We flew on Air Jamaica from JFK on June 15-21. Our flight left on time. Unlike other airlines, we were not charged for our 2nd checked-in bag and was served breakfast and a complimentary beverage. I thought this was a very nice way to start my vacation. And, it did help mitigate some of the negative reviews. Although, the forecast for Negril was not favorable. The sun came out and the temperature were in the mid 80s everyday. Check-in at the hotel was a breeze. The staff overall, was very friendly and went out of their way to help make our stay at Club Riu Negril more enjoyable. Be sure to tip. Special thanks to Abiba for her kindess and thoughtfulness. We carried our own bags to the room only because we did not want to wait for a bellhop. We stayed in Bldg. 2, but could have stayed in bldg. 1, which would have put us closer to the lobby. The view of the beach from the pathway was inviting. The room was a fair size; not too big not too small. There was a musty smell upon entering the room, but I suppose this is to be expected since we were very close to the beach. The rooms are somewhat dated, but very clean and the bed was made everyday and water and beverages were replaced daily. Fresh towels were also replaced daily. We could see the ocean from the balcony. Sometimes, we would come back to the room to find an animal or design on the bed made from towles. The a/c was not cold enough, but the fan did help circulate the air. We had plenty of hot water, which is a must. There was plenty of closet space and we did use the room safe that was provided for us free of charge, unless you lose the safe key. It will cost you $50 US. Somedays, I would put the towels and our swimsuits out on the balcony to dry overnight and found them still there the next day. Nothing was ever stolen.
There are 3 ala cartes. Don't waste your time! We tried all three and found the food in the buffet was better and we had more selections. If you opt to go to the ala carte be prepared to stand on line for 15-20 mins. Not worth it! The person taking reservations does not show up until 10 a.m. Sometimes, 9:30 a.m. if your lucky. They did run out of towels a couple of times, my own fault. Have to get their early. Luckily, I brought my beach towels from home. There is not much to do inside the resort, but that is ok since we just wanted to relax anyway. The beach was awesome. We found beach chairs under the shade everyday with no problem. The water was clear most days. I could see the bottom of the ocean. The breeze was so warm on the beach, I think I fell asleep a few times. Do take sunscreen and bug spray. I was very diligent about using sunscreen and I still got color. My boyfriend on the otherhand, didn't listen to me and got a burn on his chest. Do try the Jerk Chicken on the beach. Delicious! The return trip home was an all day affair. Horrendous! We checked out of the hotel at 12 p.m. and waited till about 1:30 p.m. for our bus (Jamaica Tours) to take us back to airport. The a/c on the bus was not working well, so we sat on a hot bus for the duration of the trip. 90 mins. in all to the hotel to airport. We were ushered to a line for Air Jamaica, which took about 2 hrs. to get to the front of the line. There was a problem with another flight in Kingston, Jamaica which delayed our departure for about an hr. Aside, from the the negatives, we had a good time in Jamaica. Ye Man!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC