Hotel Riu Palace Jamaica

My husband and I had a wonderful experience here. The staff is extremely nice! Absolutely amazing people! Every single person that walks by you, always greets you and is always in a happy mood and always willing to help. Such a pleasant experience! The food is wonderful with so much variety from breakfast to dinner. The room was always cleaned nicely by housekeeping. The bathrooms all over the hotel were always very clean! The hotel in general is very clean and the staff is always on top of everything. The staff is constantly making sure the guests are good and that the hotel looks good. You have access to the other 2 hotels which is also a big plus! I would stay at this hotel again for sure! Absolutely wonderful experience!

Amazing hotel- Winston- You are a Star***** We stayed 14 days back in May traveling from the UK. We really enjoyed the hotel services and all the facilities. You can find a space to have fun and also to enjoy and relax. Sea water is not great with some seaweeds. Pool water is very warm. Location-Hotel is 5 min drive from the airport located between Riu Reggae and Montego Bay (you have access to both) Room- very outdated, with daily service including a mini bar. I did not enjoy the view (noisy street and daily rubbish collection). Also, early in the morning around 7:00 am Housekeeping staff was preparing and talking very loudly outside our room. I have asked for a quiet room during the booking process but this was not honored unfortunately, even despite the fact that I am a Riu Class member. Public spaces- always spotless, including the toilets. Entertainment team- probably one of the best -funny and friendly Smoking- not allowed only in 2 designated area, front the hotel and next to the beach Food Buffet restaurant- excellent, you can find delicious Jamaican and International food, and a good variety of fruits and vegetables. Zen- average food and service Steak House- good tasty steak Krystal-average food and service Italian-average food and service Beverage Aqua Bar- our favorite spot with great selection of spirits and cocktails and good service Hanover- pool bar- good service and great fun with the animation Team Staff Very friendly (not sure about Housekeeping) and providing very good service across all the outlets. Special mention for providing exceptional service to the following: Winston- Hanover bar- You are the Star, attention to details and professionalism. Ray, Graham, Bright- Aqua bar- always knew our preferences Mr Frost- looking after the cleanliness on the beach very well David- Lifeguard- extremely pleasant gentleman with a great sense of humor.

I recently stayed at the Riu Palace and while the vacation overall was enjoyable, there were definitely some disappointments. One of the best parts of the trip was having access to all three Riu resorts. This gave us a lot of variety with dining options, pools, and entertainment, which helped make the trip more fun and flexible. The hotel’s common areas were clean and well maintained, which I appreciated. However, the number of rules made the resort feel overly strict and not very relaxing. For example, we were told to be quiet just for sitting and talking in the lobby at night, yet every morning at 6am the housekeeping staff were loud, laughing and talking in the halls. We also experienced loud dogs barking early in the morning. One day when it started to rain and lightning, we ran for cover but were told we couldn’t walk through a certain area because we were wet. That felt unnecessary and frustrating. Unfortunately, we also had roaches in our room. On our first night, the entire resort had no air conditioning, and we had to sleep in a hot room. The A/C wasn’t fixed until mid-day the next day. On top of that, the staff at the front desk and buffet were not very friendly or welcoming, which added to the overall frustration. The entertainment staff, however, were awesome and helped bring some energy to the trip. A special shoutout to our favorite bartender in the main lobby at night, Archer — he was amazing and made us feel welcome every evening. I think the front desk should explain the resort policies clearly at check-in so guests aren’t constantly being told what they can and can’t do as they move around the property. I’ve stayed at several other Riu resorts and sadly this was the least enjoyable experience. Because of all the issues we experienced, I won’t be returning to this location.