Perfect winter get-away

Very attentive staff. Rooms are very clean. Communication through resort app very helpful; avoids having to call or go to front desk. Only complaint would be the lounger saving, however, this redorts removes towels or whatever placed before 7am.

Nice resort

The resort was clean ,the room was good location had to have shower fixed and hairdryer (done very quickly),buffet good,al a cartes could do with upgrade in menu,would recommend. Adult pool bar was very busy more staff definitely needed,

Clean resort, good food but the nightly entertainment not impressive

The rooms, service and food was amazing however the nightly entertainment was lacking. Every night they had the same dancers with different costumes lip sincing and dancing. They could do with some local musicians playing live music to allow the guests to see some culture and msic of the Panama people where we could dance and sing to the music. The tours were 2 hours away in Panama City. A long bus ride which was only offered on certain days. According to the people who went to the Panama C [... read more]anal tour, there was no room to sit or stand to see the boats or the canal and they only had access to the movie theater. This hotel due to its location to all of tours ONLY available 2 hours away needs to find local activies, tours to local towns where there are bars and restarauntswe could visit. Maybe a local catermaran boat ride to snorkling, maybe para sailing from the beach. In summary a wonderful hotel close to the airport but nothing to do locally unless you are willing to give up 4 hours of your day to be on a long bus ride.

Amazing all inclusive resort

This is our second time at this location. The hotel itself was very clean and beautifully decorated for Christmas. The staff was very pleasant and accommodating. The food selection was great. We definitely enjoyed our week stay. The only issue we had was that the floors were very slippery, it had a high gloss. In this case a porcelain tile with a Matt finish would have been more practical. We will definitely be back again.

First visit to a Riu property.

Grounds were beautiful, manicured every day and beach was raked daily. Abundant staff. We had a ground level room, which we requested for easier mobility, and easy access to all amenities. The room could use a refresh, however, it was very spacious, full bar, and a/c worked well. We did however encounter a cockroach twice in the 2 weeks we were there. Big plus is proximity to airport..15 min.

Good Experience

Myself as well as some family and friends (10 people in total/total of 5 rooms) booked a week stay at this resort. Really my only complaint is that we were told our rooms would be located together - however rooms were located on different and different sides of the resort which was a bit inconvenient. Otherwise the food was good, staff were nice, grounds were lovely.

Beautiful resort

We stayed at this resort for the second time this year and we loved it both times. The rooms are spacious and clean, the resort is beautiful and always clean. We had wonderful service and we can't wait to return again next year;)

Garden view = construction site

I was very disappointed in my recent trip to the Riu Playa Blanca. I felt overlooked as a tourist compared to the locals. There was segregation within the pool and bar area which I don’t agree with. One pool had locals and one had tourists. The music was also different at each pool. The third floor is under construction and the rooms are dated. The garden view is of a construction site where workers work 6 days a week from 7:00am until sunset. The cleaning is subpar which leads to tourists getti [... read more]ng very sick. There is no new glassware provided even when a former vacationers toothpaste remnants are left in the glass. The staff just rinses the glassware in the bathroom water. The sheets had stains on them and the pillows were terrible. If you got sick, like most of the tourists did, you get 2 bottles of water every 2 days. If you are truly sick and have to go down to the hotel lobby at 2:00am, they will request you get more water at 10:30am which will be 6:00pm after calling 4 times. I was overlooked at the bar since I was a sober tourist. The food was amazing but because the cleaning was subpar I believe there was some sort of cross contamination which results in getting very sick or at least traveller’s diarrhea (even when taking Dukoral). I found it odd there was no option to get a cappuccino until after 10:00am. There’s no option to get any water before 10 or 11am if you are at the beach/pool. I will not be telling friends and family to come here. If you want top tier beaches, customer service and cleanliness I do suggest going to the Grand Aston or Iberostar in Cayo Coco, Cuba.

Sister Retreat

The resort is nice and super close to the airport, which makes getting there easy. It is a bit far from everything else though, so if you plan to explore more of Panama, I’d suggest staying closer to Panama City or the Caribbean side. The black sand beach is beautiful with lots of lounge chairs available. It’s a public beach, so there are a few local vendors, but they’re respectful and leave you alone once you decline. Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable. The in-room bar was a gr [... read more]eat touch, and the cleaning staff did an amazing job every day. The food was a highlight — the buffet was hands down the best! Each day had a different theme with plenty of variety. The pool area was well maintained, and there was always a lifeguard on duty. The bartenders were friendly, hardworking, and kept the drinks flowing all day. The DJ at the disco was awesome! It was a fun, mature crowd, and the music mix was perfect. Overall, a great spot for a relaxing and fun sister getaway!

It was okay

I have enjoyed RIUs but this one didn't live up to its name Room for my husband and I was great, nice king bed and decent size bathroom. Room for my 3 teens was not. Third bed was a little leather sofa bed that folded out to the floor. My kids aged 16, 19 and 21 fought over who didn't need to sleep there. When you are given an Oceanview room you should be able to see the Ocean, don't wait the extra money, Courtyard is just as nice and better location to elevators/lobby and restaurants  [... read more]Beach was absolutely beautiful, shells everywhere, a highlight Rooms and food and pool all close together, wifi was spotty at the pool but good in the rooms and restaurants Food was okay. Lots of salads, burger and fries, ice cream, turkey dinner and taco nights were the highlights. Deserts terrible and would have been nice to have bagels or muffins or waffles or non runny eggs for breakfast. Pools were good, nice benches along edges to sit on. Didn't open til 8am and we were already feeling the heat at 7am so it would have been nice to use earlier All in all it's an okay family resort but again doesn't live up to RIU in other countries.

