I just came back from the Riu Ocho Rios from April 28th till May 5th. Our flight was delayed and we didn't arrive to the Montego Bay airport until around 1am. The hour and a half bus ride wasn't that bad. They served beer which were $2 each. Once we arrived at the hotel, everything was basically set up already. All we had to do was check in and they had the safe key and room key available right away. They even offered us sandwiches and refreshments. I went with 5 other people and all our rooms were all side by side. We paid for an ocean room view and that's what we got!

Room- The rooms are nice and clean. The bed was a little hard for me and the pillows were too soft. The air conditioning is very cold so when we went to sleep we would open the balcony door and turn the ceiling fan on. The sounds of the waves actually were very calming and put us right to sleep! The bathroom was nice. The only thing I would complain about is the water pressure in the shower. There was a liquor dispenser and a mini fridge packed with drinks like coke, water and beer. They refill the fridge almost everyday.

Beach- The beach was nice. There are a lot of lounge chairs so there is no need to wake up early to reserve a good spot except if you want shade. Seaweed does wash up from the water so it was pretty dirty and it seemed like there wasn't anyone to clean it up. There is kayaking, sailing and petal boats available. There was also a jerk hut at the beach so by around 12 there was always jerk chicken, sausage and pork available. The jerk chicken is amazing. I love spicy food so the jerk sauce was delicious! There was also burgers and hot dogs available at the centre of the beach. Very easy access to food especially on the beach! There was also a volleyball net on the beach for anyone who wanted to play.

Pool- The pool was relaxing. There was water polo and volleyball available. There were daily games and activities in the pool during the afternoon and reggae music. Very fun vibe!

Food- Breakfast buffet was repetitive. I barely ate at the buffet for lunch because of the jerk hut on the beach! Dinner buffet was great. They had different varieties every night. They even had lobster and snowcrabs! There are 5 restaurants available but you do need to make a reservation at 9am for seating. I had no problem making a reservation, just be patient! We tried the steakhouse which was average. The asian one was not bad either. I only tried two out of the five because like I said, we enjoyed the buffet more.

Bars- There was a 24hr sports bar. There was always nachos and sandwiches available. There are two pool tables but you do need to pay a $1 to play. There was also some arcade games and a separate area for the casino which was just filled with slot machines. There is also internet access but you do need to pay and get a card from the gift shop. The bartenders were nice and friendly. Always smiling. The drinks were great. They are not stingy with alchohol!

Entertainment- Every night there was a show at 9:30. Some were fun and some were average. There's a board at the lobby letting everyone know what show is on for the night.

Excursions/Shopping- We did two excursions. The blue mountain biking and the Dunn river falls. You have to do the Dunn river falls. It was an amazing experience. All of the excursions are available at the lobby. There are a lot to choose from. We went downtown to do some shopping. Don't go into the market if you don't want to be hassle with.

Overall, I had an amazing time in Jamaica and I would definitely go back to the Riu!

My husband and I stayed here in April of 2008 for a wedding. I had read lots of reviews prior so felt it fair to put my honest feedback. I was really nervous as I had read postings with respect to room roberies etc. We did not experience anything like this and were with a large group and did not hear of any problems. The staff overall was very friendly and nice. The beach was beautiful, nice soft sand and clear blue calm water for swimming. The parts that I did not like are enough for me to warn people from going, there are lots of resorts out there with nice beaches and friendly people. The food was terrible - there was at times only one buffet open for 2k plus guests, the entire time I felt like I was at a concert, constantly waiting in lines. For a 5 star and the price we had paid I had expected better and I am not typically very picky. Even the fruit which I have enjoyed at the past at All Inclusives was not fresh and ripe - I can buy better here at the grocery store in Canada which seemed strange. The other thing I didn't like is that there were no umbrellas at the beach - there was shade from the palm trees but not enough for the entire day. I like sitting in the sun but it's also nice to have the option of an umbrella especially since most of our days were very hot with little to no breeze. The worst part was the room smell - the actual room was very nice and clean but the whole room smelled like must. I really noticed it on the pillows wheile we were there, they really stunk. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed all of our clothes had picked up the smell also. I have washed our things once, some of them twice and the smell did not come out. If you are going to this hotel I would reccomend bringing your own pillow or at least pillow case and keeping your clothes in your suitcase (we had unpacked into the drawers).

