is still top-notch, and we really enjoyed the video black jack like we do at Sandals Ocho Rios. Great house band at SMB, too.

Does Couples have a message board such as this one? My wife and I went to SMB two years ago and we are planning a trip to Jamaica this year. SMB was fun, but the planes were very loud and things were a little run down. We enjoyed our one day at Sandals Negril are are considering staying there this year, but we are also considering Couples Negril. Any input would be helpful!