Hotel Riu Negril 5*

This is a fantastic hotel with so many positives. Starting on arrival, to be offered a cold and refreshing drink as we waited to check in was very much welcomed and a nice touch! Check in was quick and painless and they insisted we have the cases brought up to our rooms. This was very generous bearing in mind there are no lifts and we were on the second floor. We made it in time to be able to eat in the main restaurant, however, there is food and drinks served 24 hours a day, in the sports bar. The food in the main restaurant was really nice with lots of choice, even for the pickiest of eaters, There is some show cooking but I feel this has reduced compared to when we visited previously. The only suggestion I would make would be for the seating area to be air conditioned as it was very hot and humid whilst eating. We also ate in the Island Cove restaurant for lunch which again had lots of choice and upstairs was cool. The snack bar is fab; jerk chicken and tacos being my favourite. Other options included burgers, sausage, fries, wedges, hotdogs, nachos and salad. There are several bars serving soft drinks, smoothies, mocktails, red stripe, wine, cocktails and hot drinks. There is never much of a wait to be served. We used the family pool where there was plenty of sunbeds (no sunbed dash here). The lifeguards are constantly busy, watching the pool but also collecting cups and generally keeping the area tidy. The beach is literally a few steps away and is clean and tidy with some grass in the sea. My partner loved going snorkelling and saw lots of fish and a stingray! The pedalos are free to use, for 30 mins. There are loads of sunbeds all day too. The entertainment team work tirelessly to make your holiday full of fun. They are all very friendly and talented! The white and neon parties are an amazing experience! The only suggestion I would make is for the daytime games in the pool to be on a fortnightly rotation rather than weekly as we were there for a fortnight and so the games were the same. This also applies to the evening entertainment as most shows were repeated on a weekly basis. Both of our rooms were fab! Spacious and clean with views out to sea. The mini bar was topped up every two days. There is also a coffee machine. Towels were clean and soft and regularly changed. Loved having a safe that wasn’t chargeable and easy to use. One thing that is evident is just how hard all the staff work in very hot and humid conditions to make everything run smoothly, they are a real credit! One thing I thought was missing was no availability of ice creams or ice lollies which were available last time we visited. Overall, I would definitely return to this hotel and would recommend it to others.

It was a wonderful family vacation, at a resort that exceeded all our expectations. The entire resort is simply spectacular and, without a doubt, the best we have been to so far. The Riu Negril team works daily with enormous dedication to ensure that everything runs perfectly, in an organized manner and always with great attention to the guests. The food was another of the big highlights. The buffet had a huge variety and, every day, we ate very well. The Eggs Benedict for breakfast were simply our downfall! And, of course, the beach... the place where we spent most of our days. It is absolutely stunning, with a perfect temperature and that paradise-like scenery that made our vacation even more special. The rooms are spacious, beautiful, and very comfortable, with all the necessary amenities for a perfect stay. In summary, they were unforgettable holidays and a truly 5-star experience, with nothing to complain about. We returned without hesitation!