- Jamaica Holidays
- Negril
- Riu Palace Tropical Bay
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Riu Palace Tropical Bay
Jamaica, Caribbean
Negril
The Riu Palace Tropical Bay All Inclusive is a family-friendly complex housed in Victorian-style buildings elegantly decorated, situated in the west coast of Jamaica. This beautiful and serene destination features crystalline waters and one of the best white-sand beaches on the island, the renowned Bloody Bay Beach. The West End of Negril lies at approximately 7.5 km from a bustling area with restaurants, bars and nightspots. The nearest shopping centre is located 6km away. This is a tropical state of mind, sea, and sand where guests will discover the pleasures of Jamaica.
Facilities
- Beauty salon*
- Spa treatments*
- Massage*
- Sauna
- Entertainment programme for adults
- Children playground*
- Outdoor freshwater pool
- Sun loungers
- Children’s swimming area
- Poolside snack bar
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.0 Very Good8,704 reviews
Excellent
51%
Very Good
30%
Average
10%
Poor
5%
Terrible
4%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Overall enjoyable stay
My wife and I stayed at Riu Tropical Bay for two weeks and overall had an enjoyable holiday, though a few issues with our room and parts of the resort did take away from the experience. Our biggest frustration was the plumbing in our room. Whenever we used the shower or sink, water flooded across the floor and we had to mop up large pools with towels each time. We also found three cockroaches during our stay which, while not a major issue for me, really upset my wife who isn’t good with bugs. The air conditioning also struggled, especially at night. Some areas of the hotel could do with updating or a fresh coat of paint, and the beach sunbeds were noticeably dirty. That said, there were plenty of positives. The drinks and cocktails were great with lots of choice, and most of the staff were warm, friendly, and a real credit to the hotel. Special mention to Yorick, who provided excellent evening table service, and William at the pool bar—both were superb: polite, friendly, and professional. On the other hand, Andrew, an older gentleman at the swim‑up bar was unnecessarily rude and abrupt, which put us off using that bar altogether. The grounds were well maintained and the beach itself was stunning—clear blue water and soft white sand. We tried all the speciality restaurants and the steakhouse was easily our favourite; we went several times and always had good food and service. The main buffet had plenty of choice, though as with most all‑inclusive resorts, it did become repetitive over a two‑week stay. The jerk station was superb, and we were served delicious chicken and pork by Chef Jolly, who is an absolute gentleman. He always found time for a quick chat and insisted on serving my wife first every time, which became a bit of a running joke between us 😂. His food and friendliness were real highlights of our stay. The entertainment team were fantastic —full of energy, enthusiasm and great with guests. Evening shows repeated in the second week, but we still enjoyed the white and neon party nights over at Riu Negril. What we didn’t enjoy was the constant sales pitches: scuba caribe staff repeatedly asking about excursions, spa staff pushing massages, photographers approaching daily and beach vendors offering anything and everything. It became tiresome after a while. Overall, we had a good stay and loved Jamaica, but we’re not sure we’d return to Riu Tropical Bay. The location, food and staff were highlights, but the room issues and constant sales approaches mean we’d likely try a different resort next time.
Review by Happyholidays888 North East England, United Kingdom
An incredible 2 week holiday
We have just came back from a 2 week holiday at this hotel and we absolutely loved every single minute and would return in a heartbeat.
Rooms - Perfect. Our room was spotless and we had an amazing view of the gardens and beach. Air conditioning was fantastic and the room overall was very comfortable and spacious. We loved it. Our fridge was topped up daily with beers, water and soft drinks.
Restaurants & Buffet - We had meals in all of the restaurants during our 2 week stay and was impressed by each visit. My wife is gluten intolerant and the restaurants were very knowledgeable and helpful. The food at the buffet was always really good, fresh and plenty of choice.
Pool areas - Plenty of room and plenty of beds. We found the pool areas very relaxing, clean, comfortable and staff were extremely friendly. We loved our time by the pools.
Beach - No other words apart from impressive. Very calm, relaxing and again, plenty of sunbeds to choose from. You do get asked to purchase items from the sellers across the beach but they are all very friendly and if you aren't interested, just tell them and they will not continue to bother you.
RIU Entertainment Team - The RIU Entertainment team ensure that everyone is having a good time. Each member of staff are extremely friendly and they really do work so hard each day and night. The entertainment on a night was always good and they took time to speak to everybody. They are the heartbeat of this hotel!
Overall, we had a perfect holiday. The cleaners, waiters/waitresses, bar staff and RIU team are all exceptional. In our opinion, this hotel is a 10/10.
