Hotel Riu Ocho Rios - All Inclusive

Beach was great. Room was good. The food and drinks were good. Entertainment was ok. Pools were nice. Staff were friendly. Our only issue came when we were delayed (3 nights) due to our return flight being cancelled (snow storm in Toronto). The hotel seemed to string us along each day saying everything was fine and we could stay in our room. However we were told we had to come back each morning and pay for that night. On the third delayed day we were told there was no room for us and had to be out of our room by noon. They advised there was room at Riu Palace in Montego Bay. I asked them if they could somehow find a way for us even share one room, as we also had my son and daughter-in-law as well as there 1 year old daughter in another room which they also had to vacate. This was at 10am. It is challenging travelling with a baby as all the extra baggage etc. plus we needed a crib. There reply was they couldn't do anything and the only option was to vacate by noon and go to the other hotel. We also had to pay for our transfer. I find it very difficult to believe that a hotel of around 900 rooms could not find a solution for us to stay the last night of our delay. We were left with a very bad taste in our mouths and disappointed. We could have moved on the first day of our delay and settled in for 3 days. Instead had to deal each day several trips to the front desk and the stress of not knowing each night where we would be. The Riu Palace had plenty of rooms available. Overall a good trip but some compassion from the hotel would have been nice. It's not like the rooms were free we had to pay for each night. I also feel that they new our rooms would not be available for the third night right from the beginning. And sending us to the other hotel earlier would have left our rooms empty resulting in loss of revenue. I will also address the issues with the onsite Sunwing rep. (Nexus) on a seperate review as I don't think the hotel can be held responsible for their poor communication and organization.

just got back from ocho rios and we had a fantastic time the staff were wonderful and friendly the hotel is easy and spotless food was plentiful and delicious great bar service and brilliant room cleaning great beach with that Jamaican vibe great gardens and entertainment I was concerned as I had read some negative views but this is not what I found Tui was super efficient as usual we had one trip to Dunns falls and green hole, great day out can't recommend it enough Laurence uk

We are currently staying in Rio Ocho. Before coming, I read a lot of reviews, and honestly, many of them scared me — especially because we are traveling with two kids (6 and 2 years old). But thankfully, everything turned out much better, and we are happy with our stay. Location & Beach: Beautiful beach and great location. The hotel is older, but still very nice. We have a room on the 5th floor, and the view is absolutely gorgeous. Food: Our youngest child has allergies to fish, dairy, and eggs, so we knew finding food wouldn’t be easy. However, she eats macaroni and chicken, and that worked well for us. Staff: The reception girls are very kind and helpful, and the animators are great. The staff in the restaurant, beach bar, and snack areas were not as friendly, unfortunately. Cleaning: We arrived on Monday, and the first room cleaning was done on Wednesday. However, today the housekeeping lady did an amazing job — everything was perfect, and she even made flowers on the bed. My daughters were so happy, which really made our day. Conclusion: Come here with good vibes and a positive attitude — it truly makes a difference.

