Riu Palace Jamaica
-An Unforgettable Experience!

You've heard about Riu Palace in Jamaica, right?

Well, I can showoff that not only did we hear, but we have also experienced it :-)

Thanks for the kind gesture extended to us by their PR team.

It was our third wedding anniversary and I tell you, it was a time to remember! Pure luxury! 5-star style!

To be honest, I was pretty beat up and exhausted but I felt rejuvenated by the time we checked in - perhaps it was an ingredient in the free champagne we were greeted with upon arrival - the little 'a' word? Lol!

---

This time was going to be less activity though. We needed more peace and quiet and this resort was what the doctor ordered!

The reception was impressively swift -and polite too. In no time, we had checked in and were on our way to room 2018!

Rooms At Riu Palace

We got one of the most luxurious rooms; one of the posh Jacuzzi suites! Pretty cool huh? 

And that room came with (in addition to the jacuzzi) a host of really great amenities. These included:

• Bathroom with hydro massage bathtub and shower cabin
• Double wash basins
• Bathrobe
• Hairdryer
• Cable TV
• Electronic in-room safe
• Iron and ironing board
• A huge King size bed

We also enjoyed the luxury of a mini refrigerator loaded with water, juices, colas and beers. All that in addition to a liquor dispenser - good thing we were not heavy drinkers, but we had a 'good' time :-)

And, of course, the (now essentials) were also there:

• Telephone
• Television
• Coffee maker
• Central air conditioning
• Ceiling fan and
• Free Wi-Fi (in fact on the entire property)

Backed by 24 hours room service!

By the way, we were truly impressed by the service. We were constantly checked on to make sure that everything was perfect.

We were even given another welcome via this note and token (below) way after we have settled - and after that, another free bottle of champagne on ice!

Food And Drinks

By the time we settled in, about 3:15 pm, we were pretty hungry so off we went to find food :-)

And we needed no great search, food (and drink) was abundant. Apparently, lunch (at the buffet) had just finished serving, but there was the 24-hour, all-inclusive Aqua Chill Out snack bar!

Not sure why they call it 'snack' bar though, as it seems you can order hefty entree type meals there too.

Bars

From my recollection, I counted three bars:

• The "Vogue" lobby bar
• The "Hanover" poolside and swim-up bar &
• The "Aqua" chill-out beach snackbar 

All captivating as you can see, right?

Most of our downtime was spend at the food stations though. You will notice that too, looking at our 'just arrived vs the about to leave' pictures (lol) ;-)

Restaurants

The property boasts five restaurants:

• The "Montego Bay" main (buffet) restaurant
• The "Seaside" poolside restaurant / grill and steakhouse + the three specialty restaurants:
  
  
• The "Zen" Japanese restaurant
• The "Krystal" Fusion restaurant & the 
• "L'Acquedotto" Italian restaurant

We had decided to go to the Japanese restaurant for dinner but, unfortunately, it was fully booked by the time we reached.

That, however, provided us with the opportunity to experience Italian food - and we did!

But in case  you didn't know, I have a very healthy appetite, so I convinced my wife to check out the main "Montego Bay" buffet!

That restaurant has almost everything you can think of, including traditional Jamaican dishes, fruits, salads, pastry, and an exciting array of vegetables and legumes plus your choice of wines!

And believe me there was a lot more than this!

In the end, we had a satisfying dinner. Enough to give us the energy to stroll across to the sister property, Riu Montego Bay for the weekend show!

By the way, guests of Riu Palace Jamaica (the adult-only resort), do have the privilege of enjoying the facilities at the sister (family resort) property, although they are not allowed to do the same.

And that we did!

We arrived just in time to see the last 15 or so minutes of a reggae band performance that had almost everyone out of their seats! 

This response (below) was to the closing song; "One Love, One Heart" by Bob Marley.

Stuffed with good food and drinks, and some entertainment, we hauled ourselves to the lobby bar where we had a few sobering drinks before departing upstairs.

