Does NOT come as advertised

Unfortunately this Riu lacked a fundamental component to a high star rating, SERVICE. There was an evident lack of people at this resort which led to poor service, poor maintenance and dirty facilities. You can tell this was once a beautiful place but unless they put money back into it and hir more staff, it is going down hill. 3 star rating - pity!

Riu

Hotel is clean but to white no colours in it has an upscale downtown feel with the gray and red interior.The food is better than most places except not a lot see food like lobster ,beer should be better than tap for a 5 star ,Ron abuelo exelent .Chairs at the beach is hard to get need to reserve it early in the morning. The most complains I would have is the airplane hours departing from Toronto to often delayed .Montreal and Quebec have same day more convenient departures and on time to

Nice resort

Smaller resort with everything you need. It has a nice long beach, perfect for walks, the pools are amazing and overall everything is well kept. The beach kiosk's offer a good selection of souvenirs at great prices and without pressure. The food is good and with a good variety. This was our first 5* hotel and I would compare it to some of the 4* we have visited. The temperature was great all week (32C). This is a statement not a complaint: other than the Steakhouse the other 2 ``à la car [... read more]te`` are not quite à la carte, the Asian is totally buffet style and we had practically no service and the Italian is semi buffet style (the main course is served but the appetizer and dessert is buffet). There was a moldy or sewer smell in the Asian and Italian restaurant which was not to appetizing.

Very good resort

We been there last year in January and liked it ,every thing is amazing that's wy we went this year again the hotel, place staff service , resorants and food is good .The beach is amazing the only thing we didn't like is that the bilardo game was not included you have to pay 6 dollar for one hour this year

Amazing Resort

We really appreciated the hotel, services, grounds, pools, food, cleanliness. The corrective response to a problem from no hot water in shower or the cleaning of fridge after a frozen pop burst need more attention.

Awesome resort and holiday!

The hotel is amazing. You wont be disappointed. The foods is good, the beach is excellent, the weather is perfect. The staff at the hotel are wonderful. If you go you need to take a tour into Panama City....the Canal is awesome!

Beautiful resort

This is a typical beautiful RIU resort. The staff are always keeping everything clean and constantly working on upkeep. Grounds are also kept up and look great. My family and I just got back - January 2018 The beach was long and beautiful, only thing is if you are used to the white sand it doesn't compare to that. At first there was a large area with black sand and I thought it was dirty, but when the sun shone onto the sand it was sparkly and very different. I was told it was the volcan [... read more]ic fallout into the ocean. There were sea shells if you like looking at those. Pools - there was a nice kids pool, pool where the entertainment/games were, the swim up bar/pool and one more adult pool. Great variety and well kept. Staff - the entertainment staff were always trying to include everyone and there was a lot you could do such as; pool volleyball every morning, water exercises every morning, crazy games - which were the best (had lots of fun either participating and/or watching), dance lessons every afternoon and of course the evening entertainment. The rest of the staff were also good, however the only BUT would be it doesn't compare to the exceptional friendlier staff in the Dominican Republic (which we have gone 3 times in the past 10 years to 3 different resorts/locations). Some staff spoke English, like the reception and entertainment staff but most of the rest didn't. Food/drinks - the a la carte restaurants were exceptional with exceptional staff too! Highly recommend - also you didn't have to make reservations but suggest going right for 6:30 to ensure you get in. Worth the wait! At the buffet the food was ok, BUT if you don't tolerate onions, like myself and some other family members it was difficult to find main food options without the onions. Example - Pizza with ham/pineapple and onions!, chicken cooked with onions, even the salmon was wrapped in an onion! So up to you, I know many people do like the onions. One thing I was not happy with was the day of check out. We didn't have a secured locked area for the luggage it was kept in the lobby from the time of check-out (noon) until 6:30 pm. All other resorts the luggage was put into a separate locked room where they would unlock the room closer to the time you leave. Maybe they don't do this because people need to keep going into their luggage? I was also disappointed with some of the Sunwing Rep's, as we asked them specifically certain questions and they either flat out lied to us in order to book an excursion or they were clueless as to where/what you can find on the property, such as the gift shops. My suggestion on any question around/about the hotel ask a RIU staff member instead. That being said, the shopping excursion was very good. The days were always hot, which is one of the main reasons I chose Panama. Overall thought for the price paid compared to the Dominican Republic, I am not sure if I'd go back unless I wanted guaranteed heat.

