Couples Barbados: Travel Agent Gets a Sneak Peek at the First Couples Resorts Property Outside of Jamaica

BARBADOSTravel Agent, along with several of our 35 Under 30 agents, recently had the privilege of touring the soon-to-be Couples Barbados, the first Couples Resorts property outside of Jamaica.

It was announced in January of this year that Couples Resorts had finalized negotiations for the lease of the Almond Casuarina Beach Resort. The former Almond Casuarina Beach Resort will officially become Couples Barbados on June 15. The 280-room resort has undergone a roughly $3 million upgrade program that began in early February.

One of the major projects involved in the re-flagging of the resort is the moving of the property’s spa. The spa will be moved to where the property’s former pizzeria was once housed. The old Kids Club will now be an outdoor fitness area where clients can take part in such classes as yoga and Pilates. Also, a new pool area, which will include a Jacuzzi and will be designated as the property’s "quiet area," will be ready by November.

“Barbados is a hidden gem of the Caribbean, and it is exciting that Couples Barbados has arrived,” says Jacque Miller of Journeys by Jacque in Columbus, Ohio. “The resort is beautiful, lush and sits on a gorgeous beach. I am excited to send my Couples clients to Barbados. Couples guests are loyal to their resort, as are Barbados visitors. Barbados is the most revisited island in the Caribbean.”

What impressed us the most was the landscape and the beach. Now, the word, ‘lush’ is usually tossed around in just about every hotel overview I come across, but in the case of this property, it certainly applies. I have personally never seen plants that rival trees in size nor have I seen this much tropical foliage at any Caribbean resort. And we were told that even more foliage will be added.

Some of the included amenities are a personal mini-bar; 24-hour food service; transfers to and from the popular local hangout, Oistin’s Fish Fry; transfers to and from the airport; free rounds at the Barbados Golf Club; weddings and vow renewals and excursions that include catamaran cruises, a glass bottom boat ride and swimming with turtles.

"I think loyal guests of Couples Resorts will love the property in Barbados,” says Anna Fields Cropper of the All Inclusive Outlet in Lexington, Kentucky. “While walking throughout the resort, I was pleasantly surprised with how it already felt like a member of the Couples Resorts family. I visited Couples Swept Away and Couples Negril last year, and Couples Barbados really feels like their sister property based on its size, layout and beautiful grounds and foliage.”

And if you have clients who are loyal Couples Resorts customers, a change of scenery could be an excellent selling point.

“I definitely believe that loyal Couples clients will be really anxious about visiting the new property in Barbados,” says Emily Fisher of VIP Vacations, Inc. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “Anything someone could get in Jamaica at a Couples property, they can now get in Barbados, so why not see another beautiful destination in the Caribbean?”

Visit www.couples.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for more updates on this story.