Riu Palace Aquarelle

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1466 reviews

• 

  Beautiful hotel, Great staff, not great for teenagers.

  We’ve just returned from an 11 day holiday at the Riu Palace Aquarelle. We arrived one day after the reopening and unfortunately there was only one or 2 restaurants opened for the first couple of days and the resort only had about 100 guests in it. However as the week progressed the occupancy and activity levels definitely ramped up. Firstly we were really apprehensive about continuing with our holiday after the hurricane, however Tui were very unhelpful and inflexible and we were forced to continue with the holiday or risk losing all of our money. Saying that the staff pulled out all the stops to ensure we all had a great holiday. I can honestly say there was not one staff member who didn’t provide very good service. They are all a credit to the hotel. We have been to several hotels in Jamaica over the years and we all felt that the service and staff here were the best! Thank you. We made a decision to generously tip whenever we could as this was our way to directly support individuals, as they work really hard to get themselves and their families back on their feet after the hurricane. We not only tipped bar and restaurant staff, we tipped bathroom attendants round the pool, cleaning staff etc. Below is an outline of the Good and not so good things about the hotel: Good: Staff! All staff were very good, kind, friendly and attentive. Drinks service around the pool and beach was amazing. The hotel rooms all had incredible views and the beds are huge! Entertainment is fun and very good. Cappuccino’s Coffee bar - great place to grab a morning coffee and croissant. However THE best coffee is from the sports bar!! 10/10. Buffet - we always found something to eat and the breakfast chefs who made our omelettes were fantastic. The gym was a really nice space and we used it several times during our stay. Pepe’s Food aka - The Jerk man. Round the back of Marleys Bar - not a huge selection but always tasted 10/10 - delicious. Sometimes there was also fresh coconut and sugarcane available! DJ round the pool and beach parties was excellent. Loved the music and atmosphere 10/10. Aqua aerobics every day at 12pm was always fantastic 10/10. I can’t remember all staff names - but special shout out to Aria, Blu, Chavel, Munger, Crazy Lilly and all the gardeners and pool cleaning staff who work so hard to keep the hotel and the grounds absolutely beautiful. We appreciate you! Now for the Not so good. If you plan on staying longer than a week (mostly those from the U.K. as it’s a long way for us to travel for only a few days) be warned that the entertainment is on a weekly cycle. You will see the exact same shows in your second week as you did in your first - which is a little boring. We travelled with teenagers - and on the whole they were bored. There really isn’t anything specifically for them to do. Too young to hang out in the adults only pool for pool/ foam parties or to go to the gym and a little too old for the kids activities. I would suggest an arcade/ games room so they can hangout and easily meet others their age. This was a big disappointment for us. Shade around the pools was a premium. Some guests were very selfish and reserved sunloungers from sunrise to sunset meaning that others were unable to find shady spaces to relax by the pool. More sunshades or umbrellas are needed urgently. The spa! This was a big disappointment for us. The spa ladies were lovely and we saw them constantly walking around trying to entice people to book treatments. We had planned to do a couples massage before we arrived however - the price is exorbitant! Totally overpriced treatments which made it unusable for us. Buffet - although I mentioned this above as a good - it does depend on how soon after opening you choose to eat. If you want a later breakfast or later dinner then be prepared for lots of empty food stations, overcrowding and queuing. It’s never very appealing to have to eat the scraps left at the bottom of a serving platter! Not very 5 star! Also be prepared to have to walk around several times with your plates trying to find somewhere to sit. It can be chaotic at times in the main buffet. The hotel offers a free shuttle to Riu Ocho Rios for their Neon or White parties on Saturdays. We had the Neon party on our week and booked the 7:30pm transfer from our hotel. We left on time however didn’t arrive to Riu Ocho Rios until almost 10pm! We met lots of other guests who travelled with young children and had to return straight back on the coach as the journey was overly long. Our return journey was scheduled for 11:15 so we had a little over an hour to party! Total waste of our only Saturday evening! Drinks - as with most all inclusive holidays the drinks are watered down! The cocktails round the pool are overly sweet and taste nothing like what they should. I’m a fan of margaritas but the ones I had tasted like salty lemon juice! The best bar for drinks and cocktails is Daiqui. They make THE best cocktails! Overall we had a lovely holiday, Jamaica is a beautiful country and its people and weather was warm and welcoming. We were happy we were able to directly help some staff with direct tipping and probably would come back again as the hotel is beautiful, however without our teenagers as they found the holiday/ hotel missed the mark with them.

  Dec 28, 2025
• 

  Tiny resort

  I am not sure why the review rating is so high. This resort is very tiny and in a location 2.5 hours away from 7 miles beach. A private tax to montego bay cost$50 pp. The restaurant menu is not very impressive.

  Dec 20, 2025
• 

  Love Jamaica

  This was my second visit to Jamaica after approximately two decades, and my husband's inaugural trip. We stayed at Aquarelle, a delightful hotel, and our ocean-view room was truly breathtaking. The hotel maintains a high standard of cleanliness, and there is a wide variety of food options available. The main buffet was very pleasant, and the staff diligently worked to keep it tidy, always greeting us with a smile. The specialty restaurants were satisfactory, though the cuisine did not feel particularly distinctive. The beverages offered at the hotel were acceptable, but I believe their quality could be improved. However, Red Stripe was excellent, so I primarily chose that. The entertainment was enjoyable, and the team worked very hard to keep everyone entertained, particularly Miguel. He is an absolute standout and deserves his own show; he is both hilarious and a fantastic dancer! He truly belongs on television. The beach is among the finest I have ever encountered, and I have seen many—it was exceptionally clean, sandy, and white. The sea was wonderfully warm, like a bath, and absolutely beautiful. Overall, we had a truly lovely stay and were fortunate to return home before the severe Hurricane Melissa. It is a beautiful place with beautiful people.

  Dec 18, 2025
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  Good overall experience, though some things could be improved

  Overall, we had a nice stay. The rooms were clean, the food was delicious, and there were several pools to enjoy, including one with a bar. I also really liked the evening shows — they were entertaining and well put together. The main downside for us was an issue with our room safe. A few times, we left our wallets and forgot to close it, and unfortunately, some money went missing. I mentioned it to the receptionist at checkout — she offered to file a report, but the process took quite a while, so we didn’t stay to complete it.

  Nov 07, 2025
• 

  Poor

  Poor customer service, the room had mold, food was horrible. Rooms were not cleaned properly. Ants crawling on bed in their bedboard.

  Nov 06, 2025