Well i must start off by saying i'm in love with this place...i wanted to stay there forever. The first 4 days it rained and we still had a great time. This was the worst rain in like 3 years the whole town of Ocho Rios was shut down for 2 days.:(
Our room was great except the two beds pushed together but really it didnt bother my husband or I. Oh and when taking a shower be careful you slip all over because they dont have the little grip things on the bottom of the tub. Refrige was well stocked (every 2 days). Room 2118 and 2119 have great views.
The restaurants were very hard to make reservations at since there are only two phone lines, we did eat at the asian place and that was very nice. Also Mamee Bay we nice as well, but we always ended up at the main restaurant every night. The best place to get lunch is the jerk hut right on the beach.
Entertainment Staff was awsome!!!!!! They did such a wonderful job and you could really tell they loved what they were doing.
If you are looking for something to do thats more of a party: Take the Cool Runnings Cruise (Booze Cruise) that was sooo sweet would do it again in a heart beat.
As others have said that while down on the beach people in the water (jamaicans) will try and sell you things including drugs just tell them no and they wont bother you again.

I just came back from the RIU Ocho Rios (April 26 - May 3) and wanted to tell you that the property did not disappoint. As the title of the review suggests, the incoming breeze coming from the ocean was amazing. It was refreshing and relaxing and made the Jamaican heat bearable.
As for the hotel, I loved the open concept layout of the front lobby. It faces the ocean and the beach is about 20 yards away. A beautiful setup. Once we got to our room on the fourth floor, our view was spectacular, we were able to see most of the complex and the beach from where we were at. Note: if you get booked in an oceanview room ask to stay in Building "C" because it's much closer to the pool, gym, buffet restaurant etc. The other Building "A" you'd have to walk a little more to get to those places. We really didn't expect anything less than what we got from our room. It was clean, the drink fridge was fully stocked always and the liquor dispensers were always full. The only snafu we experienced was that our toilet tank lever broke off but the RIU maintenence staff responded within half an hour and the problem was fixed by the time we got back to the room after dinner. Their followup calls to see if we were doing okay were a nice touch. Overall, I feel the staff at the RIU were great. Everyone was helpful, accommodating and friendly.
I can't even begin to tell you all how nice the pool at the RIU was. I've read some glowing reviews about the pool in this website and all of the descriptions of its beauty were true. I'm a beach guy but that pool is awesome. When you're at the pool, try ordering a "Purple Rain" it's a tasty purple cocktail laced with rum and you'll love it. As for the beach, it was beautiful and I was definitely happy tanning there almost every day. A can't miss is the Jerk Hut on the beach. The chef there cooks a mean BBQ chicken, beef, ribs or sausage jerk and it was the best I've ever had.
One of the great policies the RIU has implemented was that vendors are forbidden to hawk their products to you on the beach. So it was nice to just enjoy the beach without a countless stream of peddlers interrupting you. Some Caribbean resorts I've been to have no such policy for their guests and vendors on the beach sometimes get pretty annoying. Just a little advice, Jamaican vendors outside the resort can get a little agressive. So if you plan to do any shopping in Ocho Rios and don't want to get hassled every 15 seconds a nice but firm "NO Mon, I'm good" will suffice. But by all means haggle with them if you see something you're interested in, don't take the first offer. The only time we ventured off the resort was to go on a shopping/ botanical garden/ Dunn's River excursion. The whole tour took 6 hours and cost $45US. The highlight was Dunn's River Falls and yes you will get soaked on this tour. Just ensure you buy aqua shoes beforehand because trekking up the rocks can get pretty slippery and you probably don't want to rent the water shoes $5US for obvious hygienic reasons.
If you plan on buying liquor on your trip, wait until the airport. We bought rum on one of our shopping stops and found that it was 40-50% cheaper at the Duty Free shop at the Montego Bay airport. So if these vendors tell you how cheap their booze is remember that it's always cheaper at the airport.
This is my second time at a RIU property and I always find the food to be better than average. The St. Ann buffet restaurant always had mixed seafood cooked on a giant wok outside everyday and their choices inside were flavourful and for the most part delicious. The sit down a la carte restaurants were also good. You have your choice of Chinese/Japanese fusion at the Mandalay Bay retaurant, contemporary dining at the Sir John and Sir Richard or savour a romantic setting at the Mammee Bay Steak House (my favourite). While you're having dinner outside at the Steak house you can feel the gentle breeze off the ocean and hear the pounding of the surf and it makes for a truly romantic experience at the resort. Unfortunately a guest can only book each of these restaurants once per stay so make it count or go to the more than adequate buffet. I'd love to share this truly great experience with the members of this website so feel free to contact me if you need any help or advice. Jamaica is regarded as having the best weather in the Caribbean and I'm sure you won't get disappointed anytime you go.