Hotel Riu Ocho Rios - All Inclusive

I booked with Scuba Caribe to complete a check and sea dive. From start to finish, never been with a dive company so professional, friendly and informative, I completed the mask and regulator skills in the pool and then dived The Arches afterwards. It was first class from start to finish. I had lost so much confidence diving in Egypt, but am so excited to start diving again because of Scuba Caribe. My family also booked the Catamaran trip and again, first class. Amazing and friendly staff who really made our trip and holiday so much fun and very special. Thank you from Caroline, Bonnie and Leveah xxxx

To Whom It May Concern: I would like to share my recent experience at the RIU Ocho Rios hotel in Jamaica. I originally booked a flight and accommodation package at the RIU Negril through the Expedia app. This booking was made prior to Hurricane Melissa, which devastated parts of Jamaica in October 2025. With my travel dates set for December 24–29, 2025, and given my tendency toward anxiety, I contacted RIU customer service several months in advance to inquire whether the RIU Negril had been affected by the hurricane and whether I should consider canceling or switching hotels. I was assured confidently during the call that everything was fine and fully operational, and that I could proceed with my plans to enjoy the RIU Negril. Reassured by this, I looked forward to my trip and the renowned beach in Negril. However, about a week before departure, I received an email from Expedia stating: “Due to technical issues beyond our control, the Hotel Riu Negril, located in the Negril area, will be temporarily closed. Our technical team is already working to restore the hotel’s operations as quickly as possible, ensuring the high standards of quality that characterize RIU Hotels & Resorts. To minimize any inconvenience and ensure an experience even better than originally planned, we are pleased to inform you that we have arranged alternative accommodation options at other RIU hotels. These arrangements will maintain the same conditions confirmed in your original booking at no additional cost: • If you are traveling as adults only, you will be relocated to the Riu Montego Bay (Address: Mahoe Bay, Rose Hall Ironshore P.O., Montego Bay, Jamaica). • If you are traveling with children (minors), you will be relocated to the Riu Palace Tropical Bay (Address: Norman Manley Blvd, Negril, Jamaica).” I accepted this change, assuming my family and I would still be able to enjoy a beach experience in the Negril area, albeit at a different RIU property. However, just hours before boarding my flight, I received another email from Expedia informing me that the RIU Palace Tropical Bay was also unavailable, and that our booking was being transferred to the RIU Ocho Rios instead. This is where the issues truly began. The RIU Negril and RIU Palace Tropical Bay are both considered 5-star properties, whereas the RIU Ocho Rios offers a more basic experience, which I would rate as closer to 3 stars. Among the shortcomings we encountered were: • No room service. • No cocktail service at the pool or beach. • Guests receive one beach towel per towel card, with a $200 penalty for losing the card. • Upon check-in, I was required to sign a document confirming satisfaction with an ocean-view family room (which I was not entirely satisfied with, as explained below). • While the food quality was generally good, meal service was limited to specific three-hour windows for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. • Around midday, jerk chicken was available at the pool, but it involved waiting in long lines. • The air conditioning in our room operated erratically; the wall switch did not function properly. We did not address it on the first night due to exhaustion, but overnight the room became excessively cold. As a result, I caught a cold and spent the remaining days confined to the room. • Although I believe in tipping and we tipped generously throughout our stay, we noticed little appreciation in return—no thank-yous, smiles, or acknowledgment; staff simply pocketed the money and walked away. • My son fell into an uncovered hole on a path within the hotel grounds, sustaining scratches to his leg and face. Although some staff assisted in helping him, no one took action to cover the hole that day or the next. In summary, I do not fault the RIU Ocho Rios for operating as a more modest property. However, I hold Expedia responsible for misleading communication, as their representatives continued to assure me—even while I was boarding the plane—that my original reservation at the RIU Negril remained valid and that I should proceed to that hotel upon arrival. It is possible that this was part of a broader strategy by RIU to overbook higher-end properties and relocate guests to a lower-tier option at the last minute. Regardless, my family, friends, and I are deeply disappointed and have decided that we will not return to any RIU hotels in the future.

