Hotel Riu Palace Jamaica

Nicklin2025 wrote a review August 2025

Summer Holiday

Great location although wouldn’t rate this Hotel as a 5 star Platinum. Hotel was clean but rooms a little small and need some decorating. Staff and service were fantastic great choice of food also would definitely recommend the Gourmet restaurant.

Date of Stay: August 2025

holcrossfield wrote a review August 2025

Amazing holiday

We stayed here as a couple for two weeks and could not fault anything whilst we were here. The room was lovely and spacious, it was cleaned really well every single day. Housekeeping also came round at around 7pm to ask if we needed anything else.

The food selection throughout the day was amazing, there were many different options to try including live cooking stations and lots of international dishes, the buffet was different every single day. We did try all the restaurants too and they were fantastic.

All the staff were friendly, helpful and couldn’t do enough for you. The waiters/waitresses were constantly walking round asking people if they needed any other drinks.

Huge shoutout to the entertainment team (Astro, Dinero, Stringbean, Genius and Damo) who made our time at the hotel, the daily activities and night time entertainment they put on were brilliant and they always tried to include everyone, whether you joined in with the games or just spectated. They put so much effort in to everything and take time out of their day to chat to everyone. This hotel was the quieter out of the other two you could use, but as we enjoyed it so much we didn’t really need to visit the others. It was only at night when we went to see some of the shows at the other hotels, also every Friday they either have a neon party or a white party at the Riu Montego Bay.

Thank you to everyone we met for making our holiday so memorable and enjoyable, it will without a doubt be somewhere we would look to go again in the future.

Date of Stay: August 2025

980bobt wrote a review September 2025

Spectacular Service with True Freedom to Enjoy Your Way

Alright, so first things first - this is the smallest (by room number) of the RIUs in Monetgo Bay. It's in between the Reggae and the Montego Bay Resorts. That's smaller size makes it feel a bit more intimate and possibly friendly. But, by booking here you also have access to those other resorts where there is a bit more Party (with a capital P) happening.
This feels a bit more reserved, less of a college party feel than say the Reggae. Different strokes for different folks. Personally, loved having pockets of peace and quiet throughout the resort to just enjoy. Our Jamaican experience was as true to the 30+ years of ads for the island as I've seen, as I could have hoped. It's beautiful, friendly, care-free, and the embodiment of what "going on vacation" means. The staff on-site goes above and beyond. Made a friend with a server on day 1 and he had a warm greeting and a drink ready for me every meal afterwards. It was that hard to say until next time (instead of goodbye) to Jemar.
What else can I tell you? Cost/benefit analysis I think it's worth choosing the Palace and having access to the other resorts. They have an on-site excursions company, Scuba Caribe, that you can book various aquatic activities through. The food was better I had experience at other all-inclusives. There is entertainment programming throughout the evening across the 3 resorts.
If you stay here you will become that annoying friend who continually brings up their trip to Jamaica, just so you can talk about it and relive it in your mind over and over again.

Date of Stay: August 2025

Camper34262620810 wrote a review September 2025
Eastham, Merseyside, England

TERRIBLE HOTEL.

TERRIBLE HOTEL!
This is definitely not the tranquil holiday we expected.
The hotel allows large groups of guests who drink to excess,
We have had people fighting, being sick in the pool and releasing their bowels also in the pool!! Shouting throughout the night into the early hours and the constant banging of room doors again throughout the night.

The constant smoking of weed and other substances has been consistent every day and night.
There are smoking areas but many people seem unable to use these areas and despite Security being told it really isn’t making a difference.

There are small boats selling gifts just near the shore and the constant shouting of what they’re selling is deafening whilst you’re relaxing on the beach.

I fully understand that drugs over here are legal but we really don’t want to hear the constant shouting of what they can supply!

The beach is not really very clean. The plastic drinking cups are still by the loungers in a morning from the night before. There are cigarette stubs and weed stubs in amongst the sand.

The best service we have received is at breakfast. A lovely gentleman called Dr Phil has been really attentive and a couple of other staff members are pleasant but this is certainly NOT the 5 STAR luxury holiday we expected when we booked.

