been to jamaica ten times///riu tropical four times.got back this june!!!!!!!!oohhh rainy season low prices?guess what no rain at all!!!!!!!!!!!booked my trip from nyc area with air for two for $2700 total!cant beat it!ive stayed at sandals/couples/lido etc....yes you will get more restaurants&bars&water ski boats but you will pay 50% more.the rooms all have balconies and in room stocked bars!the food isnt fantsastic but it isnt bad either!the beach is the best around and it isnt even close!better then the pricey grand lido&sandals!!!!!!!!!this riu has less kids than the riu negril and i think its cleaner also.......the pools could be bigger but so what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!heres a tip!!!!!!!if you can pay the $200 per person round trip shuttle flight from montego bay do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!you dont have that 2 hour ride from hell to the hotel and you leave alot later on the last day!!!its also a great scenic ride(if its not raining)another tip!go to the "rockhouse hotel"(look it up)15 minute cab ride for dinner on the cliffs then walk right next door to the "pirates cave bar"better than ricks(not as touristy)another tip,take tip money from home like singles and fives,give the bartender a five each morning and they will treat you great,dont have to but it goes a long way!!!oh yeah bring your own cooler cups so you dont have to run to the bar alot with their small cups!!!

Stayed 7/26/-8/1. Room 1322 - Horrible smell to room, bugs, dirty bed and bathroom. Complained from day one of smell, etc. Nothing was done. In trying to find out where the smell was coming from discovered mold behind the beds and around the air vents near the bathroom.

After three days our room was changed - not by the general manager - but the manager who oversees the bars. Room 3312 had a broken toilet which took over 8 calls to the front desk during a 9 hour period to get fixed. The room smelled also and bathroom was dirty.

When we spoke to the general manager, Edgar, he was not accomodating at all...he just stared at us with a blank look and rehearsed reply....very dissappointed

The food was not that great....they sure can't cook a steak... don't know if that was really beef or not....very poor cuts...pools were not that clean....staff, however, were pretty cool....I found airport staff RUDE...our luggage was badly damage and they told us no claim could be filed. They had 14 year olds drinking alcohol as long as their parent/guardian said is was ok....disgraceful. I had been to Montego Bay and Ochios Rios before and loved it, While Negril is more laid back, I don't know if I would stay there again. We want to go back for ATI next year but stay somewhere else.

We send an email to riu.cim with no response yet.

This was the best holiday I've ever had. Me and my boyfriend went for 2 weeks from the 28th July til 11th August. The weather was nice and very hot - it rained every day apart from 3 but it didnt rain for long and i came back with the best tan i've ever had. Its so hot some days that you need a bit of rain.

Rooms
We stayed in block 6 and it was incredible we had a ground level room and had no view but that didnt bother us as we were hardly ever there. We had a huge king size bed and a big flat screen t.v, a comfy sofa, coffee table, another table and 2 chairs. The bathroom was amaxzing and i had not trouble with water temprature. The bed wasnt hard either it was just right. There was loads of closet and drawer space.

Food
The food was fantastic. There was something for everyone, they had typical Jamaican dishes and planty of other dishes. I loved the mozerella sticks and the pasta. The had huge lobsters and crab legs too.
We spent most of our nights in the buffet as there was so much choice but we went to the other restaurants too. Sir Anthony's was good but there was a big wedding party so we waited a while for our food. The japenese was ok but i dont really like sushi so wasnt really for me although the chicken kebabs were delicious. The steak how mixed grill was huge... and came with a baked potao and veg but it was so big and we were rather drunk that we ate hardly any i would definatly visit there again. The pizza place was very nice i enjoyed their pizza and pasta alot.
Even the fussyest of eaters would definatly find something to enjoy.

Entertainment
I would pay good money to see some of the shows the Riou Tropical Bay put on - they are fantastic. They have Jamaican bands singing Reggae and dancing shows and plenty more. The steel drum band was one of my favorites. The dancers are incredible and backflip off the stage. If you dont want to be pulled up on stage for the pre show then make a swift exit from your seat and go to the bar or the toilet. The entertainers will get you on stage teach you some moves and make you dance so if your not into it then get away fast - they will not take no for an answer - its alot of fun though.

Beach and Pool
The beach was amazing - very calm and te water was crystal clear we always fouind the perfect spot and wasnt botheres by any one selling things at all. We did buy cigarettes fromm a guy that walks the beach as they are $11 in the gift show and he gave us 6 for $40. Watch out for sands garbs getting in and out of the ocean as one put its claws into my foot - its only a little nip though and didnt really hurt.
The pool was never misty it was always clear and the Andrew who was usually at the pool bar would always sing which was nice...

Staff
The staff are great - very friendly and always looking to help. Kennel made our special cocktails all the time - just ask his for something special and he'll make it. He also took my boyfriend to his barber shop aswell which was nice of him. Ninja is a character and always made me laugh he is crazy. Sandi gets the crowd going and is a great dancer. Devon was very good at the evening pre show.

There is entainment all through the day - on the beach, on stage everything. The have cards and board games for the rainy afternoons too. We played the olympic games which was so funny and we each won a bottle of rum.
We also took advantage of the canoes and paddle boats and we went on one day trip to YS falls and Appleton rum factory which was good.

This is honestly the best time ive ever had and am definitly going back next year - we made friends there that we'll always be in contact with!!

We went to RIU in April with 40 others to get married. The overall stay was okay but for the price we paid we could have went to a nicer place. We did stay at another resort for our Honeymoon the following week and the comparison for the price alone was unreal.

First of all there is NO SPORTS BAR or ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS even though their brouchures state that there is. This means that in order to watch sports you have to stay in your room. Also kids get to play in the swimup bar pool because there are only two pools right besaide each other and the swimup bar pool is the only pool with a shallow end. And there are no washrooms close to the pool(s) at all so there is an extreme temperature difference between the two and it is gross! If you don't have kids you will get annoyed because there isn't anything for them to do at all but run around the swimup bar pool. And don't expect anyone to bring you a drink, get it yourself you only paid $$$$ and there is no service on the beach or around the pool.

When I was ready to walk down the aisle they played the wrong music! I told the co-ordinator it was wrong and she argued with me! As I was walking down the aisle! I was disgusted with her and had to have the wrong music playing because she was too lazy to check! And I have the entire wedding party as my witness.

I don't get any of the great food comments - everything is the same everyday. There is a selection at the buffet but it is pretty much the same and very basic and the section that changes daily is usually packed and lined up. The pizzaria would not be open under our FDA laws in Canada - they open at 4pm, put out food and leave it out for the night. We went there many late night's to find really old food under a heat lamp with nobody around. There is no a la carte for lunch or breakfast and if you want to eat at one for dinner you must line up in the morning for dinner that night. And the food is good at the a la carte's but the restaurants themselves are boring with nothing to make the experience special. i.e. the "Gourmet Restaurant" is a little room that is bright, plain and has no music - you can hear everything going on outside and can't wait to finish your meal to go out there and join the fun!

The beach is not cleaned daily, everyday there was cigarette butts and sometime cups and plates lying around. They offer no security on the beach so ANYBODY can come to your resort and there are tons of people trying to sell you stuff from pot to parasailing. It was not like this a couple of blocks down the road at the Couple's Swept Away. Most people tell you this is normal in Jamaica, it isn't and it is the resorts responsibility to offer you a SAFE, CLEAN and RELAXING environment.

We had a good time becuase of the group we were with and our wedding. None of us will return to this or any other RIU. I challenge anyone of you that gave this dump rave reviews to try a Couple's resort and see a real difference.