Riu Palace Tropical Bay

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.

We stayed as a family of 6 at this lovely and welcoming hotel. Check-in was straightforward and we were greeted with a lovely rum punch.

Rooms were always spotlessly clean and the mini bar was always topped up. You can use the RIU app to ask for more room items and even room service. The App can also be used to book one of the four à la carte restaurants or transport to the sister hotel for the party nights.

We ate at the Italian, Steak House and Japanese. Service at all 3 was good and the food was nice.

However, we preferred the buffet where the food was so varied and plentiful. Jamaican food, Asian food, various European food and a whole host of others were all available. The staff at the buffet were superb - friendly and attentive. Andre in the middle section was superb during dinner service and the ladies inside the buffet were so lovely and helpful (inc. Denise, Dianne, Yonesha). I was even shown how to eat jackfruit the right way which I was very grateful for!

There are several pools which are cleaned on a daily basis and the water was always very nice. We mainly hung out at the family pool but sometimes ventured over to the activity pool for games and the weekly foam party.

On occasion we went into the adult pool where the afternoon games and quizzes were held. Our feedback here would be that it was slightly unfair on the kids / parents with kids who couldn’t go into the adult pool so couldn’t really enjoy the afternoon pool entertainment. Perhaps the hotel could suspend the adult pool rules whilst games and entertainment are in play in the adult pool?

The beach was beautiful, as was the ocean, and the staff are continually making it as clean as possible. The same could also be said for the pool area and, in fact, every other space in the hotel. The staff work so hard and we’re always so friendly.

My one gripe is more about some of the guests who chose to leave their glasses, cups, litter and empty plates around the pool and on the beach despite their being plenty of stations where empties can be left. Perhaps the signage could be more clear but that’s on the guests being lazy and entitled rather than doing their bit to help keep the hotel clean and help the staff out a little.

The grounds generally were beautifully kept and the staff, all over the hotel, were so friendly and courteous.

The lobby area was nice and chilled and the bar / coffee shop were well air conditioned and well stocked. The shop was also well stocked if a little over-priced.

The entertainment and entertainment team were brilliant and kept the guests engaged and upbeat throughout our stay; and you can tell how much effort goes into the programme they put on for the hotel guests. We particularly enjoyed the beach parties, party nights and the Jamaican steel band, The Silver Wings!

The gym was open 24 hours which I appreciated being a very early bird and the towels were always well stocked. The gym was generally very clean and the equipment was pretty decent for a hotel gym. Again, my main gripe would be about guests not returning weights or leaving equipment strewn over the floor. That is simply poor gym etiquette and perhaps the hotel should consider additional signage or having the area occasionally supervised to remind guests about gym standards for health and safety reasons. However, this was more about the guests and not the hotel.

Overall, this was easily one of the best Riu’s we’ve ever visited and had an amazing 2 weeks there. I would not hesitate to return.

We had a wonderful time!! Only complaint would be the bed is hard and some bugs. However, it's a tropical island, it's going to happen. When we did address the issue, it was resolved immediately, we were on the first floor. The buffet was amazing, Ive never seen an assortment of food ever, supper was favorite!!!!!!! The rooms were always clean, and linens and bed sheets always smelled great. We met some amazing people here along with some locals. We did Ricks Cafe and never again.... seen an accident and will never plan to go again. The beach is perfect, the vendors are pushy, but we just tell them no and move on. Great place to visit and we will be back!!