The room itself was nice and comfortable; however, the bathroom layout was inconvenient. The toilet is in a separate, very small enclosed space that felt cramped and difficult to use, which took away from the overall comfort of the room. The beach was clean and well maintained, and it was easy to find beach chairs during our stay. That said, this was likely because the resort was noticeably emptier than usual since we visited just before the Christmas break. At full capacity, it’s hard to imagine how guests would be able to find seating without difficulty. The pools are not particularly large. Instead, the resort has several smaller pools, likely to spread out the crowd. However, this setup didn’t work well in practice. The pool bar is literally a bar built into the water, leaving very little space to swim or move around in those pools, making them feel crowded even with lower occupancy. Unfortunately, the food was a major letdown. While you can find things to eat, the execution was poor. We experienced undercooked burgers, and the breakfast buffet was especially disappointing. Omelets are not made fresh to order—instead, they use a pre-made egg mixture that is not appetizing. The à la carte restaurants were also problematic. Not all of them were open during our stay, and reservations are difficult to secure through the app. Since bookings can only be made after check-in, most desirable time slots are already taken. When we did manage to dine at the restaurants, the food felt very similar to the buffet rather than a true à la carte experience. The steakhouse was particularly disappointing, with meat that was very fatty and tough to cut through. Entertainment was minimal. There were no proper shows running during our stay, and the only evening entertainment we experienced was a live band playing local music each night. While enjoyable at first, it felt repetitive and limited. We arrived with high expectations and were optimistic based on past reviews, but overall, the experience was somewhat disappointing for us.

Let’s get straight to it. Yes, it’s all inclusive. No, it’s not my type of place. We were moved here by TUI from the Royalton Negril, a genuinely superior hotel, to the RIU in Ocho Rios. That should have been the first warning. This place is clearly aimed at budget holidays. If you’re after value over quality and enjoy chaos, you might be happy. I wasn’t. Star Rating Reality Check Advertised as 5 star. Actual experience: • Aesthetics: 1 star • Food: 1 star • Room service: 1 star • Reception: 1 star • Facilities: 1 star Adding five 1-star experiences together does not magically make a 5-star hotel. Maths doesn’t work like that. Check-in & “Quiet Area” We arrived on 8th December and were put in what was meant to be the quiet area. For the first two nights, music blasted until 1–2am. We had a 4-year-old with us. Went to reception to complain: • Judgmental looks • Zero help • “Go see your rep” • Dismissed like I’d asked for a personal favour, not basic sleep Customer service at reception was useless. Food – Survival Mode The food deserves its own warning label. Honestly, I’ve seen better organisation at a soup kitchen. And for anyone who doesn’t know , that’s where free meals are handed out to the homeless. That’s the level we’re talking about. • No flavour • Hardly any Jamaican or Caribbean food • Mostly basic US and British rubbish • Restaurants opened “on time” but with empty trays • About 8 food stations, most empty Every meal felt like a live Hunger Games event , fighting large, aggressive Americans for the last scrap of chicken. Some of them could eat for ten families and showed zero manners while doing it. We asked staff if more food was coming. We got attitude. Some days we genuinely missed lunch or dinner because there was nothing left. The food court is far too small for the number of guests. Pool – Antarctic Edition The pool was: • Freezing cold • Never cleaned once in 14 days Yes, they dumped chlorine in. No, that doesn’t remove: • Dirt • Glass • Vegetation I actually found glass at the bottom of the pool one morning. That was the end of that for my family. Lifeguards? Present in body only. Sitting in huts, chilling. A legal tick-box exercise, nothing more. Bar Service – Pick & Choose The bar service was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. I felt ignored, undervalued, and genuinely uncomfortable. Staff would happily serve people they liked and completely blank others. Before anyone jumps to conclusions: • My wife is Black • She noticed it too She’d get served instantly. I’d be ignored like I didn’t exist. Orders felt like an inconvenience. The attitude stank. It honestly felt like some staff just didn’t like white guests but tolerated them to pay the bills. Credit where it’s due: • Breakfast and lunch waitress ladies were mostly great • One lady called Rasta was brilliant , kind, warm, amazing with my son, and a real asset to the hotel Without a handful of decent staff, this place would’ve been unbearable. Room Service & Cleanliness Room service was… average. • Only top sheets changed • Bathroom often not cleaned • Toilet blocked and nearly overflowed twice We all started getting bitten when sleeping in the bed. When we slept on top of the bed with spare sheets — no bites. Draw your own conclusions. Missing Money Experiment I did a test. Left money hidden under sweets and a receipt. Went out for lunch. Came back — money gone. Several people enter the room (cleaners, drinks staff), so I can’t say who took it. But it happened. Lesson learned: don’t leave cash in the room. Gift Shop – Customer Service Rock Bottom The gift shop is massively overpriced, which I expected. What I didn’t expect was the two young girls working there: • Zero interest in helping • Dismissive • That classic “why are you talking to me” Gen Z look I asked if they sold a plug adapter. You’d think I’d interrupted their life plans. Worst customer service I’ve seen, and that includes the UK. Taxis & Excursions – Tourist Tax Don’t be fooled. • Taxis charge tourists $35 • Locals pay about $1 Excursions are the same story. Example: • Day trip quoted at £450 by one woman • Went back later • Different woman, same trip £300 The first one was “temp cover”. Funny that. Everyone involved in transport and excursions is out to rinse tourists. Be sharp. Final Verdict Would I recommend this resort? Absolutely not. At best, this is a 3-star hotel pretending to be a 5-star. Poor food, rude staff, dirty facilities, weak service, and zero value for money. Jamaica itself is beautiful. This hotel does it no favours.

