Kevin and Rebecca’s 400 NIGHTS at Couples Negril

KEVIN AND Rebecca Ticehurst celebrated their 400th night at Couples Negril two weeks ago as the resort and its sister hotel, Couples Swept Away, celebrated their 20th anniversary.

The couple, who hails from Heathfield in the southeast of England, first came to the resort 16 years ago and has made the hotel their second home, travelling to Negril two to three times per year for stays which last between 14 and 21 days at a time.

“We first came to

Jamaica by accident.

There was a deal on and we came here and fell in love with it, and we kept coming back,” Ticehurst explained. “From Europe, it is a long trek, and I know a lot of Americans come down for maybe four, five days. We tend to come for longer because it is a long flight,” he explained. The couple has fallen in love with Jamaican food, and, according to them, they adore every aspect of the cuisine, especially jerk, so much so that they even make their own jerk chicken back in England. But like most repeat visitors to Jamaica, the food is secondary as it is the warmth and friendliness of the people that keeps them enchanted with the island.

“The food is always good, but the people are better. It is like coming back to friends. We walk in the door and we have people coming out from the kitchen saying: ‘Hi Kevin and Becky, you’re back!’ And some of them we have never seen before, but they still know who we are and it’s amazing. It is so, so good,” said Becky.

“We have friends here; we have friends who we met while we are here. The people, friends, and our friends, who we met here keep us coming back,” she said. “We know the gardeners; we know the cleaners; we know the back of the house and kitchen staff. We know everybody,” she added.

For every off-property day excursion that is offered, the duo has done them all during the 400 collective days spent in Jamaica, spanning the last decade and a half.

“We have done all the trips there are. We go out sometimes with our friends. When we come in November, we do the Reggae Marathon. Wor the last four to five years, we have done the 10K. It is a great place to come. We have made lifelong friends here, and that’s ultimately what brings us back,” Ticehurst said.

‘The food is always good, but the people are better. It is like coming back to friends. We walk in the door and we have people coming out from the kitchen saying: ‘Hi Kevin and Becky, you’re back!’