Great resort!

This resort is one of the best maintained and cleanest. Dining rooms, grounds and many pool areas are immaculate. Staff, service and food are excellent. Entertainment could be improved and a minor disappointment was the beach. It is not really maintained or set up with chairs, umbrellas etc for sunbathing. There are loungers under the trees further inland. The ocean is very rough, the sand is course.

Really nice

Great deal at this price point. Large room with nice bathroom. Nothing fancy but nothing wrong with it either.Aircon was great. Buffet was excellent for a buffet and a la cartes were ok to good. Drinks were good all around but better in the sports bar and best in the lobby bar where they blended the drinks. Four pools including a great kids pool with slides. Beach was great for walks but not pretty white sand and the water was a little cold in April ( ok I am a wuss) compared to the pools whi [... read more]ch were quickly warmed up in the hot sun. Entertainment shows were ok . One set of four elevators but they were very quick and hardly any waiting. We were close to the elevators ( no noise) and that was great. I could see it being a bit of a pain if you had a long walk from your room to the single set of elevators. The staff was always very helpful.

Great Resort

Grounds are very well kept. Always cleaning going on by staff. Food was good but Steak House needs work. Not bad but not good. Italian place was good. Buffet was also good you cannot go hungry. Pools were good and beaches were nice. They indicate any issues on the beaches with flags either watch out for jelly fish or stingrays. All in all nice staff and a good resort.

Lovely Resort

This beautiful resort exceeded our expectations The staff were helpful and kind, the food was excellent and the resort was really clean. There was an adult only area that we really enjoyed Panama is a beautiful country We will be back to explore further

Lovely Resort

This beautiful resort exceeded our expectations The staff were helpful and kind, the food was excellent and the resort was really clean. There was an adult only area that we really enjoyed Panama is a beautiful country We will be back to explore further

Great Resort Worth every penny

First thing about this hotel is the cleanliness. The staff worked constantly to clean floors, around the pools and rooms. Food was excellent, so much variety. Drinks were very good. Very friendly resort

Lovely Resort

Great stay at the RiU. The cleanliness of this resort was beyond fabulous. The staff went above and beyond to ensure the guests were well taken care of. The dining experience was also very good. The food was plentiful, flavourful and the variety was awesome. When speaking of the A la cartes, the Italian restaurant was my favorite restaurant followed by the steak house and lastly the Asian. I totally enjoyed the adult pool with the swim up bar, however the beach did not leave alot to be desi [... read more]red. The sand was very hot, the water appeared murky and unswimmable. The red flag was posted the majority of the entire week and very few people opted to swim in the ocean. With that said, the beach is walkable for distance in either direction. The activities offered during the day were fun to watch and staff gathered guests for participation in each activity. Shout out to Gabby who led the aquafit classes. She was fantastic. The evening entertainment was amateur at best but the staff's effort put forth was much appreciated. Great vacation overall and would recommend friends and family to visit Riu Playa Blanca.

Rest & Relaxation guaranteed

This resort was a good place to get away from it all. The food, room, and service were all very good. The theme was definitely simplicity. Activity staff (especially Ruben and Gabby) worked tirelessly to make sure everyone had a great time. The bartenders, (especially Bobby), were friendly and attentive. Our room was very large and our view was lovely. The infinity pool was perfect for all. The downside to this resort is the location to Panama City. It’s a two hour bus ride if you want to [... read more] visit the Panama Canal, old Panama City or new Panama City. If you are a beach person, this may not be the resort for you. The sand was very coarse and extremely hot, the water was murky, and the waves and undertone were worrisome.

Beautiful resort

The hotel rooms could do with upgrades to fixtures and fittings, tv could do with more channels as there was only one in English, maybe an upgrade to satellite. The pools. Bar pool could do with a good scrub under the middle island, you can see black mold also the kiddie Pool could do with a coat of paint to make it look better as it is well worn . The restaurants, Italian, Asian, and Buffet were excellent but the Steak house was disappointing. Our waiter Rey was the best in the buffet, he wa [... read more]s very professional and remembered drinks, names etc, very attentive. On our last full day we had a bit disappointment, everyone was reserving seats at the bar pool and the security came a took our cups, towels and clips for the towels. When going to the reception in the lobby to retrieve them we were told they didn’t have them and then when asked to see Manager the cups appeared but nothing else. If they are going to do this it should be all guests things and not just a certain few, also they should leave a card in English saying where they can be picked up, personal items should not be taken. I don’t care about the towels they are the resort but personal items (stealing) should not be taken.

First All Inclusive Vacation

The RIU Playa Blanca resort, although showing it's age a little still made up for it with it's amazing restaurants, great pools and a friendly atmosphere. But the true value at the resort is the staff who were amazing and willing to do anything for you. I only wish I could give them a higher rating than 5 star.