Just came back from Riu Negril. I was very happy with the hotel. It's a new property so everything works and is very clean. Riu caters mostly to Europeans, so there were only a few Americans there. I have read some other posts regarding how rude the Europeans are, but during my stay I didn't have any unpleasant experiences.
We ate only at the buffets because we couldn't get up in time to make reservations for the restaurant (the lines started at 7:30), but I was very happy with the food at the buffets. Every meal I had was delicious and there were plenty of choices. Some people I spoke with said they weren't happy with the restaurants, but that's hearsay.
The room was nice with comfortable king size bed. The bathroom had good water pressure and plenty of hot water. The hotel only gives you soap, shower gel and shampoo, so be sure to bring lotion for your after-sun-parched skin.
The beach was nice with clear water but a lot of seaweed and corals. Some people liked it because you could snorkel right in front of the hotel, but I prefer not to bump my feet on the stones and step into seaweed. The other Riu property - Riu Tropical Bay - has a much better beach with soft sandy bottom and no coral or seaweed in sight.
The worst part of the hotel stay had to be sand fleas. I read some posts about them, but didn't expect it to be that bad. It's been 3 days since we came back and we're still itching. I brought regular bug guard with DEET but that doesn't work against sand fleas. The bites are extremely painful and itch for several days. The bite swells up and turns red. I saw some people with huge welts (about a quarter in diameter), so if you have allergies this is a not a place for you. I don't have allergies, so my bites were only 1/4 inch in diameter. The sand fleas seem to be a problem mostly in Negril. We previously went to Ocho Rios and didn't have this problem there.
Overall, I would recommend this hotel but only if you find something against sand fleas.

I've been to Negril several times and never had a problem with sand fleas - could it be worse on that part of the beach?

I spoke with someone who stayed in May at Riu Tropical Bay (half a mile away from Riu Negril) and they had the same problem with sand fleas. What time of the year and which hotels did you stay?

I have only been in March and April - stayed at Swept Away, Coco LaPalm, and on the cliffs.

Sand fleas bite at dusk--stay off the beach at that time.
Buy local repellants.
No problem when staying on the cliffs.