Riu Palace Aquarelle

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1476 reviews

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  Wow! Best Jamaica holiday ever!

  Most amazing holiday ever! If you are visiting Jamaica you must stay here! Beautiful beach, fun pools, immaculate brand new very fancy hotel, impressive attention to detail. But the most impressive thing by far, the staff! Entertainment team number 1! 1000% amazing every day! SPARK, Management team PLEASE give him an enormous shout out at the hotel! Spark was the first of the fabulous entertainment team we met our first morning on the beach, he had us laughing immediately and was showing us how he could walk on the beach on his hands! He was attentive, informative, friendly and so much fun every time we saw him, he truly always went the extra mile to ensure you felt included and welcome every day. He's an incredible dancer and host! Special shout outs to the lovely Anthony, the kindest person and amazing amazing dancer! Sleepy also fabulous dancer! This entertainment team must be all professional dancers! The ladies are so fun, Lily and Lady Blue in particular but all the ladies made tidy nice chat with us and were great in the fitness games. Everyday the entertainment had my attention and was so so so fun. The night time entertainment from our team felt like I had booked tickets to a show, these guys are beyond talented. DJ pluto was cool and ROOSTER! Wow, best voice, best morning shout out! Obsessed with Miguel's dancing and how funny he is! We went to the party at other hotel and our team were the best dancers I've ever seen! Shout out to Jodi at cappuccino and Jodi B at pool bar! Buffet staff every single meal time were immediately helpful with check ins and drink service. Food standard was incredible! Special restaurants also lovely. Snack bars at this hotel are something else, we've been spoilt. The cleaning staff must be fairies because everything everywhere is so so so clean. Loved the drink and room service on arrival after a big flight delay. Obsessed with my amazing holiday! Drink quality also superb, shout out to Ryan bartender!

  Jan 21, 2026
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  NEGRIL ONLY.

  Like A few others, we were transitioned to this property due to electrical issues at RIU NEGRIL. We did get the same room type, a swim up, and was pleased with that. It was a seamless ride and seamless checkin which was easy and quick. The room was nice, clean, and it's daily cleaning was a ten. The liquor provided was top shelf with the fridge stocked daily. The overall service was ok although at times a little focused on moving you along rather than fulfilling a request. The best, though, is the bar staff at the sports bar. They are terrific at what they do, how they do it, and work hard to help and make you smile. The food, including the restaurants are ok. It isn't bad, it's OK. The omelets are precooked and are dry, stiff, and leaving you to wish you had scrambled instead. The steak house really disappointed as I was led to believe it was the best. No, it was simply buffet steak served to you. The entertainment is good at night and better that we've had at other resorts. Now, the worst part. First, I will note that we love Negril and its beach. This isn't it. Imagine a beach in New Jersey. The water is dingy, the wind blows every day, it's crowded, and it's man made. Overall the property is clean, massive, and ok. Although it reminds me of being on a cruise ship that's perpetually docked. However, it's in Jamaica, it's January, and I'm in a swim up room. The key lesson for us from thus experience is that there is no reason to book anything on the north coast but to always go to negril only.

  Jan 19, 2026
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  BEWARE OF BAIT & SWITCH ROOM PRICES

  I just returned yesterday from the RIU Palace Aquarelle in Falmouth Jamaica. It is one of the newer RIU’s in Jamaica 🇯🇲, it opened sometime in early 2024 I believe. The hotel is clean. Staff was magnificent, shout out to Sashana Brown at the front desk because had it not been for her we would have LEFT. She talked us off the ledge. Much praises, as well to our morning dining room servers Shawna & Dwain (who came in the latter part of the trip). Shawna was so warm, welcoming and very attentive. Dwain we met on the second to last day and he was so mannerly and professional. Scuba Caribe personnel’s Nathan and the two other dark-skin Jamaican gentlemen were a pleasure. They were the reason we booked a Catamaran Cruise with them. This I recommend. Ok, now to discuss why I gave 3 stars. RIU is starting to engage in shady business practices, rip people off by bait and switching rooms after arrival to their facilities. Please BEWARE!!!! We originally booked reservations for the RIU Negril in Negril Jamaica 🇯🇲 back in October 2025. A quick birthday get away for two ER Nurses who needed a little rest and recuperation amid the hectic Flu & Cold season. We reserved a frontal sea view room as we always do when staying with RIU. We were notified sometime the end of December that our reservations were changed without our consent or notification to a hotel of their choice, the RIU Aquarelle because the RIU Negril was experiencing electrical difficulties as a result of the damages they sustained from the hurricane. We understand. We have family that still live on the island. What we do NOT understand or appreciate is our rooms being downgraded. The RIU Negril re-opened a week prior to our vacation. There was no need to send us to Aquarelle. RIU decided on their own accord to keep us at the RIU Aquarelle, DOWNGRADE our room and then charged us additional money to stay in accommodation we originally paid for!!!!!! On the day of Check-In RIU Aquarelle tried to put us in a partial ocean view room despite the fact our original reservation confirmation e-mail clearly stated “FRONTAL OCEAN VIEW”. Then proceeded to tell us that the Aquarelle was a step up from the RIU Negril and get this, the rooms were not comparable. What a load of horse manure. I can tell you from experience because I have stayed at both. The rooms look the same. WE HAD TO PAY EXTRA MONEY TO UPGRADE TO THE ROOM WE RESERVED. Beware of this bait and switch. The RIU Aquarelle does not compare to the hotels in Negril. First off the beach is trash and the area is swamp land. People go to Jamaica 🇯🇲 for the beaches. Those beaches are in Negril, Portland, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios!!!!! Ask any Jamaican where are the best beaches located and they will tell you Negril 7 Mile Beach followed by the others. I swam in sand, seaweeds and rocks the entire trip. I finally followed other patrons and walked over to the neighboring hotels who happen to be closed for renovation and swam in their water. Because there water is a natural beach unlike RIU Aquarelle’s that was a man made beach. It use to be a rocks on a cliff and they dumped it full of sand to create that beach. But tell me it is an upgrade from the natural world famous 7 Mile Beach corridor. The elevators acted as if they were about to break down at any moment. Doors didn’t want to close all the way. Delayed on closing and opening. The sink in our room was clogged. Safe stopped working had to have Security come and open it. Front view of the hotel is an eye sore. The balcony rails are flimsy. If you have children keep them away from the balconies. Adults do not horse around on the balconies. We made the best of our time but I would NOT recommend this hotel and I am contemplating a different venue/hotel chain for my upcoming June trip with 12 of my family members that was booked with the RIU Negril. The food was good but so was the RIU Negril.

