Riu Playa Blanca

The building and grounds are well taken care of. The quality of Restaurant Balboa food could be improved. What we missed was a place to cool down other than our room, i.e. no other place was airconditioned other than our room.

Nice place

The hotel has alot of amenities it is very clean. the rooms are very clean and spacious with a full size shower and bath tub . the windows in the rooms need to cleaned not just rubbed down they're dirty same as the shower doors 😪 the pool areas are nice with lots of sitting. the beach was not very good it had horse poop all over the place and the beach it self was not nice

Very nice

The grounds were very clean and tidy the workers did a great job The beach was not very nice it had horse poop all over it and it was just like a gravel not what we expected. The pool areas were clean and also clean and well maintained as we seen the workers do there duties. The life guards where on there toes as the pool area was busy.an older lady who cleaned the washrooms was fantastic older lady couldn't speak English all in all it was good thank you.

Riu playa Blanca

The resort is good. Nice food n drinks are amazing. Staffs n crew on restaurant n bar incredible friendly n assist you whenever u needed. We actually make good friends to some of the staff. Although only thing is they are hardly speak English. Which is lacking. Thre beach is not great as it black sand n to some extent there's mosquitoes . My friend n I have bitten all proud our legs n foot. We are also not sure if it's coming from the bed. As we get itchy all around our body. Maybe bed bugs. Nit [... read more]e life is fun n enjoyable. N the 24 hours sports bar

Definitely not a 5 Star.

Maybe a 4 Star on a good day if you take your glasses off and squint. This property is in desperate need of a good steam cleaning. While the staff is very diligent in sweeping and mopping, everything remains just plain grimy. The once white beach loungers are mostly grey. The ice machine had a giant pillow at the base to wick up leaking water. The pillow and surrounding area was covered in black mould. The walls are covered in scrapes, scratches and dirt. Our balcony had chunks of stucco miss [... read more]ing and also needed paint. The room furniture is red and grey vinyl circa 1985. The AC in our room was out for a day. The hot water was sporadic. Gross out alert!!! (skip this if you are at all squeamish) There were toddlers in the "adult" pool wearing diapers. I witnessed a woman popping pimples on her husbands back.... IN THE POOL. On the plus side, the food was the best we have had at an all inclusive resort. The staff is friendly and attentive. These redeeming values are the only things preventing this resort from a 3 star rating. We will not be returning or recommending this property.

Fantastic Resort

Everything was lovely, from the time we checked in til the time we checked out. We received the free upgrade upon presenting our marriage license and were very happy with the room. Great food options, nice pools. Fantastic view of the ocean from our balcony. Enough staff spoke english so we were able to have all our questions answered quickly. Would highly recommend.

Friendly and clean

The Riu is definitely a good option for families. The staff are friendly and helpful and speak English. The grounds and the rooms are clean and well maintained. The hotel has some age on it and there is some wear and tear on the hotel room furniture but nothing significant. The hot water in the showers was also only warm not hot which wasn’t great even though water pressure was good. They need to upgrade their bed pillows as they are too small and flat for my liking. The wi-fi should also be m [... read more]ade available in rooms not just in main areas of the hotel. The food is fine but not great but I realize needs to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

Riu playa blanca

Nice hotel for the price and great pools with lots of activity............................................................................................................................................

Great time

this was a great vac very nice hotel, food was awesome and pools very clean and nice, beach ok did not spent much time on beach very hot. the Airport is only 10 min away from the hotel - this was very enjoyable. day trips need at least one hour for travel time to reach any location so only did one day trip to canal it was a great trip well worth the 2 hr commute

Very nice resort!

Rooms were very clean, staff friendly but many could not speak English..Food was excellent with a lot of variety.... Ocean was red flagged almost every day so not best for swimming. sand black and hot to walk on. Entertainment very good. Would definitely go back to this hotel!

A great time!