As a suggestion, because it is 3 hotels on one strip, perhaps it would be better if one hotel was kept as couples only and just allow groups in the other 2.

We will certainly not be returning here ever!!

This is supposed to be one of the better hotels in Jamaica but if it is we will be travelling elsewhere for holidays in the future.

Please do not work all year to book here it really isn’t worth it.

Date of Stay: September 2025

733dawnp wrote a review September 2025
United Kingdom

Brilliant staff but not a 5*

Just returned from a 10 night stay at Riu Palace . The smallest (and supposedly the quietist) of three hotels sitting side by side.

Firstly the positives. The majority of staff (apart from reception staff) are fantastic, especially the entertainment team and Winston at the swim up bar. The cleaners do a great job in the room as well as around the hotel.
Plenty of sunbeds around the pool and on the beach
Low points. Drinks are hit and miss (too much ice makes the drinks taste weird ) The swim up bar and the stand alone pop up cocktail bar are the best. Coffee is best at the aqua bar, made fresh with beans.
Food is very repetitive, basically the same every day, if you like jerk chicken or spice you will be fine. Tried the steak house, it was ok, but steak was overcooked (asked for medium) on a filet, got well done, so was very dry. Partner had the ribeye, but couldn’t eat it as it was very rare and cold!
Reception staff are rude and not very helpful (was locked out of our room for over 4 hours) staff didn’t care to rectify this matter in a timely manner, had to ask numerous times for maintenance, wasn’t ideal as it was raining, and we needed our room.
The main negative for this hotel is the noise, not only from the outside air conditioning units which are extremely loud (not helped by gaps in balcony door allowing the noise in) but from the guests ‘chatting’ ‘shouting’ in the corridors at all hours of the night. Take earplugs or you will never sleep.
Notes/Tips: If you lose your hotel wrist band they will charge you 250 USD to replace it, so take care of it! The hotel shop is very expensive, 15 USD for a bag of crisp and 35 USD for a water proof bag for your phone (which you will need if you go to Dunn waterfall). Take snacks with you!
Overall I feel this hotel is over priced for the experience you get. It definitely isn’t a 5*, I’d say a moderate 4 star at best.
I wouldn’t stay here again, mainly due to noise and quality of food/drink and the value for money aspect.

Date of Stay: September 2025

leshia63 wrote a review September 2025
Clemmons, North Carolina

Unless you came to party hard … don’t care about the food or your room … move on

The place was crowded with young singles , scantily clothed and the smell of weed everywhere 24 hours a day. Food was mediocre. I’ve stayed at a Riu Palace in Aruba, this isn’t anything like it. Staff was generally rude. Room smelled and was plain as a hospital room…. Yet I was told it was the best in the place when I asked to move .. what a laugh. Beach was full of seaweed and pool was full of wig hair. No thanks.

Date of Stay: September 2025

jefflar1 wrote a review September 2025
Ormskirk, Lancashire, England

Here now

We are here now and just want to say reading the the last few reviews that we have honestly not experienced any of what they are saying...... please don't be put off ! We have had nothing but 5 star experience from every single member of staff ! We are here for another week , feel free to ask me anything if you are concerned about your stay here !

Date of Stay: September 2025

pawinderb wrote a review September 2025
London, England

Best riu in montego bay

This is a excellent place ,still here,entertaining crew,food hospitality so good,the staff all amazing always smiling ,go out of the way best holiday

Date of Stay: September 2025

991sheenac wrote a review September 2025
Cheshire, England

What a beautiful holiday

Our last night after a wonderful 11 night stay. We upgraded to the Elite Club and so glad we did. The view over the ocean was wonderful. The food was amazing and the room kept spotlessly clean. All the staff are so polite and nothing was too much trouble. A special mention to Sheldon and Hugh.... absolutely 5 star care and attention. Also Vincent was very welcoming at the Elite Club restaurant. An absolute pleasure to have spent our holiday in the presence of such fabulous people The only slight criticism we have was the noise at night, but fortunately this finished just after 11pm. Thank you Riu Palace, we hope to visit again one day .

