Riu Playa Blanca - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5117 reviews

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  Great stay

  We had a very nice stay. The hotel is very clean throughout. Rooms are spacious, could use just a little upgrading but we don't spend time in our room- other than to shower and sleep. We were on garden view which is now a construction site, we were not bothered by it, but something to consider if you plan on sitting on your balcony much. Staff was very friendly and helpful. À la carte restaurants are on first come basis, which is n great (you get a buzzer if resto is full). We didn't enjoy the Asian restaurant. The Italian and Steakhouse was good. We by far preferred the main buffet that has a different theme every night - do not miss the "Ruta de la Especias" ,Spice route theme night - best meal we had, better than any à la carte. The other buffet (Steakhouse by night) was perfect for lunch. Beach is typical volcanic sand beach. My only concern was the horses on the beach. They are not well treated and they are out in the hot sun all day long in front of the hotel. They DO NOT belong to RIU so not complaining about the hotel offering this.

  Feb 21, 2025
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  Hotel took care of us delayed travellers

  We were in a large group of delayed travellers due to storm/plane crash in TO and then who knows what other issues with sunwing several serial delays. (1) Appreciation and compliments to the hotel staff: The hotel took care of us we had check out and then 4 hour wait (with access to restaurants and pools) and then got rooms again - the hotel personnel and on site sunwing rep above and beyond taking care of us . Hotel: 5 star -Hotel service care of out of country travellers 5 plus star Sunwing on site Representative: George was really trying he was on site and trying he gets 5 stars. Sunwing: sunwing gets an epic fail for relaying information. Hotel amenities: Sports bar and lobby bar 5 star coffee. Cleanliness - very good. Beaches great , ocean great, pools busy and get warm more chairs in shade would be a benefit. Food: buffet was our favourite not over the top fancy but always something we really liked. Restaurants nice for a change in ambience company always makes them better. We did 2 day trips (1) hired a driver to take us to Palermo and anton - very interesting but very hot worth 4 hrs to just get out and see things. (2) sunwing butterfly/mini hike cold pool/ mineral ( it was overall ok but not great) : I would do this trip completely differently arrange a driver/or small group tour shorten time at butterfly conservatory , book a real real hike and definitely hit the waterfall and cold pool ( only time we swam in really cold water it was amazing). Overall the hotel saved the trip and the fact that we were delayed with a large group and we had a great time. Wow it is hot -expected hot but middle of the day took it to a level of warm I had never experienced before if you burn bring extra sunblock hat everything. I would not recommend anything to do with the guys on the horses on the beach avoid.

  Feb 21, 2025
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  Great week

  Loungers needed to be saved by 5:30-6:00. Could've had more shade around pool areas. Otherwise everything was great. We had 18 satisfied people in our group. Ordering drinks or water to your room was easy on the app. They delivered quickly as well.

  Feb 21, 2025
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  A Texan at the RIU Playa Blanca for a week

  We are from the US and could not fly into the local airport (seems only for Canadian charters), so the 2+ hour drive from Panama city was a LONG drive. Once we reached the hotel, check-in was very easy and the staff were wonderful. We ended up on the 5th floor in 5079, the very last room on the floor. It was a long walk from the elevators, but did have stairs close by to go down to the pool. The room was simple but very clean. A large bathroom, but only had a single body of a combination body wash/shampoo. I didn't like that, glad I brought my own shampoo. We did get the room serviced every day. The housekeeping staff also wonderful. The adult pool is where we hung out. The swim up bar was usually easy to get a drink or two. The cups are fairly small, but if you bring your own tumbler from home they are happy to fill those up. I did bring many $1 and $5 and the tips were always appreciated by the bartenders. YES, chairs go early and quick. Luckily our group had several early risers to go get chairs. The water felt great in the pool. always a good vibe, except for the time someone had too much and threw up in the pool. everyone had to get out and they serviced the pool for a couple of hours. The Sport Bar is open 24x7. Really good latte's and coffee in the mornings, to-go if needed. However the burgers, fries and nachos always seemed cold. they do have sandwiches available but I never tried one. All the bars in general were very good. The Lobby Bar specifically was wonderful and they were very attentive. Carlos was fantastic. We had a group of 85 and he kept the drinks coming! The only disappointment was the quality of the food in the restaurants. The Italian and Steak restaurant did not meet what I would have hoped for the food. The Asian restaurant was better, but we did enjoy the food at the buffet, so ate there more that would have liked. the Italian was always hard to get into. The Asian seemed much easier to go at any time and get seated. The Steak house basicallh had 2 seatings each evening, better get there early.

  Feb 19, 2025
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  Fantastic vacation!

  We were at Riu Playa Blanca from February 7 to 14. I have nothing negative to say. It was such a great experience, food is great, a lot of variety at the buffet, everything was tasty and hot. Great staff, espeially Miguel at the buffet, very client oriented, smiling all the time! Don't hesitate to book there, we have travelled a lot in many all inclusives, I can say that this is one of the best place! As a bonus, the weather is perfect, sunny and hot!

  Feb 17, 2025