The kids club is outstanding!

If you have children under the age of 10, you will want to come here for the kids club. My 2 girls aged 7&9, asked each day to go to Riuland(the kids club). You know it's great when they choose that over the beach! The staff were all very friendly and service was good. We had hoped the food would be better. There seemed to be a lack of sugar in their baked goods as if sugar was a hard thing to come by in the country? Also, traditional dishes like oxtail had no flavour. I've had better oxta [... read more]il in Ontario. Spices also seemed to be in short supply. There was plenty of food choice but the depth of flavour was lacking. Our room was the family room and it was outstanding! So clean and spacious. The beach was also very nice. It was long and the ocean had some seaweed parts but also clear areas. Swimming was great. The pools were great, except my 7 year old couldn't touch the bottom of any of them. A pool with a shallow end would have been helpful. The kid area has a pool with slides in 1 foot of water depth which was too shallow for the 7 year old. My 9 yearwas excited for the big water slides but was told she couldn't have goggles and there were no tubes to go down on, so she didn't like the feeling of just her body going full force into a very deep pool. My 7 year old wasn't tall enough for the slides by an inch, so check ahead of time to see if your child is the right height. I think it was 4 feet tall, but not sure. Also, the big slide with the swirl wasn't working.

Do not go here !

Just arrived home 2/28/2024 after a week at Riu Ocho Rios. This was my first time in Jamaica & will be my last. #1 My sons wife was physically assaulted by another guest (A Jamaican living in Canada but there on vacation) this man harassed all of the women in our group of 12, minding our own business having a drink outside the sports bar in the lounge area. He was told nicely to leave once, came back 10 mins later with more of an attitude. My 29 year old daughter in-law was going to attempt to  [... read more]ask him to leave again when he threw her into the other women in our group. My son then retaliated to protect his wife, when this mans son came out of nowhere and tackled my son breaking his wrist & punching him in the mouth. Security came and various other staff, who were all laughing at us. They did nothing to this man & actually blamed my daughter inlaw saying she started it. What a joke! The other option was, our entire group of 30 people can leave and we can seek out legal action with the police. Anyone that knows Jamaica leaving a resort at 2am in the morning we would have probably been robbed or killed. #2 The hotel clinic the woman was super rude & refused to even give us a tensor bandage or anything even to purchase one. Totally unacceptable & disgusting. #3 The pool staff (life guards) are pigs , non stop hitting on the young girls in our group (daughters). making advancements, pouring water on their breasts, touching ect.. After reading more reviews on this resort of multiple similar reports... is this acceptable to the Riu resort chain? Our group spent approx. $90,000 dollars on our stay at this resort. I would highly recommend that nobody goes here. It is nothing special & sketchy as hell. If you cant feel safe at an expensive resort with a joke of a security staff, where can you feel safe ? Disgusting resort Rui !

Perfect resort

We had an amazing time at this resort and never ran out of things to do. Private beach is located very close to the rooms making it relaxing to not have to walk far at all. Multiple pools and with scheduled events such as foam parties with music keep you entertained. Grounds are always maintained and service is exceptional as everybody is friendly. Rooms are kept clean everyday as if it was the first day you walked in, housekeeping does an amazing job. Bartenders are very friendly at all bars. F [... read more]ood is always perfect as you’ll always find something new to try and enjoy. Would highly recommend going to this resort, no complaints at all.

Great Resort

The resort was clean, room clean, staff great. Reception at front desk when asking for help to reserve dinner was little rude to us. Not everyone uses a phone. Ordering through the application for extra stuff for the room (pop) very slow, like next day. Careful with the floor in the room, they were wet so had to be careful walking. (Condensation).

