A Couples Thing

Sunday was the final day of my Jamaican adventure, which took me 550 kilometers along the island’s north coast, from Montego Bay to Negril in the west, then east to Port Antonio, westward again to Ocho Rios and finally back to Mo’Bay.

My last three nights I was ensconced at Couples Tower Isle (formerly Couples Ocho Rios), checking out the changes to the romantic, 226-room all-inclusive resort, which reopened on Easter Sunday after a yearlong, $30 million renovation. At 60, it is one of Jamaica’s oldest properties, and in its 1950s heyday as The Tower Isle Hotel welcomed royalty and Hollywood stars. The hotel became the Caribbean’s first all-inclusive resort when Jamaican owner Abe Issa (who is widely acknowledged as the father of the island’s tourism) introduced the concept to Jamaica in 1978, and renamed the hotel Couples Ocho Rios.

I stopped by for a quick visit last year, and while the hotel was clearly as popular as ever, it was showing some wear. So it was particularly gratifying to see how beautifully the grande dame of all-inclusive resorts has been restored to her former glory. Interior designer (and co-owner of Negril’s Idle Awhile) Jane Issa has revamped every inch in a retro-modern style that combines art deco- and mid-century modern- influenced furniture and lighting with contemporary accents. Twenty new rooms, a spa, two restaurants and a second pool have been added, and the guest rooms, piano bar, gym, original pool and public areas have all been renovated. The overall effect combines Rat Pack sleek with tropical chic, and homage is paid to the hotel’s heritage with Tower Isle memorabilia throughout.

I do have some small criticisms: Although the resort offers free Wi-Fi, travelers now expect it to be available in rooms and not just in the lobby. An open, walk-in shower is a great concept, but the entire bathroom floor flooded every time I bathed. And it seemed odd that a resort of Couples’ standard doesn’t have robes in the room (nor did I see them in the new spa).

Nevertheless, just over a month since reopening, CTI is looking better than ever, guests are clearly enjoying the enhancements, and once the inevitable re-opening bugs are worked out, they’ll be hard-pressed to find fault. With free horseback riding and glass bottom boat tours, as well as complimentary excursions to Ocho Rios for shopping and to Jamaica’s iconic Dunn’s River Falls, Couples remains one of the best values in the Caribbean all-inclusive resort category. Factor in attentive service and enhanced amenities, and you’ve got three good reasons to consider it for your next vacation.

A Couples Thing