RIU Palace Aquarelle

The food is horrible! It is only day two, and I want to go home! I came with my family for my 40th birthday, and this is honestly the worst experience. The buffet serves cold food, not even warm. The à la carte menu limits you to one meal. Overall, I regret coming here. For $2,600, this is unacceptable. The sports bar served us wings as big as my pinky; they were oven-baked. The Jerk on the Beach is just chicken with jerk sauce over it. The staff is friendly, but overall, if you are a foodie, do not come to this resort. The Italian restaurant was not good, and the lasagna was overdone. My father's bedsheets had bloodstains on them. The room's AC was stuck at 20 degrees. Riu, do better. Update September 10: The food is still horrible. We spent the majority of our time eating off the resort. The "Jerk" on the beach is rotisserie chicken. My father also requires a wheelchair, and they have one for the entire resort. They also do not have a microwave for guests to use. I called housekeeping; they told me to go to the sports bar, then the sports bar told me to go to the buffet, only for the supervisor to say they do not allow it. When asked for assistance with an umbrella at the beach, they told us to grab it ourselves if we saw one. You might as well go to Riu Reggae for a cheaper price. My 40th birthday was absolutely ruined at this resort. We had the Asian... again... it was meh. The pork belly baos were just fat, no meat at all! Tonight is the steakhouse; wish us luck. I will give another update later. As of right now the only food we have been comfortable with is the breakfast as long as you add salt. Its not just us. Pls check Tik tok and Instagram reviews before booking.. i misses so much There buffet is the same every day It is a nice resort, but if you are a foodie, I highly recommend not coming here.

This resort is simply amazing. From the warm faces of the helpful staff at reception and the welcome drink, up to the very last detail in the landscape. Immaculate! Food is plentiful and for every taste. The beach is great. No limits on the number of nights you can dine at one of their amazing specialty restaurants (I tried Italian and Steakhouse, both were amazing!). Loved it! Yah Man!!!! ONE LOVE!!!

I’ve been travelling to Jamaica regularly since I was 7 years old and, over the years, I’ve stayed at many different properties across the island. So, I feel I have a pretty good idea of what makes a Jamaican holiday special. I’ll be honest — I was very apprehensive about staying at Riu Palace Aquarelle. We had previously stayed at another Riu property in Jamaica and, unfortunately, didn’t enjoy the experience. However, Aquarelle completely changed my opinion. This resort was a 10/10! 🇯🇲❤️ From the moment we arrived, we received such a warm welcome from the reception team. Kashawn, who checked us in, was absolutely brilliant — friendly, welcoming and informative. He got our holiday off to a fantastic start. The hotel itself was spotlessly clean. The grounds, corridors, bars and restaurants were all beautifully maintained. Everywhere you went, the resort was clean and looked after to a very high standard. 🛏️ Beautiful, Spotlessly Clean Rooms Our room was beautiful, comfortable and kept spotlessly clean throughout our stay. Housekeeping always did a fantastic job, and our room was cleaned at a reasonable time each day, which was really appreciated. It was lovely to return to a fresh, tidy room after spending time enjoying the resort. 🌟 A Special Mention for Natasha I have to give a huge shout-out to Natasha, the Guest Services Manager. Natasha was absolutely brilliant throughout our stay. She was outgoing, friendly, approachable and completely on the ball with everything we needed. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and she genuinely made us feel looked after. An absolute credit to the resort! 🎉 The Entertainment Team – THE BEST! The entertainment team deserve a massive mention. Miguel — star of the show, hands down! ⭐ Alongside Shavoy, he was absolutely top-class from the very beginning of our holiday right through until the moment we left. Their energy, enthusiasm and interaction with guests were fantastic. They worked incredibly hard and created such a brilliant atmosphere around the resort. I can honestly say that the entertainment at Riu Palace Aquarelle is the best I have ever experienced at a resort. Miguel and Shavoy — you both absolutely smashed it. You made our holiday even more memorable, and your hard work definitely didn’t go unnoticed! 🍹 Fantastic Staff The staff throughout the resort were brilliant. Everyone was friendly, polite and happy to chat when passing. Nothing ever seemed to be too much trouble. A special mention goes to Mickalia from the Sports Bar. Thank you for all your hard work, your constant smiles and your fantastic work ethic. You were always working hard while still making guests feel welcome. I also have to mention Britney Mathews, one of the waitresses. I actually knew Britney from another resort, so it was lovely to see her again. Seeing how happy she is here was brilliant, and it was so nice to reconnect with her. Britney’s hard work certainly never goes unnoticed. It was a pleasure seeing you again! 🏖️ The Beach The beach is beautiful, with gorgeous clear water and lovely views. There are some rocky areas, and parts of the sand do have quite a few rocks and stones. This is honestly the only minor fault I could find with the resort. I think this could easily be improved by regularly raking the beach to remove some of the stones and rocks. A beach bar would also be a fantastic addition. That said, the staff do come around and take drink orders, so you are still well looked after. 🇯🇲 More Jamaican Vibes! One thing I would love to see more of is reggae and authentic Jamaican music around the resort. This was actually something quite a few guests mentioned during our stay. Being in Jamaica, I think more reggae and Jamaican vibes around the pool, bars and general resort areas would really enhance the atmosphere. Overall, Riu Palace Aquarelle completely exceeded my expectations. Having travelled to Jamaica since I was 7 and stayed at numerous properties over the years, I don’t say this lightly when I say that this resort really stood out. I arrived nervous because of our previous experience at another Riu in Jamaica, but I left absolutely blown away by Aquarelle. The beautiful, spotless rooms, cleanliness, staff, entertainment, atmosphere and service were all fantastic. The few improvements I’ve mentioned are minor and certainly didn’t take away from what was an incredible holiday. To Kashawn, Natasha, Miguel, Shavoy, Mickalia, Britney and every member of the Aquarelle team — thank you! 🇯🇲❤️ You all played a part in making our July 2026 holiday so memorable. 10/10. We will definitely be back. 🇯🇲🌴☀️

