Riu Negril

We have just returned from an 11 night stay with a 16 year old and 11 year old. The transfer from the airport is quite long so prepare yourself for a drive. Upon check in, which was very straight forward, we arrived into a room which had not been made-up; which after a 15 hour travel day was far from ideal. This was managed quickly by the Reception Manager and we were upgraded free of charge to a sea view room & complimentary gifts along with a reservation at the steak house (very nice steak). She was very accommodating and dealt with the issue very professionally. The rooms are clean, modern and a good size, cleaned well daily. The resort itself is not huge, its compact with everything a short walk away. The Positives: The communal areas are very clean, especially the restaurants considering the volume of traffic. The food is very very good, something to please everyone and after 11 days we didn't get bored of the options. There is the main buffet area but also an Asian buffet which does not require a reservation so a good option for a change and very nice food. The sports bar also offers great meals with no reservation needed. The food here was really good, typical burger & chips, nachos, mac & cheese etc but served as in a restaurant and not rubbish pool side food. The iced coffees in here are sooo nice as well! The options for lunch were also great; the buffet which was in a different restaurant and also the pool side tacos and jerk chicken which were delicious! Never much of a wait for anything, great variety and all very clean & tidy. The main pool bar was fine, not much of a wait and the choices of drinks were good. Some of the bar staff could have been friendlier in my opinion. The Entertainment Team are probably the hardest working team I have come across at any resort I've ever been to. Their constant energy levels are incredible and no idea how they keep it up all day everyday! You can see they are tired but they keep going and their shows are fabulous. The evening entertainment was very good in general, the White Party was great fun and we enjoyed the beach party. Lots of live music, DJ and shows. The vibe was great. Most areas were very quiet by midnight so not much going on past this time. A special shout out to Raffale who is the Life Guard at the main pool - this chap is incredible, so much fun, talks to everyone, plays with the kids, constantly tidying up and on high alert for any issues in his pool. He deserves recognition! No sunbed wars, we were able to get sunbeds most times of the day. The beach is beautiful, so much sea-life with daily signings of star fish, sting ray, tropical fish and some saw sharks. The sea is warm, clear and the sands are white. Some lovely quiet parts where you will only find a couple of people. We enjoyed lots of time at the beach... stunning! You are able to hire (free of charge) non-motorised motorsports - pedalos, kayaks and wind surfs which is great - lovely to get out onto the ocean. We met a chap called Cliff who had a small fishing boat and took us snorkelling - he was amazing!!! Very reasonably priced, authentic and very knowledgeable about the ocean and sea-life. He is not part of the hotel but offers his trip down at the beach and is a genuinely lovely person. Probably one of our highlights. Negatives: The only negatives are the pools... the pool bar is for over 18's so rules out family use, there is a quiet pool which is nice but not really suitable for families/children, a volleyball pool which is for volleyball and the main family pool. As this is the main pool... it is very small and very busy. it is simply a rectangle pool. On some days it was so busy even the kids didn't want to be in it as no room to move, never-mind swim. This is where they have the foam parties as well which becomes chaos. When the pools were redesigned, they really should have made this pool a lot bigger to accommodate the volume of guests, kids and all the floaties. Good job the beach was so beautiful as this became a main option. For some reason under 16's are not able to participate in the aqua aerobics which I have never come across at any resort before. We made enquiries at the reception for a taxi to 7 mile beach and ended up paying $50 for a return journey, Later we found out there is a FREE shuttle bus from the resort to 7 mile beach which was never mentioned to us. This was very annoying and no idea why it isn't advertised or even mentioned to us. Overall we had a great holiday, Negil is beautiful and the resort catered for us all. We wouldn't rule out staying here again as overall it was fab... only negative was the main pool being too small. Cleanliness - 9/10 General Staff - 8/10 Entertainment Team - 10/10 Food - 9.5/10 Beach - 10/10 Pools - 7/10

We’ve just returned from a fantastic two-week family holiday at this hotel, travelling with a 7-year-old, 12-year-old, two 15-year-olds, an 18-year-old, and two adults. It really is a hotel that caters for all ages, and we made some amazing family memories. One of the things we loved most was the huge range of complimentary activities available. There was snorkelling, paddle boarding, canoeing and paddle boats, and the hotel does a great job of making guests aware of everything that’s included, so you don’t miss out. The entertainment team deserves a special mention – they are second to none. Every member of the team was friendly, enthusiastic and made a real effort to get to know guests. Kuban was absolutely amazing. His energy was unmatched, and he worked so hard to get everyone involved, up dancing and having fun. Shadow was also fantastic. He was brilliant at interacting with guests and you could tell he genuinely enjoyed what he did – he even joined in with volleyball during his own free time. In fact, all of the staff were warm, welcoming and always happy to stop for a chat. Their friendliness really added to the overall experience. The themed parties were another highlight and were great fun for the whole family. The only slight downside was that, during our second week, some of the entertainment started to repeat itself. The hotel is quite a distance from some of Jamaica’s main attractions, and the excursions offered by the hotel can be quite expensive. If you’re looking to save some money, I’d highly recommend speaking to the vendors on the beach. We booked with Captain Charlie, who was fantastic. He offered fair prices, was trustworthy and helped us create some unforgettable memories. Overall, we had an amazing holiday and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel to families looking for a fun, friendly and relaxing stay in Jamaica.

