RIU Palace Aquarelle

The beach is horrible all u are stepping on is stones. The food is the same thing over and over and also I have had a few occasions where the stew chicken was not cooked properly the staff are very unprofessional honestly I would not recommend this hotel to anyone for the money chargebits not worth it

Booked 3 rooms months in advance with added requests to have rooms connecting and near to each other. (This was the only reason we booked this property). Upon check in, receptionist claimed there were no notes in the reservations. All 3 rooms were placed so far apart. The receptionist forgot to give us towel cards upon check in and we were denied towels when we went to the pool. We were forced to walk all the way back to the lobby to get the towel cards ourselves. I had stayed at the property back in April and purchased a pair of shorts from the gift shop. The lady in the shop told me if it didn’t fit, I could come back and exchange it at any time. When I returned 3 months later, the shop refused to do the exchange (unworn with tags intact, and receipt) because the policy is actually 3 days, which I was not told! We went to the steakhouse for dinner and ALL of the food was overcooked. There is mold in the grout in the shower and the furniture in the bedroom is falling apart. (See pics below) Of course no complimentary late checkouts were available. We were forced to pay extra for a late checkout because the rooms weren’t correctly assigned in their system. (Their fault, not ours, and we had to pay for it! Ridiculous!!) We went to the pool and left our towels on the chairs while we were swimming…..when we returned to our chairs, the gardeners were pruning the trees/plants next to the chairs and left all the dirt and leaves on our chairs and towels (see pics below). Again, we had to change out our towels and clean up the place ourselves. I voiced my concerns about the issues we were having in the hotel and nothing was addressed. I gave the staff several opportunities to rectify the issues and make it better and NOTHING was done. Overall, the staff is pleasant and friendly, but they are not very accommodating at all. And the staff is not all on the same page…..one employee will tell you one thing and another employee will tell you the opposite causing tons of misinformation. I would highly recommend you STAY AT THE ROYALTON HOTEL RIGHT NEXT DOOR INSTEAD! It’s a much nicer hotel experience!

Been to this resort 4 times in the last 2 years. The resort is very clean food is of quality and plentiful. Staff are great Entertainment superb.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience absolutely deserves one. This was my first stay at a Riu resort, and it will also be my last. I spent a significant amount of money to bring my family here, expecting a relaxing vacation. Instead, it was one of the most disappointing resort experiences I’ve ever had. The customer service was consistently poor from beginning to end. The front desk staff seemed unorganized, poorly trained, and unable to handle even basic requests efficiently. Every interaction involved being asked the same questions repeatedly, wasting everyone’s time without resolving anything. One of the most frustrating moments came when our luggage arrived at the resort. The staff watched the driver bring my bag to the hotel, yet still refused to release it without creating unnecessary obstacles. It felt like they were making simple situations far more difficult than they needed to be. Checkout was just as frustrating. I nearly missed my airport transportation because the front desk insisted on seeing my ID and credit card again, despite everything already being on file from check-in. There was no clear explanation, only delays that created unnecessary stress at the end of our vacation. Throughout the resort, there was also a constant expectation for tips. Good service deserves gratuities, but repeatedly feeling pressured or solicited for tips takes away from the experience and leaves guests uncomfortable. To make matters worse, there was a fight during the White Party, which completely ruined what should have been one of the resort’s signature entertainment events. Security and overall crowd management left much to be desired, and it certainly didn’t create the safe, upscale atmosphere we expected. Overall, the resort felt disorganized, the service was disappointing, and the guest experience fell far below what should be expected from an all-inclusive vacation. There are far better options in Jamaica that provide genuine hospitality and value for your money. I cannot recommend Riu Aquarelle to anyone. I regret choosing this resort and would never stay at another Riu property based on this experience.

The experience went well until day 6 of 7. Went out for an excursion that day at 8am and forgot to lock my safe, and requested for my room to be cleaned. When I returned around 6pm, I noticed that I did leave my safe unlocked, $100 American dollars was missing and the remaining 25k in Jamaican was gone as well! I immediately reported it to security and they questioned me as if I didn’t know what was or wasn’t in my safe. They also informed me that protocol wasn’t followed if staffing comes in and the safe is unlocked, they have to report it up front. The two individuals who entered my room did not do that! Police came and took my report but basically it was my word against theirs. So not only did these two individuals keep their job, but they kept my money too!!! Ive frequently spent money at several RIU properties from staying also in Ochos, Aruba, Punta Cana and the Bahamas!!! I’m questioning if I ever want to stay at another one. I take full responsibility on my lapse of forgetting to lock it, but no one working there should dare steal from the customers!!! The lack of empathy/sympathy was disappointing from the staff too!!!! The experience was very disappointing!!! I’m just trying to keep my cool until I leave Sunday…