September 1995
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Couples, Ocho Rios, Jamaica September 1995 |
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This report is brought to you by Stéphane. The opinions expressed are those of the person who submitted the report and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NetNude.
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While it is not a nudist/naturist resort, Couples
is ideal for people who want to try nudism, introduce someone to
nudism, or spend a compromise vacation that doesn't completely centre
on nudism.
Couples Resort (not to be confused with
Sandals-Couples) is an excellent all-inclusive resort located just
outside Ocho Rios. It is well maintained and provides a lot of
activities. It is completely self-contained (including the beach) so
you are quite safe. Having said that, one couple we met had their
camera stolen on the beach when they left their bag while
swimming.
This was our first trip to Jamaica and we really
enjoyed ourselves. It took a little getting used to. At first we were
very suspicious of all the friendly greetings from the Jamaicans.
Once we lost our big-city paranoia, we realized that they really mean
their welcoming attitude.
The all inclusive concept was excellent. We put
our wallets in the room safe when we arrived and never took them out.
It was so great to pick one of the restaurants, have dinner, and just
leave when we were finished.
The staff was great and very friendly. Remember, however, that this is Jamaica and people don't move at the same speed as you might be used to if you live in a big city. Relax, you're on your vacation.
We flew from Toronto with Air Canada. Their flight
goes from Toronto to Kingston, Jamaica then to Montego Bay and back
to Toronto. That means that one the way down, we had a one hour stop
in Kingston. While Kinston is actually closer to Ocho Rios, the
resort buses only leave from Montego Bay. We were told that Kingston
is a big city and that the environment is not what Jamaica want to
show tourists.
From Montego Bay, we met the tour operator who
loaded us onto the next bus to Couples.
The trip is about 2 hours. It is along a narrow
"highway" with quite a bit of traffic. The driving style is not for
the faint hearted. The driver was constantly passing trucks and other
slower vehicles. He was hitting 120 km/h at times.
The drive was interesting. We got to see quite a
bit of Jamaica and our driver provided a running commentary as we
traveled. There was no doubt that Jamaican's have a very low standard
of living. However, we found that while poor, they seemed to have
maintained a very positive attitude.
The drivers expect to be tipped so have some cash on hand. This is one of the only times that you are expected to tip.
When shopping, the Jamaicans seem to expect, even prefer, US dollars. However, you can use Jamaican dollars everywhere. When we were there, it was about $25 Jamaican to $1 CDN. The rate at the airport was better than at the resort. The resort operates an exchange desk during the day.
Couples is located on the main road just past Ocho
Rios as you travel from Montego Bay. As we approached, I was
skeptical about how much room the resort could possibly have between
the road and the sea. However, we were very pleased by the whole
resort.
As we passed the guardhouse, we traveled the
beautifully landscaped driveway to the open lobby where we were
immediately greeted by the front desk staff with a bottle of
champagne. There is no front desk. They have a simple wooden desk and
they come to meet you.
The resort is made up of three main buildings.
They are stretched along the shore in a line. All areas on the ocean
side are located within the resort. The beach is private and there is
no access from the outside without going through the resort.
We found the food to be excellent! There were 3
restaurants to choose from for dinner. All three changed their menu
frequently so we never came close to getting bored. The Bayside, an
Italian style, is situated on a covered deck which extends over the
water. The Verranda is an indoor one with a continental menu.
Finally, there is Le Gourmet which is the fanciest, French-style,
dress-up restaurant. Dress-up means no shorts, jeans, sandals, or
t-shirt. A lot of people went well beyond this.
For dinner, you had the option of sitting by
yourself or being seated with another couple. We found this a great
way to meet other couples from around the world. (We met people from
Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland, and of course, all parts of the
United States)
For breakfast and lunch, they served an excellent
and varied buffet in a large outdoor sitting area near the pool. This
is also where the Wednesday and Saturday Dinner buffet is served.
There is a stage there where bands would play the in the evening.
There is a snack bar where you can get burgers,
hot dogs, fries, and chicken wings at almost any time of the day or
night.
There is a main bar near the pool. As well, there
is a swim up bar on the nude island, a piano bar in the main
building, and a small bar near the Italian restaurant. We had a lot
of fun trying new drinks. Because it was all inclusive, we weren't
afraid to try new drinks. Try the "Dirty Banana".
There is a jungle garden with an aviary. Inside
the "jungle", you find small two people hot tubs and various other
sitting areas for two.
Of course, there is the main beach with chairs and
hammocks. There is a main pool with two hot tubs. Around the pool you
find a store, pool room, slot machines, ping-pong tables, video games
room, squash courts, and satellite TV room. There is also an exercise
room with weights and other machines.