Very beautiful resort

Hotel was wonderful . Food was awesome,staff was great. Grounds were kept beautiful . Loved the activities. Would gladly stay there again. Weather was perfect . We would liked to have had more shopping

Great bang for your buck!

I was with a group of 7 and we all enjoyed our stay at the RIU Playa Blanca. Rio Hato airport is new, small and a 10 mins drive away. Rooms were clean, food was very good and the men did not have to wear long pants at the a la carte restaurants. The food at the buffet was just as good if not better than the a la carte restaurants. Reservations were not required and we did not have to wait more than 5 mins. The Asian Restaurant is buffet style, the Italian is buffet/a la carte and the Steakhouse  [... read more]is a la carte. Tipping is not required for good service. The Balboa beer served at the resort is very good, and they have a good variety of drinks and real fruit juice. I had beer and clamato as my first drink of the day almost every day. The mojitoes were the best i have ever had. You can get real Baileys on ice and yummy pino coladas too. The U shaped resort layout is great, all the pools, bars and restaurants are conveniently located in the U. The beach is beautiful and nice for taking long walks. This is my 7th all-inclusive trip, I've tried Barcelo, Sandals, Couples, Melia and now RIU and the Playa Blanca is the best bang for your buck. My last 4 trips were adult only resorts however my experience at this "family" resort was a good one and I will likely consider this type of resort in the future. The tours supplied by Sunwing/Nexus Tours (Panama Canal Partial Transit and Jungle Boat Tour) are excellent and so is the golf $60 US 9 holes) at the Sheraton Bijao a 12 mins drive from the resort

Decent value for $

The price point of this hotel is on par. Groundskeeping etc is great. Beds are comfortable. Rooms are basic and comfortable. We were on the first floor and had no issues with plumbing. Food was okay. Lots of options at the buffet.

Exactly what we needed!

First and foremost, thank you to our tripcentral agent, Bev Johnston, for helping us to arrange this trip. She is so easy to deal with and does everything she can to provide us with just the trip experience we are looking for every time!! My husband and I don’t get to travel as much as we would like to, but when we do we want to stay at a resort where we can get the relaxation we need and also go on excursions to learn about the country we are visiting. The Riu satisfied both of those requi [... read more]rements. Our room overlooking the ocean was very clean, spacious, and comfortable, and the cleaning staff did a wonderful job every day. Our only complaint would be that they didn’t replenish the pop in the fridge as often as we would have liked, but that is a very minor complaint. The food at the buffets was very good, and we never left without feeling stuffed, and the staff were always friendly and efficient. My favourite dinner waiters, Miguel and Jorges, always made sure there was a beer waiting for me when I sat down! They were amazing! We also went to the steakhouse one night, and the food and service were fantastic! We didn’t use the pools much because we prefer the beach and the ocean, but the pools always appeared clean and well maintained. The beach was awesome! Yes, the sand gets extremely hot because of its dark colour, but that is to be expected due to its volcanic origins. You can walk for miles either way along the beach, and the ocean was wonderful to swim in. However, it is the ocean, and there are dangers. We quickly learned to take the red flag seriously because if the tide is out, there is a danger of stingrays. You have to pay attention to the lifeguards. They are there for a reason! I have read some reviews where people complained about wild dogs on the beach, but these complaints are ridiculous. Yes, sometimes we saw dogs running on the beach, but they never approach the visitors unless coaxed over, and they never caused problems. Anyway, the staff are always quick to usher away any animals (or people for that matter) who shouldn’t be there. As for our excursions, they were incredible. We arranged them all through our amazing Sunwing rep on site, Christian, and he couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful!! This resort is quite a distance from some of the excursions sites, but if you want a resort that is far away from all the crowds and craziness of more populated areas you have to deal with that. We didn’t mind at all because our excursions were everything we could have asked for and more. I highly recommend the partial transit of the Panama Canal, the jungle boat tour, and the hike up Gaital Mountain in the Anton Valley. All in all, we had a fabulous time with no serious complaints at all. I’m sure there are fancier resorts out there, but for us this was just what we wanted!! Oh, and one last thing, being 10 minutes from the airport is a definite plus in my books!

