Hotel Riu Playa Blanca - All Inclusive

The staff were pleasant and great, and the drinks were good. The airport is only about a ten-minute drive, and the towns nearby felt pretty safe to visit. For food, the buffet was the best choice. The two restaurants were just okay. I found the resort only okay overall, not terrible, but I've stayed at better updated Riu's. The pool was really the only good option since the beaches weren't the best. One very drunk guest wasn't cut off at the swim-up bar and vomited in the pool, so everyone had to get out while it was closed for chlorination. That was understandable, but unpleasant. The rooms felt dated and had patchwork fixes. We were locked inside ours for 40 minutes while maintenance tried to fix the lock, eventually climbing over from another balcony. On our second-to-last day, we lost hot water and then had no water for half the day. The AC wouldn't hold a set temperature, so we had to turn it off by hand; overnight the room became an icebox. We used the ceiling fan and slept with the balcony door open, which was fine. After I contacted management about these problems, they made no offer of compensation or an upgrade. I met plenty of repeat guests who liked the place, though it just wasn't more than okay for me.

The buffet stood out as the best food option, with lots of variety and consistently better meals than the three à la carte restaurants, which were mediocre at best. The nighttime shows were pretty decent, but daytime activities were sparse, especially for kids. There are a few water slides, but not much organized entertainment for families during the day. The beach is scenic, though its dark gray, nearly black sand gets extremely hot in the sun, so footwear is useful. The hotel itself was very clean and well kept. What really made the stay was the staff: they worked hard, were friendly and helpful, and seemed to go out of their way to make guests happy. The resort is roughly two hours from the airport. Transportation is affordable, about $140 each way for private transport for a family of eight. The staff and buffet were the highlights for us, though the daytime entertainment and specialty restaurant food could improve.

A lovely sunny week. I slept really well in the fantastic room, though my wife thought the beds were a little too firm. Most of the food was great, and they handled my food intolerances well. The snack options were limited to the sports bar and the steakhouse snack bar, and both were disappointing. The sports bar sandwiches sometimes seemed several days old and were quite dry. There was nothing safe for me to eat gluten-free, which is why I'm giving four stars.

The entertainment felt pretty amateur, and the food started to feel repetitive, with many of the same things each night. There was still a huge selection: meat, chicken, steak, pork, fish, vegetables, pasta, salads, tamales, chicharrones, breads, and ice cream, plus pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries for picky kids. The beach was gorgeous, with white and black sand that sparkled like glitter. The pools were beautiful too. The adults-only pool had a swim-up bar, and there were always enough bartenders, so service was quick. Staff were friendly and helpful. If you smoke, the beach is the only place to do it. Check-in can mean a bit of a wait because lots of people tend to arrive together, but it moves along, so grab a drink and relax. There’s just one elevator near the middle of the hotel, which makes the walk longer if your room is in an outer corner. Still, it’s worth it, especially for a corner beach room with a wraparound balcony. The resort is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport, and there’s not much around. If you want lots of excursions, I’d stay nearer Panama City. For a quiet break away from the bustle, this place is gorgeous.