Just got back from Riu Palace Aquarelle in Jamaica August 18 to 23. We stayed 5 days was very disappointed with the house keeping department. They really need to make that department do better job with cleaning the rooms and especially the bathroom.and shower room seems like they dont disinfectant or wash the shower room floor? On our 3 day we put in to have room clean had call 3 times finally she came around dinner time insisted cleaning room while we were at dinner I declined said just give us clean towels wash clothes. I noticed all the bathrooms on property was a little messy at times some workers were sitting in corner playing with there phone.This is very expensive hotel was disappointed with house keeping department. IN Breakfast buffet one lady next to me ask the cook that was making omelet to use a clean bowl for her eggs this lady body language showed she was upset because the lady ask for clean bowl ? I would gave the property 4 start. Entertainment team was very good they came around and greet the guess was very pleasant. The ladies and guys in the bar very pleasant and helpful.Over all nice property was disappointed we beach to much seaweed.Hopfully management will make sure the cleanliness of the property gets better for the price people pay for this hotel.

My husband and I recently stayed at **Riu Palace Aquarelle in Montego Bay, Jamaica, August 2026**, to celebrate his birthday. It was his first time visiting Jamaica and my second time, and overall, **we had a great experience**. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed, which set a positive tone for our stay. All of the staff we encountered were friendly and hospitable. A special shoutout to **Shaniece at the front desk**, who was friendly, professional, and welcoming. Our room was **spacious, clean, and comfortable**, with a king-size bed, sofa, balcony, and a nice bathroom setup. Housekeeping was timely, clean, and thorough throughout our stay. Our **favorite bartender was Jaydin**—he took great care of us and always made us feel welcomed! The resort property is **modern and vast**, with elevators, a lobby bar, five restaurants, a sports bar, gift shop, gym, and spa. There are three decent-sized pools, including two family-friendly pools and an adults-only pool with a swim-up bar, plus another bar behind the adults-only pool. Families can also enjoy the children’s pool and on-site **Splash Water World** aquatic park. The resort offers daytime and nighttime activities for adults and kids, live music, and themed RIU parties. The **beach was amazing**, with white sand and beautiful turquoise water. The surf was a bit rough, but not too strong, and we were still able to enjoy it. There was some seaweed/sargassum, but the beach remained accessible, and the staff did a good job cleaning it up. The food was a mixed experience. The **breakfast buffet was fine**, with the usual options catering to American and international tourists. The Asian restaurant was okay, but nothing to brag about. **Pepe’s lunch buffet was delicious and had really good Jamaican flavor.** Our best dinner was at the **Steakhouse—the steak and spinach & shrimp mac & cheese were delicious!** We were not fans of the Sports Bar food or room service. **Be sure to make restaurant reservations in advance, as they book up quickly.** One major disappointment was an excursion we booked with **Neal from Destination Services**. The excursion was not as it was explained to us when we booked it, and unfortunately, we were very disappointed with that experience. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, celebrated a special birthday, and made some wonderful memories together. Despite a few areas that could be improved, we would definitely consider returning to **Riu Palace Aquarelle**. 🇯🇲❤️ **Ya mon!**