Riu Ocho Rios - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

13695 reviews

• 

  Worst resort in Jamaica. Avoid.

  Horrible experience at the worst resort in Jamaica. Staff is very unfriendly and not helpful, food is extremely low quality and always runs out, 'free' transfer to airport not available/denied. This Riu resort is the Spirit airlines or Carnival cruise line of all Jamaica resorts. Problems started at checkin where the worker claimed my credit card signature was somehow not close enough to my signature in my passport. Never had an issue like this and furthermore I could see on my phone that the resort already took my money. Literally no information about the resort was provided at check-in on eg dining, map of the place, or how to get to the room (there are no porters to help with your luggage). Staff unfriendly and not helpful. Room was just OK, looked old and worn out. Roach in room. Food was very poor. Buffet lines were long and looked like a hurricane passed by (most bowls/trays empty and not being replenished). If you are willing to wait 30 min you might get an omelet. Food quality low. Service at specially restaurants was good, but food quality low (poor quality steak in steak restaurant). Bbq shack on the beach is OK, but never available (you can get chicken the whole day but jerk pork only 3-5 and even then only after a very long wait) Entertainment OK. At booking we received free transportation back to MBJ airport and we got a 8 digit confirmation number/code. We asked the front desk and they said check with Nexus (company that handles these transfers for Riu). Nexus stated we are not on the list they got from Riu. The Nexus people were totally useless, lazy, and unprofessional. We had a confirmation code they refused to check in their system or make a call, and instead told us to go ahead and call some number to sort things out. We had enough and just took a JUTA taxi the next day and paid $140 out of our pocket (even though we should have had a free transfer). Another issue is overbooking at Riu Ocho Rios. Our Juta driver shared that he and a colleague had to drive a group of 14 (!) people to another Riu resort at 11 pm because Riu was overbooked and they did not have a room for these people that had a paid reservation. I assume that Riu's Online Reputation Manager will write some useless lines below in response, and not address any of my comments. Not surprising if you have a reputation manager and not a customer service person handling your issues.

  Feb 08, 2026
• 

  Staff need training

  I visited this hotel for my 40th birthday with friends and was genuinely looking forward to the stay, but unfortunately the experience was very disappointing. A recurring issue throughout the hotel was the attitude of the staff. Many came across as unfriendly and reluctant to help. In the main restaurant, getting a drink felt like a gamble — staff often ignored guests, and when you did ask for service, it was treated as an inconvenience. I also experienced behaviour that made me feel uncomfortable. I was staying in a room on my own, and a male cleaner repeatedly knocked on my door for reasons that felt unnecessary. I specifically requested a female cleaner and was assured this would be arranged, yet the same male cleaner was sent to my room again on another day. This left me feeling unsafe in a place where I should have been able to relax and ended up leaving the hotel 4 days early! Overall, the stay did not meet expectations, especially for a milestone celebration.

  Feb 07, 2026
• 

  Amazing hotel and staff who make it beautiful 💜

  We just got back from an absolutely amazing 10days at Riu Ocho Rios. The hotel is well maintained. All the staff work very hard so you have an enjoyable stay. The food is amazing, something for everyone. Ours was the Jamaican section where we got to try all kinds of Jamaican food. 😋. The beach is very clean and well layed out while we were there. The bar very cheerful. Again I can’t street enough how hard all the staff work. The rooms are well clean everyday. The cleaners always surprised us everyday with their artiste talents. The staff in St Ann’s buffet were always attentive and polite, most of the time. We managed to book a day trip to Dunn’s river waterfall. Unfortunately our TUI representative didn’t mention that we need water shoes, otherwise they don’t let you on. We ended buying some there around £8.00/9.00. We were a small when got to Dunn’s river waterfall, but ended up in a larger group. There is a camera + video man that’s follows you. After you can buy both for €40. Please if you go on the nine mile take socks with you, as you walk around bare feet around the resting place of Bob Marley and family. 🙏🏽. We tried to feed this back to the TUI but they were not interested!! I am a Riu club member I was told there would be a little something in the room by the rep. Never happened. If you not going to do it, then don’t say anything!! We just had couple of very small negative things to say. Sometimes we did get some waitresses who would not attend to us or clear our plates, particularly the side of the sports bar. Which is really disheartening. So we sat across the buffet area. Another was I wanted a bit of rice, as it was the anniversary of my mum’s passing date. But no one would help I kept going from St Ann’s to reception. Finally I did get some, with flowers that the gardeners cut for. On the day of our departure. I had a last urge to eat patties. So I asked the staff in the restaurant if I could take two for the journey. But I was told I couldn’t before opening in ten minutes. I explained we were leaving now. But the man with the green collar said no. 😞 so sad. Overall a brilliant holiday. Please pass on our thank you to everyone. Hopefully we will return with our families in the near future.

  Feb 06, 2026
• 

  Great hotel, spotlessly clean. Rooms are spacious with comfortable beds and lovely toiletries.

  Really good hotel, excellent food choices. Rooms are spacious and have plenty of towels and great toiletries. Beds are comfortable and everywhere is spotlessly clean. The staff in the main are fabulous, particularly Jason in the dining room. The pools are great and clean. The beach is beautiful and clear water. They work very hard to keep the beach seaweed free. The staff are all hard working. The entertainment is good and fun. On a personal note, I found the pool area far too noisy with both bars competing in their music choices. We sadly had some poor weather and there is little to do unless you leave the complex. We caught a taxi into Ocho Rios both days. The dining area can be somewhat chaotic on opening. The food can be the same but there is so much choice that there is something for everyone, including chips, pizza, pasta, salads etc. Bring plenty of adaptor plugs. You don’t have to smoke in the designated areas, you can smoke by the pool. Yes people smoke weed. There is a protected swimming area in the sea. It takes about an hour and a half from the airport. I would get a taxi to beat the buses and check in online. This is a fun and lively hotel that attracts families, couples and children.

  Feb 04, 2026
• 

  Friends birthday celebrations

  Stayed here for a 2 week holiday with friends 11/01/26 - 25/01/26 Had the most amazing time, all the entertainment staff work extremely hard to provide you with the best entertainment. Rooms are cleaned daily with fresh towels being left each day, the mini bar is restocked just leave them a message on the app as to what you need. The main buffet has lots of choice only downfall is having to queue for a while, especially at breakfast time waiting for the omelette. The Beautiful Talia in the buffet restraunt who looked after us for the whole 2 weeks was truly amazing, kind lovely and nothing to much trouble for her, she is an absolute star and the Riu should be so great full they have her. They need to sort out the karaoke as they only have it on once a week for half hour which is absolutely no use at all. The white and neon night are amazing so much fun, make sure you save your energy for those because you certainty will need it, loved every second of it. The staff at the swim up bars are really cheerfully happy guys and the cocktails are great. Would definitely return

  Feb 04, 2026