We stayed at this hotel for 11 nights and, after reading some recent negative reviews and hearing about the fire alarm issues, we arrived feeling quite apprehensive. However, we needn’t have worried—we had an absolutely fantastic holiday. We only heard the fire alarm a couple of times during our stay in Block 2, and on both occasions we were already up and about, so it didn’t affect us too much. The staff are exceptional. From the entertainment team to the gardeners, cleaners, and pool staff, everyone was incredibly friendly and welcoming. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and they all work so hard to make your stay enjoyable. The hotel itself is spotless, and the food was very good. While we didn’t think it was quite as good as we’ve experienced in Mexico, there was plenty of choice and something for everyone, including even the pickiest eaters. There were always plenty of sun loungers available, no matter what time of day we went out. We spent most of our time between the quiet pool and the beach, both of which were wonderful. A special mention has to go to Leroy, who looked after the quiet pool. He kept the area peaceful, clean, and tidy throughout our stay. As we’re not fans of loud music and a lively atmosphere, the quiet pool was perfect for us. Leroy greeted us every day with a smile and a friendly hello, and nothing was ever too much trouble for him. We were genuinely sad to leave. Everyone made us feel so welcome, and we wouldn’t hesitate to return. We hope to be back in the near future

We had a great vacation , everything was perfect! The food, the rooms, the animation! The atmosphere! The Riu Land was so fun! My children enjoyed it so much! We will be back surely

Just returned from a 12-night family holiday (2 adults and 2 young children), and after reading some of the recent reviews before travelling, I'll admit I was feeling quite apprehensive. Thankfully, those concerns disappeared very quickly. Overall, we had an amazing holiday and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the resort to families. What stood out: • The hotel is immaculate. The grounds, rooms and communal areas are exceptionally clean and clearly very well maintained. • The resort is huge, with four accommodation blocks, multiple pools, restaurants, bars and a beautiful beach, so there's always something to do. • The food was excellent throughout our stay. We've previously stayed at RIU Dubai and found the quality and variety to be on par with that, which was great to see. • Service was consistently friendly and efficient. With hundreds of staff working across such a large resort, they do an incredible job keeping everything running smoothly. • Tipping is very much part of the culture and is appreciated by the staff. The people make this resort truly what it is. A special mention has to go to some of the fantastic staff who really made our holiday memorable: • Duwayne, Shadow and Shaq from the entertainment team, who were full of energy every single day. • Tracy Ann at breakfast, who always started the day with a smile. • Shadaine behind the bar, mr double shot • Raffael the pool lifeguard, who was always friendly and helpful. Top guy. One thing that genuinely impressed us was the entertainment team anlways full of energy and Always said hello. Brought a great atmosphere to the whole villa and is not an easy job to do day in and day out. Rooms: Our room was spacious, modern and cleaned every day. It included everything you'd expect: • Iron and ironing board • Hairdryer • Safe • USB charging ports • Coffee facilities • Mini bar, which is replenished every couple of days (as stated on the information card in the room) A couple of observations: • Rooms could do with more cupboards or hangers. • Some reviews mention the fire alarms. During our stay they sounded twice, but both occasions happened during the day while we were out. From what we understood, this can happen due to island power interruptions or guests smoking in their rooms. Either way, it didn't have any real impact on our holiday and isn't really something the hotel staff can control. The beach is lovely and there were always plenty of sunbeds available, so there was no need to get up early to reserve one. The poolside loungers are understandably more popular and tend to fill up earlier. As a non-smoker, the only minor downside for us was that some guests smoked outside the designated smoking areas. It was a little frustrating at times, although that's more about individual guests than the hotel itself. And let’s face it- you are in Jamaica! So didn’t let that bother us. Overall: This was our second visit to Jamaica and our children's first. They absolutely loved every minute of it, and we came home with some fantastic family memories. The facilities are excellent, the food is consistently good, the hotel is spotless, but above all it's the staff who make this place special. Thank you to everyone at RIU Negril for giving our family such a memorable holiday.