Hotel Riu Negril - All Inclusive

“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An unforgettable family holiday– the staff truly make this hotel exceptional!”

Before I start my review, I want to make sure a few incredible members of staff receive the recognition they deserve. I really hope this feedback makes its way back to management because these individuals genuinely made our holiday so special. Firstly, Oshin (“Shin Shin”) from the entertainment te… more

Before I start my review, I want to make sure a few incredible members of staff receive the recognition they deserve. I really hope this feedback makes its way back to management because these individuals genuinely made our holiday so special. Firstly, Oshin (“Shin Shin”) from the entertainment team. Whilst the entire entertainment team were incredible, Shin Shin was an absolute pleasure to interact with. She made my daughter Emilia’s stay completely unforgettable. She’s an amazing dancer, the best bingo caller, and, most importantly, a genuinely wonderful human being. Since we’ve returned home, my daughter has cried almost every day because she misses her so much! She has such a natural ability to make every guest feel special. I’d also like to give special mentions to Timmoy, Shadow and Cuban, who were all pivotal in making our holiday one we’ll never forget. Raffael, the lifeguard, deserves huge recognition too. He is, without question, the best lifeguard we’ve ever come across—and we’ve travelled all over the world. He watches the pool like a hawk, constantly keeps the pool area tidy, welcomes everyone with a smile and somehow manages to do all of this whilst remaining friendly and approachable. We unfortunately witnessed some guests treating him poorly, but he handled every situation with professionalism and grace. He is an absolute credit to the lifeguard team. Deniel (main breakfast restaurant), Jovani (Steakhouse) and Akeem (Island Cove chef) all stood out during our stay. Deniel and Jovani weren’t just excellent servers—they were genuinely interested in getting to know us as people, not just hotel guests. Their warmth, friendliness and professionalism perfectly represent the RIU brand. Akeem may not have spoken to us as much because he was busy cooking, but every lunchtime he was singing, smiling, cooking, cleaning and greeting guests. He completely embodied the Caribbean spirit and always made lunchtime feel like an experience rather than just a meal. Finally, Nicoy at the adults’ pool bar deserves a special mention. This man never stopped working! He somehow managed to keep everyone entertained (including some very lively guests!), made incredible cocktails and always had a smile on his face. Another standout member of the RIU team. Now onto the hotel itself… The location is fantastic. The beach is beautiful with soft white sand and clear water. Yes, there is a little seaweed, but nowhere near enough to spoil the experience, so please don’t let that put you off booking. We visited the Hi-Lo supermarket around 10 minutes away using Uber, which was easy and inexpensive. Seven Mile Beach is also close by with plenty of transport options, many of which are free or very low cost. The hotel itself is stunning—modern, clean and very well maintained. Our garden view room was spacious and had everything we needed including a stocked drinks fridge, iron, safe, hairdryer and USB charging ports. We’d read reviews mentioning fire alarms, but during our two-week stay we didn’t experience a single one. The food honestly exceeded our expectations for an all-inclusive resort. The only disappointment was Luigi’s Italian restaurant, which unfortunately wasn’t to our taste. However, every other restaurant was fantastic. There was so much choice and the quality of the food was consistently excellent. It catered brilliantly for everyone, including my very fussy 10-year-old, which is no easy task! Our favourite à la carte restaurant was definitely the Steakhouse—we loved it so much we went three times! I could genuinely talk for days about how good the food was. Every member of the restaurant staff worked incredibly hard and always remained professional and friendly. The entertainment deserves a review of its own. WOW! The entertainment team are absolute workhorses. They completely made our holiday and kept both the adults and children entertained from morning until night. Every activity was varied, engaging and suitable for all ages. The evening shows were brilliant, with both the Beach Party and RIU Party being highlights of our entire trip. One thing that really impressed us was how the entertainment team personally greeted new guests and somehow remembered everybody’s names. That level of personal service and attention to detail was incredible and made everyone feel welcome. The complimentary water sports station was another fantastic bonus. We made great use of the free kayaks and other equipment throughout our stay, and it added so much to our holiday. Overall, this has been one of our favourite family holidays. The hotel itself is beautiful, the food is excellent, the location is ideal and the facilities are fantastic—but it’s the people who truly make RIU Negril so special. Every member of staff worked incredibly hard, but those I’ve mentioned above went above and beyond to create memories that our family will cherish forever. Thank you, RIU Negril. We will definitely be back.

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“Room 1057”

Staff were happy and friendly to help no matter where you were in resort, especially with a young baby in the group. The range of food was great every evening. Would defo visit this resort again.

“Good 10 day break”

Just returned from a 10 night stay at the Rui Negril. It was our first time in Jamaica. We have thoroughly enjoyed it and fully intend to come back to Jamaica. The hotel itself was spotlessly clean all throughout the resort. The staff were generally very nice, with special shouts to Shadow, Cuban… more

