Couples Swept Away

Just returned from 14 day holiday to Couples Swept Away. Nice hotel but definitely not 5 star. We've stayed in several 5 star hotels and this one just didn't match up. The air conditioning unit started to leak one morning so we reported it and it was fixed. The next night at 2.30 in the morning we woke to find the unit hanging off the wall and water all over the floor. We mopped it up with towels and reported it again the next morning. A maintenance man was sent around and we were told that the person who should have fixed it before had not cleaned out the drain or fixed it back on the wall properly. We didn't receive an apology for the inconvenience which we would have expected. The majority of staff were lovely however a few let the hotel down. We returned to our room one afternoon at 4pm because it was raining to find that our room hadn't been cleaned. When the member of staff arrived to clean she appeared really put out that we were already back in our room. My husband told her that we'd sit on the balcony while she cleaned as we were certainly not sitting out in the rain. She was really miserable and we felt like an inconvenience. The staff in the Palms restaurant were polite and friendly at lunchtime however in the evening sometimes service was slow and preferential treatment was given to the American visitors. We found the food excellent and our favourite was the Lemongrass restaurant. Both the food and service was top class. The beach was absolutely amazing and the grounds were kept clean and well maintained. Evening entertainment is practically non existent and the entertainment area is in the dining room so there isn't a separate place to sit and watch anything that is going on. We would have liked to have a separate bar area just to sit and have a drink in the evening. Alot of couples seem to return to this hotel but for us it was just lacking in some areas. Read less

Our review of our 1st visit Having just returned from 12 nights here, I wanted to share my honest opinion on Couples Swept Away. There are both pros and cons but I enjoy reading honest reviews so thought this may help others who have booked/thinking of booking. Hotel: 3/5 we felt there were many areas that were run down/in need of some tlc/painting/missing tiles/pool refurb needed. Everything looks slightly dated in terms of furniture. Rooms: 4/5 Atrium room are simply stunning, very Bali-like being in the trees, close to the beach/romantic especially with the veranda hammock. We moved from our first room as there was lots of limescale in bathroom and times missing from the patio. Small things like shutters not working/broken safe/plug sockets loose. Amenities in the room are good - good quality hairdryer/great shower/toilet Plenty of wardrobe space. Pools: 2/5 Very small for resort pools and completely overlooked by the restaurants which is slightly uncomfortable having people stare at you while you swim… I feel that the pools are placed in the totally position. We never used the pools once (only the lap pool over at the gym side) as the beach/ocean was just too good. We did use the exercise lap pool over at the gym and this was great, but again lots of times missing/lights broken etc. Beach 10/5 It is simply stunning. Powder soft sand, crystal clear waters. Plenty of sun loungers, sunny and shade spots. The only negative is the amount of times the local sellers try to get your attention - it’s non stop. We even turned our sun loungers away from the ocean to avoid them. But we also got talking to lots of them and found them really pleasant and after a firm ‘NO THANK YOU’ they moved along. Restaurants 2/5 This was our least favourite thing at this hotel, the food just wasn’t up to scratch. Fatty meats/ lacking of choices/repetitive. Patios: awful. 😞 chose the beef on our 2nd night after waiting 45 minutes and it arrived full of fat! Our favourite (if we had to choose) was Scotch Bonnet as they had a special every day and the food and service was great. We ate out with local vendors most days/nights. Entertainment 2/5 It’s virtually non existent which is absolutely fine if what you’re coming here for is early nights and a completely chilled holiday. I would have loved some traditional music/somewhere to meet other couples after dinner, like a cocktail bar or something. Other people saying that there is entertainment such as Karaoke/live bands etc this is not our idea of entertainment and once you’ve heard someone singing “living on a prayer” once, badly, you’ve heard it a hundred times. We did enjoy the reggae night tho, they were very good, just a shame that there was around 20-30 guests sitting in the restaurant and listening, no dancing and just no vibe. Staff 3/5 Most of the members of staff we met were an absolute delight, Kadie at the coffee shop and Adrian the gardener have the best energy, spent time getting to know us and really were lovely people. But some of them really lacked in customer skills, many of them we found, prioritising American/Canadian guests. Service 3/5 Couldn’t fault the service, apart from speed, but then EVERYTHING in Jamaica is 100 x slower than things at home (especially if you are from uk). The guys and girls at the restaurants were super friendly and there is never a dirty plate left on the table for more than 1 minute. Activities 5/5 This was one of our favourite things about this hotel, everything you get included in the price. I am very nervous of the ocean and I overcame so many fears. I paddle boarded/jet skied/paddle biked/glass bottomed boated/sunset cruised and snorkelled my way through our 12 days and I absolutely loved it. Overall 3/5 Whilst I can appreciate there are many couples that return year after to this resort and I can see why, for us, other than the beach and activities on offer, we wouldn’t return. I feel that this is a great hotel 🏨 if you are over the age of 60 and want a completely slow paced/laid back/no glitz and glam kind of holiday. We prefer a resort with a little more evening entertainment and the food let this down for us. However, We would 100% return to seven mile beach though as it is one of the best beaches I’ve ever. One love ❤️💚💛 Read less

We had a beach front room offering sea views, well supposedly. Ill come to that. Every morning at between 05:30 and 06:30 a tractor would race up and down the section of the beach nearest our room raking the sand I assume. (the rooms have no glass windows, just wooden slatted shutters and mosquito nets). Then at around 06:30/07:00 a member of staff would erect fold up tables for the craft market. By now we are wide awake (its supposed to be a relaxing holiday). Theses craft stalls were set up directly in my sight line to the "wonderful view". The restaurants were quite good but the "Feathers" a la carte offering is very 70's and on our first visit the food was cold and tasteless, they invited us back and that visit was 100% better. The wine list is poor, looks great but they never had any Rose despite offering a choice of 3. The beach bars are okay although require managing to stop the young lads working there (nearest to Patois Patio) being drunk & high playing their own music ( foul mouthed rap) at full volume and then having to shout to be heard. The watersports are included which is nice. Overall, despite a few niggly issue the place is beautiful ( not 5 star as UK visitors would expect), sunbeds are still being reserved at the crack of dawn but we always found some. I would visit here again now we are in the know. Read less