Riu Montego Bay

We stayed at the Riu Montego Bay (RMB) from 7/6 - 7/13 and overall had a very nice time. Staff were attentive, the rooms better than adequate, the pool area terrific, and the beach was fine. Food offerings were both abundant and varied, and the recreation staff worked tirelessly to provide activities and entertainment for guests who wanted to participate. Many did. The atmosphere at this place is festive and relaxed, so all in all I judged MOST of the experience as solidly good. BUT the but clause is that Riu Montego Bay has an extremely serious internal security problem. Our locked safe in our locked room was broken into, and several high-end electronic devices (two laptops, an iPad, an iPhone, and an iPod) were stolen. We were NOT negligent. We are extremely experienced travelers who have been all over the world. This was the first time either of us were crime victims in a hotel. We were always scrupulous about making sure the balcony, safe, and room doors were locked securely before we'd leave, so it simply is not possible that we failed to lock everything. But when we notified hotel staff, the woman who responded all but accused us of lying. She kept saying that breaking into a locked safe was "not possible" and had "never happened before." She insisted on searching our entire room and luggage to make sure we were not hiding the items we were claiming had been stolen. I am serious. She went through our luggage, all the drawers and the closet, and even looked behind the refrigerator. The next day, we met with the assistant manager and hotel general manager to discuss what had happened, the way it was handled, and our options. Neither was particularly helpful. They said that because of the nature of the alleged crime (first time a locked safe had been compromised), an investigation would have to take place to determine if what we say happened actually did happen. This will naturally take some time, as the Montego Bay police are involved (we filed a report, of course) and because the hotel will conduct its own internal (ahem) investigation. In the meantime, we were urged to follow up with corporate headquarters, in Spain. I am guessing that we will NOT be compensated for our belongings. Hence the use of social media to alert others about the problem at Riu Montego Bay. Let me be clear that we are not the only guests whose belongings were stolen, and, in fact, one of our neighbors reported the inappropriate presence of a "security" person in his room despite the Do Not Disturb sign on his door. He scheduled a meeting for the next day with hotel management. Many guests expressed great concern about a possible internal security breach at the resort. Clearly something unusual is happening with increasing frequency at RMB. Check other reviews, please, and think twice before staying there. Writing this saddens me. We had a lovely time there and would have gone back but for this terrible event and the certainty that a pattern of theft exists at that resort. Coupled with management's unhelpful response to this serious crime, I will never visit another Riu resort.

We were there from December 8-15. We were met at check-in with Rum Punch, a good way to start your vacation. We got our room right away, 5318. We had a nice view of the ocean, the room was clean. There are double doors off the hallway. You walk through one door and then to your room door. You can shut the first door at night and it keeps out any noise from the hallway from getting through to your room door, very nice feature. Our fridge was stocked with Coke, Dt. Coke, Orange, Soda water, Tonic water and of course Red Stripe beer. The liquor cabinet was stocked with Gin, Vadka, Appleton Rum and something else. It was neet but we never got into it because we always were out of he room when we were drinking. The beach was nice. We found a nice spot at the end where the breeze would keep you cooled off, just one thing, this is where people from outside the resort would sell pot. It wasn't real bothesome and they wouldn't bother you, just something to be aware of. We saw, maybe 3 people from the resort going over to the fence to "talk" to them and then walk away. Just something to keep in mind if you have kids. If you sit anywhere else on the beach I don't think you would even know it was going on, but there was no breeze. The staff was excellent, very friendly. The buffet food was great and many different things to choose from. Eggs, hash browns, cheese, fruit, rolls, muffins, bread, cinnamon rolls - very good, pancakes, french toast,etc. Dinner buffet was just as plentiful. One night they had turkey, another night pork. The individual resturaunts were alright. Nothing special to me. The food was good, just I'm noth a real adventurous diner. Our room was always clean, the maids did a good job. It sounded like the people at the pool all had fun,we stayed on the beach the whole time, going up to the pool just to cool off and get more drinks.The Jerk Chicken hut was great. Chicken was moist and wonderful every time. Just a note when you get ready to leave, make sure you get to the airport AT LEAST 3 hours before your flight. Our JTL person set up our PU time for 12.35 and we got to the airport around 12:50 for a 2:55 flight and just barely made it. There is line after line after line and a LOT of people in each of those lines. Hopefully this helps you with your decision of where to stay. We totally loved our stay, just a couple things to keep in mind as noted above.

