RIU Palace Aquarelle

The hotel exceeded our expectations. Super friendly staff, who remember your names; great sized comfortable rooms; fantastic food at the buffet, à la cartes, coffee shop, Sports Bar & Pepe’s. Checked in online so we were quickly checked in & unpacking ready to enjoy our holidays. There was always tables available at the buffet, which was always well stocked and refreshed. It was easy to book the à la cartes using the Riu app. The entertainment team all work extremely hard. A shout out to Rooster, who was brilliant with our grandson. We thoroughly enjoyed the Michael Jackson Show & the History of Reggae. The dancing was amazing. The slides were well used by our grandson as was the children’s pool area. Sunbeds were comfortable & plentiful but get down after 10 & you’d struggle around the main pool. The volleyball pool seemed to be underused so making it accessible for all would be a tip. Waitress round the pool was excellent, shout out to Cardrena. The hotel sits right on the beautiful beach. We had a fabulous time & will be back. The only issue we had was some rude guests while waiting for the lifts. The Brits forming a queue & young Americans just barging in but …

There were some positive points for the hotel, namely the staff who are generally very good (particularly Dwain who was excellent and worked incredibly hard), the rooms are nice and the hotel is generally pretty clean. Food is also pretty good (typical buffet food with a lot of choice) and it was easy to get into the speciality restaurants through the app. What I struggled with was the constant noise from the hotel with music blasting from 10am till the early hours. If it wasn’t the hotel, it was from fellow guests who bought speakers to the pool/beach and subjected us to their music. There was also the public party that was on further up the beach which blasted music till gone 5am on the Saturday night. Essentially, if you want a noisy hotel with lots of music and noisy guests, this is a great option, if you want it a bit more chilled, look elsewhere.

2.5 stars is what I would rate this place. I was surprised by the lack of kid activities between the ages of 9 - 17. We had three families who travelled and vacationed together this past week at the Riu Aquarelle and the only real entertainment was the 7 seven different slides at the water park which you can only go on them so many times before being bored. Rooms were maintained fairly clean, however it was hard to keep the rooms cool, most of the door stoppers were busted, and the TVs did not work for two straight days. Food was ok, nothing great about it, but it is what you probably could expect for a buffet. Nothing special about Kyoto or Steakhouse dinners we had. We decided we needed to go off resort was the better option during the day which we did two of the days. Night entertainment was ok, except for the Reggae Band they had one night was really good.

This was our second time at the Riu Palace Aquarelle and we had a great holiday again. We wouldn't hesitate to go back. Things that are still great or have improved: The staff make the place what it is. Everywhere and especially in the main restaurant. We had great service every morning and evening. The food was even better than our first visit. More choice, better quality and more fresh tropical fruits. Good international dishes and plenty of Jamaican options. Liver in Brown Stew for breakfast, yum! The Entertainment team is still amazing and talented. They work so hard all day and also do the shows at night. The Entertainment is great, Michael Jackson show and Silver Birds still the best. The place still has a great Party/fun vibe. It is Jamaica! Foam parties in the pool! But you can still find places for peace and quiet and relaxation. The Riu Party at Riu Ocho Rios is amazing. Proper banging! (but also see below for the not so good). The optics in the room are great. At the end of the evening nothing beats retiring to your room and sitting on the balcony with a rum and a great view of the resort and the sea! The Jerk station is still fab! Cappuccino bar serves nice cakes and the coffee is good now. Things that can be improved or are not as good as before: While we had a blast at the Riu Party at Riu Ocho Rios. To get there you have to go by coach. Pick up is around 7pm. It takes an hour to get there. Coaches pick you up again between 10:30 and 11pm (for another hour trip back). It basically wipes your whole evening out and you have to rush your dinner. We went to the neon party, but skipped the white party as we couldn’t be bothered with it all. If you stay at the Aquarelle and don’t go to the party, there is no entertainment at the hotel that night. When we went two years ago the White and Neon Parties were done at the hotel. They were held down by the DJ booth at the sand pit. We would have preferred it to stay like that and not to have to go all the way to Ocho Rios. Two years ago when we went it coincided with the European Football Championships. They played all the games on the big screen on the stage. It was a great touch. This time it coincided with the Football World Cup. But this time the games were shown in the Sports Bar and not on the Large stage screen. This meant lots of football fans crammed into the sports bar. Staff in the bar were run off their feet and were unable to serve people that just wanted to come to the bar for food and drink. It would have been better to use the large stage screen again. The lifts are still a bit of an issue. There are not enough of them for the size of the resort. At busy times there can be a long wait or they come full and you can’t get in.

Our stay at RIU has been absolutely outstanding, and one of the highlights has been the incredible Diamond Member Cocktail Hour. It was so much more than just cocktails—it was an opportunity to meet and interact with other Diamond families in a warm, welcoming atmosphere that truly made us feel like valued guests. A very special thank you goes to Natasha and her amazing team. From the moment we arrived, she has gone above and beyond to ensure our stay has been exceptional. During the Diamond Member Cocktail Hour, Natasha made every single Diamond member feel recognized and appreciated. She created an interactive, personal experience where everyone felt welcome, and her genuine hospitality made the event unforgettable. Natasha you are an asset! We would also like to recognize several other outstanding team members who have helped make our vacation so special. Ms. Linnette, Rohan, and Khalil at the buffet dining area have provided exceptional service with smiles and genuine kindness every day. Acoya, Chef Lavana, Chef Oniel, Nyoka at the front desk, and Kevin at the bar have all consistently gone above and beyond to make us feel at home.Do you know how impressive it is for a Chef to know your name? Lavana took the time to learn our names, and greeted us by name! It is the people who truly make this resort shine. Their professionalism, warmth, and dedication to providing exceptional service have made this one of our most memorable vacations. Thank you to the entire RIU team for making us feel like family. We can’t wait to return!