May 16, 2013
Vitannie, New York City, New York | Trip type: Friends getaway
This was my second time staying at the RIU Montego Bay. I had a great time then and now. My sister and I stayed from May 10 thru May 14...
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This was my second time staying at the RIU Montego Bay. I had a great time then and now. My sister and I stayed from May 10 thru May 14 2013. Not enough time in Paradise at all! We had a wonderful time. The hotel is not far from the airport which is nice. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained, the staff is wonderful and fun, and we loved the food, especially the jerk chicken hut on the beach. There is nightly entertainment. The rooms are clean, if not a bit dated. The mini bar inside the room is always a nice touch, ours needed to be replenished but we made a call to the front desk and they came and did it while we were out. The AC worked great, the balcony was beautiful, the beds were a bit firm but I slept fine. Everyday we woke up to paradise. I would definitely stay here again. « less
“Some Good, Some Bad...Prefer not to stay at this hotel again”
Visited Riu Montego Bay Hotel the week of April 30th-May 7th 2013. The purpose of the trip was for a wedding. There was a group of us (about 25 ppl)...
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Visited Riu Montego Bay Hotel the week of April 30th-May 7th 2013. The purpose of the trip was for a wedding. There was a group of us (about 25 ppl) that stayed at this hotel.
Staff: Excellent! Everyone, wait staff, housekeeping, front desk, spa, maintenance etc was very friendly & very pleasant. Always willing to help. No one was pushy or rude for tips. When I made a request it was accommodated quickly & correctly.
Food: Very surprising that we arrived on a Tuesday & we had to wait until Saturday to get real Jamaican food as that was considered 'Jamaica night'...smh. In the main buffet (Rose Hall), apparently there are themed nights for the food. WHY??? In Jamaica I expect authentic Jamaican cuisine daily! A member of our group had to request ackee & saltfish to be made & bc the staff were so excellent they did make it for us, however, we shouldn't have to ask for a signature jamiacan dish in Jamaica. Jerk chicken on the beach was fantastic! Hamburgers, fries & patties were also yummy and made great snacks & lunch by the pool. Tried the Asian a la carte restaurant & the food was what I expected for asian cuisine in Jamaica. Overall the food did not seem like authentic Jamaican food, but I guess that's what you get when you stay at a spanish owned hotel resort located in Jamaica.
Rooms: I roomed with a 7mth old & a 7 yr old. Room was cleaned daily & special thanks to Donna who did a fantastic job! The building we stayed in (block 2-room 2227) did have ROACHES! In my room I saw 2 during my 1wk stay. I'm glad Donna did such a great job cleaning or there would have probably been more. The roaches hung out after sunset mainly by the elevators and on the ceilings in the hallways. Another group member staying in the same building saw about 4 in her room. Tisk. Tisk. I've stayed in 3* hotels in Jamaica (this was my 3rd visit to JA) & roaches were not lodging there so for a 5* RIU should do more to rid the place of roaches. The bride in our group stayed in block 6 and she did not see any roaches at all. View was of the garden, but I dont really care about that bc I only stayed in the room to sleep, shower, etc. Beds were hard. The hotel did provide a crib, however, I co-slept with my baby & only used the crib for when I needed to shower. There was always an abundance of towels, washcloths & blankets. The air-condition did break down one day/night but the room had a ceiling fan that did the trick. Since I roomed with kids the TV stayed on the Nickelodeon & Disney channels so it didn't matter that the other stations provided sucked. Some nights the shows did get really loud, but the kids had no trouble sleeping through the noise. The mini-bar in the room has a great selection so having a night-cap once the kids were asleep was convenient.
Pool/Beach: The water was great for me at the pool & the beach. Lots of seaweed in the beach, but if you wear water shoes the seaweed doesn't bother you. There were always PLENTY of beach chairs to sit on. Never once did our group have an issue finding seats together and we would arrive at different times throughout the day. There was always a place to sit. If you wanted shade, there was plenty, if you prefer sun, there was plenty. Towel hut is located in a good spot & there were always fresh towls available during the hours of operation. We used the pool that did not have the bar, it was kept clean & we had no issues. Awesome!
