5 star not, maybe a 3?

Upon arriving at the Rui Reggae we were all underwhelmed. I understand that this is a brand new property, time will not help this place! I also understand this resort was built using Riu's new "plan". Not sure who they hired for this, but obviously someone who doesn't travel much, and if they do, not at 5 star resorts. To jam this resort into such a small plot of land was their first mistake. There are so many chairs around the pool and on the beach, it is uncomfortable. A great number o [... read more]f rooms either have views of drainage areas, or a massive white wall from the Rui Palace which is right next door. They placed what must be a sewer drain right between one bar and the entertainment area. I assume a sewer drain, as every time you went near it, it smelled like raw waste. This resort has two other Rui properties right beside it. The Rui Palace and the Rui Montego Bay. Because we were so disappointed in the Reggae, we walked up the beach to view the other places. Our thoughts were to possibly change to one of these others. These other properties look identical and after speaking to guests at each of these resorts we decided to stay. The comments on the other properties were not good either. They did do a few things right! The staff at the hotel were all exceptional! The food in the buffet was also exceptional! Only got into the steak restaurant because of the line ups. It was just okay. Good luck Rui, but I can only imagine this property being deserted at some point.

Loved the Riu Reggae!

We stayed at Riu Reggae Dec 26-Jan 2nd. What a great resort! The staff are so incredibly warm, friendly and welcoming. The resort is brand new, and they do an amazing job of keeping it clean. The restaurants offer a great selection of meals/themes. Try the drink of the day, you'll love it1

Exceeded all expectations!

After booking Riu Reggae initially, I was a little discouraged by all the negative reviews I was reading. Some people were even switching hotels. Having just returned, I have one thing to say: YOU ARE TOO PICKY!!! My review is long, but hopefully it will answer a lot of the questions I have been reading: My boyfriend and I stayed Dec 24-31/16 and absolutely loved everything about it. Check in was seamless. Our room was ready, spotless from day 1 to 7, tastefully decorated, and very mo [... read more]dern. The food was absolutely incredible. Top shelf all the way. Especially on New Years Eve. The effort the staff went through to make this evening special was admirable. They even had an electrician there in the morning doing special lighting for the evening. There were ice sculptures, all-you-can-eat seafood, beef wellington, lamb...you name it, it was there, and it was all amazing. The food was great every day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the jerk chicken hut on the beach was unreal as well. The staff and entertainment crew was so friendly, talented and personable. A special thank you goes to our favorite bartenders Kevon and Dexford. From night one, they treated us like their best friends. Zee, Vibes and Barbie on the entertainment team were very hospitable! They are excellent dancers, clearly love their job and are great at it. People complained about having to walk to the disco at Riu Montego Bay and that there should be a shuttle. OMG! Walk...it's 5 minutes away, you're in a tropical country, and the drinks are included. The spa was top notch as well. We had a massage on the beach. The drinks were amazing. They have the best mango daiquiris. They have premium labels such as Tanqueray gin. Free, unlimited wifi everywhere on the resort. Yes, there is a gift shop in the lobby. Yes, there are hairdryers in your room. If it doesn't work, the front desk will give you one to use for your stay. The shower has a shampoo dispenser in it and there is plenty of hot water and water pressure. The towels and bath robes provided are high quality. The garden view rooms are SO peaceful and quiet. The beach is private and beautiful. For those who complained, you clearly didn't walk to the other two resorts. Riu Reggae definitely has the nicest beach of the three. You can always find a beach lounger. You may have to walk around to get one, but they are there. And they can be moved. So if you don't like where you found it; move it to where you want to sit. There is no ATM at the resort. There is one at Riu Montego Bay in the casino, but if it is out of order, there is a Scotiabank right across the street in front of Burger King. Yes, planes fly overhead, but you are on a tropical island that is in demand. It's the only way in and out. The pools are gorgeous with pub-style tables IN the pools. Very nice. My boyfriend and I joked and said if we HAD to find one thing to complain about, we would say the drink coasters in the bars are too thin! Ha ha ha ha....Honestly, that's all we could come up with. For those of you with trips/weddings planned at Riu Reggae, rest assured, you are going to absolutely love it!

Relaxing holiday

Just got back last week and had a very relaxing holiday. Since it is a new hotel everything is very clean. Checked into a garden view room which had a view of a wall and ugly trees. Was able to upgrade to an ocean view room which was great. View of the beach and pool. Depending on what you are looking for in a holiday the Riu Reggae for me has some faults. No room service which I missed. If you do not offer room service then at least have a coffee maker in the room. Very far to go in the morning [... read more] for a coffee. I would of enjoyed having it on my balcony. The beach is man made so in places very stoney and it is not long if you enjoy walking. The pools are shallow maybe 3 feet. Not a lot of service around the pools and none on the beach. Food in all the restaurants were good and great variety in the buffet. Nice hotel but no wow factor!!

