Riu Playa Blanca: 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.

Grand Decameron Panama: Exceeded our Expectations

My wife and I stayed at the Royal Decameron from January 4, 2018 thru January 15th. I had read all the Trip Advisor reviews and had a few concerns but I was anxious to visit Panama and selected the Royal Decameron over the Riu and Blue Bay Coronado. WOW we made the right choice!! We are frequent travellers with a diverse experience base so I am providing what I hope is a fair objective review. I think this resort is a strong 4 *. Please feeI free to contact me if you have any questions. 1) F [... read more]ood and bars are quite good. Nine a la carte, a couple of snack bars and two or three buffets depending on time of day. I have had larger and smaller buffets and some better food / some worse but quit frankly if you can not make a nice meal out of the buffets or a la carte, you are not trying. A la cartes really same thoughts with good variety and choices. We had some chicken/ beef/ pork/ fish that was amazing, flavourable, suited our pallet and some we did not enjoy as much.. The same can be said for many of the dishes. Please keep in mind this is a Panamanian resort cooking for Canadians, Columbians, Panamanians, French, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, American, Bulgarians and many others....... many different pallets to please. You are away in a vastly different culture so try new things some you will like and some maybe not so much. Usually, a pasta bar on the go, fresh grilled meats and/or fish, so always a selection. We had very good service in all of the restaurants. We had excellent service and drinks at all the bars. We visited every bar and restaurant at the resort and we have no complaints. Good service, alcohol, variety of specialty drinks etc... We got to know some of the bar tenders toooo well but made some friends and shared some laughs. 2) Rooms are nice and grounds are clean and beautiful. The beds in our room were excellent, The air conditioner worked very well and quiet. The cleaning service was consistent and very good. 3) All buildings were in good condition and clean. Always staff around cleaning and picking up after the clientele. Front desk staff always helpful super quick and easy check in and check out. Hassle free. 4) Entertainment could use some work. The entertainment at the main amphitheatre seemed repetitive and lacking in imagination to us. I have to comment the Spanish people seemed to enjoy it more than the Canadians and non-Spanish. It was basically all done in Spanish lots of yelling by MC. They should copy what many resorts do and present some variety with musical imitators, dance extravaganzas etc.. We did find and enjoy their small house band that played at a variety of venues/ bars on the resort. Once we found this entertainment we did not return to main theatre. You might want to walk down to Nicos Beach Bar(formerly Woody's) just off the resort, excellent food and drinks. The new Italian owners Fillipa/ wife and Daseo the chef are fun and very hospitable. Good rock and roll band Friday nite for sure and maybe Saturday. We danced up a storm and met some very nice ex pats there. 5) The bellboy staff managed by Renee is excellent, well run and the best we have experienced in some time. Courteous and professional..... dropped off and picked up bags on time etc... 6) Golf course is a great value. Tough enough course and was in very good condition when I played a few rounds. Some tight, some forgiving and can be played to over 7,000 yds. if you want. Greens were quite good. Appeared to have a decent gym...I walked by it many times.. Casino is very small but acceptable with black jack, roulette and slots. 7) Panamanian people are (bonita) beautiful. Quite friendly and good service.....but please remember you are in their country you have to make an effort as well. We try to speak Spanish as much as we can and the effort is always appreciated. We are not very good at espanol .... but we try.....LOL We rented a car and went off resort and visited many places that do not see tourists as regularly. Everywhere we went the Panamanian people were friendly and good to us. 8) If you have physical challenges this resort has many stairs from beach level to the upper level so it could be a challenge. There are a couple of roads up and down so it is doable with a wheelchair etc.. 9) I would like to thank the Trip Central team specially Laura Mulvihill-Spry who handled all our matters and requests in her very professional manner. In summary, I think this is a good 4 to 4 1/2 * resort. We are already planning to return with some other friends and family. A mi nuevo Panamanian amigos and amigas..........mucho gracious.......Roberto

Riu Playa Blanca: 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!

Riu Playa Blanca: 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.

Grand Decameron Panama: great fun

seems very organized, food average. beach fair. was great fun for my 14 year old daughter. she met a whole lot of friend which made the trip there great. very close to airport which was also great after a long flight

Riu Playa Blanca: 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!

Riu Playa Blanca: 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!!

Westin Playa Bonita: Beautiful Resort!

The hotel is beautiful and large. Room was unbelievable! Ocean view and a king size bed. Great service. Food was great and the restaurants were very good. Best creme brûlée I’ve ever had at the steak house. Pools are large and lots of lounges. Never felt crowded. The New Years party was outstanding! What a spread! Incredible atmosphere and the food was out of this world. I really enjoyed myself. It’s a quiet resort. Don’t go expecting lots of nightlife go to Panama City for that. Loved m [... read more]y stay and it was exactly what I needed!

Grand Decameron Panama: Get your walking shoes on

This resort was an enjoyable experience. I especially liked how close to the airport it was and the fact that you got your resort package for all inclusive members at the airport so you didn't have to go to the front desk and could go straight to your room upon arriving at the hotel. The hotel was clean and I was able to book restaurants 3 nights at a time. The food was good at both the restaurants and the buffets. The service was excellent at the bars and the restaurants. I enjoy to walk and t [... read more]he climbing up the stairs was not a problem for me but for the elderly, it may not be the resort for everybody. I enjoyed it since I walked off and exercised all the delicious food and cocktails off lol.