Date of Stay: September 2025

traceycS9457VG wrote a review September 2025
Washington, Tyne and Wear, England

Best Holiday

Fantastic holiday 😀. The RIU PALACE was amazing, room lovely, spacious and clean. House keeping first class. Food amazing from the main dinning room, good variety of food (and I'm a fussy eater). Always found something eat. The restaurants was easy to book, we never had an issue booking, despite reviews. Entertainment team were amazing, friendly and always spoke even if you didn't join in. Looking forward to going back again next year Xx

Date of Stay: July 2025

NorthWalesBob wrote a review October 2025
Prestatyn, Denbighshire, North Wales, Wales

Elite Club by Riu

We arrived at the Riu Palace Jamaica on Sunday 14th September after a long enjoyable premier cabin flight with Tui Uk from Manchester UK.
As Riu diamond members we had priority check in, and we were given a free upgrade to the new Elite club category. This gave us a room with a full sea view, which had a large comfy king size bed, which meant we got a good nights sleep during our stay. Upgraded spirits across the bars, a reserved area in the buffet restaurant at breakfast with an order to table menu, or self-serve from the buffet. An extra restaurant for use for dinner, and a quiet pool, beach and bar area reserved for the Elite guests.
We also had access to the facilities of the next door hotels (Riu Montego Bay and the Riu Reggae).
We ate in all the restaurants during our stay and enjoyed some of the best food ever served at a Riu hotel. (Also great jerk chicken served at lunch at the jerk shack at the Riu Reggae).
There are 2 bars serving a good selection of drinks plus an excellent coffee shop, serving great cakes. The beach is clean and the water shallow.
The entertainment team, did a great job keeping the guests entertained day and night and there were some very good guest acts during our stay.
However what made our stay special was the brilliant staff across all departments, who were always happy and engaged with you in conversation. Their smiles kept us smiling.
We have no hesitation in recommending this hotel, just ignore the moaners on these pages. We had a fantastic stay.

Date of Stay: September 2025

GoPlaces57389706392 wrote a review October 2025
Montego Bay, Saint James Parish, Jamaica

My experiences

It was moment that takes all your problems away.
I had a real free mind at the moment.
Certainly relaxing.
I was treated like a majesty.
I could felt the respect from each and everyone.

Date of Stay: September 2025

701ChrisB wrote a review October 2025
Tamworth, Staffordshire, England

Wow wow wow

Just coming to the end of our 2 week holiday and all I can say is Wow! What an amazing place to stay. Not only is this hotel fantastic, they have the staff to back it up. The cleaners, gardeners, housekeeping all work ridiculously hard to ensure the place is spotless (and it is) and as for the entertainment team, the are just something else. From the morning meet n greets around the pool to the pool games to the evening fun, they put 100% into everything they do.

For an all inclusive, food and drinks were impressive (and drinks are strong 💪) buffet always had plenty of choice, we also used all the other restaurants and had great food in each. Beach bbq, lunch at the aqua bar and the beach jerk chicken shack at the RIU reggae are also a must.

Do I recommend the RIU Palace? Yeh Mon! 🇯🇲

Date of Stay: September 2025

T5214NYevac wrote a review October 2025

I wouldnt go back

I am writing to express my profound disappointment with my recent stay at the RUI Palace. My first time in Jamaica with my husband and friends.

Despite paying a premium for an upgraded experience, my visit was marred by a series of unprofessional and unacceptable service issues, and I left feeling completely undervalued as a guest.

During my stay, I encountered the following problems:
1. A late check-in at 4:30 pm
2. The hot tub was not functioning, and the water was yellow, which was both unsanitary and unacceptable.
3. The sliding balcony door was malfunctioning.
4. Wi-Fi connectivity was inconsistent, with some devices disconnecting constantly.
5. Room service was subpar, with the club sandwich arriving soggy and my order of fries and pizza taking over an hour with no communication or apology.
6. The delay in addressing the late check-in caused my entire party of 10 to shift dinner plans to a later time.
7. The kitchen reportedly caught on fire, yet I was never informed or updated about the situation.
8.
While some issues, such as the hot tub and sliding door, were eventually fixed, I received no meaningful follow-up or compensation for the inconveniences endured. I was promised a manager would contact me, and I was eventually called—only to be offered some complimentary items, which I never received, and told to email a corporate address for resolution.

