RIU Negril

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.

Before I start my review, I want to make sure a few incredible members of staff receive the recognition they deserve. I really hope this feedback makes its way back to management because these individuals genuinely made our holiday so special.

Firstly, Oshin (“Shin Shin”) from the entertainment team. Whilst the entire entertainment team were incredible, Shin Shin was an absolute pleasure to interact with. She made my daughter Emilia’s stay completely unforgettable. She’s an amazing dancer, the best bingo caller, and, most importantly, a genuinely wonderful human being. Since we’ve returned home, my daughter has cried almost every day because she misses her so much! She has such a natural ability to make every guest feel special. I’d also like to give special mentions to Timmoy, Shadow and Cuban, who were all pivotal in making our holiday one we’ll never forget.

Raffael, the lifeguard, deserves huge recognition too. He is, without question, the best lifeguard we’ve ever come across—and we’ve travelled all over the world. He watches the pool like a hawk, constantly keeps the pool area tidy, welcomes everyone with a smile and somehow manages to do all of this whilst remaining friendly and approachable. We unfortunately witnessed some guests treating him poorly, but he handled every situation with professionalism and grace. He is an absolute credit to the lifeguard team.

Deniel (main breakfast restaurant), Jovani (Steakhouse) and Akeem (Island Cove chef) all stood out during our stay. Deniel and Jovani weren’t just excellent servers—they were genuinely interested in getting to know us as people, not just hotel guests. Their warmth, friendliness and professionalism perfectly represent the RIU brand. Akeem may not have spoken to us as much because he was busy cooking, but every lunchtime he was singing, smiling, cooking, cleaning and greeting guests. He completely embodied the Caribbean spirit and always made lunchtime feel like an experience rather than just a meal.

Finally, Nicoy at the adults’ pool bar deserves a special mention. This man never stopped working! He somehow managed to keep everyone entertained (including some very lively guests!), made incredible cocktails and always had a smile on his face. Another standout member of the RIU team.

Now onto the hotel itself…

The location is fantastic. The beach is beautiful with soft white sand and clear water. Yes, there is a little seaweed, but nowhere near enough to spoil the experience, so please don’t let that put you off booking. We visited the Hi-Lo supermarket around 10 minutes away using Uber, which was easy and inexpensive. Seven Mile Beach is also close by with plenty of transport options, many of which are free or very low cost.

The hotel itself is stunning—modern, clean and very well maintained. Our garden view room was spacious and had everything we needed including a stocked drinks fridge, iron, safe, hairdryer and USB charging ports. We’d read reviews mentioning fire alarms, but during our two-week stay we didn’t experience a single one.

The food honestly exceeded our expectations for an all-inclusive resort. The only disappointment was Luigi’s Italian restaurant, which unfortunately wasn’t to our taste. However, every other restaurant was fantastic. There was so much choice and the quality of the food was consistently excellent. It catered brilliantly for everyone, including my very fussy 10-year-old, which is no easy task! Our favourite à la carte restaurant was definitely the Steakhouse—we loved it so much we went three times! I could genuinely talk for days about how good the food was. Every member of the restaurant staff worked incredibly hard and always remained professional and friendly.

The entertainment deserves a review of its own. WOW! The entertainment team are absolute workhorses. They completely made our holiday and kept both the adults and children entertained from morning until night. Every activity was varied, engaging and suitable for all ages. The evening shows were brilliant, with both the Beach Party and RIU Party being highlights of our entire trip.

One thing that really impressed us was how the entertainment team personally greeted new guests and somehow remembered everybody’s names. That level of personal service and attention to detail was incredible and made everyone feel welcome.

The complimentary water sports station was another fantastic bonus. We made great use of the free kayaks and other equipment throughout our stay, and it added so much to our holiday.

Overall, this has been one of our favourite family holidays. The hotel itself is beautiful, the food is excellent, the location is ideal and the facilities are fantastic—but it’s the people who truly make RIU Negril so special. Every member of staff worked incredibly hard, but those I’ve mentioned above went above and beyond to create memories that our family will cherish forever.

Thank you, RIU Negril. We will definitely be back.