Riu Palace Aquarelle

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1529 reviews

• 

  Nice newer resort with Waayyy too many Kids

  My wife and I recently stayed 7 nights at the Riu Palace Aquarelle in Trelawny Jamaica. It was located about 30-40 minutes north of the Montego Bay Airport. I would say the location is just OK. The water tends to be fairly rough and there is weeds washing up on the beaches creating an unpleasant odor. The beach is also fairly short and rocky, so not great for beach walkers. There is also not a lot of off resort things to do without a long bus ride. When we first arrived, our room was not ready but they did our check-in and we were able to get an upgrade to a swim-up room. The first thing we noticed, was that unlike previous "Palace" resorts we have stayed at, the lobby was very loud and lively with many children. Since our room wasn't ready, we decided to go to the Buffet to get something to eat, but once again, Kids and the noise that come with them were everywhere. After eating, we were notified our room was ready. The room was beautiful, new, modern, and spotless. The swim-up pool was very private and perfect for having coffee in the morning and finding some peace and quiet in the afternoons. Overall, the room was everything we could have asked for. The bed was also very comfortable. The whole dining situation is another matter. Unlike other Palace resorts we have stayed at, this resort requires reservations to be made on their App for the ala carte restaurants. To be able to book one, you literally have to wake up at 6:00 am to book for the following evening, or there was nothing left. We did eat at the Steakhouse 3 times during our stay. We felt the food quality was very good and the steaks were done correctly. We also enjoyed Italian restaurant. We also tried both the Asian and Krystal restaurants, but did not care for either of them. The buffet however, was a place we dreaded going to as the week went on. For a resort with approx 750 rooms, the buffet serving room was probably half the size that it should have been. For breakfast, they only had one omellete station, so if you wanted one, be prepared to wait at least 20-30 minutes. every serving station line ran into the next. Herds of kids(mostly unaccompanied by parents) trying to figure out how to get food when many of them could barely reach the counter height. Because of all the kids standing around cluelessly, it was total chaos trying to get thru any serving station without having the food on your plate get cold. Since the lines all ran together, many people just pushed right in and jumped in front of the "line". All this created what I consider a very unsanitary situation with kids touching and spilling food all over. The pool layout at the resort was very nice with several family based pools and one "adult only" pool with a swim-up bar. We typically got down to the Marley pool by 7:00 am to put our towels out to secure a couple loungers located in the shade. The bartenders at the Marley pool were great. They mixed good drinks, were personable, responsive, and definitely kept the enery level going. The problem here was that once again, in spite of signs clearly saying "ADULTS ONLY", people would bring their kids and water floats and place them on entire rows of the loungers to reserve them. Most of the chairs remained empty most of the day except when these families returned only to have the kids spend their time fighting, bickering, and whining thoroughly annoying every adult that was sitting around them. I can't understand that in spite of having several pools for kids, that the parents insist on using the adult only pool to seat their kids. Overall, I feel that Riu is ruining their "Palace" branding by labeling their family resorts with that designation. The label Palace used to be reserved for their more luxurious, comfortable and quieter relaxing resorts. My wife and I have typically gone to those because that is the environment we preferred. While this resort's facilities were nice and new, the commotion created by having that many kids there was definitely not relaxing. I feel that the only way to explain the food/restaurant situation, is that Riu is cost cutting by attempting to limit availablity. By making the ala carte's harder to get into, they cut the quantity of higher end dishes. By making the buffet chaos, people get frustrated and just leave rather than going back for another plate. I would not recommend this resort for couples.

  Apr 19, 2026
• 

  Simply The Best 5 star Hotel

  Wow! This Riu Palace is a 5 star plus hotel! We stayed at this hotel from the 1st to 7th April and we had a brilliant time. The food, entertainment and the staff. Everyone was so professional and respectful. I asked to speak to the hotel manager who was from Portugal as I was truly impressed with the hotel and staff. He was very nice and I suggested a few ideas which I had seen at other 5 star plus hotels which he greatly appreciated and would implement in due course. My sincere thanks and appreciation to Joseph in the buffet dinning area, Jhemol and Shantae in the lobby area and Shanice on main reception. Thank you from Grace, Wayne, Shanice, Alexsis and Marlo from the UK

  Apr 17, 2026
• 

  Great stay

  We’re currently staying at the RIU Trelawny Beach Aquarelle as a family of 4 (2 adults and two girls age 10 and 13) and I can say that we’ve had the most amazing stay. Upon arrival we were treated to a rum cocktail (virgin cocktails for the kids) which was lovely after a 9 hour flight. Whilst the hotel is on a large scale there is always somewhere to sit around the pool and beach and you don’t need to be up at the crack of dawn to secure a nice place to sit. The staff have been fantastic and so friendly. A special shout out to the lovely Sasha (working in the main hotel buffet) who was so kind and lovely. She’s couldn’t do enough for us. Also our house keeper Camile-our room was kept beautifully tidy and fresh everyday. The food is on another level every cuisine you could think of and the Capuchino cafe in the main reception keeps you stocked with every kind of hot and cold beverage you’ll need during your day-night! We would absolutely love to come back. The only thing I will say is that the poor street dogs that are around the hotel could do with some TLC. I’ve tried to message some local charitys to see if there’s anything flea and tick treatment programs that I could help donate to. Maybe this is something the hotel could look into as there were lots of family’s that were upset by seeing the poor pups with open sores on there body’s.it would be great if they could set this up as I’m sure loads of travellers would donate.

  Apr 16, 2026
• 

  Spring break

  It was our first time staying at RIU Palace despite staying at multiple RIU hotels in different destinations. Hotel is beautiful. Service was top notch. Food excellent; from breakfast buffet to room service. My daughter loved the slides in water park and RiuLand. Entertainment at evening time was fun. The little coffee shop on the lobby had excellent cappuccinos. Check in and check out process was a breeze. Our room was excellent. We were in room 344 and my friend was in room 333. Loved the morning coffee from room service on my balcony.

  Apr 13, 2026
• 

  Perfect for families

  Don't hesitate to book, we had the holiday of a lifetime here! Beautiful location, excellent facilities, delicious food, but what really made it was the wonderful staff. They were so attentive, kind and fun and worked hard to ensure the whole family had a brilliant holiday. We stayed as a family of 8 ranging from age 68 to 11 years. The entertainment staff made the children (aged 11 and 13) feel special and entertained them with a variety of fun activities every day. It was lively and there was plenty to keep the whole family entertained, but relaxing and peaceful enough even for my husband who hates noise and 'organised fun'! Rooms overlooking the pool meant you could listen to the bands and music in the evening from your balcony but we requested a quiet room on the other side. Quiet side was overlooking a slightly more industrial part of the hotel but still had a beautiful view of the sea, hills and the gorgeous sunsets. I would definitely return to Riu Aquarelle and recommend it to anyone.

  Apr 12, 2026