The lack of genuine concern, the dismissive attitude from staff, and the failure to make any effort to rectify the situation left me feeling ignored and unimportant.

The only bright spot during this ordeal was Jemar, who was exceptional in his service and compassion—something that was sorely lacking elsewhere. The Elite Club restaurant was phenomenal.

This experience has severely impacted my perception of your hotel, and I will not be returning. I paid a significant amount of money for what was supposed to be a luxurious stay, but instead, I received frustration, neglect, and disappointment.

Date of Stay: October 2025

C6096RNpeterb wrote a review October 2025

Club 18-30 meets Butlins at Riu Palace

I have just returned from 2 weeks holiday. If you are a mature discerning adult looking for a quiet relaxing holiday this is most definitely not for you.
On arrival at check in for the first time in my adult life I had a damages/ breakages policy explained to me, obviously this is something the hotel feels the need to explain, but on seeing some of their guests I now understand why. They also explain that the ribbon band that identifies you as a guest if lost comes at a cost of 250 dollars, not quite sure how a piece of ribbon can cost that much. The Palace is not a large complex and sits between two much larger Riu complexes, which are listed as their ‘party’ hotels. However because of the size of Riu Palace there is nowhere one can escape the noise, that is generated by the entertainment team at the Palace. This starts at around 11 am and consist of loud music and games, (one morning they were holding a relay race, presumably in the swim up pool) part of the game was the egg and spoon race. I would expect this at Butlins to entertain the kiddies whilst the parents manage some down time. In the afternoon from about 3pm more music booming out over the entire resort, this includes if you try to escape the noise by going back to your room, where it can be heard without the need to sit on your balcony. Should you want a pre evening dinner drink in the main reception area bar, you will find a game of bingo being played out amongst the less mature guests who again tend to be very noisy. One evening each week after dinner we were sitting on the terrace outside the reception bar and the entertainment team were playing a game of ‘ name your favourite animal and the noise it makes’. Is this seriously meant for respectable mature adults? Again this can be heard all over the hotel grounds.

Food at the buffet for lunch and dinner was a little repetitive but was ok.
The restaurants were better quality certainly and unlike some reports we were able to get booked into these on the app quite easily.
In terms of the staff, Dr Phill, and Audley at the breakfast and lunch buffet were excellent. Bar staff at the pool coming and taking orders were very good. Angela, from housekeeping was excellent, leaving my wife towel animals every day, and did a great job with the room, (this was especially noticeable on the two days she was off).

Returning to the wrist bands, any guests going off site into Montego Bay, be mindful that these bands immediately identify you as a guest at Riu. We were approached by a local purporting to work at the Riu and having seen us there, it became clear this was not the case and my wife became increasingly nervous of where he was trying to lead us. His motives were to show us around Montego Bay in exchange for a rather large tip. I know Riu will not change their policy but for guests please be mindful of this.
I am sure Riu will thank me for my comments and that they will pass these on to the management teams. I also know that they will not act upon my comments since other complaints of a similar nature by other guests, have never been addressed.
This was my first experience of Riu and it is accurate to say it will be my last.

Date of Stay: September 2025

669tiffinim wrote a review October 2025

Won't be back

Upon arrival we were told that the hotel we booked was not available and we would be moved to Riu Reggae. Inconvenienced with NO compensation. Had to check out of one hotel then wait for hours to check in again. Staff was not friendly AT ALL, at either hotel. I did not feel welcomed and will NOT be back

Date of Stay: October 2025

CarolL446 wrote a review October 2025
Solihull, West Midlands, England

Lively resort

The location is 10 minutes from the airport which is a positive until the planes pass over every 30 mins. The food drinks and staff cannot be faulted. The entertainment is superb. We has some amazing shows! Special shout out to String bean and the rest of the Riu enertsin.ent team.
One thing I need to say if you love loud screaming drunk Americans then this is the place for you...I am afraid that this is the only reason I dropped it one star. They dont stop day or night.