Great stay at Reggae!

Grounds very new. In a few years there will be mature trees and plants. Food areas safe, bright and signs of conscientious supervision of wait staff and food handlers. Clean, bright and new. Staff amazing, helpful and ready to please. Jerk hut, never ran out of food. Our one critique is that of the pool maintenance and the surfaces around the lounge areas. I have seen at other resorts, tireless pool maintenance, washing stone surfaces, vacuuming, etc . I did not see this here. Sand an [... read more]d spills not washed each night, even cigarette butts on the tiles next morning....glasses still with drinks sitting on the swim up bar areas in the pool well past walking back from the shows at 11pm we didn't see anyone working in the pools. Pool had slimy surfaces, the ramp was no vacuumed of sand, there were Garbage pieces and straws in the pools. I do not know why these resorts hand out straws with every drink. We saw them all over the resort, in the pool, flowerbeds, patio areas, sand, beach etc. They are bad for the environment, think how much money RIU could save if they banned straws!

Amazing Christmas vacation for me an my dad

Shout out to daywayne zee and cash amazing place thank you riu regga an also the lovely country jamica. The food,people,resort,go Scottish. Christmas Eve An day will be one I'll always remember with me an my dad. Was money well spent. Will be my number one choice of trip An resort so close to the airport.

Amazing resort

We arrived at the resort at 11:30 am the check in was fast. The was ready at 2:30 so still had plenty of time to eat and drink. The food was awesome and lots to choose from. The whole resort is well laid out everything is close so no long distance walking. The al a carts did not need reservations and was no problem getting in every night. This resort is non smoking so you have to go out front or there is a spot on beach. I would definatly go back again. This resort is brand new and is literally [... read more] 5 min. from airport.

New resort- rave review!

Start to finish- excellent value. From the superb accommodations, food, drink, activities and the best service of any tropical destination! Loved Jamaica and the people. One love. One heart! I would recommend this resort 100%.

Not a 5 star

Our first time in Jamaica AND first time to stay at Riu. Check-in was okay, staff's friendly, they checked us on the ground floor and when I mentioned that we requested a second floor room, they were pleasantly accomodating, though we had to wait the next day to be moved. The room was fine, not what we're used to for a 5 star accommodations. The floor by the sink got flooded every time, we showered, looked like the caulking not done properly. We're not much into alcoholic beverages so we'd rat [... read more]her have a coffemaker than a bar in the room. Whenever we go away, watching tv is not really a big deal, but it's nice to have while relaxing and waiting for dinner time, so when we turned on the tv, the reception was poor, so we asked for assistance but no one showed up. We didn't ask again as we didn't want to impose. The hotel grounds in general is fine, considering it's newly opened. Beach was okay, though I stepped on mud patches, heard it was a reclaimed beach. Lots of loungers, no complaints on that. Pools always crowded, which was not a concern to me as I prefer the beach. Buffett restaurant was okay, though we're quite disappointed to the lack of seafood choices, we're in the Caribbean after all. Some fruits served we're not ripe, pineapples we're pale, hard and tasteless, same with soursop. Went to the specialty restaurants and they were disappointing as well. Being familiar to different cuisines here in the GTA, I find their food pretentious. Also, every time I asked for a rosé with my dinner, I was told either they don't serve it or they ran out. At Kulinarium, I was told they don't serve it but then I saw a guy with a glass, and pointed it out, to my surprise, I saw bottles being chilled in the stands. Being non-white, am I being discriminated? The jerk chicken from the hut was great compared to the buffett restaurant's. Watch out for the bartenders, they don't put all the ingredients that's on the cocktail menu. We had the misfortune of using their medical services but we were treated very well by the crew involved. One thing for sure, the Jamaican people that we encountered on this vacation were wonderful! We will definitely go back to Jamaica, though we'll stay somewhere else. Over all, I rate this hotel 3 stars, the staff get 5 stars. I'd recommend other places before this hotel.

Not for us!

Very disappointing stay. Other than a staff who do their very best we left wondering why RIU even bothered to build this resort. Such a small footprint there is no room to get away from the loud noise-- music, people, airplanes-- other than going to your room. Beach is tiny, water murky, sand everywhere,no shade, crowded loungers. Went for breakfast and headed for the RIU Montego Bay 5 minute walk to spend the day. Wish we had waited for reviews and would have known beforehand.