A Drink at the Lobby Bar Riu Palace Jamaica

And yes, we woke up another feast of food at breakfast, I really tried hard not to oblige, but believe me it wasn't easy :-), In the end we went relatively light.

That said, I couldn't resist the variety of fresh tropical juices at the juice station. Take a look at this… wouldn't you agree?

From left to right:

Cucumber + Spinach juice, Beetroot juice, Pineapple juice, Otiete Apple juice, Mango juice, Soursop juice and Banana + Strawberry juice -prepared right on the spot!

Nice fresh blends eeh?  I was impressed with the selections, the presentations, and of course the taste - I tasted a few :-)

But there was a lot more to choose from, if you so inclined. Believe me, the food options (and quality) here at Riu Palace Jamaica is really great.

Lunch

There were even more choices at lunch that included much of Jamaica's favourites, including jerked chicken, baked ham, boiled corn, steamed fish (sliced) and traditional Jamaican rice and peas.

And yes, there were the veggies, pastries, eggs, cereals and another wide variety of Jamaican and Caribbean fruits!

Activities

To be honest with you, we had very little activity - and we didn't need nor mind it either - we really needed the break. It was mostly a time of relaxation (outside of the food).

By the way, this adult-only resort is known for its peace and quiet - not so much the busy stuff.

That said, they do have some activities for those who want to get busy, or at least want to burn some of the calories from all their foods :-)

We did play some darts though...wanna guess who won? Lol.

We also noticed that a few other activities taking place... including beach volleyball and table tennis.

And then there were the energetic entertainment coordinators (ladies and gentlemen)!

Full of life and energy! This picture captured the so-called, pool aerobics session in full swing!

We also noticed that there were still a wide range of  other activities and equipment available, including a giant chess board, pool table -adjacent the chill out bar, and a multitude of water sports activities, that included windsurfing, sailing, snorkeling etc.

So, if you want to get active, there are many options, much more than you could experience in a stay. There is a gym as well - how could I forget?

You'd be proud of me! I did spend some time on one of the bikes :-), don't ask me where my wife was (lol).

A gift shop is also on property with convenience items as well as unique Jamaican souvenirs and clothing items that can be taken back with you.

The People

You can tell we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, right?

Yup, we certainly did -whew!

The rooms, food, ambience and cleanliness of the property were top class! But the people and the service delivery took it to the roof!

We met some great team members there, Jodiann, the energetic bartender at Aqua Chillout bar, Kerene at the swim-up bar and Andiene Blanco at reception were just a few of the wonderful folks that did their part to make our experience unforgettable.

So thank you Riu Palace Jamaica!

And thanks to Virginia in Public Relations for the opportunity to make our dream a reality!

About Riu Palace Jamaica

Hotel Riu Palace Jamaica is a 238-room all-inclusive, adults-only resort, located in Montego Bay, Jamaica, just under two miles from the MBJ airport. The hotel was opened in December 2013.

The property offers three categories of rooms; junior suites, suites and jacuzzi suites with a modern design, a relaxing atmosphere, and beautiful sea views.

The hotel neighbours the existing Riu Montego Bay. Guests of Riu Palace Jamaica have direct access to all the facilities at the sister property.

The first Riu property opened in Jamaica in 2001.

Sharing IS Caring! Please help me get the message out by sharing this article with your friends on social media (links below). Thnx ;-)

If you found this page useful, please consider subscribing to my weekly newsletter, to get even more. 

It tells you each week about the new information that I have added, including new developments and great stories from lovers of Jamaica! 

Return to Jamaican All Inclusive Resorts from Riu Palace Jamaica
Return to My Island Jamaica Homepage from Riu Palace Jamaica

Updated: August 2nd, 2022

Featured Video!

Travelling To Jamaica? 

Read this BEFORE you go

👇🏿

Please subscribe here to get my latest updates.