This was our sixth visit to Couples Swept Away (our favorite Couples resort), and I say it every time we come, it’s the beach! The drive from the airport after a long day of flying is brutal (averaging between 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours (or more when heavy rains are falling). This review will cover every aspect of our stay from the airport transportation, food, room, service and all-inclusives.
AIRPORT:/TRANSPORTATION: After making your way through customs, Couples has a lounge with a very identifiable sign where you can get a cold Red Stripe beer and use the restroom. You’ll also check in with Couples staff. We hired a private transfer to the resort to avoid the resort shuttle, so as soon as we got our drink our driver was ready to get us on the road. The road is not in great condition, especially in the small villages you pass through, but unless you are willing to hire a puddle jumper flight from Sangster Airport to a landing strip in Negril, you will be on the road for a hot minute getting to Couples.
CHECK-N/FRONT DESK: With the private shuttle, we were able to beat the rest of the airport guests to check-in which was incredible! Our rooms were ready when we arrived. You will be asked to provide an ID and credit card for incidentals. It’s a cashless resort, so anything you purchase in the gift shops, etc., is charged to your room and is settled upon check-out. This year we were given bracelets for keyless entry to the rooms which was wonderful! However, the slick lacy bands keep slipping and sliding. A band or strap would work better, but it’s definitely an upgrade. You are greeted with a cold towel and a glass of champagne and a friendly “Welcome, home!” When you enter.
ROOMS: Our room was 3110, the lower level of a building that had a hot tub in the courtyard and a view of the ocean. At Couples every room is close to the ocean, even those in the back. It’s a very short walk as the ocean property extends the entire length of the property. More on the stunning ocean later. We were surprised and delighted to see that the rooms in this building had been refreshed with new tile, some new furniture, and the bathroom upgraded as well. My last review of 2024 pointed this out, and we were delighted with the updates! There is plenty of drawer and closet space for storing belongings, a walk-in shower, a wonderfully lit makeup mirror, and a blow dryer and ironing board/iron in the room. There is also a mini fridge that you can request be filled with standard items each day. The card for doing so can be completed and hung on the door knob to be collected by staff for filling the next day. The bedding is great, but as I’ve mentioned in previous years’ reviews, the beds are moderately comfortable. Firmer than my poor hips and back would like, but getting away for a week to a gorgeous location (and frequent naps under a tree on the beach) make up for it. Each building has a water dispenser and ice area for filling water bottles or ice buckets. Ice melts fast in Jamaica, so bring you own insulated water bottles! There are complimentary water bottles in the room (refillable), but they are not insulated, so ice lasts about a millisecond in the heat. Towels are big, fluffy and wonderful at the beach and in the rooms. There was also a new wicker-style wide rocking chair on the patio which I spent many hours enjoying. NOTE: Housekeeping , turn-down service and mini bar staff will be in the room quite often, so if you don’t want to have a nap or adult activities interrupted, put out that “do not disturb” sign, or you most likely will be disturbed. There are also mini splits that cool the room, and ours was so quiet at first we thought it was broken. We never heard it run, but our room was wonderfully cool at all times. The TV we had had terrible reception, awful audio and dreadful video quality, but we weren’t in the room often. My husband is a TV addict, so if he was in the room, the TV was on (sort of)…
I can’t say enough about housekeeping! They keep things looking like the day you checked in. Your items are undisturbed and towels always kept fresh. There is also a safe in the room for storing valuables.
BEACH: This is what the whole trip is about! Each morning the guys have the John Deere tractor out raking the sand clearing any debris that may have washed up or fallen from the trees. The water is crystal clear. It is a massive beach area, extending the entire length of the resort (.3 miles) and the swimming area is expansive! The south end is shallower than the north end towards the waterfront sports area. We waded out to the buoys and the water was chest high on my husband (he is 6’1”) and we could still see the bottom of the ocean. We saw star fish, and o the catamaran cruise, a sting ray close to shore. Many people bring their own “floaties” of various kinds to use in both the pools and in the sea. We typically come to Couples in the quiet season (August - September) when crowds are much lighter, so chairs and shade is plentiful. There is sand volleyball, cornhole boards, horseshoes, and other fun things to do. We cheered on several sand volleyball matches where the competition was fierce and everyone was a good sport. There is also a water sports area where you can use a Hobie cat, Sunfish, paddle board, snorkel, take a glass bottom boat tour, go scuba diving, or sign up for the evening catamaran cruise. Our guests in room 3112 specifically asked to take out a Sunfish, and they didn’t have one ready, so they pulled one out for use. You could tell it hadn’t seen the light of day for some time. They hosed it off and got it rigged. The mast had mildew on it and the inside wasn’t very clean, but it was fun to use. It would be nice to have at least one Sunfish (like the Hobie cats), cleaned and available for guests who want to use one. It travels most days to Rick’s Cafe down the coastline and you can watch cliff divers and swim/snorkel into caves on the return trip. Sunsets are magical! We also were able to see a waterspout while on the catamaran during a sudden storm that blew through. Since the beach is public, there are vendors selling a variety of items from jewelry, hand-carved wooden art, live cooked lobsters, weed, hats, you name it. I did notice this year that vendors were allowed to come onto the resort farther than in past years, which was disappointing. Typically they are kept much closer to the water’s edge, and some of them came up very close to the lounge chairs.
