Any trip reports on the new Riu Tropical Bay in Negril would be appreciated. We are leaving on April 13.<BR>Thanks

Please let me know how your time at RIU was and if they provide rafts (floats) to use in the surf (not just the pool) I am going in the late fall & want to know how the place is from someone who has actually stayed there. thanks

Riu Tropical Bay Trip Report <BR> <BR>Opened in March 2001, absolutely stunning property in the middle area of Bloody Bay. Fabulous clean beach, very comfortable loungers, warm blue-green crystal clear water, beautiful palm trees provide great shade, great view of Bloody Bay. <BR>Rooms are beautiful, very clean, tastefully decorated, and mini bar and fridge are stocked with premium brands and serviced every other day. Excellent ocean view from the balcony. <BR>2 pools close together in the centre of the resort were lovely, lots of loungers and umbrellas. <BR>Riu is a Spanish chain, and being European, they know about good food. Breakfast buffet in the main restaurant offered everything – eggs every way, cereals, muesli, fresh fruit, bacon, sausages, oh, and that Jamaican coffee is fantastic. Dinner was great too, they had a wide variety of meat, fish, poultry, vegetables both cooked and fresh – everything was terrific. Alden, Easton, and Jess were just the most outstanding wait staff I’ve ever had at a resort. <BR>Spa on-site was terrific, do the lavender, lemon grass sea salt scrub first thing in the morning. <BR>As a matter of fact ALL of the staff there were friendly, pleasant, and helpful, but not intrusive. For para-sailing and jet ski’s ask for Razor who works beside the kayak/catamaran boys. He was really fantastic and got us great deals on these activities. <BR>I’ve been a few places and these people blew me away. I highly recommend it. <BR>

About the floaters, ask Razor, he's got a few, one floater is as big as a double bed

We just booked a week at RIU after hearing many great things about it. Has anyone been there with kids? I have an 11 and a 13 year old-are there enough activities for them there? Is Negril too far away from Ocho Rios to visit the Falls? Are there any good shopping areas around? Any good excursions from RIU? Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Deborah, <BR> <BR>Could you tell me if this is a newly built resort or an existing resort taken over by Riu group. Also, is this resort situated close to Beaches Negril? <BR>Thanks.

Dunn's River Falls would be at least 5-6 hours. It is the opposite way from the airport.It is definitely overrated in my opinion. It was crowded; you had to go up with a "guide"; and it was basically a tourist trap.

My wife and I just came back from a week at Riu. This was out third trip to Negril. Very nice resort. Food is OK, but nothing great. I don't know what Deb was talking about when she mentions great coffee. The coffee is terrible, not Blue Mountain at all. I know what Blue Mountain tastes like (we alwasy bring back about 12 lbs) and the swill they serve is not it. In fact, it comes from a Nescafe brand auto brewing machine (select coffee type and press a button). In fact, the coffee was the main complaint of most of the diners we spoke to. The buffets are pretty good. The wine they serve at the restraunts is horrible and watered down. <BR><BR>The beach is great, you can walk for miles. The location of Riu is excellent, as it is right on the edge of the undeveloped portion of Bloody Bay. This means you can walk to the West of the resort on a totally undeveloped beach. Great watersports staff. They were very polite and helpful, with a bunch of 14 ft wave runners. My wife and I like to sail a good deal. We also rented a 16 ft Hobie from Rico (right on the edge of Riu property) - even better than the resorts sailboats - much faster, with a jib...<BR><BR>Rooms are very nice, though ours had a broken air conditioner, which it took a few days to fix. This may seem like a big problem, but the breeze keeps things cool, and it was nice to listen to the tree frogs at night. They stock the mini bars and fridges regularly. <BR><BR>Nice gym and spa. Entertainment was pretty bad (same band every night). Would have preferred some more traditional reggae, instead got the standard cruise ship type band... <BR><BR>Overall rating - Very nice resort at a great price. I'm not sure about the 5 star rating- I would give it a 4...<BR><BR>Enjoy,<BR>Eric

I agree. The rooms are nice, the food is OK, but 5 stars seems a bit high. Coffee and wine were definately not that great. I think the best thing about the resort is the beach, and the stocked fridge in each room.

Regarding Dunn's River Falls:<BR>If you are staying in Negril, book a trip to YS Falls or Mayfield Falls instead.<BR>

I've been to lots of European-owned and American-owned AI resorts throughout the Caribbean. The food and beverages at the American-owned was almost always far more superior than those at European-owned. Just my opinion (and my husband's).

We've been considering the Riu for our vacation with our teenaged daughters, 17 and 19. Is it true guests are assigned a seating time for dinner? That doesn't soung too convenient. Are there activities teens would be interested in? What are the restaurant choices? Also, is there a fruit smoothie bar at the breakfast buffet? I know our daughters would really enjoy that. Thanks so much for your comments!

I am going to the Rui Tropical Bay in early May and am wondering about horseback riding nearby? I will be giving a full report when I return, approx. May 17th. I'm certainly going to try that coffee and find out about smoothies!