Playa Blanca Premier Resort I

We booked Playa Blanca for the five months of winter 2024/25, and to say we were disappointed would be an understatement. If you're only staying in San Carlos for a few days or a week, this probably isn't the review for you. We hadn't understood that Playa Blanca is a Condominium Hotel, basically an apartment tower with a front desk and housekeeping, rather than a regular hotel. Our first impression of condo 404 was poor. The location and views are fantastic, but the drawers, counters, and cabinets were filthy. We bought several cleaning products and disinfectants to deep clean the kitchen. Stains that looked permanent on the counter came off with proper cleaning, which made me wonder whether anyone had inspected the unit before guests arrived for a long stay. The couch and chairs were extremely uncomfortable and didn't look like the online photos. The owner hasn't decorated the place; there's no nightstand between the beds or full length mirror. The balcony sun beds are rock hard, with no pillows or mattresses. The washer, dryer, and refrigerator were old and poor quality, and drying a few things often took 4-5 hours. Wi-Fi was slow and sketchy even though occupancy was very low. At night, a loud whistle-like sound, apparently from the hot water heater, would wake us up and last just long enough to interrupt our sleep. Noise became a major issue. Had PB disclosed on its website that a beach bar was being built right next door, we wouldn't have booked. Construction was very loud from early morning until sunset, 6-7 days a week. The bar is now built, and on weekends and Holidays, loud music at night takes away from the beach experience. When occupancy at PB rose on weekends and Holidays, families with LOTS of small kids took over the pool area, bringing toys, umbrellas, coolers, radios, and sometimes dogs. The kids screamed all day while their parents sat nearby and said nothing. We couldn't leave our balcony doors open, and I can only imagine what it's like in summer. If you want a quiet evening by the pool or on your balcony listening to the sea, forget it. The Soggy Peso bar next door will make sure you hear loud music, whether you want to or not. The pool itself was beautiful, but I didn't see anyone swimming for the first few days. When I checked, the water was COLD and wasn't going to warm up soon with the low humidity and cool evenings and nights. There's no swim-up bar. Of the four spas, one was drained and out of order and two others were cold, leaving the only working one packed with adults and children, some wearing clothes. When I first tried the gym, my key didn't work. The receptionist said only condo owners have keys, but security could open it if I notified them. At least check-in went very well, and some issues were addressed immediately. We mostly dealt with Carolina (Front desk Manager) and Cesar, who were both pleasant and professional.

The view is lovely, but the room was in poor shape. The stove and then the refrigerator stopped working, and water leaked in the bathroom. There’s no restaurant, nearby shop, or poolside service. Too expensive for this kind of stay.

In Room#803, the kitchen had cheap, old equipment and barely enough dishes. The cutting board was moldy, though they replaced it when I asked, thank you. There was just one towel per person, and nobody cleaned the room during our 10-day stay. Both sinks were clogged, the faucets needed work, and the dryer barely worked. On our last day, only a trickle came from the taps, so I couldn't shower. This felt more like an apartment than a hotel.

The complex is lovely and sits right on the beach, with a really nice pool too. Staff were friendly. Room quality varies by owner: some are great, while others feel dated and need maintenance, so I gave the rooms four stars.