Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Negril, Jamaica – My Hotel Review

Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Negril, Jamaica

 

This was my first time traveling to an all-inclusive resort…

Until recently I haven’t traveled at all, but traveling is something I plan to do a lot more now that my kids are older. After plenty of researching and planning, we ended up in Jamaica at the Riu Palace. Negril is best known for the beaches and the sun. I was in desperate need of both. I visited the resort with my boyfriend, but during this trip, he became my fiancé! WOW! Talk about a memorable vacation. But, back to my review, my first impressions of the Riu Palace Tropical Bay were great. I did expect it to be a bit more modern and luxurious, but it was still beautiful. The basics were all there. Luxurious swimming pools. Beautiful beach? Check. Abundance of frozen alcoholic beverages? Check. But, overall, how was the Riu Palace Tropical Bay? How was the all-inclusive experience?

What all was actually included?

The phrase “all-inclusive” here really did mean all-inclusive. All meals, drinks, entertainment, and WiFi. Other than tipping the staff (which I highly recommend that you do because it will make your time there much better and the staff will remember you throughout your stay), you don’t have to pay anything extra than the price of the package vacation. It’s a good feeling to not have to worry about carrying around a wallet or having to pay for anything while you’re there. There is a small gambling room with an ATM and about 15-20 machines to play, which is obviously not apart of the all inclusive so you will need your wallet for that if that’s something you enjoy. The included meals varied from buffet food to three-course meals at the restaurants in the evening. The drinks included local and imported beverages of all varieties. At the restaurants, your meal options were limited, each restaurant offered three or four different appetizers, entrees, and desserts to choose from, but by far our favorite was the Japanese restaurant, the sushi and the steak were AMAZING! The buffet on the other hand had endless options to accommodate anyone. As for activities, SOME things were included, but there were extra activities and excursions being offered, but some were a little pricey. We did the catamaran cruise through Scuba Caribe to Rick’s Café which offered an open bar, a stop to snorkel (which was awesome), and of course you get to watch Jamaica’s world famous sunset from the boat as you were leaving Rick’s Café (during that sunset on the catamaran was also the moment of my fiancé’s proposal, talk about the most perfect proposal, EVER!) that entire excursion was well worth the price and I highly recommend it!

The Resort and Staff

The resort itself included one main building with the lobby and some restaurants, two buffets that alternated meal service times, a stage, two swimming pools (one with a swim-up bar), and several buildings filled with guest rooms. Bloody Bay Beach was merely steps from the swimming pools. It might seem like a large resort, but it didn’t take long to circle the whole place. I liked that it wasn’t a huge resort where it was necessary to take a shuttle from one spot to the next. The landscape was always perfectly groomed, and very well maintained. There were pretty gardens filled with gazebos, cascading water, lush greenery, and hibiscus flowers in full bloom. Looking for places to take photos was easy, everywhere was a good spot for pictures.

I spent most of my days on the beach in the morning and at the swimming pools in the afternoon. The water in the pools were always perfectly warm and heated by the sun. We visited at the end of July, which was hot, but perfect for a Caribbean beach vacation.

The more popular of the two had a swim-up bar. There were all sorts of drinks there; beer, hard alcohol, and frozen drinks. There were machines with pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris ready to go, which was perfect for me since that’s all I drank (more than I am proud to admit, but oh well, it was my vacation). However, the bartenders will create your drink of choice using blenders. Another one I really liked was called “Caribbean Orange” that was delicious.

There were always games and activities by the pool, hosted by the entertainment staff (the entertainment staff were like friends and family and throughout our trip would address us by name like they’ve known us forever). There was never a dull moment. The pools would occasionally get crowded if the entertainment staff were doing something, like having a foam party, YES a foam party, now that was a lot of fun (pictures will be included), but it was still pretty easy to find a free lounger to sit right by the pool. If you were seeking a quiet and relaxing day, that was completely attainable, there were spots away from where they were doing there fun where you could easily relax. When I was too hot, I moved to one of the loungers inside the pool. It was perfect!

 

The Beach and The Crystal Clear Beautifully Blue Water

A beautiful beach at a resort might be equally, if not more important, than a quality swimming pool. I can state, with confidence, that Bloody Bay Beach was one of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever seen. From the clear, blue water to the powdery white sand, every element composing that image of an ideal beach was present. It didn’t matter how far out you walked; you could see your toes at the bottom. The sea water was equally as warm as the swimming pool water. The palm trees gave some shade from the sun, which for some on our trip, was must since the sunburn got them on day 1. The water was shallow and clear. I saw a few jellyfish floating by us, but they move slow enough that you can easily move away and the water is so clear, you can easily see them. There was also a stingray right as we were walking into the water, but it quickly swam away (they will usually swim away pretty quickly the second they sense you near so they’re really nothing to worry about). The beach was also private, but there were locals that could walk along the edge of the water on the beach (which did get a little annoying, since they were always selling stuff and could get a bit pushy about it, which is how we ended up with four $5 bracelets) but they’re not allowed to come any closer than right along the water so you could easily relax on the beach in peace, as long as you avoid them when getting in the water, it was fine.

The Room

We stayed in room 6213, on the second floor (the ocean view junior suite). When I entered the room for the first time, it was very cozy and welcoming. There was a large king-sized bed facing a flat screen TV with premium cable channels. The room included a sitting area with a couch and a small dining table. The area of the room that stood out the most was the balcony, I spent every morning and some evenings just sitting on that balcony, since we were ocean view, I could just sit and stare at the beach and watch the sunrise and sunset. That was the life!

The bathroom was covered in marble and had two sinks and a basic tub shower combo, we were able to get a peak into one of the room ocean suit rooms while housekeeping was inside, just a peak out of curiosity. Since that was actually the room we initially wanted, but for whatever reason was unable to get when our travel agent booked our trip, seeing it made us even more disappointed. Our room was still very nice, but if we ever visit a Riu Resort again, we will definitely be making sure we get the ocean suite.

My Advice

Here are a few things to know:

• Plan your dinners ahead and pick your restaurants accordingly, since they rotate days that they are closed.
• Look at the entertainment schedule ahead of time and plan your dinner times accordingly. Evening entertainment/shows starts around 9:00pm, but the pre shows start around 8-8:30pm, so arrive early to ensure you get a good seat.
• On the topic of entertainment, do yourself a favor and definitely don’t miss the night they have Mix Max, absolutely hilarious, and by far our favorite show.
• Even though it is not required, make sure you tip! This is important! We made sure to tip all of our server and bartender, and they remembered. We had a table at the buffet set up, decorated, and waiting for us specifically. If the bar was packed, they made sure we weren’t missed when ordering, because they knew we tipped. Not only is tipping your server just plain common courtesy, but it will also make you VIP to the staff.

Disclaimer: I was a paying guest of Riu Palace Tropical Bay and was not offered a discounted stay in exchange for my review. My honest opinions, are entirely my own.