Amazing Resort

We all really enjoyed our stay at this resort. The customer service, room service, all the restaurants, cleanness are only few to mention. You don't have to wait long for your drink (which I was impressed) I strongly suggest this resort to family with children. I am a kind of a picky person and was skeptical about going there once I read the previous reviews but since my sister already booked for all 6 of us I thought I just try to enjoy it but when I got there I was surprised about those nasty  [... read more]reviews. I have been to a lot of 5 star resorts. I agree that it's not a 5 star resort but for the price you get a lot more value. I will definitely go there again.

Fantastic resort

We have stayed in many resorts, at different islands and counties! This experience was different than any other one we’ve been to! They really exceeded our expectations, from front desk’s excellent service, our room cleanliness, the bar staff being attentive to great pools and awesome entertainment! We defiantly recommend this resort to everybody!

Great resort

We went with a group of friends and had a great time. Good food, lots of variety, clean, friendly and helpful staff. Our friend had her cell phone stolen from her chair on the beach so guard your belongings and don't leave them unattended. The best part of the trip was the weather. We went beginning of January and it was hot and sunny every day! It rained a few times but never for longer than a few min and even then it was refreshing and still warm.

Really liked the resort!

The hotel grounds and lobby halls, rooms, washrooms were always very clean. The main areas & hallways are all painted white so it looks very institutionalized. The staff is friendly and very professional. If we can complain about something it would be that you had to stand in line to get into the restaurants... this set up did NOT allow you to reserve a time and day... the RIU really needs to review this because we always gave up waiting and then had to go to the buffet (that is available a [... read more]lways). The beaches are beautiful and well kept. We had a very memorable vacation! Thank you for a fun New Year's Eve party!

Surprisingly pleasant resort

Nice resort, clean rooms , staff works hard all day long. English should be more present, pools should be cleaned once at least in a day, lots of people use these pools. Nightly show should have real talent, meaning actual singing and actual own routines not only Spanish dancing routines. Meat, real tough most of the times, need to get knives that cut, New Years was the best food all week long, just cold unfortunately! Reservations should be used to eat at the restaurants, because of language  [... read more]barrier we did not get to enjoy New Years night dinner and it was my birthday!😞we made the best of an unfortunate situation. Excursion to Panama Canal a fantastic trip, enjoyed the old city emensly and not the duty free, that was a waste! Not the best RIU, but not the worst I’ve stayed at!!

Great resort!

Very nice resort, super clean and modern. The hotel staff were awesome! very friendly and always greeting our group. The food and night entertainment was okay... nothing special. The beach wasn't nice however we were warned before booking so wasn't a surprise and the pools definitely made up for it. It's in the middle of nowhere so not much to do but they have tours to go into Panama city as well as other excursions. Over all beautiful resort.

Amazing Resort.

Beautiful hotel, food was great! Took them 4 days to refill the bar..even after mentioning it 2 times that it was empty. The shows was awesome. Special thanks to Yeraldine and Donal who makes awesome drinks.

Awesome resort

This was a very kept up resort and everything was clean. There was a wide range of food and always something great to eat. We loved the fresh look of the white buildings and the red and white rooms.

Very Nice Resort!

The hotel was a very big place, there maybe should be elevators at each end of the building as well as the center where they are located. If you have someone with difficulties walking, there is a lot of walking just from your room to the elevator down to the restaurants and down to the pool and back to the elevator only to have to walk hallways to your room almost all the way back to the pool, could not switch rooms as the hotel was full with local folks also enjoying the resort. The washroom s [... read more]hould be open by the pool, makes you wonder who really bothers to walk all the way to the restaurant to use the restrooms. The food was good, not great but good. The staff kept the rooms nice and clean! The rooms on the second floor were musty smelling. There was a problem with the safes but the hotel handled that almost immediately which was great! The nightly entertainment was excellent! The Travel Agents with Sunwing were awesome at the resort!!!