Just returned from a one week stay at MELIA Punta Cana Wellness and want to share my review of the location. I must admit that I was really worried, and contemplated canceling, due to the negative comments and reviews. My husband and I decided to attend despite the negative reviews, as we had done so at other destinations before and had been pleasantly surprised. We travel south three times a year, always staying at 4 and 5 star locations, so we are experienced travellers (30+ trips to various locations throughout the Caribbean). We upgraded to the level, as we usually opt for theses upgrades as most locations. I will use three headings - Positive, Negative and Room for Improvement. Positive Grounds - beautiful, very well maintained, expansive featuring a variety of gardens, ponds, quiet spaces (hammocks, chairs, swings). The lobby is beautiful. The pictures we took of the lobby really don’t do it justice. Pools - large, clean pool with swim-up bar, along with several smaller, quieter secluded pools. Beach - nice beach section. Some sargassum was present, but access to the water was still possible. The resort has two barriers that likely help to prevent some sargassum penetration. If you like to walk the beach, I suggest that you head to the right as the slope is much less than that to the left, and it is easier walking. Food - what, and where, we ate was great. We had breakfast at the buffet and the Quimera. Good variety, and the food was good. Lunches were usually at the Quimera (very good). We also tried the Yumay grill and the buffet one time, and we found both to be decent. We tried eating the Level beach bar, and it was extremely basic, and rather underwhelming. Our dinners alternated between the Quimera and the Muoi. Both featured very good food and excellent service. The steak was good (remember you are in the D.R) at the Quimera, as was the salmon. The chicken wok and the beef wok were both good at the Muoi. One evening we had room service, and the burger and fries were very good. Note - we are not super adventurous eaters, and tend to stick with norms to avoid the opportunity for illness. Our philosophy is, if you don’t take three helpings of random chunks of mystery meat floating in a sauce from buffet where you reside, then why do it while you are travelling abroad…..eating outside the norm just opens the door for unwanted side effects. Spa - the spa was a great experience for a couples massage, using the steam therapy and sauna, as well as the hot tubs. Staff - for the most part the staff were exceptional; very friendly, very attentive, and doing their best to make your vacation as relaxing as possible. There was the odd time where language barrier was an issue, but with a little effort common ground was reached to clarify a request. My husband and I are both very independent. We do not travel to be pampered and waited on. We do not expect to be treated like a royalty, and find that expressions of thanks and appreciation, and interacting with the staff on a human level always yields a positive outcome. Transportation around the resort - as noted, the resort is expansive. The walk from the lobby to the Level main location is a good ten minutes. It is a very nice walk, as the grounds are fairly level. Should you decide not to walk there is a shuttle that travels between the lobby and the Level quite often (every 10-15 minutes). Bars - the bars were all fairly efficient, the staff were pleasant, drinks were of a good quality, and the facilities clean. Vendors - there are vendors that pass by, but they were all friendly, polite, respectful, and non-aggressive. When you indicated that you were not interested in their offerings they would continue on. We have certainly experienced way worse. Rooms - our room was clean, had been renovated, and was comfortable. We did not experience any issues with AC or hot water. Our bath tub would have taken hours to fill with the slow flow rate, so we didn’t utilize it as we would have. Butler - our butler was helpful with making dinner reservations, and this was all we used him for. We are low-key and independent, so our butler-related interactions were minimal. Quimera Rooftop bar for the Level - what a great place to relax for a few nighttime drinks with entertainment in a quaint setting, with a nice view overlooking the pool.

