and travel advisors are well acquainted with all of its beauty, charms, and various attractions. From Montego Bay, the beaches of Negril, to Dunn’s River Falls, to the music, travel advisors know Jamaica hands down, and what attract their clients to this Caribbean jewel.

At JAXFAX we understand that evolution is a continuous force and our job is help you identify the best of what is new in every destination. In this regard, JAXFAX was able to visit one of the newest resorts in Jamaica, the recently opened 5-star Riu Palace Aquarelle.

This property was recently opened in May 2024 and boasts over 750 rooms & suites. The new Riu Palace Aquarelle is located on the seafront at White Bay Beach in the historic town of Falmouth, which is about a 30-minute commute from Montego Bay. Riu Palace Aquarelle is a family friendly all-inclusive resort with all the best amenities, including 4 outdoor pools, the Splash Water World water park, RiuLand kid’s club, a wellness center that includes a gym & the Renova Spa, an outdoor theater and lots of restaurants.

Restaurant Options Galore
Speaking of restaurants, the resort boasts one of the best breakfast buffets in Jamaica, complete with live cooking stations. Other restaurants include; gourmet room Krystall offering exquisite à la carte fusion cuisine, Napoli Italian restaurant, Kyoto Japanese restaurant, the Steakhouse, Capuchino pâtisserie & ice cream parlor, the Sports Bar serving all-American favorites, Pepe’s Grill and 24 hour room service.

Swim-up Suites
Everyone loves swim-up suites and while these have become fairly standard at resorts, Riu has taken the idea to a new level with some of their swim-up suites located on the 2nd floor (1st under the resorts floor numbering system), thus offering elevated ocean views.

The new Riu Palace Aquarelle is the chain’s first hotel in the Caribbean to use solar energy and the chain has plans to implement this initiative in other destinations in the region. Thanks to the 400-kilowatt-peak (kWp) solar power system made up of 795 photovoltaic panels installed on the roof, the hotel will be able to generate up to 470,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean energy per year. This green initiative will cut the hotel’s energy consumption by 5-10%, which will in turn reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 221,482 kilograms per year.

In addition to the Riu Palace Aquarelle in Falmouth, Riu sports 3 properties in Montego Bay, 1 in Ochos Rios, and 2 in Negril* (Hotel Riu Negril currently closed for renovations is scheduled to reopen in 2025).

Riu Gives Back to the Community
Riu Hotels has always felt a responsibility to give back to the communities that they operate in, and Jamaica is no exception. Riu has with multiple CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs underway. One important initiative has Riu working with the Jamaica Environmental Trust, and together they developed an integrated waste management system for two communities, Brown’s Town and Runaway Bay, in St. Ann.

Did you know that Jamaica’s famous Parrotfish an important contributor to the health of Jamaica corals and its famous beaches? Yet, this locally important species is endangered by overfishing. To help this endangered species Riu has partnered with the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust to provide surveillance of the two fish sanctuaries that are under the Marine Park Trust’s supervision, with an aim at stopping illegal fishing. This initiative sponsors education programs about why the Parrotfish is so important to Jamaica and to encourage responsible fishing.

Additionally, Riu has a long standing CSR program in Negril, home to the Pediatric Orthopedic Clinic. Riu founded this clinic in 2009 to address the needs of Jamaican children that have lower limb deformities. The clinic receives patients from all over Jamaica. Several visits are organized each year by volunteer doctors based in the United States and Canada. At the clinic, they treat Jamaican children with mobility problems and those children are provided with braces, shoes and wheelchairs or walkers, depending on the need of each patient. In the most recent visit, held in March, the doctors treated 42 patients and distributed 90 orthosis and other orthopedic materials. Over the 15 years that the clinic has been in operation, treatment has been provided for more than 400 children with mobility problems, enabling them to move forward with their life plans. Riu funds the rent and maintenance of the clinic where the patients are treated, as well as housing for the volunteer doctors who treat the patients.

When you recommend new Riu Palace Aquarelle to your clients, or any of the other amazing Riu Jamaica properties, your clients will not only receive an amazing vacation experience, they will be helping the communities of Jamaica in a meaningful way.

RIU Hotels & Resorts was founded in Mallorca, Spain, in 1953, as a small family holiday business by the Riu family, the original and current owners, now in its third generation. RIU Hotels & Resorts has 97 hotels in 21 countries, with a total of 35,808 employees that welcomed 6,4 million customers in 2023.

For more info visit www.riu.com