Hotel Riu Palace Jamaica

Overall, I had a good stay with a few frustrations that are worth mentioning for future travelers. The service was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. The staff was consistently friendly, attentive, and professional. One server even remembered my daily espresso order, which was a thoughtful touch that made each morning feel more personal. The room was clean and mostly updated, and housekeeping did a great job throughout my stay. The mattresses were just average—not uncomfortable, but not especially memorable either. If you’re planning to do any excursions, I highly recommend bringing water shoes, a pair of shorts, and some cash for tips. While tipping is optional, it’s a great way to show appreciation for excellent service. One disappointment was the catamaran excursion. I think the experience could be improved by including light snacks onboard. Instead, guests are encouraged to purchase food before boarding, which made the whole process feel more like an upsell than a convenience. It came across as poorly planned and left a negative impression. My biggest complaint about the resort itself was the pool hours. For an adults-only resort, closing the pool at 7:00 p.m. doesn’t make much sense—especially during the summer when it’s still daylight outside. Keeping it open until at least 9:00 p.m. would allow guests to enjoy the atmosphere after dinner and make better use of one of the resort’s main amenities. Overall, I enjoyed my stay thanks to the outstanding staff, clean accommodations, and relaxing atmosphere. With a few adjustments—particularly extending the pool hours and improving the excursion experience—it would be an even better destination.

If you are considering staying at Riu Palace Jamaica - especially with vulnerable or elderly family members - be warned that this resort fails completely in basic safety, guest protection, and human decency. On night two of our stay, my elderly grandmother suffered a physical fall. What followed was a complete failure of duty of care and an appalling breach of conduct by resort security leadership. A Security Supervisor named Mr. Johnson arrived at the scene. Rather than managing the situation professionally or ensuring guest safety, he actively escalated it into a hostile confrontation: 1. Verbal Assault of a Vulnerable Guest: He aggressively yelled at my elderly grandmother - who was already traumatized on the ground - in a language she does not speak or understand. 2. Harassment & Intimidation: After we asked for 5 minutes to safely evaluate her before moving her, he continuously refused saying “she has to get up and go to her room now, it doesn’t look good to have her stay here.” He then publicly degraded and verbally attacked me, shouting: “I can’t believe you declined a nurse, that shows what kind of granddaughter you are!” 3. Hostile Resort Environment: Following this traumatic event, management simply did nothing but say “sorry, we know he is stern and has a history of fighting with people who stay here.” We had to continuously fear encountering and crossing paths with the same aggressive supervisor for the rest of our trip, leaving three women feeling unsafe, targeted, and intimidated in a foreign country. RIU Corporate Customer Care acknowledged in writing a "lack of commitment or concern from the staff," yet local management attempted to dismiss a severe psychological and physical safety incident with standard, mass-produced room amenities (a fruit plate and coffee). Really? This is how you manage these situations? This is not a service issue - it is a systemic management failure and a brand crisis. Staff members in position of authority are permitted to scream at, demean, and intimidate paying guests without immediate intervention or removal. We were left traumatized, and fearing for our personal safety inside a high-end resort. Do not put your family’s safety or dignity in the hands of this property. They will do everything they can to verbally degrade you, and other reviews affirm this behaviour is usual and lived by not just us.