Just returned from Riu Ocho Rios April 20 so this is a late review. We had a great time on our trip, loved Jamaica, its people, and the resort as well.

We were told by a tour guide that the Riu Ocho Rios, to date, is the largest resort in Jamaica (but soon to be second largest when a new resort being now built is completed). This being said we still found the resort quite small as to what we have been used to in other areas. But even though we found it small we still found lots to do and plenty of room by the pools and on the beach as well.

The beach is very clean and the water crystal clear, though you are limited to walking just within the resorts property...there is a wharf on the right side and nothing to speak of on the left side, but still very open with lots of chairs.

The pools are very clean also with the one on the left side being alittle quieter then the other. We never had a bad time getting a chair there either. We spent morning and early afternoon on the beach and later afternoon we headed to the pool areas.

The resort, grounds, lobby, rooms, bathrooms, etc ...were all very clean as well. We found the restaurants and buffet good, we enjoyed all the food, and the service was good too. We loved the morning omelettes. We enjoyed the drinks as well, loved the Miami Vices- my afternoon choice for drink, also enjoyed the fresh coconut milk and rum right off the tree. The Jerk Hut on the beach was the best, awesome chicken and sausages, there also is a beach BBQ everyday. The pizza at the Italian restaurant at night was good too. We tipped our maid, bellboy, waiters, and the boys at the bars, they all work hard.

The entertainment at the resort was very good, they work very hard and look like they are having fun doing what they do. No its not Broadway, but still very good!

For $10US you can go into town shopping which we did. We also booked with Chukka Cove and did the zipline tour through the rain-forest, great day. Also booked with Yardie Tours for the Ocho Rios highlights...including Dunn's River Falls, Fern Gully (make sure to stop and say hi to Jack in the Bush, $1US for a pic with) the Wassi Art factory, finishing up in town for souvineer shopping. Another great day! Also on the resort every other day the main lobby hallway is filled with venders so you can shop right from the resort if you wish. We prefer to get off the resort on occasion and felt safe doing so as we were always escorted by bus group or tour group.

So in all, would I stay at this resort again- yes! The only "not so" faults that I could see were that it is smaller than what I'm used to from other resorts that I've stayed at and the beach has less walking distance then I'm used to as well.

So if you go, you will have a great time, it is a mind set, a willingness to enjoy different places, peoples, and customs beyond our own that makes our travels so wonderful. Enjoy!

We had an amazingly great vacation. We practically lived on these message boards before we went, and we're glad we did. We're also glad we did not listen to the whiny-bird complainers who nit-picked everything. I'll try to cover our many points that we observed/experienced.

Airport--great on the way in; took forever on the way out. Allow yourself plenty of time to get through ticketing when leaving. Security didn't seem to take nearly as long. The porters are crazy trying to get your business, and they expect tips, which we gave. Our transports were via Jamaica Tours, Ltd.; we have a van on the arrival trip and a bus on the way back. The transfers were great and we had nice drivers. The 'half-way' stop for beer, etc. is hardly half-way, and it's a big tourist trap. We got Doritos, Combos, a patty, and a mixed drink and it was $18! Take food with you for the 2-hour ride, or wait until you get to the hotel.

Hotel--The hotel is beautiful and very clean. Our room was spotless; the bed was very hard and seemed to get worse as the trip went on. The refrigerator and liquor dispenser were always well-stocked, towels were no problem, be careful--the tub is slippery and you feel like you're standing in a trough of some kind (uneven bottom). All of the hotel walkways are made of tile; these can be very slippery, especially depending on your shoes. Again, we read about that here, so we were prepared. The grounds are well-maintained; workers were always trimming, weeding, etc. We stayed in a standard room w/ king bed and did not regret not upgrading to a suite. Didn't really see the need to, and they wanted $25/night to upgrade.

Beach--very beautiful. Not quite as powdery white as Dominican Republic, but very nice. Plenty of loungers. Good shade could be a problem some days. It would have been nice to have umbrellas or huts instead of just the palm trees. The jerk hut and mini-grill set-ups on the beach were wonderful--quick, and they smelled great all morning and afternoon. There are no bathrooms close by, and you can't go into the restaurant bathrooms when you're wet. Plan accordingly.

