Amazing

Accommodation was amazing they really looked after us . Clean and tidy and also every 2 days your drinks get refilled !

I recently travelled to Jamaica with TUI and stayed at Riu Ocho Rios. I had been looking forward to this holiday and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to visit Jamaica. Unfortunately, the overall experience was extremely disappointing and, at times, distressing. It became one of the most emotionally and physically exhausting holidays I have ever experienced. A major issue throughout the trip was the lack of disability assistance. At Gatwick Airport, I received no clear guidance from TUI regarding the assistance I required. It appeared that my disability assistance had not been properly flagged when checking in, and nobody explained where I needed to go or that I apparently needed to be at the assistance reception by a particular time. When we eventually arrived at the assistance desk, we were told that we had missed the buggy/vehicle that would take us to the gate. I had not been made aware that there was a specific time by which I needed to report there. Had this been properly communicated to me, I would obviously have made sure I was there. The outbound flight itself was otherwise okay. As somebody with an autoimmune condition and a suppressed immune system, I particularly appreciated the disinfection/germ spray that was used before the flight. Unfortunately, the seats selected for us were not suitable for my disability needs. Even with the comfort equipment I had brought with me, I found the flight extremely uncomfortable. On arriving in Jamaica, once again there appeared to be no appropriate assistance or guidance and we were essentially left to fend for ourselves. Riu Ocho Rios There were positives about the hotel. The hotel grounds and beach were consistently kept very clean, and some members of staff were friendly. Unfortunately, these positives were overshadowed by the rest of our experience. Despite the general cleanliness of the resort, we encountered cockroaches in our room. During the final few days, our minibar also stopped being replenished. We repeatedly requested that it be restocked, including contacting reception, but our requests seemed to be ignored. We ended up without water in our room for approximately two days. Eventually we had to physically go to reception and insist that we needed drinking water. The general atmosphere at the resort also made me increasingly uncomfortable. I frequently felt that I was receiving unfriendly looks and attitudes from some members of staff, particularly female staff, as well as from some other guests. One particularly unpleasant incident occurred when another guest called my friend and me “puta” simply as we were getting into a lift. On another occasion, after I accidentally bumped into another guest’s boyfriend, I was subjected to abuse and threats. There were some extremely rowdy guests at the resort, and unfortunately I reached the point where I did not feel particularly safe or comfortable being around certain people. I also found some of the comments made by staff concerning British guests uncomfortable. I was told that British guests are among the least liked because we supposedly do not tip. I later overheard what appeared to be essentially the same conversation being had with another British guest by another member of staff. Whatever the hotel’s expectations surrounding tipping may be, guests should not be made to feel disliked or unwelcome because of their nationality or assumptions about how much they will tip. Eventually, the atmosphere affected me to such an extent that I spent a significant amount of my holiday staying in my hotel room because that was where I felt most comfortable and safe. That is an awful way to feel after spending a considerable amount of money travelling all the way to Jamaica for a holiday. I was also disappointed with the overall resort experience. The entertainment and music became extremely repetitive, and I found the food similarly repetitive. Having travelled to Jamaica, I wanted to experience Jamaican culture. Instead, I often felt surprisingly disconnected from the country I had travelled so far to visit. It seemed that many other cultures and tastes were being catered for, while I personally wanted much more opportunity to experience Jamaican food, music and culture. The hotel’s location compounded that feeling. It felt extremely isolated, with very little around the resort that we could independently access. Travelling elsewhere required taxis which we found extremely expensive. Consequently, exploring outside the resort did not feel realistically accessible to us, and I felt somewhat trapped within the hotel environment. By the end of the holiday, sadly, I couldn’t wait to leave. Return journey Unfortunately, my experience with disability assistance did not improve on the journey home. At the airport in Jamaica, I again received inadequate assistance and guidance. I was also repeatedly questioned about why I would not put my medical bags into the aircraft hold. I explained that these were medical bags containing medical equipment that I needed to have access to during the flight and therefore they needed to remain with me. Despite explaining this, I felt pressured to put them in the hold and was repeatedly told that doing so was free. The cost was completely irrelevant. They contained medical equipment that I may need during the flight. I found the attitude I received after explaining this unnecessary and upsetting. A disabled passenger should not be made to feel difficult for explaining why essential medical equipment needs to remain accessible. There was also a last-minute aircraft change which resulted in my friend and me being separated. Unlike the outbound flight, I did not observe the same pre-flight disinfection procedure on the return journey. There were also a number of visibly unwell children/passengers on the flight. Given my suppressed immune system, this naturally concerned me, and I subsequently became extremely unwell following the journey. Unfortunately, even arriving back at Gatwick did not mark the end of the problems. Again, I did not receive the assistance I needed. At one point I was faced with carrying my suitcase up a number of stairs. I specifically explained to a member of staff that I am disabled, that I could not manage my suitcase up those stairs and that I needed assistance. I felt that my request was completely dismissed. I was effectively told there was no alternative and left to deal with it myself. As a result, despite explaining that I was disabled and needed help, I had no choice but to struggle carrying my luggage up several stairs, causing me considerable difficulty and pain. That should not have happened. Overall experience What makes this experience particularly disappointing is that these were not isolated incidents. Across both journeys, there were repeated occasions where I felt that my disability needs were either not communicated properly, not understood or simply not adequately accommodated. I should not have had to repeatedly advocate for basic assistance throughout my journey. I also should not have had to repeatedly explain why I needed to keep medical equipment with me, nor should I have ultimately been left struggling with luggage up stairs after explicitly telling a member of staff that I was disabled and physically unable to manage it. Separate from the travel issues, the experience at Riu Ocho Rios left me feeling unwelcome and increasingly uncomfortable. Between the attitude I experienced from some staff, comments about British guests, abusive behaviour from other guests, repetitive resort experience and the hotel’s isolated location, I eventually spent much of my time retreating to my room. Nobody travels all the way to Jamaica to feel that hiding in their hotel room is the safest or most comfortable option. I want to emphasise that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Jamaica, and my criticism should not be interpreted as criticism of Jamaica or Jamaican people generally. My complaint concerns my specific experience with TUI, the assistance provided throughout my journey and my experience at Riu Ocho Rios. Sadly, this was the most emotionally exhausting holiday I have ever experienced. Based on my experience, I personally would not choose to stay at a Riu resort again, and the repeated lack of support surrounding my disability means I would also be extremely reluctant to fly or book another holiday with TUI. For a formal complaint, I would like TUI to investigate why my requested disability assistance was not provided consistently throughout both the outbound and return journeys, including what information regarding my assistance requirements was recorded against my booking and communicated to the relevant airports and assistance providers. I would also like an explanation regarding the handling of my medical baggage, the seating arrangements and aircraft change, and why I was ultimately placed in a position at Gatwick where, despite explicitly explaining that I was disabled and needed assistance, I had to carry my luggage up stairs myself and experienced pain and considerable difficulty as a result. This holiday cost a considerable amount of money, but more importantly I booked it expecting to be able to travel with appropriate assistance and enjoy a safe, relaxing holiday. Instead, I returned home feeling physically unwell, emotionally exhausted and deeply disappointed by the experience.

Excellent from start to finish absolutely recommend Tui love there service Only small problem for me was the beds were hard that's all

Rooms look tired and need updating. Faulty balcony mesh door, cracks in bathroom ceiling, too few electrical sockets. Broken light switches. Bed very hard.