The resort provides beach towels. You sign out one towel per person on your first day and then you exchange them at the sports shop for new ones whenever you want.
There are more activities than you could
comfortably do during the day. In fact, we found that there were far
more activities than we wanted to do.
There is Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Water
Tricycles, Kayaks, Sailboats, Catamarans, Water skiing, Tennis,
Horseback riding, Glass bottom boats, etc... - all included, of
course.
We would highly recommend the Snorkeling. They
take you to a reef which is only 4-5 feet deep. You have an excellent
view. We saw hundreds of multi-coloured fish and corals. We also saw
blowfish, eels, and an octopus. You need minimal skill to do this and
they provide the equipment. However, they won't let you snorkel on
your own. If you want to snorkel from the beach, bring your own
equipment.
There are a lot of other activities created by the
staff throughout the day. Beach parties, olympics, talent shows,
aerobic classes, craft classes, etc...
There also have a number of off-site activities.
Some which are inclusive and some which cost extra. We took the
Dunn's River Falls tour which was included. It was a lot of fun.
However, it is a very busy place. Not quite the virgin wilderness you
would be led to believe from the pictures we saw.
We also did the Sunset cruise which is also included. It is a large catamaran which takes approx. 30 people and comes to pick everyone up on the beach. It was great! They cruised the coast and took us to a lagoon for some swimming. (wear your bathing suit)
We chose a "mountain view" room (as opposed to
ocean view). We had a nice view of the green mountains (well, more
like large hills).
The room was a good size. It had a bathroom with a
Jacuzzi tub. There was a dressing room and a King size bed. The room
was equipped with telephone, a radio which will play tapes & CDs,
and cable TV (major US networks, CNN, and 2 movie networks).
The TV also had a channel which told you about the
resort's facilities and the day's activities.
We had French doors which opened onto a good sized
balcony. We believe that all rooms have balconies. There are also
suites and a few villas but we didn't see any of these.
The water temperature was unpredictable at best.
The pressure changes every few seconds as we showered.
The rooms are air conditioned. We hardly ever used it. We found that with the windows open, the breeze at night made sleeping quite comfortable.
We spent most of our time on the nude island. To
get there, you stand on the dock and one of the staff members comes
and gets you in a small shuttle boat to take you over.
The island has a pool with a swim-up bar. There is
a 150 year-old tower which has been restored and now houses the
washroom. Most of the island is covered with wooden platforms and
walk-ways. There are several covered platforms where you can take
shelter from the sun. There are also some hammocks and hanging wicker
chairs (all for 2 of course). There is also a fresh water shower to
rinse off after swimming in the ocean.
The main area is near the pool where the activity
is. People who wanted to be alone generally set themselves up at the
other end.
The ocean side of the island is all rock. If you
want to swim in the ocean, you have to go on the side which faces the
resort. While this means that everyone on the beach can see you, we
had no complaints. Everyone knows that the island is nude so most
don't seemed surprised at all although some were amused.
The people on the island were generally very
friendly. The swim-up bar created a very social environment. Since it
tended to be the same people everyday, you got to know each other
quite well. The bartender, Miguel, was a lot of fun too. He was
always creating new drinks for us. When he left to have lunch, he
would leave the bar open and we would take turn making drinks for
each other.
Everyone we met had never been to a nude beach
before. Only a small percentage of the resort tried it (a good thing
since the island is quite small). The people from Couples make it
quite clear that it is a nude island and those who go are expected to
disrobe. Some came to see and left when they decided they couldn't do
it. Most who crossed to the island undress, stayed, and enjoyed
themselves. Most were surprised how quickly they became
comfortable.
During the orientation, they told us that the
bartender was blind. (Of course, he wasn't. How could a blind
bartender make drinks? Braille bottles? A finger in the glass? I
suppose that there is probably someone, somewhere who has managed.)
Later, much to our general amusement, one of the people at the bar
exclaimed with surprise, "You're not blind!!".
The island was ideal for a nude beach. Everyone who comes to the resort knows that when they go to the island they are expected to be nude. You can't just walk by so there are no gawkers. Since everyone is in a couple, they know that they aren't going into a "pick-up" situation.
We enjoyed the couples-only format. It meant that
everyone was very secure in their relationships and you could make
friends easily. No one questioned your motives when you struck up a
conversation.
Most people we met were there on their honeymoon.
However, we suspect that this is because we went during low tourist
season and high wedding season. Several people were married on the
beach while we were there.
Those who were married there brought their own tuxes and dresses. While the beach is a beautiful setting to be married, 30 degrees Celsius is not a temperature in which I would want to wear a dark tuxedo or a long, full wedding dress. The resort does all the other arrangements including music, picture, and video.
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