Trip date: January 09-16 CHECK IN/OUT: We arrived at 2pm. Our room wasn’t ready. They asked us to download the Riu app and said they would email us when the room was ready which should be between 3-4pm. The lobby is beautiful. There is a bar there, so we just parked ourselves by it and had a few drinks. We never got an email to say the room was ready. It wasn’t until 4pm when my husband went to check and they gave us the keys. Check out was super easy and fast, no issues. ROOM: We had a beautiful Oceanview room. The room itself is big. The bed is one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in at an all-inclusive. We both had amazing sleep. The bathroom is big but it is just not designed well. The toilet is facing the door, so if someone opens it and you’re on it, you’re going to get hit. This happened several times to us. It’s just a very weird layout. The shower was nice, good pressure too, but lots of gaps in the door where water was constantly pouring out on to the floors. Our room was cleaned well every day. The fridge was well stocked with pop, water, and beer. There was hard liquor too, but we mainly drank the water. The chairs were the only downside to the room. It looked like it had mold on them. We didn’t use them and kept them far away. BEACH & POOLS: We weren’t too impressed with the beach. Reviews I read, everyone kept saying it was so beautiful. It’s just ok. I’ve been to so many around the Caribbean, I can say this is probably at the bottom of our list. Yes, it looks nice, but there was no shade or umbrellas. You have to rely on the palm trees which can be an issue if you’re on meds and can’t stay directly under the sun for too long. Beach and pool chairs were never an issue to find. Lots of shade by the pools. We are not pool people, and never once went in, but I did lounge there a few times to stay under the shade. I will say though from my observations, the entertainment at the family side pool can be very inappropriate. A few days, some of the entertainers stepped in and stopped the twerking some guests were doing reminding them it’s a family resort, while other days, they just let it happen. I’m by no far a prude, but there were very young children there and it was certainly not appropriate for them to watch that. FOOD & RESTAURANTS: The buffet by far was the best! There is something for everyone, and the Jamaican station was the best! I ate Oxtail, rice and peas and stew pork every day. I miss having that. The a la carts were terrible. We could only get reservations at the Steakhouse and Kulinarium. The ribs at the steakhouse were good, but every single thing at Kulinarium was inedible. We left and went right back to the buffet. The drinks were top notch. The snacks at the Sports bar were good too. ENTERTAINMENT: We are not ones to sit and watch a show. If you’ve been to one all inclusive, you’ve seen them all. They are repetitive and it gets boring. But the entertainment at this resort was on another level. We actually sat through it all and enjoyed every single day. The Beach party and Neon/All white party was by far the most fun we had that week. One of my favorite moments was the National Anthem being sung and everyone standing. It was wonderful to see and participate in. OVERALL: This resort is huge and very clean. The week we were there, they said there were about 2000 guests, which we can believe. It was our first time at a Riu and we had a lot of fun. The staff were all wonderful and we never encountered anyone rude. They are constantly working and keeping the resort clean and all with a smile. If anything, it’s the visitors who are the ones that also put their manners on vacation. Throughout the week, we saw some of the rudest and most ignorant visitors there. From grabbing food with their hands at the buffet, to being drunk and belligerent and overall inappropriate and sexually suggestive in front of children. We left the resort a few times. There is a really good Chinese restaurant, KFC and Juci Patty about a 5 min taxi ride from the resort if you want something different. Just be careful not to overpay the taxis. If you catch a route taxi outside the resort, you’re paying $1.50 CAD as opposed to the $30 USD they ask you for at the resort. I love Jamaica, the food and the people.

Just come back from RIU Ocho Rios today. It’s very busy resort, we stayed 2 weeks and been there at New Year’s celebration and enjoyed very much. Our room was okay, we had ocean views room. We only ate at buffet and food was very good and so much to choose!And now about negative .Locals selling drugs on the beach, people smoking drugs in the swimming pool bars, lifeguards cleaning leftovers from drinks and dumping just on the grass by sunbeds , sewer smells so bad by beach bar by the quiet area and going straight to the ocean.We ask for wake up call, reception never phone and they didn’t even apologize. We travel a lot and we are diamond RIU members and like RIU resorts but never come buck in this one!

Let me start my saying this was my 60th trip to Jamaica. As you can imagine I’ve stayed at countless hotels including 3 other RIU hotels in Jamaica and 4 RIU hotels outside Jamaica. This is by far the worst of the worst. The food was lukewarm at best, never hot. Prison food and banquet tv dinners are better. The only decent food was the jerk chicken served at lunch only. Everyone in my family had stomach issues the entire 10 nights we stayed. Service was mid, which didn’t bother me as much as I’m sure the staff is not in the best spirits with the recent hurricane. The gym is quite dangerous, it rained most days and the gym floor is tile and VERY slick. I fell lifting weights and nobody even made the slightest effort to try to keep the floors dry or god for bid actually have gym acceptable flooring. During the rain I saw several inches of water that collected on the long walk to my room, ended up soaking my clothes and was extremely slippery and again nobody ever attempted to push the water down the holes to help make it safer. If you have any walking issues, don’t risk this hotel. The rooms were pretty nice, the beach is nice, the pools are clean and nice. Lots of activity options. I not only won’t stay here again but also won’t stay at a RIU hotel again after this experience. I’ve been home for 3 days now and my stomach is just now getting back to normal along with my family. I guess on a positive note we all lost a few pounds from the crappy food and stomach issues it caused. 🤮