Jan 31-Feb 2024

Myself and my wife stayed here from Jan 31-2024 to Feb 7th 2024. I will start with the positive first and then I will advise of the negative. Positive: The hotel itself was very clean, the food was amazing, the daily entertainment and the drinks we were all on point. The nightly entertainment was nice, with the exception of the Bob Marley night. I would have thought this was dedicated to Bob Marley and pure reggae music, but they played dancehall, RNB and Hip Hop which made absolutely no s [... read more]ense to me. They should have had a Bob Marley slide show, and played Bob Marley first and old school reggae nothing else!! The food on a daily was Blessed, especially having Ackee and Saltfish daily for breakfast and fried dumpling was a good look. The cocoa tea was nice or for some they may refer to it as hot chocolate. The plantain porridge was to die for that was absolutely amazing. The jerk hut for the most part was good. I did not however recall seeing any Oxtail at the buffet, but we did not eat at the buffet every day so we might have missed it. BUFFET: One thing I seriously believe needs to change and this is not just this resort it is ALL resorts, STOP asking us as visitors to wear shirts, buffet is a buffet it is NOT an A La Carte, we are visiting a foreign country in 30+ degree weather, nobody wants to have to sweat and wear shirts as men when you have all these women wearing sleeveless tops and next to nothing and you are concerned about a man in a tank top to go to the same buffet that we went to in the morning and afternoon in the same tank top. That makes no sense. A la carte I can understand. Negative: When we first arrived we were given a room that was not suitable. I do not blame the hotel completely for this, I blame sunwing. It was made clear to the travel agent that we both have mobility issues and requested to be put in a room close to the elevator and close to the buffet. They put us in a room that we had to go up 2 ramps which was unacceptable. We came back to the front to request a change in rooms, this was a bit of a tussle but we finally managed to change our rooms. The other issue we had was we booked according to trip central an Oceanview room. We got a partial ocean view room if you are 6ft tall and can see over the palm trees sure. We were advised by the hotel that this was no fault of theirs and that an ocean room view costs more. TBH this was a turn off because I have booked with red tag and other agencies and requested an ocean view room at Bahia Principe for example and I got just what I asked for... When we wanted to depart and had to leave our luggage, it was put into a room that had no lock on it and anyone could access it, this made no sense. Important things such as luggage that is not accompanied should not be put into a non locked storage room where anyone can access it, regardless of camera's. Just put a lock on the door and secure the items. Prevent is better than cure. OVERALL: The overall stay at the resort was good, the negative would not stop us from revisiting this hotel, I would however strongly suggest if you are to stay at this hotel to book for min 8-10 days. From start to finish we started our journey on the plane at 915am, and we did not arrive at the hotel till almost 6pm. We spent 3 hours just in the customs line, and another 2hrs waiting on the bus to leave, plus another 2hr + drive to get to the hotel. So if you book for 7 days your first day is a write off, and we left at 9am so again now the last day is a write off. So in essence a trip to this hotel means losing 2 out of 7 days technically.

Terrific resort

I am not a fussy person and I appreciate and am grateful when people have to work hard for a living so keeping that in mind... Let me start with the grounds....beautiful. This includes the pool (cleaned every morning along with the deck), beach and common areas outside. The buffet was huge it had a large variety of different food every day for breakfast ,lunch and dinner and it was very tasty. The steak a-la-carte was delicious and the portion was huge. We did not try any of the other a-la [... read more]-carte's. Room had a funny smell (bug spray I think) but it was very clean, well stocked. The lobby and seating areas were clean ,we did see 2 cockroaches sitting across from the sports bar overlooking the beach, but this was an outdoor area and they could of came from the outside. (only 1 time did I see bugs this was it). Wait staff was perfect and most staff were attentive and engaging. Bars were clean and getting a drink was a breeze. The sport's bar also had nacho chips and patties to snack on later at night. The only reason I have to take a 1/2 star away is because, a couple of the staff got a little rude in there response to some questions and seemed to have an bad attitude. I would have to give this resort a 4 1/2 star.

Excellent Resort

Hotel was very clean and easy to get around. Food was amazing with a wide variety for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pools were clean with plenty of seating. Sports bar came in handy to watch football and relax

Second thought.

I was expecting fresher fruits, you could see that at times oxidation on the fruits, changing colour.Meat not well seasoned at times. I think the hotel should have a policy where individuals dressed approriately (almost naked the day they were born)off beach.I wouldn't dear have my kids there. The staff were great; hard working, hospitable and friendly. The worst part was the night before I was so sick in my room 2 hrs after Wednesday night dinner, at first I thought I was poisoned because I  [... read more]remembered I left my soup unattended to get my food. I believed the red kidney beef soup I had was contaminated which deprived me of the night's sleep.

Everything you need to relax!

The hotel has many rooms and yet you never feel like it’s crowded! There is beachfront for all who chose it, and beach loungers for all. Rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable beds. The buffet can satisfy any taste, and a Jamaican corner of foods at every meal and every day is appealing to those who go for the Jamaican foods!! Entertainment is wholesome, family friendly fun! The resort overall is quieter, And a relaxed ambiance about it.

Beautiful Resort

This hotel is very clean and services are excellent. The food is fresh, tasty and delicious. The beach is very calm and water is very clear and waves are not that high. An excellent family get away. People are very friendly and down to earth. I would like to see them serve black label scotch whisky because I .m a scotch drinker with a fine pallet.

