Riu Palace Tropical Bay All-Inclusive, Negril

Let me start by saying that beach and the water are BEAUTIFUL! But, the resort was not so great. Our room had mold on the ceiling, furniture and pictures that hung on the wall. I complained a few times but nothing was done about it. Midweek my husband and I were going out in the water and there was a large rat that looked like it was killed and thrown into the water. I asked the manager twice to get it out. Someone sitting next to us got a lifeguard to finally have the rat removed from the water. People approached us ALL DAY LONG about buying drugs. Also, 3 times I had to ask for bath towels, wash cloths & a bath mat (after 4pm) because they were not put in the room when it was cleaned in the morning. There were times that I didn't even feel safe on the resort. Our room smelled like cigarettes an old damp basement... Yuck!

This was our second visit to the Riu Tropical Bay and our third visit to Negril. We love it more every time we visit. The Riu is beautiful and the staff is absolutely the best. The specialty restaurants are difficult to get into if you don't get in line early in the morning to reserve. We were able to reserve at the Japanese and the Steakhouse. Both were excellent. The daily buffet is wonderful. If you can't find something you like there, then you are just too picky! Our room was cleaned daily and the fridge stocked. You can't beat the beach. It is breathtaking. Thank you Riu for a wonderful vacation. We will be seeing you again, soon.

If you did not have fun it is your own fault! We went in the last of Nov and the first of Dec. The ocean and the pool was warm. The food was awesome. The staff was always helpful and ready to make your trip enjoyable. The sunset there breath taking right there at the beach. We travel a lot and I know that this is going to be a place that we will return to many times. We took our twin 10 year boys and they were never bored.Only thing I could say is they could use a bathroom closer to the pool area!

If you are are traveling with kids great place. Not that great for Adult. It was 4yrs ago when I stay here so things may have change since then.

I stayed at this resort in early June and it was beautiful. The grounds were clean and the rooms were very nice for standard rooms. Make sure to ask for a king bed because we got 2 doubles put together. The food is pretty bad with some exceptions but you will find stuff to eat. Don't associate too much with outside locals they all try to scheme you for money. The hotel staff is very nice and helpful. Entertainment dies out around 12am. You can pretty much do anything on the grounds at night though. Beware of locals offering you drugs left and right. Overall I would recommend this resort!!!

We were scheduled to go to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and had to cancel due to the swine flu epidemic. We rescheduled to the Riu Palace in Negril the Monday of the week we were leaving. Needless to say, some of the reviews made me VERY nervous. I have come to realize that there is just absolutely NO satisfying some people. I will agree with the fact that the room DID smell a little moldy/mildewly...however you are in the Carribean with people coming into the room and throwing their wet towels and bathing suits all over the furniture, what do you expect?? -FOOD: The food was great, the buffet was delicious. However, the reservation system for the a la carte restaurants is terrible. Everything was booked very early and they only do it every other day. If this happens, nicely introduce yourself to the restaurant manager and asst manager, and they were very gracious in getting us into the table service ones. And the Italian restaurant is the BEST! Even the buffet is wonderful though. -ROOMS: Not as big as I thought they would be, but they were clean, nice, and nicely decorated. LOVED the fridge with the beer stock, water, and the in-room mini bar! Our garden view room had a view of the ocean, so I'd even say that was a great deal! -SERVICE: I would give this an A+. These people work their butts off and do it with a smile and a laugh. The bar tenders at the pool bar were great and incredible efficient. The hotel also always has several bars open and you never wait very long for a drink. The bar by the Steak House restaurant (which also serves lunch buffet) is great and always quite during the day. David was a great bartender and always served with a smile. We were in Mexico last year and these bartenders would serve 20 drinks before the Mexican all-inclusive bartenders would serve 3, no joke. BEACH: As others have said, absolutely breath taking. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen (with only Sandals Antigua topping it). Oh, and I DID love the topless aspect...although SOME of those women should have never even been in a bathing suit! Yuck, if you DON'T have it, PLEASE DON'T flaunt it! TIPS: Always accepted our tips with a thank you and a smile. Don't expect to get too much more exceptional service, but it's nice to help them out and give them a little extra, they certainly deserve it! ACTIVITIES: We did a snorkling cruise with our two small children and had a blast. Like the other reviewers have mentioned, Ricks Cafe is an interesting place and should certainly be visited. The waters were beautiful, clear and warm. We brought our two small kids into the ocean with their own vests and goggles and they held bread into the water. The fish all gathered and nibbled the bread from their hands. Another amazing experience. We also took a cab to the Times Square shopping mall. VERY tourist oriented. Everything is in USD. The taxi was $30 round trip for all 4 of us and the guy waited there for us to finish shopping, so cool! We wander out of the shopping mall a bit to see what else was down the street, but we quickly ran into a hostile guy wanting us to buy something from him and buy him a beer, so like the tourist books say, they're not too friendly outside the resort, but it was only 1 experience. OTHER: There is a long stretch of beach between the two Riu hotels and you can use the other facility. One of our best days was walking that stretch with our kids, stopping at the vendors in the bushes along the way. But be prepared to smell marajauna the whole time and asked constantly if you want to buy some! OVERALL: An amazing experience, well worth the travel time. We definitely want to revisit some time. THANK YOU JAMAICA!

