Looking for a Caribbean vacation...Riu Palace Aquarelle in Falmouth, Jamaica is the place to be
November 21, 2024
In the extremely competitive hospitality sector with endless choices from which to select vacation spots, hotels and resorts vying for tourists have to be creative and innovative to boost their hotel guest experience.
Almost every guest at the newly-opened Five-star 24-hour all-inclusive Hotel Riu Palace Aquarelle in Falmouth, Jamaica has a view of the turquoise Caribbean Sea.
The beachfront hotel has 753 rooms.
A room at the Riu Palace Aquarelle hotel (Photo contributed)
“You can see the ocean from 99 percent of the rooms,” said Niurka Garcia-Linton who is the hotel & resort Director of Sales in Jamaica. “The view is breathtaking and guests have a truly unforgettable experience.”
In addition, swim-up suites on the first floor offer unmatched panoramic views.
“This is the first Riu property with this feature,” Garcia-Linton noted. “They are like a running river and very popular. It is one of our best-selling categories because there are only 27 rooms that have them. For liability reasons, you have to be 18 years and over to use them.”
The Aquarelle also has double rooms that can be upgraded to swim-ups and there are 11 two-bedroom family suites.
The Palace is Riu chain’s most sophisticated line designed to make guests feel like royalty.
“They are very spacious and the maximum amount of persons that can book a suite is two,” Garcia-Linton pointed out. “All of them have a king size bed, rotating TV, Jacuzzi and a great view of the ocean.”
Outside, guests can enjoy up to four pools in addition to direct access to the enormous White Bay beach from the hotel and the ‘Splash Water World’ with water slides open six times weekly. There are also wellness and beauty services at Renova Spa.
The water slides (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Of the seven Riu hotels in Jamaica, the most recent addition is the only one that has the American Country-themed restaurant located in the sports bar.
With 24-hour table service, guests can play pool, look at sports broadcasts and enjoy American-style dishes, including chicken wings, burgers, jumbo hot dogs, nachos and macaroni & cheese.
The Krystal restaurant (Photo contributed)
The main ‘White Bay’ buffet restaurant that has a terrace along with the gourmet ‘Krystal’, Italian ‘Napoli’ and Asian ‘Koyoto’ restaurants, the grill Steakhouse and the jerk style grill ‘Pepe’s Food’ offer a wide range of dining options.
“If you want an infusion of Jamaican food, ‘Pepe Food’ with its jerk chicken, jerk pork and festival among things is the place to be,” said Garcia-Linton who has been with Riu for 17 years.
Parents bringing children to the resort can rest assured their little ones will have a fabulous experience. There is a children’s swimming pool with water slides and the RiuLand kids club.
“It is for children between the ages of four and 12 and parents can drop their children off at the club,” said Sales Executive Shana-Kay Smith. “There is an Entertainment team that will take care of them and ensure they are engaged and have a great time. At night, there are shows tailored for them to enjoy and have fun.”
RiuLand kids club (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
With the hospitality sector increasingly moving to solar energy as a sustainable and cost-effective solution, the Aquarelle is Riu’s first hotel in Jamaica to use the renewable source that reduces carbon emissions and lower electricity costs.
The hotel has 795 hurricane-proof photovoltaic panels, generating 470,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually.
The Riu Palace Aquarelle hotel solar panels (Photo contributed)
The green initiative will cut down the hotel’s energy consumption by almost 10 per cent which will, in turn, reduce CO2 emissions by about 221,482 kilograms every year.
Investing in solar energy demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and the environment which Riu is proud of.
“At Riu, we are not only passionate about providing you with a dream stay, but also about caring for our beautiful planet,” said Jorge Satorre Mulet who is the Communications Area Manager for the Caribbean, North America and Europe.
In addition to the Aquarelle which is a 35-minute drive from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, there are Riu Montego Bay, Riu Palace Jamaica and Riu Reggae in Montego Bay along with Riu Palace Tropical Bay and Riu Negril in Negril and Rio Ocho Rios.
Riu Negril on Bloody Bay Beach, which is closed for renovations, will re-open next month.
In 2011, the chain established a plan to refurbish all of its hotels.
“This is done every 10 to 12 years to modernize and upgrade,” said Riu’s Communications Director Albert Puig.
Riu Palace Aquarelle Sales Director Niurka Garcia-Linton (l) & Sales Executive Shana-Kay Smith with Riu Communications team member Jorge Satorre Mulet and Communications Director Albert Puig (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
The first Spanish chain with hotels in Jamaica since 2001 has 4,274 rooms in the western Caribbean island.
Regional Director Frank Sondern arrived on the island 21 years ago when Riu opened its second hotel.
“A lot has happened in the last two decades,” he said. “There was no Palace category and we have three now. But the most important thing is the bond that exists between our staff and guests. Many times, guests return asking for specific staff members because of the great service they received. The staff also look forward to serving them. It is emblematic of our philosophy of ‘service with heart’.
Frank Sondern (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
In 2018, Sondern became the first non-Jamaican to receive the Spirit of Independence Award for his contributions in the parish of St. James.
Overall, Riu has 97 hotels in 27 countries with nearly 36,000 employees that welcomed 6.4 million visitors last year.
Guests can enjoy outdoor fitness exercises at the Riu Palace Aquarelle hotel (Photo contributed)
Next year, Hotel Riu Plaza Toronto, boasting 352 rooms, is expected to open in the city’s downtown, marking Riu’s entry to Canada.
Founded in 1953 by Juan Riu and Maria Bertran when they purchased the San Francisco Hotel in Mallorca, Spain, Riu specializes in holiday resorts.
