Riu Palace Tropical Bay

This is by far our favorite RIU resort. The beach and employees make it our reason for return trips. We have made several friends here. The food and drinks are above average and the rooms are kept immaculate. I’d like to give a shoutout to Tavere, Twain and Omar in the outside seating area for breakfast and lunch. These guys go above and beyond to make you laugh. Tell them Jacque Chan sent you and enjoy some laughs. Only downside is the day you have to leave.

I visited the RIU Palace Tropical Bay in the first week of January, for a holiday with my partner. We had an amazing experience, and we are beyond satisfied with our stay. From check in and being welcomed with the signature rum punch, to check out, we did not experience any issues. The hotel looks as the professional photographs. It is newly renovated, and it really shows. We stayed at a suite, and had an amazing maid. Paulette took great care of us, and our room was always spotless. We also used the room service twice, and the service was quick, no fuss, easy and without any issues. The restaurants - buffet and a la carte - are also great. The buffet is huge, and caters to different dietary needs (vegan, vegetarian) without any restrictions. What I personally really liked was the offer of traditional Jamaican food (jerk, goat curry, ackee and saltfish, soursap...) you name it, they had it! A great feature is the jerk hut, right next to the beach, where you can get freshly prepared jerk chicken or pork, rice and sauces for lunch. We tried 2 out of the 3 a la carte restaurants, and they do not require reservations. We did not have any issues with waiting or securing a table. The bars (pool bar, beach bar and evening bar) are also well stocked, and the bar service is great. Special thanks to Andrew who serviced the pool bar, as well as Marlene, who serviced the evening bar. We also used the private dining experience at the beach, which my partner organized as a surprise. Our server, Craig, made our night beyond memorable, and did a great job. The beach of the property is clean, well maintained, provides with more than enough sunbeds and entertainment (aqua aerobic, corn hole...). The pools are also great, regularly cleaned, and provide for entertainment for both adults and children. The entertainment team was very friendly, engaged with the guests and was very respectful. Particularly Peanut, Buttercup, Size S and Juicy J, who put on a great show. We also used the laundry service of the hotel, which was reasonable and did not have any issues with it. Overall, we would recommend RIU Palace Tropical Bay, and would consider staying at other RIU properties!