Entertainment: In our group there was a mix of older married couples, young married couples, parents with babies/kids and single adults. The evening entertainment was good for something to watch before going to bed. Not all of it was for an audience of all ages, but they did keep it appropriate. The single adults found the trips off the resort to Margaritaville & Pier1 more exciting. For the older adults they walked the grounds, hung out using wi-fi in the lobby or went to bed. Overall, entertainment was good.
Wedding: The purpose of our trip! The wedding was absolutely beautiful!! The bride did bring her own decor & flowers so I don't know exactly what the decor & flowers are like from the hotel. Her wedding spot was the gazebo (not the beach one) and it was lovely. The wedding co-ordinator seemed polite & helpful. The pastor was fantastic! He made us feel like we had known him for years. For brides thinking of/getting married at this resort, I would suggest to do what my friend did & bring your own decor & flowers. It's no problem to set up your things the way you want. The reception dinner was held at the steakhouse. The food was fantastic, really good!
In summary, the pool/beach, and the friendly staff saved this hotel from getting two thumbs down. If you want real good authentic Jamaican food, this hotel won't provide that. If you do not mind cockroaches greeting you Yah Mon! at the elevtors then you can stay here. As for me & my house, we will not be visiting this hotel again. One Love :) « less
First off, the staff were absolutely amazing. Every single staff member went out of their way to make us feel welcome and entertained and I've never experienced that anywhere else....
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First off, the staff were absolutely amazing. Every single staff member went out of their way to make us feel welcome and entertained and I've never experienced that anywhere else. That made a huge difference.
The food was good - the breakfast buffet was AMAZING! I didn't like the Asian restaurant but the Italian actually wasn't that bad. The Steakhouse was pretty good too. The only tiny little issue I had was that between the hours of 10PM and 11PM, there was nothing to eat unless you wanted a cold sandwich from the sports bar.
I was never once offered any drugs or anything from anyone. Not saying that some of the people I was with weren't, but it's not as bad as some of the other reviews make it seem. If you aren't interested, just say no thank you, and carry on with your life. I saw some of the locals coming up on their boats at the beach but I nor anyone I was with was ever approached by any of them so that wasn't an issue for us either.
The beach was lovely, except for the water. The water wasn't crystal clear like Cuba, and yes, it is muddy feeling and TONS of seaweed. Didn't stop me from going in though. After a few days, you get used to it. If it bothers you that much, go to the pool. Spent a lot of time there and the games that they host over there are actually really entertaining.
The rooms we had were very clean. No bugs, no dirt, maybe a teensy bit old but aside from that, I was very comfortable. Housekeeping always did a great job whether you tipped or not, so that was nice.
The club was fun every night and they played all kinds of music. Didn't get to see many of the shows but from what I did, they were fun. The entertainment staff was hilarious and always came and talked to our group and made us laugh.
We took a day trip to Negril through our Sunwing rep and though I was hesitant to leave the resort, I actually had a great time and felt very safe. They took us to a little beach in Negril, a "duty free" shopping mall (all souvenir things), and then to Rick's Cafe which I STRONGLY recommend for anyone of all ages.
All in all, I had a very pleasant experience. I only have one little issue and that is that when we returned from our day trip to our room, my duffle bag was missing. I found a note on the safe that said if I want the code to the safe to get my valuables back, I have to call security. I called security and they came and opened the safe and took out my duffle bag (which had to be stuffed in there which was actually really annoying considering it was full of all kinds of stuff) and then he managed to somehow find the pocket I had with money and counted it all out and had a list of the denominations of all of the bills and wouldn't give it back to me until I told him what I had in there. I found that really bizarre because the bag was closed with another bag full of bathing suits on top of it so why they decided to go into my bag and count out the money they found really boggles my mind. I was really upset but I didn't let it ruin my vacation.
So if you can, don't leave anything lying around. Lock it up! Aside from that, great place to stay! « less
Dirty rooms, hard beds, HORRIBLE FOOD. Wouldn't feed it to my dog. Came here for a friends wedding. Planes are so loud and annoying. Found a bag of old, moldy...
