|
Riu Tropical Bay 05/24/02
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
The arrival at the Riu was like arriving at a beautiful oasis in the desert, this place was absolutely amazing. We arrived around 2:00 p.m., shortly before their stated check-in time of 3:00, and were told it would be a few minutes until the room was ready. We were starving, so we decided to get a bite of pizza. I went with the Reggae pizza (jerk chicken, onions, peppers, jerk sauce, requested extra spicy) and my mouth was in heaven. My girlfriend opted for the traditional cheese with tomatoes and was also satisfied. After lunch, we went back to the front desk, and we were informed that, ìbecause you had to wait, we upgraded you to a suite.î What a welcome surprise, and just an initial peek at how nice and friendly the entire staff proved to be. We were led to the suite, and I tipped the bellboy an extra $10 to help keep the mini-bar fully stocked with Red Stripe throughout the trip. This turned out to be a great decision, because he showed up every day with 8-9 Red Stripes, new bottles of water, and plenty of soda. There was always an ample amount of chairs and trees along the beach. The Negril breakfast buffet: As buffets go, this one was among the best. A huge spread of freshly cut fruit, eggs and omelets any way you want, sausage, bacon, a different style of potatoes every day, pancakes, breads, deli meats, cereal, yogurts, fresh juices, and decent coffee. Everything tasted as wonderful as it looked, and we ate more fresh pineapple and mango during the trip than we have all year long. After breakfast, we would head to our spots on the beach for some well-needed rest and relaxation. There is nothing quite like laying under a palm tree, Red Stripe in an insulated mug brought from home, reading a good book, listening to live Reggae music, and hearing the waves (albeit small waves) crashing on the powdery white sand beach. This is definitely the definition of Paradise. Add to that the absence of any obnoxious kids screaming and crying. We did see a few tots during the trip, but they were the exception rather than the rule, and they were also well behaved. We spent the entire day venturing between the lounge chairs, the warm turquoise waters, and my favorite, the Jerk Shack. Wow, what an amazing array of flavors in one. Roberto runs the Shack everyday, and does a marvelous job at it. He takes quarter pieces of chicken and sausage and marinates them every morning in his own jerk recipe with Red Stripe. He then slow cooks the meat for about an hour, makes some crude slices in it, and slaps it on a plate for you to drown in his extremely spicy and tasty jerk sauce. The amalgamation of flavors put me on sensory overload, and that combined with Bloody Bay, my new fiancÈ, and the flowing Red Stripe made me realize that this might just be one of the best days and weekends of my life. We would crash at the beach after lunch and just enjoy the scenery and the ocean for the rest of the day. We would go to the pool bar for a while, listen to the Bob Marley Legend, CD and float in the cool water. It would then be back down to our spot on the beach where my girlfriend would get a massage under a palm tree. Later, we wasted the afternoon away, only breaking for the greatness of the Jerk Shack. Our room was located on the left side of the beach, which was definitely the more European side during our stay. There were many topless women during our stay, though they definitely were not self- conscious of their looks (they leave that to us Americans). We had reservations to the nicer restaurant that night, and dressed up a bit for the occasion. The meal was absolutely terrific. We dined on wonderful fish and steak, and tasty appetizers and deserts. That night we had really good intentions of heading to Alfredís, but as the night arrived, we both felt like hanging around the beach, and even took a late night dip all alone. This was one of the only nights we caught much of the house entertainment, but I must say it was not nearly as bad as I had read. That particular night, there was a live band playing Reggae, and everyone was really getting into it. Jamaica, Negril, Riu Tropical Bay, and Bloody Bay are about as perfect as they come. I know many of you Negril purists hate the fact that Riu has taken over part of the Bay, and I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too, in that I am very against the new addition that will be built on the currently undeveloped part of the Bay. I think it is perfect as is, and I am sure you thought the same thing before the Riu was built. I just think every small detail of the resort was beautiful, and everyone there was extremely respectful and friendly during our stay. A resort such as this is perfect for what we were looking for: a short, romantic, relaxing stay at one of the most beautiful places in the world. Having been to many other islands throughout the Caribbean and elsewhere, I would whole heartedly recommend Bloody Bay and the Riu to anybody looking for a simple getaway from everyday life (at least until the new addition is built and ruins the current level of solitude and peace the place provides).
Reddog
 Read more Caribbean Travel reviews at TripAdvisor
|
Geat a FREE, no obligation quote for travel insurance - click here!
Reviews
