RIU Tropical Bay 04/10/2004
Reviewers Rating: Excellent
Returned from the Riu Tropical Bay on Sunday and had a great time. I have read other reviews on many sites so was prepared for anything. The bus ride with the pit stop included was ninety minutes. I had heard that if you waited to load your luggage till last that you could check in quicker. This did not work for us. We had a whole busload and we were told that check in was at three no exceptions. People did get their rooms earlier but only as they were cleaned. We got into our room on the ground floor around two-thirty. There was a musty smell but we brought a plug in deodorizer for that. Plugs in the room were differnent from what I am used to. They looked like a cross between a European outlet and a North American one. The safety plugs here with one wide prong did not fit in the outlets.
THE ROOM
The room was clean and the in room bar and fridge were fully stocked. In the bathroom we noticed some small ants on the counter around the soaps. There was no plug for the sink and two bulbs were not working. We didn’t plan on spending much time in the room so we did not complain at the time. TV channels were limited but again who needs to watch TV in Jamaica.
THE BEACH
The beach is beautiful, wide and long. There were plenty of chairs for all and we never had to go looking for them. The swimming area is marked out with floats which also keep the guys on the jet skis and boats out. Palm trees have been planted on the beach to give additional shade, which is welcome in the late afternoon. The beach is clean and hand raked daily. There was no seaweed which we had encountered in Puerto Plata. There is no beach bar so an insulated mug is desirable if you enjoy cold beverages. Normally drinks are served in 8oz plastic glasses. If you stroll off the property with a glass you are asked to pour your drink into a soft plastic cup. The water is very shallow and you can walk out quite a way. It feels cool in the morning but becomes very warm by afternoon.
THE POOLS
When we arrived the pool by the steak house was being re-tiled and was closed. It opened again on Thursday. Since the beach was so nice we never used the pools but they were cleaned everyday. The whirlpool tub water was cold and the bottom was always covered in sand.
RESTAURANTS
There are a number of choices for eating. Breakfast is always served in the Negril buffet restaurant and there is a wide selection of everything you could want for breakfast. Make sure you try the freshly blended fruit smoothies. For lunch there is a choice of the jerk chicken hut on the beach, the buffet by the pool or the pizzeria on the lobby level. We had the pizza once but the service was very slow. After hearing about the jerk chicken in other reviews I was really disappointed. I have made a jerk chicken that marinated over night and was cooked slowly which was much better. The buffet by the pool was good with a wide selection of different foods. Try the pumpkin soup. The only downside here was if you left your table to get something the wait staff would clear it whether you were finished or not.
Dinner could be had in the two a la carte restaurants or the Negril buffet restaurant. The two a la carte Sir Anthony’s and the Steak House served wonderful well presented meals. Other all-inclusives have offered separate wine lists so that you could buy a better bottle. We were not offered this and I do not know if it is done. The restaurants are small so it is difficult to get reservations especially when there are a lot of weddings. The buffet again has a wide selection and two nights are theme nights, one Mexican and one Jamaican. Another thing missing at dinner was liqueurs and specialty coffees. I have had this at other 5 star resorts and it is enjoyable after a good meal. A final note on the restaurants is the size of there soup spoons which could be used on a farm to pass out mounds of mashed potatoes to the hired hands. My wife tried using the dessert spoon but one of the wait staff handed her the soup shovel saying no no that is for dessert use this.
ENTERTAINMENT
The staff try hard is all I can say. During the day there is beach and water volleyball, water aerobics, horseshoes bocci ball and reggae lessons. The evening entertainment begins every night with the kiddie show which after seeing once is enough to make you want to run head first into a palm tree. The regular entertainment has a latin theme and tired with the staff not looking very enthusiastic. I noticed a lot of people heading off the resort at night for entertainment. The bars are well stocked with house brand liquors but premium is hard to find. The bar staff will find a drink to suit you or you can give them the recipe to your favourite. I enjoy a dry martini however the bar only had one martini glass so if someone else got there before me I was out of luck.
THINGS TO DO
I tried the discover SCUBA which allows you to go on accompanied dives on the reef. The Scubacaribe staff were good and I enjoyed it. There are kayaks, sailboards and hobbie cats available for water sports also but we never got around to using them. My wife went to the spa for a French manicure. I tried to convince her to get a massage but she didn’t feel comfortable having the masseuse touch her. She said that the spa was well equipped and also has a sauna and jacuzzi.
THINGS TO SEE
Everyone says to go to Rick's for the sunset. Well in Negril the sunsets are beautiful wherever you are. We took the "Wild Thing" sunset cruise instead. The Wild Thing is a big catamaran that takes you out along the shore so you can see everything along the beach and the cliffs. The boat anchors by Rick's and if you want you can take a shuttle boat to Rick's and jump off the cliffs or buy something. If you stay on the boat you can swim, snorkel, use the waterslide or just relax with a drink. Just before sunset you leave and head out to watch the sun slowly sink below the waves before you continue partying onboard. Eventually you are dropped off on the beach where a van takes you back to the hotel. We saw some imitators of the Wild Thing but their boats always came back to the beach before sunset.
The Office of Nature is just north of the resort on the beach. Here you can meet locals, buy souvenirs, arrange a private tour on land or water. They also serve an excellent jerk lobster and cold Red Stripe. It is an excellent way to interact with the locals. We also went into town and took a taxi below the hotel’s driveway. We negotiated a price which was much less than the one posted at the taxi stand. A friend went to Mayfield falls and really enjoyed it. The trip is shorter than to Dunn’s River which can take eight hours. What ever you do get off the resort at least for a little.
SUMMARY
My wife and I enjoyed ourselves in Jamaica and would go back to the Riu if the price was right. That is why we went in the first place as we got a deal from Travel Last Minute. Normally we go to adults only but we made an exception here. I do not know who awards the stars or how they are awarded but 5 stars is a little too much. There just isn’t the attention to detail that there should be. I know maybe I should have mentioned the things I noticed to the staff but I decided to wait till I got home and make suggestions from here instead of making a scene. The Tropical Bay would have me back in a flash if they went adults only but one of the mangers sais the chain doesn't do adults only. A shame.

Dave

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