Racism still exists

Racism still exists at the RIU OCHO RIOS Spa Food ok but cold Lots of Flys 🪰 Difficult to make reservations on App House keeping throwing away guest food Entertainment very good Bus driver to Shakka great Birthday ruined

Great time at Riu Ocho Rios

Great time at Riu Ocho Rios Will try to keep this short. Things that are great: *rooms are beautiful, clean, and very well appointed *grounds well maintained and cleaned daily *mini bar and fridge restocked every two days *plenty of towels, hot water, water pressure pressure *beautiful beach, well maintained, plenty of chairs *lovely pools, plenty of chairs there as well, lots of shade *no wait for beach towels, readily available and huts always open *drinks were great and service wo [... read more]nderful at all of the bars *food was great at the buffet, and the jerk hut where we had lunch three times - a la cartes were average, definitely not worth it Things that made the stay less comfortable *as usual other guests - bringing their own speaker to the pool bar so that their music competed with the music from the actual speaker making it unpleasant for others *people smoked in non smoking areas at night and security didn't care...and when everyone is smoking whacky tobacci it becomes unmanageable *the gym literally had one machine that worked - the others were unplugged or out of order and I know I'm a minority here but some of us do like to work out on vacation, especially when it rains - for a resort this size the gym is tiny, no AC, and then the machines don't work *the drive to the resort was close to three hours from the airport with a pitstop and a huge traffic jam on the one lane highway - bus is comfortable, just be prepared *no shampoo/conditioner in bathroom, so bring your own - there is only a body wash/shampoo in one

Beautiful beach

Beach is so nice with amazing views from throughout the resort, soft sand, warm blue water Rooms are adequate, no frills Service is on par with what one would expect in Jamaica, some good, some can't be bothered Buffet is similar to food court food

Riu Ocho Rios

This was the best resort I’ve ever been, absolutely beautiful! First time in Jamaica and we loved it🇯🇲 From the food to the beach, the room, the staff everything was amazing, we shall return as soon as possible 😁

Amazing Resort

My wife and I just returned from this resort. We booked a one week stay. If you are looking for a family vacation this is the place to go. Lots of things for the younger generation to do. I found the resort well organized, and very entertaining. The staff from cleaners to bartenders to the entertainment are very hard workers. The food is the big winner here something for everyone plus extras. Never had tummy troubles during our stay. I found you were very well looked after during the whole trip. [... read more] Thank you!

Good for big families

This hotel is very big, there is lots of things to get involved with. If your looking to do excursions this is the perfect location. Not a fan of the Renovations I liked the way the place was before them.

Breathtaking

This Hotel/resort was breathtaking. Awesome. It superseded my expectations in every way. Our sunwing agent Karol and the entire team members were very very courteous too. If there was a change or question in regards to our flight or booking, it was addressed immediately. This form of communication gave me a great deal of peace of mind and satisfaction.

Amazing!! No need to leave the hotel, it's all there!

Riu Ocho Rio is paradise with a cherry on top! The location is extremely clean, lots of spacious seating with the best entertainment and tasty food. Vacationing over the long weekend (National Heroes Day) and they incorporated elements that visitors could enjoy and be educated. The beach was clean and secluded with lots of seating and no vendors. I can't begin to say enough about the entertainment staff who were fun, energic and remembered faces. They went above and beyond to make your stay mem [... read more]orable and interactive. No need to leave the hotel, its all there! I definitely will be back and recommend to all.

Everything you Need

The Riu Ocho Rios is a perfect blend of everything you need to have a perfect vacation. Food is plentiful and flavourful, staff are happy and fun, beach is large and entertainment leaves you with with wholesome laughter. Glow party is a MUST!!

Riu Ocho Rios

This hotel is top-notch in terms of food, staff hospitality, nightly entertainment, day-time activities and beach facilities. However, room maintenance could be better as we had to call on 2 separate occasions to get our toilet repaired (was not flushing) and the electrical outlets at the bedsides were not working. We therrfore had to charge our phones in the bathroom. BUT THE MAJOR DRAWBACK WAS THE LACK OF ATTENTION TO COVID PROTOCOLS LEADING TO MY FRIEND AND I CONTRACTING COVID DURIN OUR ST [... read more]AY AT THE HOTEL!!!! We were there over the July 4th weekend when the hotel was booked to capacity. Except for the front-desk staff, no other staff wore masks. There was no requirement for masking or social distancing of guests. The buffets were not adequately protected; the top shields over the food were not low enough to protect the food from contamination by spit from adults. There were no lower shields to protect the food from the children whose mouths and noses were at the same level of the food. These factors may have resulted on the jul 4t weekend being a super spreader.