Just got back mon 7/16 after staying 4 nights, thrs-mon..We were a group of 10 celebrating my Big 4-0 B-Day Bash..for weeks I also monitored all the reviews because I had people coming out for me from all over the US so I kept following up with my girl Tammy at Cheapcarribean.com (who did an amazing job for us) regarding all concerns. Also, I'd like to really thank from the heart Marta (site Owner) for the upgrades she gave me and my wife..they weren't necessary but were a nice gesture and we REALLY appreciated them...thank you again. The 2 main concerns we kept hearing about were stealing and cockroaches...not 1 person in our 10 saw either in 5 days. Listen, a few of us are from Brooklyn, we know roaches.. so I always found it hard to believe I would see 1 in a 4 star resort.. and was glad to be right. Didn't even get bit by 1 mosquito! Stealing, break-ins? Again, we're from Brooklyn, If your dumb enough to leave valuables, out in the open, around strangers for an extended period of time, then you may wake up on the beach at 5am without your cell phone (inside joke)..but keep your stuff in the safe and you'll be fine. Check-in: smooth, took about 5 mins, they gave us welcome drinks while we were in line..you gotta know how to barter when you want something done quick people..go in your pocket..it was about noon so I told the same guy who served us drinks.."I don't want to wait til 2pm for my room..help me out." as I gave him $5, he checked the room to make sure it was clean and ready then he came back in 5 mins.."your all good mon, follow me." Pool: Hot-spot! 9am the dj and dancing girls come out shaking their money-makers, drinks are flowing, and there was plenty of room for our group and other groups, singles, couples, etc..spacing was never an issue. Bartenders were always smiling saying "yea mon, I'm here for you, I'm gonna hook you up." Errol and Junior were always the guys to go heavy on the shots and mixed drinks..throw them a few US every once in a while..Remember, US money is very strong there..1 US dollar is 74 jamaican, so 5 goes a long way for them and they stay loyal to make you happy. Beach: Perfect for relaxing, taking the sun, throwing the football around, taking pics...sure the water is a little murky and feels slimy the deeper you go..Again, we're from Brooklyn, I dealt with Coney Island beach my whole life, nuff said..lol Jerk Chicken Hut is a must! Food: Great! huge variety, you can go from station to station at the buffet..who wants to wait on a waiter when you can fill you plate at your own pace...go up as much as you want..We booked the Restaurants when we checked in, "no problem mon." everyone in my party loved the Asian and Steakhouse rest..really good again. Rooms: Really nice, clean, flat screens, nice bathrooms, 2 sinks makes getting ready easier, and a nice balcony to chill at the end of the night if you want. Sure the beds are a little hard, but have another drink at the fully stocked bar in your room, and you won't feel a thing..lol Shows: we're really not show people but we did catch the Michael Jackson show, they prep all day for it and it showed, they did a really good job. Usually most people check them out killing time between day events and nights events. Ask for Jason, he's the bar manager next to the stage..He's a tall, good kid who can help you out with drinks, vans, and anything else you fancy (wink wink) while on vacation. Finally, don't be afraid to go off the resort..How can you experience jamaica if you don't actually see it? Jason hooked us up with Derron our driver, he's a nice guy who had a mini van and took us to Margaritaville and Pier 1 at night..these 2 spots are safe and a cool mix of locals and tourists...he will either wait for you outside, or you can tell him a time you wanna leave and he will come back..costs a small $10 rt every time...great deal if wanna hang out for 4-5 hrs..Also, make sure you get the jerk chicken on the side of the road on the way back to the resort, that's the real authentic jamaican jerk chicken, small $5..make sure you hold onto your bag or it could wind up on the floor..(another inside joke) That's all I got, overall everyone in my party had a blast and I love them all for coming for me..we would definitely stay here again, great value for the price and great time for a group..Remember people, your on vacation if your gonna let the small thing ruin it, then don't go and stay home. To Marta and Tammy, you will hear from us again, my group wants to make this an annual event..thank you both for your patience and kindness in the whole process..I survived the Big 4-0..lol