Date of Stay: October 2025

OnAir790017 wrote a review October 2025
Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England

Potentially an amazing place

This hotel should be given fantastic reviews for it's unbelievable setting, great food, comfortable and functional rooms the best drink selection we've ever tasted and the amazing staff from wokana and Felissa at breakfast to the pool servers Tavoy,Shereka,Vanessa,Bennet and the main man Tajohn aka shaggy made my holiday extra special!!! Thank you all so much but the rules at the hotel are ridiculous!!!! I don't come on holiday to read rule boards and now il give you 2 examples 1 on day 1 I was told you can't enter the BEACH bar without a top and sandy shoes so after swilling my sandy shoes I was told I can't enter with wet feet !!!! By a lady with a mop and broom !!!! In any other 5 star hotel the lady with the mop and broom would mop and brush not offend the people who want to frequent a beach bar !!!! The same night there was people running screaming and vomiting down the corridor we were staying in at 3.30 am The next time I was upset was when me and my friends attended the foam party at Riu Reggae and being a little short sighted I didn't see the sign indicating I couldn't enter the pool a certain way.As I entered the wrong way I was quickly set upon by 2 life guards and a member of security and verbally abused YET at the pool bar there was a large group of American youths smoking weed at the bar !!!!! DISGUSTING maybe if you give your lifeguards and security they may reprimand the real troublemakers on the resort and not a 58 yo man that doesn't understand the right way to join a foam party

Date of Stay: September 2025

Trail20838826545 wrote a review October 2025
Maidenhead, Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England

Great holiday overall – but management’s linen scam ruined the ending

We stayed here for two weeks and overall had a really good holiday. The staff were generally friendly, helpful, and welcoming throughout — I really can’t fault the service day-to-day. Unfortunately, management’s response around a supposed “linen damage” charge right before checkout really soured the experience. Having since read online that other guests have had the same issue, it’s disappointing to see this still happening at a RIU property.

Cleanliness was absolutely first-class — the entire resort was spotless, from the rooms to the restaurants and pool areas. Housekeeping did a brilliant job every single day.

The food was excellent too, with a great range of options and consistently high quality across the restaurants. The only minor miss was the beach dinner, which was a little over-salted, but otherwise everything was delicious.

Our room was modern, comfortable, and very well kept — couldn’t really ask for more. However, the so-called linen “damage” claim really lowered my impression here. After two spotless weeks, to be told on the final day that we’d be charged for a pillowcase was insulting and unnecessary.

Facilities were top-notch — pools, bars, and shared areas were all well maintained, clean, and easy to access. No complaints there at all.

The entertainment team deserves special mention — they work incredibly hard, bring great energy, and keep guests smiling all day and night. They were one of the highlights of the stay.

Overall, this could have been a perfect 5-star review, but the unfair linen charge and how it was handled by management have put a real dampener on an otherwise fantastic experience. I’ve stayed at many RIU hotels around the world, and this is not what I’d expect from the brand. Hopefully head office takes note, because it’s a shame to see such a good resort let down by poor management decisions.

Date of Stay: October 2025

Wanderer04967519585 wrote a review October 2025

Experience of a lifetime!

Best experience of a lifetime! Location was wonderful. Views were wonderful. Food was amazing and plenty of variety. Everyone from the staff to the visitors was super friendly. The best part was the entertainment crew! They kept the vibes going with dancing, ring toss, basketball, connect 4. Foam pool party and neon party were off the chain. Shout outs to Genius, Denaro, Astro, DJ Unstoppable, Omar, String Bean, Gaby, and Bubbles for keeping the party alive. But I have to say, Genius was my favorite! He kept us working out in the pool with the water aerobics and was just so full of energy and personality! I will definitely go back here.

Date of Stay: October 2025