Riu Ocho Rios Hotel

This is a real 5 star hotel, ew stayed for 7 nights and enjoy our stay everyday, it is very close to ocho rios city and very easy to go by shared taxy you can take it from outside the hotel, very nice beach.

This is the most amazing place! I've been there 4 times already and I want to go back. It's a relatively small resort - a little over 200 rooms - but it's great. The guest rooms are in 3 long 2-story buildings. It's impossible to have a bad view. At the very least, you will overlook the gardens. The pool-view/ocean-view are the most expensive rooms, but frankly, I think the garden views are the best. If you are sitting in your room looking at the ocean instead of actually being AT the ocean, you're doing something wrong! The gardens are beautiful and well mantained; the beach is well kept and clean; there are heaps of free water sports including scuba (you can do 2 day dives for free; they have night dive options that you have to pay for); there is a small nude beach and nude jacuzzi on one end of the beach if you're into that; the food is plentiful, good and varied; the alcohol is free-flowing and there are plenty of kinds to choose from; the staff is SO friendly - especially if you take the time to talk to them. GO! It's worth it!

Unique Quality: I think this is the least "party-like" of the Breezes. I've only been to one other Breezes resort other than Runaway Bay, but I've heard stories about others. If you're looking for the "spring break" feel, go to the resort in the Bahamas or in Montego Bay. If you want relaxing, but with the option of a party, go to Runaway Bay! The entertainment staff is really cool. They work their butts off to make sure you have a good time. You can be completely involved in activities, or completely removed. It's all up to you. The pool is wonderful - clean, lots of floating mats, plenty of pool chairs. The bar is 30 seconds away, and there is talk about adding a swim-up bar. The beach is amazing - hammocks, lots of beach chairs, really clean. Water sports guys are always willing to get you what you need and even go out with you in the kayak or sailboat. They'll teach you how to use things if you don't know how. There are hammocks through the gardens - some out in the open, some hidden amongst the trees. There is also a golf course owned by the resort, so you get free greens fees if you're into that. There are three restaurants and a snack bar at the resort. The snack bar is on the beach and open during the day serving burgers, jerk chicken,etc. The main restaurant is the buffet which is open for all 3 meals. The sides are open so you can eat and look over the ocean, the gardens, or the pool. The formal restaurant has an Italian theme, but you can get a lot more than just Italian. The third is the best, I think. It is the Starlight Grill, which is only open for dinner. It is kind of a buffet-stirfry combo. You will get seated and served, but with a bit of a twist - you get to choose what goes into your stir fry. After the server gets your order for soup and salad stuff, you go up to the buffet table which is LOADED with vegetable and meat options for the stir fry and you put whatever you want on your plate. Your server will take it up to be cooked and bring it back. It's so good!

Directions: You get free transportation between the MoBay airport and the resort. Just look for the SuperClubs lounge in the airport when you get out of customs.

Fantastic place in all ways, but first the "mediocre," because there are no real "negatives." OK: the food is above average, not really great. Served buffet style during the three main meals, it's varied and well presented, but "foodies" will probably not be blown away. My favorite, being a Gen-Xer not really concerned with food, was the all-day on-demand hamburgers and jerk chicken sandwich shack on the beach, yards away from the beach bar. Second, the snorkeling wasn't primo; the water was very clear, very warm, and very nice, but the coral was a bit subdued and the fish weren't hanging around much, at least while I was there. Incidentally, it's easier to get out past the inside edge of the reef from the "nudie," side of the Breezes beach. Other than that, it was fantastic. Great beaches, AMAZINGLY FRIENDLY staff (check out Javon on the trapeze if he's still there--saw him two years in a row and he's a funny guy to hang out with), great drinks (no tipping allowed--they're very serious about that), great rooms, amazing foliage... I could go on and on, but see other reviews for reference. In short, it's really easy to stay there for a week, have a truly amazing time, meet folks from all over the world, and spend zero additional dollars (aside from tips for the bus driver and a couple of beers at the bar the bus stops at on the way to and from the resort from Mo Bay).

Unique Quality: The staff is incredibly friendly. Certainly, they are getting paid to pal around with the tourists, but a few appeared to be going above and beyond the call of duty. Javon on the trapeze was the best example; he hung around cracking jokes with us for hours (drinking only cranberry juice while we got plowed on rum drinks) and even remembered us when we returned the next year. There are tons of great aspects of Breezes Runaway Bay, but that one really stands out. That and the free drinks and food. ;)

Directions: About an hour's bus ride from Mo Bay airport, and very near the infamous Hedonism III resort, which you can visit for a $5 bus fare with all the freebies you enjoyed at Breezes.

Service was excellent!!

We arrived in at 8:45pm. Got off the bus and were greeted by a porter who immediatly unloaded our bags, and procedded to the desk with them. The girl at the desk ,Denise I beleive was her name, immediatly handed him the keys to our room and told us that the resteraunts closed at 9:30pm. We were shown to our room straight away and that was that

We went to Dinner the first night at the Starlight Grill, an outdoor resteraunt where you pick out what you want off the buffet line, meat chicken, veggies, and then it is stir-fried for you straight away. Catherine and I agree that the Starlight is the absolute best place to eat in there.

Since it was all inclusive, I thought I would chance my arm and see how hrd it would be to get a bottle of champagne brought to the room. Went to the fromt bar and asked a fellow working behind it. Errol was his name, and it was "No Problem, mon!!" Straight away he found a botlle but had a bit of a chore to find a bucket. After he found it said I could just take it with me so I did. Tip $5.00

This was only the first night of 8 and things were already going this well. Great!!