Grand Decameron Panama: Wonder Filled Resort

This Royal Decameron resort destination has more than just something for everyone. There are multiple things for adults and children to love. There is the location that is very large with a terrific beach that's great for long walks, vegetative lounge chair SPF covered reads by the water or swims in the ocean. The many swimming pools, bars for ordering libations, restaurants and flora and fauna festooned walkways to the many destinations within the property will keep you occupied as you ch [... read more]oose what strikes your particular fancy. There's fabulous entertainment supplied that never failed to be awesome. I had a terrific time and enjoyed every minute.

Riu Playa Blanca: 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.

Riu Playa Blanca: 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.

Riu Playa Blanca: 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.

Grand Decameron Panama: Amazing Country and Resort

This was an amazing resort located approx 2 hrs from Panama City It has variety of restaurants and swimming pools, staff are friendly. Food was excellent and resort was very clean. Not a suitable location for Snorkeling, however you could do other exciting excursions trips

Grand Decameron Panama: Simple but lovely

Rooms were clean, Food was good, Beach was wonderful. Get out early for chairs with the huts. There are not enough on the resort. The resort was only 1/3rd full but yet it was hard to find shade. If you are looking for a fully accessible resort this is not the place for you. The ramps are too steep so if you are alone in a wheel chair with no one to push you up and down you will run into issues. The shuttle also only runs every 45 minutes. Other than that the resort was good.

Grand Decameron Panama: Royal Decameron Beach Resort Panama

It would be very nice to have flights leave from Calgary or Vancouver to let the people in the west enjoy this resort too with out the extra expence and travel to Toronto. I did not enjoy that one bit. The resort is beautiful, the food was better than three years ago when we stayed. They need to do some major repairs in the rooms. Our biggest complaint would have to be the noise from the disco that runs from 11:00pm til 3:00am then the partying that goes on until 5:00am or 6:00am. I di [... read more]d not have sleep most nights. The hotel did offer to move us at one point but we only had a few days left so said no. But we would never stay in that area again. Any one with walking efforts should beware of this place as many many stairs to get to eating areas and pools. We did discover that you could ask to have a shuttle come and pick you up so that you do not have to climb almost 70 stairs each way up and down or tackle a very very steep hill. The shuttles were running but you had to call to get the service, we tipped 1.00 us dollar each way. The weather at the begining of December in hot hot and very muggy as it is the end of the rainy season. the second week was drying up some and we had better weather. All in all I would say the resort is good for the partying type who want to be awake most nights until the wee hours. And people who can climb lots of stairs in the hot hot weather. Good luck and hope the repairs are done to this resort. So I will not recomment to my friends as we are getting to old for this foolishness!

Grand Decameron Panama: The resort was nice.....But Beware!!!

The Royal Decameron Resort was nice and had beautiful grounds and gardens. The pools were beautiful and the restaurants were so well serviced. The rooms, or at least my room was quite less than a 4 star hotel room. The doors did not open properly, I guess because of warping in the humidity. The sliding door to the deck had to be yanked open and did not close properly or lock so there was a stick to put in the track for security. When we tried to open the connecting door between our rooms, the  [... read more]doorknobs pulled right off. My headboard fell off the wall as it was hanging on one screw. The large mirror over the dresser was hung crooked. My air conditioner constantly just stopped. I reported it and they did come to fix it but that only lasted a few hours. I just had to keep resetting it. BUT the worst thing that you need to be aware of is the Discotech!! This runs EVERY!! night from 11 p.m until 3 a.m. Boom, boom bass vibrates your room the whole time. Thank god I had ear plugs and then had to hold a pillow over my head to get any sleep. They then are allowed to stay and continue drinking until 5 a.m. Then they are out onto the grounds, yelling and screaming, in the swimming pools and heading back to the rooms. In the hallways there is no respect for the others sleeping. Doors slamming people yelling and laughing and singing. Every night! Finally we went and demanded a security guard for our unit. That really did make a difference. But too late for me. I also spoke to others and myself who felt that we are paying top dollars for this hotel when others are getting a much lower rate and using the same amenities. Not fair. The bottom line is, I would never return to this hotel or recommend it to anyone else!

Grand Decameron Panama: Great golf

We enjoyed our stay at this resort . Lots of walking and stairs as the property is very large. The grounds are beautiful . The rooms are a little outdated, but were clean and the beds comfortable. The dinners that you could reserve in the evening were good. They were able to always accommodate a table of 12. The men loved the golf there. Which was a very challenging course, they golfed five times out of a 7 day vac. Shuttle to the golf course always there waiting .English speaking staff were  [... read more]a little problem but we managed. The liquor was not the best. No international drinks like they advertise. The weather was perfect !!! The staff did not expect a tip all quests were treated the same.

Grand Decameron Panama: Great Vacation

I have stayed at numerous resort over the years and I would have to say this is definitely one of my favourites now. The pick up at the airport went smoothly and quickly, the front desk staff were very helpful,our rooms were clean, spacious and comfortable beds, the grounds were always well kept, the food was good, entertainment was very good. I took my son on this trip with me and we both had a great time. Our Air Transat rep Serge and Jacque definitely know there customer service, I have never [... read more] been impressed with a hotel reps but these two guys sure changed that, from the greeting at the airport, orientation, availability, knowledge, even the departure and being at the airport if you needed them, very impressed guys.Great job. I will be back, Thanks for a great trip. Patty

Dreams Playa Bonita Panama: Very nice resort

The resort is very clean. Lots of pretty garden space and very compact ( in a good way). Food is very good and the staff are very helpful and friendly. The beach is not the best, tide goes out a long way, it is clean though. My only problem was getting clean towels for our room, the housekeeping was a little haphazard, the guy at the desk was on it right away once I went there. We would go back and would recommend this resort