Riu Playa Blanca - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5882 reviews

• 

  Review

  The experience was awesome, the hotel is so comfortable and the weather inside is really amazing. As family, we shared good moments, the food and service is really good. However, the bathroom is not to much an excellent option for a mayor adult.

  Oct 07, 2026
• 

  Thanks

  Excelente service … you need to keep clean all the pools

  Oct 06, 2026
• 

  You don’t get what you pay for

  The hotel itself is located in a beautiful area with direct access to the ocean. The hotel is very accommodating when it comes to air conditioning, clean halls, and decent food. The low points of this resort is that it’s not worth the value you pay. When you arrive it is a difficult process because there is a consistent loss of communication between the online booking and the in hotel administration team. Multiple of my family members including myself were missed on room/ bus reservations even with confirmation codes from months prior. There was no attempt to immediately Remediate or accommodate to the situation just back and forth banter and waiting up to TWO hours before a solution was presented. Additionally, the pillows are small, the hotel gives no amenities you must purchase anything you forget in the store. Requesting additional waters and towels is a hassle and takes at least two days to arrive unless you make sure you to follow up on your request. Overall you will not received a five star experience, but definitely a 3 star.

  Oct 06, 2026
• 

  Wonderful stay at this resort

  Riu hato airport is tiny and an easy 5 minutes away. I am told it is only used only for Canadian planes. We used WestJet/Sunwing from Montreal. Upon arriving we were well greeted with face cloths, drinks and a dance. The hotel is extremely clean. Always a crew everywhere you go scrubbing. Lots of toilet paper in bathrooms as well. The food in panama is excellent 👌 we did not have any bathroom issues during our stay. Coffee is delicious, iced coffee at sports bar was also a nice treat. Entertainment was fantastic! We enjoyed the shows and all. Especially the 70'& 80's rock show. Edwin was wonderful and full of energy in particular. Management helped us fix a medical issue for my son with a chronic condition and really showed they cared. So appreciated. The pools are lovely, especially the adult only pool with bar. One of the pool maintenance workers would offer to get us towels before the towel place was open. I had a sober stay but really enjoyed lovely drinks without alchool such as piña coladas, strawberry dairy, Miami vice, mango slush... The beach has volcanic sand that is beige with streakes of black and shimmers. The ocean had a few soft weeds but was lovely. Vendors on the beach were very reasonable and not too pushy. However the men on horses are aweful and not to be trusted. Offered my son cocaine and other drugs. We were warned not to trust them and have had a history of hurting women. Please do not engage. We preferred the buffet over à la carte restaurants which was a first. If we go back, will just enjoy the buffet. The rooms are large and ours was modern with huge walk in shower. Comfy beds but pillows were way too small and soft. if you are not a night owl, I would recommend getting a room facing outwards of the property as when facing the centre, the music and noise is quite high. There is only a tiny shop on resort with no pharmacy but you can take a cab &5/person to 3 minutes away super 99 Wich is a grocery store and pharmacy inside also a dollar store next to it! Overall, would definitely recommend. We had a lovely trip and met some good folks. I would also recommend learning a bit of Spanish. Not everyone can speak French or English.

  Oct 05, 2026
• 

  Enjoyable Stay with Fantastic Entertainment

  We really enjoyed our stay at RIU Playa Blanca. The resort was nice, clean, and fun, with great pools, a lively atmosphere, and friendly staff. Our only real disappointment was the food. We found it fairly average and repetitive, and the quality didn’t quite match the rest of the resort experience. We did greatly enjoy the cocktails though. The entertainment, however, was excellent! The professional dancers were incredibly talented and performed amazing tricks. The evening shows were definitely one of the highlights of our stay. Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing getaway and made some great memories.

  Sep 28, 2026