My boyfriend and I were at the Riu Montego Bay May 3-7. When we originally began trying to choose a resort we were overwhelmed. For every amazing review, there seemed to be an equally negative one as well. In the end, we went with the Riu Montego Bay because of its proximity to the airport. Once we got to Jamaica we wanted to hit the pools and beach as soon as possible. By the time we made our way through the long line at customs and waited for the hotel shuttle (which we totally recommend booking!) I was glad we didn’t have to waste any more of our day traveling to the resort (the Riu is only 2 miles from the airport, yes planes went over head, but it did not affect our quality of stay at all!). When my boyfriend and I got to the hotel, the check-in wait was a little long and they did not have our room ready (his biggest complaint). They told us to go grab a drink and some food. We went up to the sports bar and met a fabulous bar tender and other couples who raved about the resort and stayed there for a few hours. After we finally got our room though, we were not disappointed. We had a standard room with no upgrades. While the view was not fabulous from the porch, it did not matter to us because we did not plan on spending too much time in our room. The room was very clean with a fully stocked mini-bar. We also had the maid service make-up the room everyday and it was always very nice. I will say that we met a handful of people who had “horror stories” about the hotel (bugs, lousy service, dirt), but I can honestly say that we had none of those problems and completely recommend the accommodations and the friendly staff. We did take one excursion to Negril, and booked it with the people sitting at the front of the hotel. It was very cheap compared to taking a taxi-cab at the front of the hotel. In the end, we were glad because we got to go the beautiful and pristine 7 mile beach, shop, and then jump off some cliffs. When we finally saw our beach at the Riu, it didn’t even compare to the famous beach in Negril. We spent basically all of our time at the pool versus the beach because of seaweed and some questionable critters washed up on shore, but we did use the beach for volleyball and to get some delicious jerk chicken (the best place to get food in the entire resort!). We were completely content at the pool and with the swim-up pool bar. We also participated with the energetic entertainment staff in pool games, water polo, and even a drinking game. Those events were some of my absolute favorite moments of the trip. I will say the nightlife was not very “happening;” it took us until the last night to even find the dance club. In the end, that was completely okay because we had so much fun during the day that we didn’t feel like we were missing anything by turning in at 11pm. Some overall tips we received from reading other reviews but completely agree with: Make dinner reservations as soon as you get there (besides the buffet which was just okay, we were only able to try the Asian and Steak House, the Steak House was our favorite); While there were plenty of lounge chairs around the pool, if you wanted good ones in the shade or anything particular put your towels down first thing when it opens (no one ever touched any of our stuff we left there); taking or buying some sort of mug to get larger drinks and to keep them cold is a good idea (HOWEVER, we did feel like some bartenders were a little reluctant to fill up our mugs once we purchased them, also giving us weaker drinks despite our tips); take lots of one dollar bills (we only took about $30 and had to go get change for more); We did not have to exchange any money and were able to pay and get change in all U.S. currency at the resort and when we shopped in Negril; Although the resort says there is a dress code for dinner many people did not even come close to following it which made my boyfriend not very happy since he obliged with the slacks policy. As someone who spent hours reading reviews to plan our trip, I had to write a longer review for other people like myself trying to get all the facts before committing to a vacation spot!