Riu Clubhotel Ocho Rios

Description:

• Set immediately adjacent to the sea, about a 3km (2-mile) drive along the coastal road west of the town center, this sprawling member of the Spain-based all-inclusive hotel chain opened in 2005. Larger than any other hotel in town, and painted in tones of rose-violet that evoke a jungle orchid, it's big, bold, and ready, willing, and able to offer deeply discounted promotional prices that have many large-scale competitors deeply worried. The soaring open-air heart of the resort, near the bustling reception area, evokes the late-19th-century, with decorative touches that might have been inspired by the decors of the Spanish court during the 1890s, particularly the sinuous pink-and-brown stencils that snake and wind their way across the vaulted ceilings.

  Everywhere you look at this high-volume, high-energy resort, you'll have views of the sea and the many organized activities presented by the staff. Accommodations lie within a pair of horseshoe-shaped wings, each with between four and six stories. One wing is exclusively devoted to conventional rooms, the other exclusively to suites, each of them facing the sands of Mammee Bay Beach. Accommodations are surprisingly luxe, each with private balconies or verandas, marble floors, and mostly mahogany furniture configured into vaguely neoclassical, Roman-revival patterns. Throughout the day and evening, lots of activities are offered, one of the best-attended of which involves dance lessons that focus on merengue, salsa, and bachata.

  Facilities: 7 restaurants; 7 bars; 2 swimming pools plus a shallow pool reserved for children; tennis courts; exercise rooms w/health club; sailboats; windsurfing; snorkeling; kayaking; children's programs; car rental; salon; live entertainment; disco; casino; aerobic classes; waterpolo; volleyball; petanque courts; ping pong; horseback riding

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010