Couples Sans Souci

I’m on day 2 at this place and it’s awful. Giving one star for the food alone. Buffet dinner first night (last night) was disgusting. Overcooked fish, fried calamari was inedible, chewy and no seasoning, I almost spit it out. Even the ice cream was gross and tasted like artificial sugar. The raspberry sorbet had a base of bananas and it tasted like defrosted, freezer burned bananas with no raspberry flavor. Lunch today at the beach area was also inedible and took almost an hour to get. There’s not a single place you go just go up and order a casual lunch. You must be wearing clothes (on the beach) and it takes forever and wastes the day away. I ordered a fried chicken sandwich. It came with three, 1 inch slivers of gross chicken nugget type chicken. I literally laughed when I saw it. I couldn’t believe it. It was NOT a chicken sandwich. The jerk chicken my bf got was meh. Needed seasoning and was try. Since I had no food to eat, I walk over to the buffet and we get seated. I’m wearing a beach skirt cover up with my bikini. This place is so far up its own (fill in the blank), they said I couldn’t grab BUFFET food in a bikini top. This is 100 feet or less from the beach. I’m up in my room now, waiting another hour for room service burger that I am expecting very little of. If you come here, ask for all the details of the food before you ever order a single thing so you know what you’re getting yourself into. The portions are also tiny, so you should order two entrees every place you go to. Idk how this place has good reviews. The service is also sub par. The people in the lobby are nice but the bar tenders and servers don’t really say much to guests and it’s hard to hear them because they speak so quietly. I’ll try to enjoy the beach this week, but will be leaving for dinners and taking a cab into town for *hopefully* better food. I’m honestly astounded at how terrible the food is and how let down our experience has been so far. Even our room had hairs all over the place from previous guests, and we had to ask for it to be deep cleaned. There’s mold around the edges of our sink, too. Save yourself the money and go to Mexico. Read less

Use Google Earth to browse any resort before you go, however Jamaica does not have Hi resolution. You will not be disappointed with Couples Souci facilities and the bay, which they own the whole thing. Food, drinks, beach, staff, beach toys, all will exceed your expectations. Flying into Montego Bay is a farther ride, however there are more flights into MB and your ground transportation is included anyway. Pack some nice clothes for dinner! Read less

We’ve literally just left and I have say the overwhelming feeling is of disappointment. The pros of this resort are its undoubted beauty, it’s a really pretty, beautifully maintained, small, stylish resort and that’s something that can’t be faulted. The other is the price, it’s certainly a very reasonable price for an AI. The rooms(we were in B301) are very nice, spacious and pretty with very comfortable beds, decent aircon and huge bathroom(the shower is terrible though, barely a trickle of lukewarm water). Sadly the cons of this place far exceed the positives. The biggest and most disappointing issue was the staff. No matter how smiley, friendly or polite we were(we’re naturally bubbly and friendly people) we never got the same in return. The vast majority of staff seemed almost annoyed that we were there. Getting a mediocre unfriendly service at almost every meal became frustrating. Expecting a friendly welcome or a smile was obviously too much. I’m glad we aren’t expected to tip at this resort because I would have struggled to find any staff who would make me feel inclined to do so. I don’t understand where the resentment comes from. When someone greets you with a smile and a cheery good morning, it actually takes effort not to respond in kind..most couldn’t even find it in them to look you in the eye when speaking to you. The dismissive attitude on the whole was upsetting. There were a few standouts however..the shining beacons of delight.. John, who had such a genuine smile for everyone, made us feel welcome every time we saw him. Carol, who was at the omelette bar, was another wonderful surprise, as was Jody Ann and Tamesha who were some of the most lovely ladies we’ve met, an absolute asset to the company, we just wish all the staff would take their lead. The second biggest disappointment has to be the food. We didn’t expect fine dining, but something above mediocre blandness shouldn’t have been too much to ask for. I’ve never understood the dumbing down of the Jamaican flavours. I understand the clientele are mainly American and perhaps it’s to cater to their tastes, but the lack of authentic flavours or spices was just ridiculous. The standard of most food was poor.. I think I could name 3 dishes I really enjoyed and the slow service(even taking into account ‘island time’) was unreasonable. Their gala nights and Caribbean night buffets are good though, great selection(service was as always , pretty terrible.. so unfriendly). The veggie bar, whilst the food is delicious (shout out to the smoked Marlin sandwich) .. the service was always RIDICULOUSLY slow.. and again, I hate to say it but the lady was borderline rude most of the time. You never see any management , when we were at Sandals RP, the GM was always wandering around, greeting guests, asking about their stay (even handing out ice lollies).. nothing like that here. And handing out customer feedback at the end of the stay is pointless.. it doesn’t help us. Replenishing the drinks in the room was non existent..we had to wait 3 days before we got any liquor in our room at all, then 3 times we requested a bottle of wine on the app, and twice went to reception.. finally got one on the last day. Housekeeping staff were very friendly, and the rooms were spotless. The entertainment on the whole was excellent, the female singer, the Bob Marley tribute, the circus, steel band.. all fabulous, the fashion show/singer…. well let’s say that was less so. The gentleman who does the entertainment was also unfriendly, and unaproachable.. unless you were a returner.. The booking of restaurants is a pain, because you can only book the Casanova once at a time.. if all the restaurants were of the same standard, then there wouldn’t be a need to clamour to get the only decent place to eat.. all the food should be of the same quality! Overall, whilst it’s a beautiful resort, the unfriendly, unwelcoming staff members makes this a place I wouldn’t want to return to. Such a shame, but being made to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome doesn’t encourage me to return. Read less

