BookIt.com Verified Traveler Mari from Florham Park, NJ

"Stayed at a Riu before. Paying the extra money for the Palace was worth it. The service and food was great. Made reservations for the restaurants in the middle of the day without a problem or having to get up early. The beach is awesome! Resort is well maintained. Staff cleaned the resort all day and housekeeping was offered twice a day. Some of the king size beds are two double beds. I requested a room with regular king size bed and it was provided without a problem. Our room was upgraded free of charge. Staff is friendly and want to make your stay as pleasurable as possible. You don't have to tip but the staff was so wonderful that we tipped often. Encountered the sewage smell in the bathroom at times but that didnt cast a shadow over our trip/stay. Would definitely return to this resort and recommend it to family and friends."

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"While this is a very nice resort, the two biggest assets are the beach and the staff. The beach is the best I have ever been on - absolutely calm, clear and warm waters with such a gentle slope that allows you to venture out quite a bit. The staff is the friendliest I have encountered anywhere in the islands, from the front desk to the buffet/restaurants to the groundkeepers to the room attendants. The buffet selection was endless and relatively good, even the picky eaters will find something. Rooms were comfortable and adequate in size, housekeeping always good. Public areas were well kept and inviting. The only tiny negatives were the lack of local fruits like mangoes, guavas, and coconut (water), a pretty bad caulking job around my bathtub, and sometimes an unpleasant smell (sewage like) in the bathroom, but these in no way adversely affected my vacation. I would consider my stay at the Tropical my best beach holiday to date, and I have taken quite a few."

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"We had a great time lovely hotel and beautiful beach with crystal clear water.A few people selling things but they were friendly and not pushy. The food was excellent staff in all the dining rooms were efficient and friendly. The Japanese restaurant is not the best but we went to the steak house and the food was delicious. The staff all over the resort were great. Rooms very clean beds hard but not uncomfortably so.I only have two negative comments these are as follows only one bar by the beach on the pool deck so if you are on the end (quieter part ) of the beach you need to walk to the pool deck to get any type of drink. Our safe would not open on the last day we were there so I called the front desk who were great but it took the manager 3 hours to get to our room (not the 10 minutes ) that was promised which meant that I spent almost the whole afternoon of my last day there waiting for him to let us into the safe. He did not apologize for keeping us waiting and it took less than a minute to open the safe."

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"What a great place to vacation!! Staff was impecable!! Food was good and plenty of it!! So many activities, endless fun!! Went with 9 people! We all had a blast!! Not for kids really! Hot water wasn't plentiful during peak shower hours, but that was the worst thing lol!! Gogogogo!!"

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"Very nice hotel. Great staff & pools. Fantastic beach, beautiful blue water. Buffet-good, drinks-fair, specialty restaurants-very good. Ocean front is nice, but all rooms are w/in 300' of the beach. Can't lose!!"

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"This was our honeymoon and a first at the Riu and Jamaica. It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed for 8 days, Sept. 6 thru 13 2011 and hated to leave. The weather was perfect with temps in high 80's. We did have some rain but for only an hour a day. This is a place where you literally forget about everything. The resort grounds were immaculate and the staff was wonderful. The food was good but the jerk chicken was the best! Loved the people here. They mean it when they say 'No problem mon! No worries mon!' It's all good in Jamaica!!! Can't wait to go back."

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"My husband and I travelled to Jamaica for our first time. The beach was absolutely beautiful; perfect for kids as there were no waves. However, I will not consider this resort for families with children. The ride from the airport was a thrill ride; pedestrians can be road kill if they don't move quickly enough. The cars travel in/out of opposite lanes. The other con would be the drugs that are offered all day long on the beach. While they are friendly and a simple 'no thank you' was enough, it became annoying to be approached several times daily. The other con for families is that within walking distance (2 -3 blocks, there is a nude beach). Not much night life but perfect if you're there to relax. The food was mediocre compared to other all inclusives we have stayed; not much variety. Overall, nice experience but when we return, we will try another resort."

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"I had a fabulous time at the resort. The staff/employees were wonderful and helpful. The room was great. The view spectacular, It was their slow season (September) so dining at the select restaurants was not a problem. You do need to sign-up days early which was not the 'best.' The bugs are bad so bring skin-so-soft or deet. Make sure you wear it in the morning and at dusk. I wish I could have stayed longer."

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