Riu Ocho Rios - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

13680 reviews

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  Id rate this hotel a 10 outta 10!

  We just returned from Jamaica a couple days ago and this was our first time at this property and we LOVED it!!! We go to Jamaica every year and I can honestly say, we have never been disappointed. I urge people to read reviews with caution and not to put much stock into them. Here is another pointer when going, make sure you get a private transfer...we use Get Onboard Tours, the owner is Garreth. We have been using him for years and will never take the bus transfer again. He is easy to find on FB or just google. We have become friends with him and keep in touch. Back to the hotel....check-in was pretty easy. Our room wasn't ready until 3-ish but we didn't care, we were in Jamaica. We were very satisfied with our room but we are rarely in there, only to sleep. Our housekeeper, Elaine did a fabulous job the whole 10 days. We enjoyed the food every day and our servers were awesome! Sheldon had our drinks and table ready for us every morning at 7am. He even decorated the table when we were leaving. Ricardo was another server who was very attentive as well along with Odane. The Ala-carte restaurants were good, especially Mandalay. This is the only one you don't need reservations, make sure you are in line right at 6! The beach is GREAT! A lot of the beaches can be rocky but this beach is super nice. No shortage of chairs either. We never went down early to "save" chairs. The pools are nice too. We usually hung at the beach/pool area with the volleyball net as my husband plays volleyball ALL DAY, he made some great friends from Argentina. The entertain/rec team was phenomenal! We participated in many games...I wish I remembered all their names....I remember T.T (Tanesha Tatiana) and the others slip my memory:( They all knew my name and always made a point to say hi etc. A couple even came up and said good bye. We only went to one show as I go to bed early and I was SO impressed, it was the Michael Jackson show. Do NOT miss it! The dancers were amazing, I have never seen a show this good at any other resort. All in all, we give this resort a 10 outta 10. Our 10 days was wonderful and yes, we will go back. I can't think of a reason we wouldn't go.

  Jan 26, 2026
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  Amazing staff

  This was my 4th trip back- the staff is always so friendly and welcoming. The bartenders always remember drinks, and there very rarely is a wait. Housekeeping is always smiling and eager to help, and tge servers are also fantastic. For a portion of my trip, I was alone, and if I had to get up to use the bathroom or get my food, the bartenders and wait staff would always watch my drink and cover it for me. That’s not really something I’m used to thinking about, but the gesture was very much appreciated.

  Jan 25, 2026
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  Avoid Rainbow Stores Jamaica

  Avoid Rainbow stores Ochos Rios. They claim fair prices but are double what the price is of Duty Free. We brought supplies for a school in Ste. Anne for the children and then stopped in at Rainbow stores Ochos Rios to support local,. Total rip off. Shame on them for screwing tourist there to help the people of Jamaica. SHAME. example. Bob Marley Rum $35 usd but at airport, $17.00

  Jan 25, 2026
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  Nice vacation

  We are currently staying in Rio Ocho. Before coming, I read a lot of reviews, and honestly, many of them scared me — especially because we are traveling with two kids (6 and 2 years old). But thankfully, everything turned out much better, and we are happy with our stay. Location & Beach: Beautiful beach and great location. The hotel is older, but still very nice. We have a room on the 5th floor, and the view is absolutely gorgeous. Food: Our youngest child has allergies to fish, dairy, and eggs, so we knew finding food wouldn’t be easy. However, she eats macaroni and chicken, and that worked well for us. Staff: The reception girls are very kind and helpful, and the animators are great. The staff in the restaurant, beach bar, and snack areas were not as friendly, unfortunately. Cleaning: We arrived on Monday, and the first room cleaning was done on Wednesday. However, today the housekeeping lady did an amazing job — everything was perfect, and she even made flowers on the bed. My daughters were so happy, which really made our day. Conclusion: Come here with good vibes and a positive attitude — it truly makes a difference.

  Jan 22, 2026
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  Wonderful Stay

  Trip date: January 09-16 CHECK IN/OUT: We arrived at 2pm. Our room wasn’t ready. They asked us to download the Riu app and said they would email us when the room was ready which should be between 3-4pm. The lobby is beautiful. There is a bar there, so we just parked ourselves by it and had a few drinks. We never got an email to say the room was ready. It wasn’t until 4pm when my husband went to check and they gave us the keys. Check out was super easy and fast, no issues. ROOM: We had a beautiful Oceanview room. The room itself is big. The bed is one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in at an all-inclusive. We both had amazing sleep. The bathroom is big but it is just not designed well. The toilet is facing the door, so if someone opens it and you’re on it, you’re going to get hit. This happened several times to us. It’s just a very weird layout. The shower was nice, good pressure too, but lots of gaps in the door where water was constantly pouring out on to the floors. Our room was cleaned well every day. The fridge was well stocked with pop, water, and beer. There was hard liquor too, but we mainly drank the water. The chairs were the only downside to the room. It looked like it had mold on them. We didn’t use them and kept them far away. BEACH & POOLS: We weren’t too impressed with the beach. Reviews I read, everyone kept saying it was so beautiful. It’s just ok. I’ve been to so many around the Caribbean, I can say this is probably at the bottom of our list. Yes, it looks nice, but there was no shade or umbrellas. You have to rely on the palm trees which can be an issue if you’re on meds and can’t stay directly under the sun for too long. Beach and pool chairs were never an issue to find. Lots of shade by the pools. We are not pool people, and never once went in, but I did lounge there a few times to stay under the shade. I will say though from my observations, the entertainment at the family side pool can be very inappropriate. A few days, some of the entertainers stepped in and stopped the twerking some guests were doing reminding them it’s a family resort, while other days, they just let it happen. I’m by no far a prude, but there were very young children there and it was certainly not appropriate for them to watch that. FOOD & RESTAURANTS: The buffet by far was the best! There is something for everyone, and the Jamaican station was the best! I ate Oxtail, rice and peas and stew pork every day. I miss having that. The a la carts were terrible. We could only get reservations at the Steakhouse and Kulinarium. The ribs at the steakhouse were good, but every single thing at Kulinarium was inedible. We left and went right back to the buffet. The drinks were top notch. The snacks at the Sports bar were good too. ENTERTAINMENT: We are not ones to sit and watch a show. If you’ve been to one all inclusive, you’ve seen them all. They are repetitive and it gets boring. But the entertainment at this resort was on another level. We actually sat through it all and enjoyed every single day. The Beach party and Neon/All white party was by far the most fun we had that week. One of my favorite moments was the National Anthem being sung and everyone standing. It was wonderful to see and participate in. OVERALL: This resort is huge and very clean. The week we were there, they said there were about 2000 guests, which we can believe. It was our first time at a Riu and we had a lot of fun. The staff were all wonderful and we never encountered anyone rude. They are constantly working and keeping the resort clean and all with a smile. If anything, it’s the visitors who are the ones that also put their manners on vacation. Throughout the week, we saw some of the rudest and most ignorant visitors there. From grabbing food with their hands at the buffet, to being drunk and belligerent and overall inappropriate and sexually suggestive in front of children. We left the resort a few times. There is a really good Chinese restaurant, KFC and Juci Patty about a 5 min taxi ride from the resort if you want something different. Just be careful not to overpay the taxis. If you catch a route taxi outside the resort, you’re paying $1.50 CAD as opposed to the $30 USD they ask you for at the resort. I love Jamaica, the food and the people.

  Jan 20, 2026