GROUNDS: A big change I noticed this visit from 2024 is that the grounds are being kept in better condition than prior. In 2024, it was not uncommon to see piles of dishes sitting around outside the rooms for long periods of time. Cups, plates, etc. were everywhere. This year, there is very little of that. I noticed things were picked up quickly and many new sidewalks had been put in, new landscaping, new plants…a fresh new look. Groundskeepers keep the trees trimmed, leaves raked, and the grass mowed. The grounds are gorgeous and there are so many varieties of trees and tropical flowers, it’s absolutely gorgeous. You can tell the resort is well established. We had also experienced on several prior trips that the hot tub in the middle of the resort was never operational. In 2024 and this year, the hot tub is fully operational with new furniture and umbrellas around it, and was very much used, especially by those staying in our building and immediately surrounding buildings. There are also hot tubs by The Palms restaurant (it’s never worked since we’ve been going to Swept Away that I recall), and two others on each end of the pool at Patois by the swim up bar. Those were both fully operational this visit. While the hot tubs and pool were kept very clean daily, the pool and swim up bar pool are missing many tiles, chipped concrete and cracks. This would be an undertaking, but that area is highly used and definitely needs some attention. Another pool is located outside The Palms, and is very rarely occupied. We often walk down there just to float undisturbed. We did notice this year there was a “pop up” bar at that pool we hadn’t seen before which was a nice touch! You will also encounter cats and an occasional dog that are living their best lives on the resort keeping pests under control, bumming a snack here and there, and enjoying scratches.
FOOD: There’s always plenty to eat at Swept Away, but we came away this trip saying that Lemon Grass is a MUST!! Its Asian style cuisine is absolutely crushing any other place on the resort to eat. You must have a reservation and dress is resort casual. The decor is stunning with Chinese lanterns, candles and tiki torches. The sushi melts in your mouth, and the Asian inspired lamb chops were out of this world. The presentation is stunning on every dish that comes out of the kitchen and service is top notch. We were disappointed this visit with Scotch Bonnet. In the past you could get a build-your-own grilled cheese, red snapper sandwiches, and onion rings, but none of those were available this year. We were big fans of the grilled cheeses with added bacon! The French fries still “slap” as the kids say, and we did like being able to help ourselves to containers of fresh fruit, cookies and soup. A big disappointment for us was the closure for remodeling (yes, we know it needs to happen, so we’re n to mad about it). That was our “go to” for breakfast each morning in the past, but with its closure, breakfast was at Patois only. They just don’t have as good a set up for breakfast and it definitely eliminated an additional place to get food, but we see The Palms will be reopening very, very soon.. Like next week. Patois changed their menu frequently which was nice since most meals were eaten there if you didn’t have reservations. A huge shout out to Shanice who took care of us at Patois one night. She was a sweet, sweet gem with a big heart. Our fave. This girl truly cares about her guests. We dined an evening at Feathers, the only air-conditioned restaurant on site, and the dress code is dressier with men requiring close-toed shoes and dress pants, as well as button down shirts. The meal is served in courses, portions (soup, salad, etc.) are small, but entrees are generous and delicious. We have yet to eat lamb anywhere at Couples in any of the restaurants that wasn’t one of the best we’ve had. If you’re a person who loves fish tacos and homemade sweet potato chips, Sea Grape is your place. The tacos were so incredibly fresh with just enough kick! I can’t remember a time we didn’t come to Couples and eat sweet potato chips. They are so darned good! Sea Grape is a vegetarian location. We saw the coffee bar in the main lobby, but didn’t go there as we are not coffee drinkers.
My husband makes friends with all the bartenders. They know him by sight, he knows most of their names, and they have his drink (and mine sometimes…I don’t drink much) as soon as they see him. They joke with him (he loves it), and he gives it right back. Big personalities exist in the Swept Away bartenders, and they make your visit very special.
ENTERTAINMENT: With The Palms being closed, entertainment was moved to the pool area at Patois. I go to bed early, so didn’t see any of the entertainment, but my husband sees it most evenings and said they had excellent singers and a fire dancer that were very impressive. He also likes to frequent the piano bar and listen to folks sing piano karaoke. There are always activities going on across the resort and there is a board with a list of those activities on the beach by the swim up bar. There was a bonfire a few nights by the swim up bar as well this year. Last visit it was more centrally located on the beach.
FITNESS CENTER: Swept Away has a beautiful spa/fitness center across the road from the main resort. I didn’t visit it, but my husband walked a mile each morning on their track. They offer pickle ball, a fitness center and salon services.
