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This was our first stay at a RIU hotel resort, but the chain had been recommended by others and we had an expectation that standards would be high. It had been a long journey, not helped by flight delays on the way out, and we were tired when we arrived. The resort entrance was very welcoming and all the resort staff were quick and very helpful in getting us to our rooms at such a late hour. We were excited about our Jamaica vacation.
Admittedly our room (Block 4) was at the furthest point from the main resort amenities, but if you don’t mind a five minute walk this isn’t a problem. Be aware that there are no lifts in any of the blocks though, and with three floors to every block this might be a problem for some people who are on the top floor.
Rooms are a decent size and the mini bar and optics (gin, vodka, rum and brandy) are replenished every two days. We tried our hardest to drink all the complimentary alcohol, but didn’t quite manage it…
For the first few days of our Jamaica vacation, we were delighted with our choice of a Jamaica resort. The staff and service were excellent and even with a few cloudy days we were having a fantastic time.
However, this wasn’t sustained for the rest of the vacation. From day three we had no hot water – a situation which was only resolved when we (almost) dragged the hotel director out of his office to speak to his guests. (We’d had no hot water for four days at this point and the director almost had a mutiny on his hands). Turned out there was a problem with the pipes and he had to get authorisation from Spain to proceed with the more expensive option of having them replaced rather than just cleaned out.
Other services were rapidly declining at this time too. Beach towels were rarely available after breakfast when you would expect guests to be heading to the beach or pool. Any towels you placed in the bath for changing were removed by housekeeping, but not replaced – meaning you came back to the room and had no towels ! The original variety we had enjoyed in the at the buffet declined and the meals became very repetitive every lunchtime and evening. Spirits were watered down at the bar, and if you challenged the staff they started pouring the drinks out of sight. The 24 hour all inclusive package was variable depending on when the bars closed. (Pasha is closed on Mondays, meaning the bars are closed from midnight onwards). And to top if off, we called for a bell boy to help us with our luggage on our last day, but after 30 mins we gave up and dragged them (from the top floor of the last block) to reception ourselves.
The resorthas also received some critisicm that it doesn’t entirely deserve. Yes, there were plates and glasses scattered around in the morning. But if guests are too lazy to return them to the bars you can expect there to be some debris lying around. And, yes there were some robberies, but these were on the ground floor and guests had left their patio doors open overnight. I’m sure they wouldn’t do the same at home. (You should also be aware of the “shanty town” a few miles along the road in Downtown Negril).
In all, we had a lovely holiday. We only wanted a winter break and our expectations weren’t excessive. However, if you are having a holiday for a special occasion this isn’t the hotel for you. I would also warn vegetarians that the hotel doesn’t cater particulary well for us. We didn’t even attempt to book the al a carte restaurants because (with the exception of one dish at the Sir Andrew) there wasn’t a thing I could eat.
On a final (positive) note, the fish sanctuary is amazing and we got very close to star fish, sting rays and the most beautiful crabs you have ever seen.