tiramisu6

Trying to decide between Riu Ocho Rios & Breezes Montego Bay - besides the fact that Riu is a longer ride to&from airport, is one better than the other as far as the beach & overall resort? I'd would prefer no nudity on the beach & no casinos - any input is GREATLY appreciated. by the way, is the ride to & from riu over 1 hr?

liza

Breezes is right in town in MoBasy, good if you want to be able to walk to nightlife and such, not so good if you were hoping for an uncrowded beach. The breezes MoBay beach is also used by cruise ships and tourists from other downtown hotels.

Can't speak to the ROR except to say that it is over an hour and possibly 2.

tivertonhouse

Riu is about 2 hours from airport. Casinos and nudity should prove to be non-issues at both properties. Neither all-inclusive is in the top ranks on island but both offer fair value pricing if you're prepared for a mass package tourist experience.

tiramisu6

thx for all input - regarding montego bay, any opinion on holiday sun spree vs. breezes? - are both equally crowded due to cruise ships & other hotels?? - It seemed from what I've read (even on frommers & trip advisor) that the RIU ochos rios is relatively new? There's only a few activities that seem interesting like Dunns River Falls & bamboo raft ride - not sure abou the other activities - not sure if this is a silly question but for the Dunns River Falls, do you need to know how to swim?

tivertonhouse

Check out Coyaba in MoBay. Dunn's River Falls,closer to Ocho Rios, is a steep climb/watershoes on, no swimming. You might enjoy Mayfield Falls, far closer to MoBay, in Dolphin Head Mts. RIU is new, opened last year.

liza

Breezes beach, while crowded (it is Doctor's Cave Beach, the main downtown MoBay beach) is much nicer, IMO, than the Holday Inn's, which is kind of rocky and less clear.

Riu Ochi is, I believe, on Mammee Bay, which is a lovely stretch of white sand with clear calm water.

You don't have to swim at Dunn's but there are pools that you can get all the way wet in.

mhbeverly

I can't speak about the MoBay property but my family and I just returned from a stay at RIU Ocho Rios. This property is about an hour and a half drive from the airport however the ride isn't that bad and they stop midway at a road side jerk stand for a "peepee" break (we got Red Stripes instead). We paid $120.00 US for roundtrip transfers (2 adults and 2 kids which were 1/2 price). After having been to the island we were so, SO happy we didn't rent a car as we had intended. YIKES! This property does have a casino but it is the video game style (slots and video poker, etc) and it is housed inside the sports bar in the basement. It would be very easy to avoid if you so choosed. In regard to the nudity, we did see some topless women which garnered snickers from my non-continental children who are 10 and 6. It was NOT the usual and only on the beach. Really, I think it was the same two ladies that we kept seeing. I tried not to look so therefore I never really saw their faces. Ha! Overall, the resort is really nice, being only a year old. We would return to this property again. Our room had a great view however some of the reviews that talk about the mildewy smells are right on. We didn't complain - the room was nice, had a great view and housekeeping was efficient.