Review by TomC0310 England, West Midlands
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fantastic Stay at Riu Palace Tropical Bay, Jamaica
We’ve just returned from a fantastic stay at Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Jamaica, and we honestly had such a wonderful holiday. From the beautiful beaches to the immaculate grounds and the incredibly friendly staff, there was so much to love.
The beach is absolutely beautiful, and the whole resort is set in stunning, well-maintained grounds. Our room was clean and comfortable, and everywhere we went, the resort was kept beautifully.
The food was great, with several restaurants offering a really good selection of hot, tasty food. The steakhouse was definitely our favourite — although it can get quite hot in there! Our only criticism would be the dinner sitting times of 6:30pm and 8:15pm. We would have preferred a little more flexibility rather than having to choose between two set times.
However, what really made our holiday were the entertainment team. They worked incredibly hard and brought so much fun, energy and positivity to the resort every day. Zeus, O’Shane, Reena, Advance, Trixx, Sanya, and Spotlight (to name a few) were all absolutely amazing and extremely talented dancers. They genuinely made our holiday special, and their enthusiasm never seemed to stop.
A special mention also has to go to Kevin from Scuba Caribe. He was so lovely and helpful, and we would definitely recommend booking your trips with him.
Collette in the dining area and her girls were fantastic too. They were so attentive at breakfast and lunch and always made us feel welcome.
We also have to mention King Bevan and Marlene, who were brilliant behind the bar, along with all the staff around the bar opposite the beach. They were always happy, friendly and fun, and their positive attitudes really added to the atmosphere.
And a big shout-out to Devin, the evening entertainment barman, who was absolutely fab! We honestly never had an empty glass when Devin was around — he was always on the ball and made sure everyone was looked after.
One of the most memorable moments of our holiday happened thanks to Angela Hart, the masseuse on the beach. My daughter stood on a wasp and Angela kindly helped her by removing the sting and then even gave her a foot massage simply out of kindness. That really touched us. Her massage prices are also extremely reasonable, and we would absolutely recommend her if you’re looking for a massage while staying at the resort.
We made sure to show our appreciation to the staff with tips throughout our stay, as they genuinely deserved it. In all honesty, though, every one of these amazing people deserves a pay rise! They work so incredibly hard and go above and beyond every day to make guests happy.
Overall, the staff are what make this resort so special. Every single person works incredibly hard, yet their positivity, kindness and warmth feel completely genuine. Take the time to stop and chat to them and ask about their lives — many of them have incredibly inspiring stories.
We would definitely return to Riu Palace Tropical Bay. Beautiful surroundings, great food, amazing entertainment and, most importantly, wonderful people who genuinely care about making your holiday special.
Thank you to everyone who made our stay so memorable. 🇯🇲❤️
Review by Donna F County Durham, United Kingdom
Don't go.
Do not go if you have food allergies, or Coeliac. Food all contaminated, as tongs used for everything. Bacon on Bread at breakfast contaminating it. Chef said RIU would not buy gluten-free flour to make things as its too expensive. Although 5 star and we paid for this. No fresh options, as any option (please see photo) came out of a freezer, warm on outside and still frozen in middle. Staff not educated in food allergies and said things were ok to eat that contained allergy ingredients. Pools cramped and small, only big enough for the guests at hotel. Location on lovely sandy beach. Atmosphere noisy, party busy, adults entertainment, not relaxing or for families. One game included couples and sexual positions with a balloon, straight after Children entertainment, before main show at 8.30pm. Rooms, spacious, however dangerous, safety issue as had water pouring through light fitting in bathroom. Not fixed, as we were told it was a too large job for them to do, we said 12 days with this dangerous situation. Value, expensive for quality of food, small steak, limited sea food. Same deserts, No themed / different buffets. Cleanliness, very good throughout, apart from all toilets. 3 out if 4 toilets did not lock. Service, poor, everything laid back and said things were done on App when they weren't.
Great Holiday in Negril
Just returned from a two week stay at this great hotel, we are gold RIU members and were allocating a sea front room on arrival, great to sit on your balcony and watch the sun set in the evening this really made our holiday fantastic, We dined in all the à la carte restaurants during our stay but to be honest probably preferred the buffet which is excellent, If I had 1 small criticism it would be around tipping, on previous visits to the Caribbean we save our tipping and tip well at the end of our holiday for staff members who have stood out, I would advise visitors to tip small and frequently for better service here, particularly in the evening entertainment area where I was left without a drink on numerous occasions, whilst other tables who tipped a doller had drinks stacked up which were then wasted, Overall every other aspect of the holiday was brilliant and we would definitely return, I would just bring a massive stack of 1 dollar bills next time
Review by KWils1111 Leicester, United Kingdom