rooms were beautiful clean everything sparkled. these people treat you like you really are royalty. all inclusive trips are well worth the money i stsyed june 6-13 2008 and was very satisfied . i rate this as the best vacation and hotel i ever stayed in. thanks to the staff and head man at customs who got one of my check on bags back in 1 day as it went to aruba by mistake. even my brother was shocked by that little miracle. Dont pass up a stay at the riu tropical bay.

Visited 5/26/08 - 5/30/08. Rainy season did not damper the trip-just showers, then cleared up. The resort was clean, service was great, staff was friendly and accomodating. The rooms were clean, well stocked in-room bar, plenty of towels, iron and iron board, in-room safe. Food good. Beach large and beautiful. Ninja and Devon Craziness were lots of fun & great entertainers. Bar tenders were friendly and bar manager Donovan very nice! Massage by Charlton was great! Boat to Rick's Cafe and snorkeling was fun and boat captain great! Games on the beach and aerobics in the ocean with Ninja and Devon Craziness lots of fun and beach parties, I could go on an on....

Based on some reviews, were not sure we had made a good choice. We have been to a number of resorts. This was excellent! The beach was the best, calm water, very clear, beautiful sand, great view, tree shade available if desired. The place is clean, well kept up, staff very nice and helpful, and food absolutely great. My son is a physician and I recommended it to him and his family. The water for snorkeling and scuba diving was as clear as any in the Caribbean, and the short boat trips to the snorkel and dive sites were fun and well managed.

25-30 November 2007, Riu Tropical Bay. Staff - Plentiful, helpful and very friendly. Some of the most welcoming people I ever experience during a vacation. Nothing was too much trouble for them - No Problem Mon. Room - ocean view with balcony was the best. It was wonderful waking up and falling asleep to the sounds of waves. The mattress was not the best. Clean. Plenty of hot water. Big bath towels. They are in the process of remodeling some the rooms - did not see any construction. Weather - sunny, 85F, light breeze. Drinks - the bartenders kept your glass filled and remembered your drink of choice. The drinks are in 8 ounce cups. Bring a large drinking mug with you and have it filled before going to the beach. People use their mugs all day/night. There was never a problem having them filled. The swim up bar was filled all day. Andrew, the bartender, kept everyone entertained and played drinking games. The pool did get a film of suntan oils by mid afternoon but this did not keep people from swimming or playing pool games. Beach - beautiful, clean, soft sand and clear blue water. Plenty of lounge chairs and areas with sun or shade. Bring a float to relax in the calm water and get a suntan at the same time. Food - Plenty of choices. Tasty. Better than average for an all inclusive. The morning breakfast buffet (until 10:30) is the best. Buffets choices change slightly daily. You can eat 24 hours a day. Pizzeria is open until early morning. They have three specialty restaurants, Japanese (most popular), Gourmet (fish/steak/etc) and Steak House. They start taking reservations at 9 AM. Seating is limited to 40-45 people per restaurant. Dining hours are 6:30 or 9:00. The 6:30 seating is the most popular time. If you go to the 9:00 seating, you will miss most of the evening shows. You will not be seated if you arrive 16 minutes late for your dinner reservation. Ate twice at the gourmet and once at the steak house and they were delicious. Men must wear long pants for the Japanese/Gourmet but not in the Steak House. Entertainment - different production every evening. Great way to spend the evening after dinner. The Disco opens around 11 pm but it was very dark and had a musty odor - walked in and then out - no one was there. Tipping not expected but much appreciated. Bring one dollars with you - hotel does not really have the funds to make change in American money. If possible, fly Air Jamaica! On time, friendly, serves a free hot meal and no charge for headphones for the in-flight movie. All-in-all a great place and good value for the money. Hope to go back!