Not all vacations are perfect 24X7, but when you look forward to repeating at a resort on an annual basis, then the aggregate experience usually outweighs any tiny hiccups in a given week. And that was our experience again with Couples, this time at the San Souci property during the week of June 1. This was our 13th visit overall to Couples and 5th to CSS. Though we originally checked into a penthouse suite in G block, we switched to a penthouse in E on our 2nd day. It's an incredible room, with wondrous and spacious accommodations and comfort, plus a breathtaking view that enlightened each sunrise and sunset. But our vacation was far more than beds, baths, and beyond. It was characterized by a CSS team who never ceased to make our vacation special and our time very fulfilling. There are countless people to thank, starting at the point of greeting -- in the lobby with the front-office, reception, and bell staff. The first is someone everyone knows: Racine is perpetually focused on the repeaters' Romance Rewards experience, always with a personal and pleasant touch. Of course, there are so many other incredible standouts from the lobby experience, including Fayon, Natassia, Karen, Selena, and Yanique at Reception and Guest Services, and Jeff and the entire Bell team (they rarely break a sweat and always maintain a smile). And in Housekeeping, there was the always pleasant and very thorough Sheryl. Then there's the food and wait staff. I'm vegan, but my wife eats most anything. Despite the challenge of two opposing diets, the restaurant teams never missed a beat (except we wish they had veggie patties along with beef and chicken patties). Though we were sad to miss Chef Lawrence on this trip (he was on vacation), we were welcomed heartily at Casanova by Marion, Ricardo and Shaquille. At Pallazzina, there was Carol, Robert (smoothies), Hakeem, Hubert, and countless others who were very attentive. Same at the Beach Grille with Danisha, and the bar staff throughout the resort, including Tanisha, Natalee, and Anthony (mini-bar). While drinking, we were always entertained by the small but mighty Entertainment Staff, including our friend Ashley, along with Mickew (or McQ) and Shanay. A great team. When we weren't drinking, we frequented the spa and fitness services. In the spa, yet another CSS legend who EVERYONE knows is Ruth -- who we visited twice during our week. She is usually attached at the hip by Thelma, but she was away on vacation this week. For this trip, working with Ruth was the wonderful Kashema. And the onsite gym is more than suitable for fitness needs. Moving over to Water Sports, Dwight always looked out for us. He and Captain Christopher piloted a stunningly breathtaking sunset cruise around Ocho for us. Next, the Photo Team and Desk (Ashay, Chantel, and Allison) were great fun and very talented in their craft. Then there is Leonie Campbell who is now working at Couples Tower Isle, following a recent promotion. Leonie weaved magic behind the scenes to help ensure an outstanding experience for us (as she has done in previous years when she was based at CSS). A great and forever friend. All in all, the week of June 1 was a great experience, from the gala, to the Caribbean night, to the repeater's dinner, and to everything in between. Until we visit next year, we'll miss what CSS offers. Sunset Beach remains the resort's premier gathering spot where much of the property's vibe stirs, and the Mineral Pool and Sauna remain where much of the resort's relaxation resides. Throughout the entire property, there's stunning fauna and wildlife, all embedded within plush scenery and landscape. Along the way, as we always do, we meet new friends -- both staff and guests. In our case, we're sure we will see many of these folks again in the years to come as they repeat their CSS stays. So, that's it. Another great week at Couples as we start the countdown to next year (about 345 days away). Read less