Me and my Fiancé had a lovely time at Riu Ochi. Before my arrival I had sent a few requests via email and upon arrival the front desk staff ensured these requests were met. Travelling from the UK and after a 9 hour flight I definitely felt relaxed as soon I reached the lobby. Bellman Akeem was super friendly and helpful. We saw Akeem doing some housekeeping duties around the main hotel area too..wow what a hardworking man. We were always greeted with a big smile and exchange of kind words. I would like to give a special mention to the beautiful bar lady Tamareo who served us with the biggest smile, super friendly lady who made our night extra special when she asked the dj in the sports bar to play a song for me and my partner (now my Fiancé) Yes I got engaged whilst there. We would like to say a big thank you to the young man in the Italian restaurant (unfortunately didn't get his name) who assisted my Fiancé during the proposal and who was also our videographer 😂 thank you for capturing a moment I will never forget. Overall we had a great time and we are looking forward to returning in the new year ❤️ God bless to all of the RIU staff we met during our stay your hard work is recognised and truly appreciated. Thank you 😊

Couldn't really fault the hotel or the staff . Food was good and plenty of it , spotlessly clean . But did have a few minor issues. There was no cash machine to get money out , so bring cash to change if you're going to tip . The pool areas were way too loud with their music . Fair enough I may be old but cater for everyone at least. Should have a noisy pool for those who want it and a quiet pool for those who don't . And if you don't like red stripe beer then tough luck , it's the only one offered . Lastly , we were there for 2 weeks , and the 2nd weeks entertainment was a mirror image of the 1st . Same bands , same shows, same artist. Was bored out our minds 2nd week. If people are going on a 2 week holiday which is more often than not , have a 2 week turnaround on the entertainment front

Awful from start to finish , got bitten by a centipede at the hotel although I’m sure that it could have been something else as the cleanliness was below par . Went to reception for assistance but one of the staff was busy having a nap and the other couldn’t give a dam. Waited in reception for over 10 hours with no medical assistance, told to look for food myself even though I have a serious shellfish allergy, rooms smelt damp and overall it was the worst hotel I’ve ever been to.

Worst hotel experience I’ve ever had! My sister made reservations and paid in advance for us for her birthday trip and when we arrived to the hotel after a long exhausting day of traveling and arriving in the evening, we were told that our reservation had been cancelled. They marked us as a no show! We were told in order to stay we would have to contact Expedia (how we booked the trip) and have them send a voucher for our reservation. My sister had the proof from Expedia showing our reservation was still active with the hotel but they would not accept it. My sister called Expedia several times to get assistance and was given the run around stating that the hotel were the ones who cancelled so we would need to take it up with them. After about two hours of back and forth with Expedia and the hotel and no resolution we were told that we could only stay if we paid cash for the night and they would sort it out with Expedia in the morning. After several attempts in the morning checking in with the front desk and turned away each time stating that they were not able to get in touch with Expedia and we would need to yet again pay cash if we wanted to stay. Desperate for a guaranteed place to stay we booked with another hotel. As we checked out and walked up to meet our driver, we were then told that the hotel was able to receive our voucher from Expedia. Can you imagine being stranded in another country and told at 6:00pm when you arrive that your paid for reservation had been cancelled?? Absolutely disgusted in how this hotel treated this situation. My sister is still waiting for reimbursement from the hotel and no one is returning her call or messaging her back. DO NOT BOOK with THEM! They are SCAMMERS!

This was one of the best getaways we had in a while. The total experience was awesome from the airport staff, the employees at the resort and the guest.