First of all I’d like to say I read the reviews prior to travelling to the Riu Playa Blanca in Panama. I was nervous but having had some friends recently stay there I trusted their judgement. Flight to panama was just over 5 hours. Arrival at airport was fairly quick considering the actual size of the airport. Trip on the bus from the airport was no more than 5 min which in my mind was a bonus. We travelled as a family of 4, children 8 and 9 my husband and I. Arrival at the hotel was great. As [... read more] soon as we walked off the bus there were welcome cocktails. Our luggage was unloaded and we were told to check in. Our room was ready so we attended the luggage and a bell boy took us up stairs! Quick and easy! Our room was a nice size and we had requested a cot at booking and it was already in the room when we arrived! Comfortable beds and a safe included. Soap, face clothes and hand soap all provided. There was no shampoo or condition which didn’t bother me as I always pack our own. Mini fridge was stocked with pop and water and a couple beers. Sign said it’s restocked every second day and it was no issue. There were also 4 bottles of liquor in the room. TV only had 2 English speaking channels. AC worked awesome! And the majority of the rooms are ocean view so I suggest not paying for the upgrade. We were on the 6th floor (top) and elevators worked without an issue all week. There are no reservations for the specialty restaurants which was good. No waiting in line to book your times. We showed up 10-15 min after the restaurant opened and no issue getting seats. The steak house was all served and a nice meal! The Italian was also good, it was buffet for appetizers and desserts but nice meal. We did not go to the Asian restaurant. The buffet was great. The food in panama is very Americanized, peanut butter, Nutella, caramel, Heinz ketchup, lots of great fruit. All meals at the buffet were good. The pools are kinda gross, that would be my one complaint. I like a nice big pool with a swim up bar and these were 4 smaller pools and one swim up bar. That pool was gross. Although workers are constantly cleaning there are a lot of people in that water. We had a white float and it turned greenish. The kids pool was great my girls enjoyed that. The sand is black and amazing! It’s so beautiful. Lots of shells to search for and beautiful to walk on. This is the Pacific Ocean so it’s the big water, we were able to swim in the morning but waves were big more days. This is a self serve resort which didn’t bother us. You get off your chair and walk 30 feet to the bar and order a drink. There are not servers coming around to take your order. Great cocktails at the lobby bar. And for my fellow Canadians they are Caesar’s and they are awesome!!!! We had two problem in our room, one a water line burst under the sink, called maintenance and they were there within min to clean up, then we had no cold water in our room so the toilet wouldn’t flush called and they attended right away. During the water line break, they had to clean the water up off the floor, change the curtains and bedding, my daughters “baby” blanket somehow went missing. I assume it was on the bed and was taken with the sheets. We filed a missing item report at the reception and were told to check back many many times.... we left there and the blanket was never returned... there were some tears by my daughter and I.... but things happen. I’m just sad we still had 5 days when we noticed it was missing and it was never found. We did the jungle boat tour which was amazing, saw and fed monkeys and even saw a sloth. Kayaked through the jungle to a waterfall and had an authentic lunch which was good, not so much for the kids but the experience was pretty incredible. All and all our first trip to panama was enjoyable. It’s very hot there! Like intense. Take lots of sunscreen!!! Wish the pool situation at the Riu was better but it didn’t break the trip for us. We have been all over travelling with our kids and we like this resort. We would return!

Objective Review of Riu Playa Blanca, Panama

I am in a position to comment fairly about this resort. I have stayed at two other Riu resorts(Riu Tequila in Mexico and Riu Tropical Bay Palace in Jamaica) as well as several non-Riu resorts in Cuba and Dominican Republic. Pros: 1. The pools are well kept, the water is warm. Enough chairs for people using the pools. Plenty of shaded areas to sit by the pool. 2. The rooms are large and clean and the shower is also very large. The water does go from hot to cold, but this can be contro [... read more]lled and is not unbearable. 3. Very good entertainment. The entertainment staff are very talented and fit. Their shows are entertaining and varied. The musicians play Latin music before the shows and they play well. 4. Quick check in process. Friendly, polite and competent staff at the front desk. The staff that work the front desk are fluent in English. 5. Bartenders are skilled and make great drinks to order. The alcohol choices at the bars is good. The beer is good too. If you avoid the wine, you will be fine with the mixed drinks and beer at this resort. 6. While there is no bar service at the pool bars (ie get your own drinks), there is excellent bar service at the main theatre. 7. The resort is absolutely safe. Your possessions are safe provided that you exercise normal care. (i.e do not leave your iphone unattended for long periods of time out in the open). Panama is a much safer country than most countries. 8. There is a good choice of excursions, but if you want to see the new Panama City, you will have to do this on your own. 9. The grounds are well kept and beautiful. 10. The beach is pleasant. Do not expect the same type of beach that you will find in Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica or Mexico. The sand is a volcanic black sand and the water is not very clear. 11. The transfer from the airport to the resort is about 10 minutes. 12. The resort and the surrounding building are all modern and new. The infrastructure of the country is excellent. There were no power failures or water shut offs that you will find in Cuba. This is NOT a third world country. 13. The price is very affordable, but at the expense of the little extras and a better food selection. It comes down to whether or not you are prepared to pay extra for these things. Cons: 1. The selection of seafood is very limited. Mussels, clams and fish is about all you will find. The a la carte restaurants occasionally serve shrimp. Absolutely no lobster. The meat is edible, but not exceptional. Do not expect great cuts of beef here. 2. Forget about Mimosas for breakfast as you will find in most other resorts. I only saw sparkling wine being served once during my stay. 3. The wine is quite undrinkable, but this seems to be the general trend for all-inclusive resorts. 4. The food choices are quite limited. Not the same wide selection that you will find in other Riu hotels. The salting of the food was not consistent. Sometimes dishes were too salty. At other times, they were not salted enough. The blended milkshake fruit drinks I found to be very bland. The fruit juices came out of a machine. Only the tomato juice had good taste. I have had better juices and fruit milkshake drinks at other resorts. The a la carte restaurants are just OK. Nothing better. Having been to two other Riu resorts, I know what is good and what is not good. The desserts at this Riu are a big disappointment. I got to try some desserts from the neighbouring Playa Blanca resort (cheaper than Riu) and those desserts were much better. Riu has to improve its desserts. This is not just my complaint, but the comments of many others I have spoken to. Overall, I would say that the food at this resort was adequate but neither good nor outstanding. 5. The staff could be a little friendlier. The wait staff in the restaurants do work hard,but do not expect the same type of attentive service that you get in your home country or other resorts when you travel. They seem not to care about tips. I am not sure why. I try to tip when I am on vacation. I generally feel sorry for the people working at these resorts. However, Panama is not like most countries. The people earn enough to live and nobody starves in Panama. The government provides good benefits to the people. 6. There are long lines at breakfast and they move slow. 7. Bacon is not served everyday at breakfast, but for me this is not a deal breaker. 8. There is no bar service outside the bar. If you want drinks by the pool, you have to get them yourself. We might return again, but only if the price was right. It is worth trying once for the right price. At the point where the price is high, I would go elsewhere or to another country. On the balance, I would recommend this resort, but I would strongly qualify my recommendation. I would not give this resort my highest recommendation, which I reserve for the better resorts I have stayed at. We met several travelers a the airport who have been to the Riu Guanacaste in Costa Rica. They said that the Riu Guanacaste was vastly superior to the Riu Playa Blanca in Panama and the difference in price was justifiable. Next time we will put our hard earned dollars into a trip to Costa Rica. However, I am glad that we did this trip and for what we paid, I am satisfied.