Just returned from a 10 night stay at the Rui Negril. It was our first time in Jamaica. We have thoroughly enjoyed it and fully intend to come back to Jamaica. The hotel itself was spotlessly clean all throughout the resort. The staff were generally very nice, with special shouts to Shadow, Cuban from the entertainment team (who work incredibly hard), “Shanna Lee” from the fitness team who did the water aerobics and deniel (Daniel) from the restaurant who is the happiest friendly waiter I’ve ever met. The rooms were in good condition, and had everything you would need. The mini fridge and optics were all a great edition. Beds were lovely and comfortable. Only “issue” was the fire alarm went off a few times and despite booking three rooms as a party, the rooms were not overly close by which made it difficult with children. I did request at booking with Tui to try and get the rooms close by. The drinks were good and plenty of options, none felt watered down. The entertainment was generally ok, we did find it strange that the younger adults entertainment was lacking. Most of the kids entertainment was in the Ruiland with the mini kids, so my kids missing things like that water polo, darts, boules etc so they were at times a little bored. The foam party was good fun. Food, was very good quality and plenty of choice. The only gripe I have is that we were only able to book one of the restaurants for the ala carte as all the others were fully booked up, we had the same problem when we went to the Rui in Morocco as well which was disappointing as we picked this resort for the options of dining and only a managed one (and again as a favour from the reception) We did a couple of excursions whilst there which I can recommend. The YS falls, the Appleton rum estate, and the jamwest cruise all were fab. The beach was generally spotless, the odd bits of seaweed but nothing to worry about. We saw plenty of fish and the kids went snorkelling with the masks we brought with us. Struggled to do any of the water sports that were complimentary from the hotel. Plenty of sunbeds and the pool temperature was lovely. Rafaelle the lifeguard tried hard to engage with guests, even if at times it was not always seen in the manner it was probably intended. It was my son’s birthday whilst we were there and the domestic staff had kindly put balloons and left a card in the bed and the steakhouse kindly brought out a cake and sang. Thank you! Only pointers and feedback for the hotel, 1) embrace being Jamaica. The hotel seems to be almost replicas of all others in the chain in the world, so we didn’t know we were in Jamaica, we could have been anywhere in the world. it was missing that “authentic Jamaica feel”. 2) the on site shop, £16 for a pack of crisps is extortionate. I fully expect to pay a little extra for convenience but the pricing was ridiculous. 3) ease back on the photographers. I appreciate they have a job to do, and it’s lovely to have memories but we found that everytime we were in the pool, or walking past reception or the restaurant that we were asked to have photos. We did buy some which at £20 per photo, became quite pricy, but it got to a stage where we actively getting out of the pool to avoid being snapped. We have enjoyed our time away. The rui chain has offered good quality food, and clean comfortable safe environments but I think for us we are looking for that authentic experience and the ability to book restaurants so would probably choose a different chain of hotels. Nothing wrong with having a “blanket know what you get” hotel but for us, maybe not our choice. Tip for guests: bring plenty of money for tipping, it seems to be expected everywhere you go more so than anywhere we have been before, not a problem as we do tip, but it felt very much “expected” at most interactions.

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“Great stay… almost perfect!”

My 13 yr old son and I just returned from a 4 night stay at the Riu Negril Hotel. This was our first time to Negril and to this hotel and we absolutely loved it! The hotel itself is smaller than what we are used to but it still offers a lot. The Rooms: We were in Bldg 3 - ground floor (thanking G… more

My 13 yr old son and I just returned from a 4 night stay at the Riu Negril Hotel. This was our first time to Negril and to this hotel and we absolutely loved it! The hotel itself is smaller than what we are used to but it still offers a lot. The Rooms: We were in Bldg 3 - ground floor (thanking God as there are no lifts at this resort). Our room was lovely, modern and very clean. We had a garden view which also looked onto the beach. My only complaint was that certain areas of the room were dusty i.e. the fan, the large dresser and information leaflets. There was also a slight musty/mouldy smell, but I contributed it to the recent hurricane, possibly. It wasn’t too bad, but noticeable. Besides these two things, Housekeeping did a good job and I appreciated that my birthday was recognised with a card, fruit dish and origami. The Restaurants: this includes the à la carte and the buffets, were very good. You were spoiled for choice and the food was plenty, a good temperature, fresh and I never got sick! We really enjoyed the food thoroughly, so I definitely give the food a five-star and that includes the Steakhouse and the Asian one, I think it's called Mandalay. For the buffets, I like the set up as you find your own table and help yourself. No queues or waiting to be seated is a bonus! The staff are great and attentive and we met some we won’t forget. The Beach: was lovely and was absolutely enjoyable. I went early in the morning and it was nice and quiet, plus not too hot. Yes there is sea grass, but it wasn't too bad. There were parts where there was none. The Pools: I like how away from the main pools they have a quiet pool which is in between building 2 and 3. You also have the Family Pool, the Adult pool, which you have to be 18 or older to go into. I also like that they have separate pools for the kind of vibe that you're looking for. For children, they also have the Riuland. Finding a lounger was not an issue, I was able to get one everyday without having to leave a towel early morning. My only note is that if you like to get your laps in, then I would recommend the sea or maybe the quiet pool. The other pools are not really suited for swimming as they get pretty busy and are more for frolicking, etc. Now the highlight of the hotel is the Entertainment staff: - I mean, the staff overall, but definitely the entertainment staff made the hotel! They are the heart of the hotel and they are the ones that from day to night, make you feel good, make you feel welcomed, and make you enjoy yourself so you don't feel left out. It's just a really good vibe, so well done to the staff! We arrived for the Neon Party, and that was a vibe! Unfortunately, it had rained during the day for the beach party, but it was still a good time held inside. If you want a nice, relaxed, chilled atmosphere then I highly recommend this hotel for that purpose. We will definitely be returning. One last note: Yes, we experienced the alarm system going off several times throughout our stay. I think because I was aware before we traveled, it wasn't too bad, so be forewarned.

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