Hotel Riu Palace Tropical Bay

I surprised my husband for our 30th Anniversary with a trip to Jamaica. We stayed at the RIU Tropical Bay and is was outstanding. The food was 5 star, from the buffet to the Restaurants, it was a class act. The People were super friendly and nice. We had the same Waiter each time we went to the buffet and he knew what we wanted to drink and for each meal. The room service was great. They did a great job cleaning the room when asked. I would definately recommend this place and would definately go back. Only drawback is that the airport is an hour and a half away from the resort.

We spent a week at RIU Palace Tropical Bay over Christmas and had an absolutely wonderful experience. The service was excellent, and all of the staff were polite, professional, and genuinely kind. One thing we really appreciated was that no one was ever pushy or begging for tips. We are a family that is happy to tip—and tip generously—but it’s refreshing when it isn’t expected or pressured at every turn. This was hands down the cleanest resort we’ve ever stayed at. The food was consistently delicious, both in the à la carte restaurants and at the buffet. They truly went above and beyond for the holidays—Santa Claus arrived by boat on Christmas Day and gave each child a gift, which absolutely thrilled our kids and made Christmas feel very special. They also hosted a lovely Christmas Eve gala to celebrate the season. The resort app was easy to use and very convenient. Room service was fine, and if anything in the room needed attention, you could submit a request through the app and it was taken care of quickly. The only downside for us was that the beds were a bit hard (and I’m still feeling it!), but that was a small trade-off. The beach was immaculate, and the jerk chicken cooked by Jolly by the beach was incredible. My son—who normally only eats chicken nuggets—couldn’t get enough of it and was still talking about it when we were leaving. One tip for future guests: the white building at the far end of the beach, we recommend booking excursions directly there rather than through your travel representative. We found the experiences to be much more economical and even better overall. I honestly wish we could have stayed another week, and I already want to go back—which is something I’ve never said about a resort before. Highly recommend.

Not a 5-star hotel. It may have been one back in the day. But not now. At most, I'd give it 3 stars. A beautiful beach and the ocean, yes, but that is not what the stars are given for. Rude and ignorant staff, black mold in the rooms and bathrooms, clogged showers with barely a trickle of water, missing toilet accessories. Average at best food, no decent alcohol whatsoever, even impossible to pay extra/purchase. Slightly better wine is only at the specialty restaurants, but nowhere else. Why?! The hotel insists that everyone use the mobile app. And some genius decided that the maximum number of people per reservation or room is 2. So if you have kids with you or you occupy multiple rooms, you can't make a dinner reservation at a specialty restaurant. Or you must make separate dinner reservations from different mobile phones. But then, when you arrive, the staff tells you that they can only seat you at separate tables. What is the point of all of this?! Poor Wi-Fi at the entire property. Keeps disconnecting constantly. The only way to fix it is to turn the Wi-Fi off and back on on the device. And even then, at times, it just won't work at all. Beach chairs covered by bird poo. Old, washed-out beach towels. The management has been neglecting to maintain the hotel for a while... My experience makes me NOT want to come back to Jamaica again.

This was our first time in Jamaica. Resort was great, food was okay not brilliant I wish they had more authentic Jamaican food for both meat eaters and vegetarians. One of the staff at the ala cardia restaurant made us feel bad leaving a small tip, however, I think staff will need to understand that people only tip what they can afford. I have to say the entertainment team was amazing. Spotlight Advance, super Mario really entertained us.

The beach is one of the highlights—clean, peaceful, and perfect for swimming or relaxing. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the staff are friendly and welcoming. The all-inclusive food and drinks offer good variety, with multiple bars and restaurants available throughout the day. Overall, it’s a great choice for couples or families looking for a relaxing seaside vacation in a scenic Caribbean setting.

Visit Oct 22-Oct 29, 2025 (scheduled departure). Arrival smooth and easy. Escorted to our room 3116, as we requested. Everything perfect, staff amazing. |Room great and very clean. Ocean was clear to the bottom, secure swim area. Plenty of chairs on the beach and pool for everyone. Food was plentiful and something for everyone. Ground impeccable clean, staff polite, professional and helpful at all times|With the incoming hurricane Melissa, we were kept informed of all the changes, at all times. Clear instructions, with excellent emergency preparedness to perfection. We followed all instructions and came out of it safe. Staff continued to be positive and professional. |Yes, we lost AC, occasional power and occasional water, but never lacked for anything. Clean up was proceeding quickly. Staff was able to keep up somewhat abbreviated normalcy for us. The biggest barrier was communication. WiFi was down, but arrangements were made for us to use the neighboring resorts' Wifi for calling home, rescheduling flights home. We were able to go home safely on Nov. 2, 2025, safe and sound. |Thank You's go out to our housekeeper, Keniesha (Rm. 3116) for looking out for us and checking on us numerous time of the day if we needed anything. See is amazing. Our buffet waiter Kevin always greeted us with a smile and made us feel good. His co-worker Andre waiter was also upbeat and made us feel good despite the situation.|Remember this staff, many of them went home to nothing left of their home and families. Everyone kept a positive note and did not bring it to work. |Awaiting our return visit soon.

This is a slightly above average resort with friendly staff that had been recently renovated. The beach is great and the pools are pretty good. There are no reefs to snorkel, but the beach itself is pretty good to just swim in. The have a number of activities and partner with near by Riu Nigril resorts to provide a decent night life.

I had a terrific two week holiday and arrived back home yesterday. The vast majority of the staff were absolutely fantastic and really helped make the holiday very special. There was a vast selection of extremely good food to choose from and some excellent wines too. The beach and the sea is very sandy (although I would still recommend swim shoes even if for just walking to and from the beach). The room was very comfortable and housekeeping come twice a day and the bar was also restocked daily. You can request more drinks (before 6 pm) and they will be brought down to you. The room service was excellent (thank you Dev). My only complaint would be the room service menu. There was nothing hot on offer (such as a burger and fries etc) just sandwiches or a salad and a choice of 3 cakes. I would highly recommend this hotel and hope to come back next year.