  Jan 15, 2026
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  A friendly enjoyable experience with noticeable room for improvement

  The hotel's location is a bit of a mixed bag - it's next to a lively shanty town that can get quite loud, especially if you're staying on that side. I personally enjoyed it, but with a child, it was a bit too much. The food was a highlight, with lots of variety at the main buffet restaurant. However, the Krystal restaurant was a letdown - the octopus was overcooked and tasteless, the snapper was bland, and the crème brûlée was nothing like it should've been. The Italian restaurant was also disappointing. Pepe jerk chicken was not authentic- also, Occasionally dried out. This should be called grilled chicken. The sweetcorn was very sweet! The liquid was white which suggested to be cooked in milk and added sugar! The request for tipping at pepe’s was unpleasant and unnecessary. The same thing also happened at the beach towel hut. On the plus side, the premium drinks served at the resort were top-notch, but they could cut back on the sugar in cocktails. I'd love to see more sustainable practices, like ditching the plastic plants and using local resources for decorations. Jamaica is a tropical island! Also this clearly contradicts Rui’s claim in its corporate videos being played in the resort stating their striving towards increased sustainability as a company. Also plastic plants look cheap and out of place. The entertainment team was amazing, and the staff were incredibly friendly. Rooms were clean, but towels could be whiter. However the loud entertainment went until 11.30pm and an occasionally beyond midnight- much too late for a family resort. The beach is lovely, but it could do with more sunbeds and sunshades and a bit of tidying up - some areas are quite rocky. The pools are a bit small, and I'd suggest a no-tipping policy to make guests feel more comfortable Overall, we'd probably skip this hotel next time, despite enjoying our stay.

  Jan 15, 2026
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  Very Noisy Resort – Not Ideal for Families with Young Children

  We stayed at Riu Palace Aquarelle with our six-year-old. While we made the most of our trip and enjoyed parts of the resort, we would not choose to return based on our experience. Positives: Food was good, and we were able to book à la carte dining every night. The steakhouse and Krystal were highlights. Entertainment staff and restaurant servers were friendly and attentive, and the Michael Jackson show was excellent. Housekeeping was good. Our room was clean, we received a birthday cupcake and note, and our daughter loved the towel animals. The minibar was well stocked, and premium alcohol was used. Our child enjoyed the splash park, and the waterpark was fun for adults, although several slides were closed during our stay. Concerns: Despite being marketed as family-friendly, the resort felt more adult-oriented, with many pool parties and activities focused on adults and adults-only areas. Noise was a major issue. Loud local music played outside the resort day and night, and extremely loud resort music was played in the central courtyard that all rooms face. Music continued until 1:00 a.m. on several nights, making it very difficult for our child to sleep. We also experienced significant maintenance issues, including no hot water for four out of seven days and occasions with no water pressure at all. These issues were reported multiple times but were not resolved. The beach was smaller than expected with rocky swimming areas not suitable for children. Pool rules were unclear, and children were restricted from many areas. Lifeguards were very strict and often abrupt, creating a tense atmosphere around the pools. Overall: We still enjoyed our vacation and appreciated many staff members, but the excessive noise, maintenance issues, and lack of true family-friendly accommodations mean we would not return, especially with young children.

  Jan 13, 2026