This is part 3 of what will be a 4 part series on all-inclusive properties and excursions I experienced in Jamaica. The Riu Palace Tropical Bay has big potential. It is a bit difficult to fully review this property as they are in the finishing stages of renovation and construction of new expansion units. Much of the property was not open, like the restaurants and there was a lot of construction still going on. During the day this creates a lot of noise and we even had to take care of the walls as they were being painted.
The only food option during our stay was the buffet. That being said, the food was very good! There were a lot of options during each meal. On the last night they told us we were going to the Steak House so we were pretty excited. After taking us for a long walk around the pools, they lead us into a roped off area of the buffet and gave us the steak house menus. Very tricky, Riu, very tricky. If you go and have a chance to eat at the steak house get the lobster. It was amazing. Really big, I almost couldn’t finish and really well prepared.
This resort sits on a beautiful bay in Negril. I heard the name “Bloody Bay” but I’m not sure if that is the local name of the bay or not. Tropical Bay is much better when trying to attract people to come there. The entire time we were there it was calm. It’s also in Negril, which is incredibly laid back. The locals actually call it the “Capital of Casual”. Those of you who know me well, know I am not a big city guy. I don’t like big crowds, hate being anywhere I have to stand in big lines. This is my kind of place.
There are 3 pools on site. 1 has a swim up bar, the second is more of a lap pool and the third is handicap accessible with a unique feature. It actually has a ramp where you can roll in a wheel chair which I thought was a really cool feature. This is the first time I have seen something like it and think it is a great idea. Another feature around the pools I found interesting was you can control the shade. They have these retractable awnings over lounge chairs that you can control almost like curtains. I burn, so as much as I love to be around the water, I do like the shade. This is, in my opinion, a big asset for the property since a lot of the vegetation is new and will take time to grow.
We had ocean view rooms. The views were incredible. Of course, a favorite feature for many is the stocked bar in the room. There are bottles you can help yourself from and a stocked mini fridge in case you want mixers or don’t drink alcohol. Very convenient to pour yourself a drink then sit out on your balcony and watch a sunset while listening to the water gently lapping up on the shore. I mean if you are into that extreme relaxation in the most ideal setting kind of thing. I went ahead and tested it out for you, because one has to be thorough and it worked great just in case any of you go. No need to thank me, you are welcome. Man I want to go back.
The entertainment was average. The band they had there the night we checked it out was average at best. If you like 50’s and 60’s music with a reggae twist this is the place. It was cool for a few song’s but they needed to mix it up a bit more and throw in something from the last 40 years. The hotel had a whole crew of dancers there that did a nice job of getting people out on the dance floor to dance. It helped that they gave people numbers for a prize raffle at the end of the band’s time playing. Once the band stopped they had a DJ for awhile and that was a welcome change.
Beach Side Yoga Area
There is a spa and fitness center onsite that were ok. One of the coolest parts of the place from a fitness standpoint is an open air yoga area. It had a softer floor and is right by the ocean. I actually did some working out there one morning after taking a swim out in the bay. Early morning is ok to swim out past the ropes, however, starting mid morning you will get boat traffic out there so I don’t recommend it. The swim was probably the highlight of my workouts while in Jamaica. The ocean water was so warm. I swam out probably about 300 yds into the bay then back and then stayed just outside the swim ropes and swam to the edge of their property and back. Past the ropes there was a lot of sea grass that fish hung out in. I saw lots of starfish on the bottom. When coming back towards shore the sun cleared the hotel and it’s rays went through the water acting like a prism. There were hundreds of little rainbows dancing across the sandy bottom and it was absolutely beautiful. While not as many fish, they were still present. Later in the day while wading out, I actually saw a stingray here, but that was the only one I saw the entire trip.
I did not dive with their onsite dive shop and to be honest would have been hesitant to do so. We stopped by one day close to closing time and there was nobody in the shop. We called out our hellos and a couple of the ladies came in followed by an extremely strong ganja smell. To be fair the shop is located right next to a public area and ganja is pretty common all over the island. It might not have been them smoking it, but I’m pretty particular about who I dive with. It’s a dangerous sport and the equipment you rent is literally life support. I’m not trusting my life to someone who may not have all their faculties.
There is a kids club onsite, but it was pretty small and very limited. While the property is kid friendly, there is not a lot to do for the kids onsite like other resorts, especially the older kids and teens. I’d probably recommend other properties for families.
There are some things to do around town for those who want to get off site. Not too far away there is a water park you can go to. There is also Ricks Café which is more for adults but you can take kids there during the day. It’s an amazing place to tap into your adventurous side by jumping off cliffs at various heights and watch amazing sunsets. I’ll be talking more about Ricks in the next blog post. You can walk down the beach to a local market. Don’t be too intimated by the look of it as many of the booths are literally rain tarps held up by sticks. The people are nice and not too pushy. You can definitely get good deals here on your souvenirs.
Have I mentioned there are incredible beaches here? The picture above (left) was my view from breakfast at the buffet. Some of the nearby hotels have great beaches as well and there are a few, um, ah er, Au natural beaches. On one of our site tours I was staring right at one and didn’t realize it at first. I just thought it was weird that everyone was wearing white bathing suits. Clearly the guests had not been there long enough to rid themselves of tan lines. I did not take pictures of that particular beach, but if you want to see the other pictures I have from the Riu please check out the link below.