Food & Alcohol--excellent. Drinks were great. Our favorites were Blue Ocean, Banana Mama, Miami Vice, and Pina Colada (not necessarily in that order). Kenny at the swim-up bar is very, very nice, even if a little shy. The buffet had a great selection at breakfast, and dinners were good, too. Most lunches were jerk hut; my husband and I LOVED the jerk chicken. Be careful with the sauce if you've never tried it. It's very spicy. The restaurant reservations system sucks. We went to Mandalay (Asian) and Mammee Bay (steakhouse). Both were excellent; actually went to both twice because we could book ahead. I waited and called one afternoon and booked everything. The two Sir restaurants had to be booked that day. At 9 a.m. when the phone lines open, I'm on the beach, not sitting by the phone. We read the menus posted and weren't that impressed. Don't feel like we missed anything. We were disappointed that the seafood wasn't better; needed more seasoning and less cooking. Ate some new things while there--goat, conch, different veggies, octopus, etc.--yum! Take insulated mugs--we used ours for ice water and then put the drinks in regular hotel cups.

Tours--We did the Ocho Rios Hi-lites tour. Lots of shopping; wish we had known as we only took about $100 and left rest of money and credit cards in hotel. Bargaining with the locals was frustrating for my husband. Take your own water shoes for Dunns River. The place they stop is rent for $5 or buy for $15. Other places they take you on the tour, still before the falls, are selling the shoes for $8. For only $3 more, who wants to wear other folks' shoes? Gross. We had our own, thanks to these boards. There's also duty-free shopping, and trust us--those are the best prices. Someone advised us to wait until the airport. Big mistake for souvenirs, but do buy your alcohol at the airport. Cheap and it's the only way you can take it on the plane with you. Dunn's River Falls was amazing, exhilarating, and scary all at the same time. You need to be a little in shape to complete it. My husband stopped a ways up; I was proud of myself for making it. We are not little people if you get my drift! It was beautiful; make sure you take a waterproof camera. There are guys skipping along beside you with video cameras and they want to sell you a DVD at the end. No thanks. We tried to tip the guide at the end of the hike, but we had ones folded up and he wanted fives, tens, and twenties. He actually gave our money back to us!!! Are you kidding me? That tour also went to Shaw Gardens, which was pretty, and rode through Fern Gully. Pretty, but the roads were in bad shape from the rain and mudslides they had several weeks before.

Jamaicans--very nice, can be pushy, but it's all part of the experience. Those selling stuff on the beach were fine with our "No, thank you's." I did bargain with some of the hut entrepreneurs on the western end of the resort. My advice: be persistent.

Pool--very nice. Hardly any shade. Get there by 8 a.m. to get best shade chairs. Also, there are two types of loungers. Get the ones with blue cloth; much sturdier and much more comfortable. Never had a problem with fresh towels. Good music. Fun games with staff. Some staff were too aggressive getting you to join in, but most were really great about leaving us alone.

Other--casino was just a little room with a few poker machines, electronic roulette wheel, slots. Not impressive. Okay for a rainy afternoon, but nothing more. Did use the Internet. 30 minutes for $9. Worked pretty well. Nurse on-site was very nice and helpful when we needed her. Entertainment was just okay. Staff works very hard; we though the pre-shows were better than the real shows. There is a jacuzzi available free of charge in the spa, but this is not advertised. Just make an appointment and you're good. The electricity kept going off one night we were there, but back-up generators kicked in instantly. Never a problem. Weather could occasionally be cloudy, but only rained once.

Like we said, this was a great hotel with a great staff and it made for a great vacation for us. As the Jamaicans say, everything was "irie". If in doubt, go to Ocho Rios and stay in the Riu. You'll be glad you did. Yeah, mon!

this resort is what made our vacation the staff was great. sunquest rep. bent over backwards for us {veron} great person
the micheal jackon show is a must to see.
the dunns river falls awsome experience
st. anns buffet best breakfast
we ate at the plantation by pool for lunch and jerk hut chicken jerk sauce very hot!!!
rooms was great we moved to new room no problem at all better veiw
sports bar 24 hour and sandwiches and nachos great bar tenders
the beach and water was the best not a very long beach shopping at the end
this was our frist time in jamaica and we will be back to the rui next year
jean and john nova sctoia canada..

The Riu is a nice resort, but it is too large. Everywhere you go on the resort feels a mile or two away. It has beautiful views from the balcony, the Junior Suites are incredible, and the pool and beach areas are wonderful. The food is just okay, nothing to write home about, although there are plenty of varieties to choose from. They also have internet access at $9/half hr, but the computers do not have any other software programs, such as Word and WordPerfect.

The biggest drawback for us was the lack of Jamaican flavor. The entertainment was mainly American style stage shows. They featured Donna Summers and Cher impersonations, scenes from the Lion King, and High School Musical, etc. No reggae sound the entire time!!!

Apparently the Carribean is going "mega" with their resorts. This resort hosts 856 rooms and there are others under construction with 1000 rooms and more. Hopefully they won't lose all of the Jamaican flavor.