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Dirty rooms, hard beds, HORRIBLE FOOD. Wouldn't feed it to my dog. Came here for a friends wedding. Planes are so loud and annoying. Found a bag of old, moldy weed and a roach under our mattress. Do not go here. REPEAT! Do not go here!!! Do your research and stay away!! We've stayed at Secrets Wild Orchid close by and LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!!!!! But sometimes you don't have a choice where you stay and you just have to suffer through. Avoid this place if possible. You'll thank me later. « less
“Absolutely Awesome”
May 15, 2013
Dave M, Grand Falls | Trip type: Friends getaway
Folks, my wife and I stayed at the RIU from May 5th to the 12th and from the second we landed to the time we left, it was the best...
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Folks, my wife and I stayed at the RIU from May 5th to the 12th and from the second we landed to the time we left, it was the best vacation ever in Jamaica. We stayed at Sandals in Montego Bay 2 years ago and although it was nice, not worth the 2500 buck’s more. The staff is awesome, food fantastic and rooms excellent. I have read a few negative reviews here and when you consider that the RIU has 650+ rooms and with double occupancy, that's over 1300 people a week and over a 14 week period, it equates to +18,000 people over the February to March period...my point being that with so few complaints, there are times things will not be perfect….and you can’t please everyone.
Although the beach is beautiful, I will agree that the surface under water for the first 100 feet is a little soft but hey, that’s a minor detail as the water all over Jamaica is that salty, we preferred the Pool anyway as the service was great and never crowded because the bar and pool is very huge. For those of you who like to go off resort shopping, its a 2 minute walk across the road to a mini-mall where you can get 50% off mostly everything you need.
The noise issue with planes landing and taking off is silly. You would have to be a really bored person to let that bother you. You can eliminate that problem by driving on a bus for 1.5 hours to another resort but after 5 hours flying, we are glad we choose the RUI which is less than 3 minutes from the Airport.
We stayed in building 2 which was close to the main building and we didn’t hear ANY night time music or partying from other rooms. In fact, when you close your patio doors (and trust me with the 30 deg weather and trying to sleep, you have to) you can’t even here those next door to you as these buildings are made from concrete and virtually sound proof.
The night life and performances on stage was great as well. Again, we stayed at Sandals before and found the other visitors there a bit smooty but perhaps they paid the extra 2500 buck so they could sit around like logs and not have to socialize. If that’s what you want, go there. However, if you like to socialize and meet people plus have fun, the RIU is for you. we met awesome people from all over Canada and the US and built friendships that will last a long time. We are already planning another visit for 2013. Thank you to all at the RIU!
One last Point! We flew Sunwing and they were amazing. I do a fair bit of Air travel and trust me, some of the Air Canada employees could learn a great deal around customer satisfaction from the folks as Sunwing.
These reviews are the subjective opinions of individual travelers and not of TripAdvisor LLC nor of its partners.
Details
Floors:
3
Rooms:
20
Corridors:
All Rooms Have Interior Hallways
Meeting Rooms:
0
Policies / Expenses
Room Types - Riu Montego Bay
Suite Ocean View
One King Bed
This room opens to a balcony, great for kicking back and taking in ocean views. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The jetted bathtub is a great place to wind down; the private bathroom also has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and a separate sitting area are among the conveniences offered.
Standard
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room features views of the ocean or beach from the comfort of a balcony. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
Standard Latam
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room features views of the ocean or beach from the comfort of a balcony. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
Ocean Front
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room opens to a balcony, great for kicking back and taking in ocean views. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
Garden View
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room opens to a balcony, great for kicking back and taking in garden views. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
Family Room
Three Double Beds
This room features views of the ocean or beach from the comfort of a balcony. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
Standard Europe
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room features views of the ocean or beach from the comfort of a balcony. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
Standard Garden View Latam
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room features views of the ocean or beach from the comfort of a balcony. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and premium TV channels are offered for your entertainment. Lounge by the fireplace. A minibar is supplied. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A ceiling fan, a safe, and daily housekeeping are among the conveniences offered.
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Based on 2,748 traveler reviews 
Value
“Some Good, Some Bad...Prefer not to stay at this hotel again”
“An Absolutely Lovely Stay”
“Dump!”
Suite Ocean View