RIU Palace Aquarelle

Aug 2025 Amazing hotel Entertainment team is one of the best I’ve seen Staff are super friendly x

On August 14, my husband and I arrived in Jamaica for our anniversary and my birthday trip. The trip had been planned months in advance, and my husband paid for the room in full using a credit card. When we attempted to check in, a young woman with a dark complexion, short stature, and small braids—who identified herself as a supervisor when I requested one—refused to allow us to check in unless the same credit card used for the reservation could be processed for a $1 incidental authorization. We contacted the credit-card company, which explained that the card could not be processed outside the United States. Despite being informed of this and despite the room already being paid in full, she continued to refuse us accommodations. After a long flight, we were understandably frustrated and asked for some consideration. However, she repeatedly said no and appeared to smirk during the interaction. We offered several other credit cards to keep on file for incidentals, but she still refused to accept them. I have stayed at many hotels and have never experienced a property requiring the exact card used for payment to be presented for incidental charges. After approximately three hours of arguing, my husband—who has a heart aneurysm—became extremely upset and began crying. At that point, I asked the representative to refund the payment. As a result, we were left stranded in Jamaica at approximately 8:00 p.m., carrying our luggage and uncertain about where we would stay next. None of the staff appeared concerned about our situation or made a meaningful effort to assist us. This was the worst birthday and travel experience I have ever had. I have stayed at multiple Riu properties in Cancun and other destinations, and I have never encountered this type of treatment. Unfortunately, following this experience, I will no longer support or stay at a Riu property. We were frightened and distressed, but we eventually found another hotel. The following day, we booked the Azul resort, where we were treated exceptionally well. Unlike Riu, Azul had no problem placing a different credit card on file for incidental charges. The swim-out accommodations were beautiful, and the food and beaches were outstanding. The resort was also considerably more affordable, and I was treated with genuine kindness and respect. In hindsight, I would have chosen Azul first. Because of this experience, I will not be returning to Riu.

Great hotel. Very generous all inclusive offering. A party hotel - the Ent Team are amazing. Problem with cash here. There is no ATM or cash exchange facility but ALL Excursion & Taxis operating from and through the hotel expect payment in cash. Nearest ATM 11miles away and they’ll charge you extra to get there. Cards are useless. Otherwise we had a great time. Food, service & hygiene all great. Beach/bay location perfect. Prob wouldn’t have my wedding there - tight spaces and a noisy / party hotel vibe.

Way to go, Aquarelle! Myself, husband & adult son have just returned from a week at Riu Palace Aquarelle in Jamaica. From checkin with Danielle to our last drink with KerryAnn at Kingston pool bar, our vacation was amazing!!! The room was impeccably clean thanks to Ann Marie & her colleagues, & any housekeeping request made through the app were met immediately! We dined at the buffet where all our various servers were all superb! There was such a variety of food offered here that the à la cartes were not even necessary but of course we tried them & all were nothing but delicious!!! Raquel in the Italian Restaurant, Romero in the Steakhouse & all servers in the Japanese Restaurant, gave us exemplary service. The bar staff throughout the resort were all fabulous & so hard working with constant smoked, from Criss in the Sportsbar who remembered my coffee order every morning to Ivan, Avia & KerryAnn at the pool bars. KerryAnn at Kingston bar always made the best mojitos & ‘KerryAnn Special’ drinks, that we were never without a drink in hand when she was around! The entertainment team at this resort is top notch from guest engagement to unbelievable shows, this is one of the best resort teams I have yet to see! Tionna, Romerio, Rooster, Mosquito, Rayon & so many others were constantly checking on our enjoyment with their enthusiasm & high energy that they really took our vacation to the next level by truly loving what they do! The grounds, facilities & beach were all very impressive & definitely a resort we would highly recommend & return to!! Thank you for the amazing memories, Aquarelle!!!!

Riu Palace Aquarelle promotes itself as a family haven yet the reality is far from this. Pros: inoffensive (al be it cheap/broken) bedroom decor and good room layout options for families. Serving staff are all doing their best and work hard, some with real humour - but all deserve credit. Their Jamaican humour and resilience shines through. Location is good - whilst choppy during my stay the beach is nice and the water is blue (if not clear due to current conditions) and the sand is lovely. The food is plentiful although not particularly great. It’s not well presented and tastes like you could cook it better at home. The buffets look a mess like a swarm of kindergarten kids have got to work and nobody bothers to keep it looking smart. Cons: this is a long list - [ ] Hotel is too large for the amount of pool space. There are four pools - non of which are huge. Two for adults only with swim up bars, one for volleyball and ‘sport’ which gets really crowded with people playing water polo or volleyball so you can’t actually do anything in this one if you aren’t participating in the activity of the moment. The Marley pool with the swim up is full of rowdy drunks being encouraged to chant and shout and jeer by the bar staff. Kids are not allowed in this pool and given the bar staff’s unwillingness/ inability to keep behaviour appropriate you wouldn’t want your kids near that. However as the resort has another swim up (Kingston) right next to the ‘family’ pool it would be sensible to make that a family swim up. Kinds enjoy sitting at a swim up ordering a mocktail with their parents etc and segregating them doesn’t make families feel welcome - keep your rowdy stuff if you must have it at the Marley Bar and make Kingston open to all. This would also help reduce overcrowding in the family pool as the only family pool is too busy to actually swim in as it is oversubscribed. You can’t use a floaty in the adult only pools (unless you are flirty with or grinding against the lifeguard it seems) so anyone with a floaty ends up in the already overcrowded family pool which as a result is unwelcomingly murky. Plus when they close the family pool because a drunk adult has puked in there - they have no kid friendly alternative… - [ ] You aren’t allowed to consume any beverages by the kids splash pool. Why? Surely rehydration should be paramount in such hot weather - [ ] The gym is adult only yet there are many teens who would love to use it even if under adult supervision - [ ] The general vibe is brash and noise - there desperately needs to be a quiet family pool space where kids and parents can decompress without excessive noise and overstimulation - [ ] There are no teen facilities - the only kids club is aimed at the very young and doesn’t offer anything to genuinely interest the over 12’s - [ ] The resort is supposed to be 5* but lacks any sort of premium or luxury atmosphere. It’s all very pile it high and sell it cheap. The corridors of the hotel look like an industrial warehouse and the lobby resembles a leisure centre rather than a luxury hotel. - [ ] The threat of a US$250 fine if guests loose their wrist band seems petty. There must be classier ways of proving if someone is a genuine guest: the wristband system is so tacky. The rationing of towels for pool use is also so 3* - luxury hotels usually allow two towels per lounger. - [ ] Lifeguards should remember they are there to prevent drowning- not to police petty rules like drinking sprite by the wrong pool or heaven forbid using a floaty in the wrong place. With some family guest focused adjustments this could be a much more welcoming place but at the moment it seems to enjoy rules for rules sake. Let the people who want something rowdy go to one of Riu’s many adult only properties on the island and embrace the market for families who appreciate better behaviour here.