Great Resort

The hotel was new, clean and very modern. The rooms were a bit small and the mattresses and pillows were very uncomfortable. The beach was small but being able to walk through the other resorts made it more enjoyable. The food was very good. The salad bar was well done. I love all Jamaican people and the staff was trying but still need to learn some skills. The shows were entertaining especially the Michael Jackson show.

It's Average

The Riu Reggae is overall an average hotel. Public areas are modern and sleek, but the rooms show signs of being rushed. Our room was cleaned between 4 and 6 pm every day, when we were tired and wanted some time to get ready for dinner. They either need more housekeeping staff or a better schedule. Pluses were the staff and the food - both amazing. Great selection of tasty offerings for all meals at the buffet. Roger at the jerk hut was great! Beach is small, man-made, and the "sand" is mainly c [... read more]rushed shells. Wouldn't stay here again as there is better value to be had in Jamaica, but if you get a good price go ahead and book! Good location close to the airport in Montego Bay.

Ok resort for the money we paid

Grounds very congested. Too many chairs in a small space. . Spent most of our time at Riu Montego Bay. Rooms were ok but followup from management re issues were not followed through i.e. 3 days to get blanket, mini bar filled once in 7 days . Some rooms made up some not at all. Food staff and bar staff were excellent. Food was ok buffet was as good as a la carts. Other than premium drinks at Reggea we enjoyed our time at Riu Montego Bay better as they had drink service around the pool and on th [... read more]e beach. Beautiful foyer and sitting area at Montego Bay as well as casino (small but fun) and excellent staff . Its new and hopefully they will work the bugs out.

Vacation at Riu Reggae- Jamaica Nov 24/16.

1) The resort is 5 minutes from airport. We were on Vacation and NO reason to sit on the bus for more than hour waiting to leave- there is need for better organizing. 2) Airplanes taking off low right over the hotel all day. 3) Hotel is nice, opened Nov 19/16 and still in finishing progress. The garden has palm trees and shrubs. They were just planted and it will need 1-2 years to look lavishing green. Lots of potential. 4) Check in and check out was fast, staff was very friendly, pleasan [... read more]t and attentive to our needs. 5) Rooms are nice, big, with big terrace. Fridge is replenished as needed. Bathrobes are very nice touch. Room service was very good. 6) Beach- small- if you like to walk this is not beach for you. First few feet in the water nice sand then unpleasant mud and water grass. 7) 2 Pools with pool bars. People sitting in the pool and drinking all day and you have to swim in it? I don't thing so. Does not feel appealing. Lots of loungers around the pool with canopy or umbrella, service offering refreshments. 8) We expected better food selection in five star hotel. However, what was offered was prepared well and tasty. 9) Something new at Riu Resorts. No more booking for restaurant. Did not like that. To get in you have to line up 1 hour before opening and at the end we did not get in. The Steak House food and service was the best. We were waiting just for a short time to get in but they already solved the waiting problem; they offered sparkling wine, chair and you did not have the feeling you are waiting. 10) All in all we had very good time, weather was perfect, staff very nice. We love Jamaica, next year we would like to try Riu Negril resort.

Great time

Nice resort. New. Is not a 5 star if they don't have drink service to beach and pool area. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. House keeping is working through some issues. Made me wait until 5 to check in.

Work to be done still

This hotel is in its early stages....They need to address the lack of seating @ the a la carts, first & foremost, in addition to the inability to walk the beach @ the Riu Palace in order to get over to the Riu Mo Bay. The entertainment was sketchy, with decent shows 3 out of the 7 nights. We had a great time as we were on vacation, but we've been to Jamaica multiple times and expected more from Riu as we are a fan & repeat customers of the chain. Issues with room (no water), were addresse [... read more]d with an upgrade, (thank you), staff were wonderful, managers obviously had their hands full as construction was still been completed. Food was hit & miss, and waiters need to be trained on how to address customers with food allergies, as there were limited options in some of the a la carts, to the point where we had to eat @ the buffet (salad / apps) prior to going to dinner. Chefs need to be a little flexible and sensitive..... There is NOTHING Jamaican about the Riu Reggae, the Ikea furniture and prints throughout the hotel where not for us....

Open too soon

I think that this resort was not ready and opened too soon. Many of the problems were a direct result of not having enough time to finish the details. Small things that in total resulted in a forgettable experience.