Beautiful resort

The hotel was fairly new, very clean and modern. Well maintained, services were great. Everyone was very polite. Lobby area was well kept and comfortable for relaxing. Food was good, lots of varieties, there is something for every taste pallet. Beach was different...not the typical white sand but greyish which I liked for it is different. Very clean beach but not the best I have been to. Pools were very big n nice I really like that this resort was just 7 mins away from the airport.

Will definitely return to a Riu Resort!

Just got back from a two week vacation at the Riu Playa Blanca in Panama. It was our first time staying at a Riu resort and we were very impressed with the cleanliness of the rooms, restaurants and grounds. Check-in was a breeze. They were well prepared for our arrival. Upon entering our room, we noticed that the lock on our balcony door was missing. Lobby staff had a maintenance man up to our room within 5 minutes to repair the lock. Problem solved! All staff were friendly and attenti [... read more]ve to our needs. Although all inclusive buffets tend to be repetitive, the fare was good and plentiful. Pool cleaners had a full-time job testing and keeping the pools clean, especially the pool by the bar which was especially crowded and therefore had a lot of greasy film from all the sunscreen floating on top. We would not hesitate to stay at another Riu hotel on future vacation destinations.

Great resort

Newer hotel, good food, great service and amazing beach. The beach was like a canvas with a different picture everyday. You can't beat this place for the price and a bonus that it was so close to the airport.

Amazing Vacation!

The Hotel is gorgeous, awesome food, great beach and sooooooooo HOT! We spent 7 full days and wished we booked for 2 weeks. We did the jungle boat tour which is a must. Although the forecast shows rain and clouds, it was gorgeous the entire week :P

Excellent rexort . Simple yet verry well kept up!

Resort was simple, clean good food great service. More of a self serve resort which I am good with. Locals were great , vendors did not attack you for a sale and for money. Tours were great. Sunwing rep was great aswell

Awesome Resort

We had an ocean view room, clean and always kept clean. Bathroom, bed, size was perfect. Resort was clean and food was always good either in the buffet or Resturant’s. Staff was friendly in the Resturant’s and even more so the entertainment staff.

Nice place/poopy beach

The grounds were nice, clean and very well maintained. The rooms were very nice. One swim up bar. The first couple of days the bar had a smell coming from it...I think it might needed it's drains cleaned. It had lots of black sand...but that was ok...but they had horses right on the beach that pooped...pooped all along the beach....poop. They left the poop on the beach for the water to wash it away. I was so disgusted. The beach was not cleaned in the morning or late evening. THE POOP O [... read more]N THE BEACH RUINED IT. We were looking forward to long walks on the beach. My husband and I were so disappointed with the beach...The reason we go to the islands is for the beaches. Not the poopy beaches. This was supposed to be a 'long awaited honeymoon'. Very very disappointed.

Phenomenal Trip

The resort was beautiful, very clean and quite colourful and modern. All the staff at the resort were very friendly and made sure our getaway was perfect! The food was pretty good and there was quite a bit of activities going on at the resort all day. It was a perfect vacation and much thanks our travel agaent, Karishma for making this trip an unforgettable one!