While I had significant issues with RIU Head Office and the way my booking was handled—particularly the attempt to cancel or move my reservation on the day of my arrival—I do not believe it is fair to measure the hotel itself against the shortcomings of the central reservations team. I would like to sincerely thank the hotel staff for making my trip memorable despite the difficulties at the start of my stay. In particular, I would like to recognise Romone at the Reggae Bar, Jahvi the lifeguard, Alex the bartender, Titi and Zante from the entertainment team, and Chef Keisha, all of whom were outstanding and truly embody excellent customer service. The hotel itself is very spacious, with a wide selection of pools to choose from. While I found it unusual that the Reggae Pool is located directly next to a family pool as this does make it difficult to fully relax due to noise—the lifeguards were extremely attentive and proactive in ensuring pool rules were followed, particularly with children entering restricted areas. The buffet was one of the best all-inclusive buffets I have experienced. There was an excellent variety of options catering to all palates, food was replenished almost instantly, and the chefs were more than happy to accommodate personal preferences and requests. The hotel consists of both a newer and older section. While the older section is noticeably dated, I feel that overall the rooms across the hotel would benefit from a general upgrade to bring them in line with modern expectations. A special mention must go to the entire entertainment team. Despite experiencing unseasonable rainfall during my stay, they consistently ensured guests were engaged and enjoying themselves, which made a significant difference to the overall atmosphere. Provided the issues raised regarding my booking are resolved appropriately, I would be happy to stay at this hotel again in the future.

Loved everything about my stay. The hotel, the beach, food, clean resort. The staff was very nice and respectful. Great housekeeping. The water slides is a great bonus. Excellent jerk chicken every afternoon next to the pool. It was nice to be able to eat outside with sea view for breakfast and lunch. Nice white Riu Party on Saturday night. There is also a beach party once a week. Not too hard to find beach chairs. Easy to change beach towels during the day. I would come back to this resort. Beware the bus ride is two hours.

We had an amazing week at Riu Ocho Rios! We went during Christmas as a family of 5 and the hotel was FULL. Aside from the crowds at the buffet and nightly entertainment, you'd never know that the resort was overflowing with guests because the grounds are so large. Beach - 5 stars! The beach was clean with white sands and clear water. There were ALWAYS available chairs at the beach. I've never seen so many chairs. Our kids played beach volleyball every day and met many new friends from all over the world. Pools were great but small. The water was very cold so we stuck to the ocean this trip. There was no race for the chairs at 6am. We could show up to the pool after breakfast and still find chairs. The towels are plentiful! We never had a problem getting a dry towel like we have at other resorts. The buffet was busy at dinner but we always went early and never had any issues. The waitstaff is also 5 stars in my opinion. They came to our table many times to make sure our glasses were full and were always kind. The jerk chicken line at lunch can be a long wait but it's worth it. We also went to the steakhouse and Italian restaurants and enjoyed both. The Italian restaurant had a large selection of pasta and other items at the buffet before the meal which everyone loved. Use the app to book your restaurants as soon as you check in and get your room number. We went on the Catamaran/snorkeling/Dunn's River Falls excursion offered at the far end of the beach by Scuba Caribe and had a great time. You can buy all of your pictures and a full length video of your time at Dunn's River Falls for $40 which I thought was a great deal! We also had a fun morning River Tubing and visiting Blue Hole. We happened to go pretty early and were the only people there which was a great experience. Our room was always clean and we had no issues with any bugs or broken items. We couldn't seem to get the safe to work and leaving a message in the app led nowhere. We had a family suite in the building by the waterpark so we didn't have a great view. But it was unbelievably quiet and we all enjoyed the peaceful walk to and from the room everyday. The nightly entertainment is outdoors in a covered area which I prefer and we never had an issue finding a spot to sit. It was very well attended so I can see having difficulty finding a table if you go late. All in all we had a 10/10 visit. The only complaint we had was the front desk. I only had to go to the front desk twice - once to ask a question and once to checkout and both times I was met with unfriendly staff. When we checked out, our kids were sitting at a table in the lobby and we were met with a eye roll and a "huff" because they weren't there to have their wrist band cut off. We quickly grabbed the kids but I'm not sure the eye roll and "huff" were necessary. The front desk is the first and last impression of the resort and they were poor impressions. Nothing to ruin a vacation over though. That was our 2nd time at the resort and will not be our last. Thank you for a wonderful week!

Never stay here again. 80 year old mother in a room that was a challenge to get into. And once in she could not get out. Husband and I spent our whole evening missing our dinner reservation as front desk kept lying to us saying maintenance was coming. Asked several times for a new room. You can not put people on a room that they can’t consistently get out of. She did get door open finally and sat waiting for maintenance with my husband while I remained at the front desk until the situation is rectified to a safe standard. Started at 8 pm. Was 9:30 when maintenance finally came after I talked to 3rd person at front desk. Now sitting in room and supposedly gone to get a new door entry system. Two hours since this started. Hope he comes back soon. Never return here.