Hotel Riu Playa Blanca

Just spent two weeks there in Panama had a great time, beautiful view of Adult Pools and Ocean.
Staff were great and very helpful, rooms were clean.
It would nice if in one of the sitting area in the lobby, if they had a place where you could could put your books when they have been read and you could pick up another from other people.

Buffet was great didn’t matter what time of day. Specialties restaurant were good, just make sure you get there by 6 or you might have a long wait to get in.

Adult Pool could get very busy and loud, if you want a quiet hotel, it might not be for you.

If I was going to Panama again, I would stay there again

Had an amazing weeklong stay. We were given two double beds at first instead of the king we requested, but this was changed as soon as a king room was available for us. They were extremely attentive to us and they added cute features to our room as it was our anniversary.

The cleanliness of this hotel exceeds any other all inclusive I have ever been to. They have people carrying mops on standby, they scrub the pool floors, the ceilings, the railings. And the landscaping was looked after at every second of every day. Truly blown away by their attention to detail. It’s clear they work EXTREMELY hard to create an amazing experience for the guests.

The beach was also lovely. It’s not quite like the pictures only because a lot of the sand is black, which takes away from the clarity of the water. But for someone who travels for the sole purpose of beaches, I enjoyed it very much. There are days where the water is very wavy or very still, and very blue or very murky. We walked along the beach to other resorts and were blown away by the colour of the water there. Would strongly recommend doing that if you’re a beach person!

The food here was probably the best food of any all inclusive I have ever been to. It is available at ALL times and there are never any lineups during late nights (at least from my experience). There was an extensive range of all kinds of meats and food. Not to mention how fresh everything was.

Entertainment was also exquisite. While I didn’t watch it every night, I was impressed by the nights I did. They even have entertainment earlier in the night for kids too.

The only thing I would’ve liked was to be able to explore around the riu a little more, but there isn’t much around that area to see. Choosing to be so secluded from the main city, you don’t get much of the Panama culture while visiting this resort. But this was our choice.

All in all, I couldn’t recommend a better resort to visit while in Panama.

My first experience with a resort and I wasn't disappointed. The people of Panama are very friendly and nice and were continually busy around the resort. All were helpful in any inquiries I had.

The place is really clean, food is good and the shows every nights are awesome. Special mention to Donnye and his crew behind the La Rumba bar who made this trip 10x more enjoyable with their bartender and people skills.

I just spent 8 days there for a family vacation of 16 people . The resort and staff were great , welcoming and perfect . The pools were clean and the Foam Party was fun along with all the entertainment that was available . It was great to watch the Super Bowl on the main stage . Thank you for this .

Our Total trip was fantastic and definitely for 1st timers we would definitely be back again ..Thanks for your hospitality

So i when to riu playa blanca from the 2th of March to the 7th, and let me tell you I had a wonderful time. The staffs were wonderful. Emmanuel at from desk when above and beyond... he even recommended (liz) from quality travels so we could go in and out of the city for an amazing rate.. even though we were late from shopping in albrook mall the driver waited for us.. driver english name is (Xavier) we when to the Italian and the Asian restaurant and let me tell you I was stuffed after eating there.. the buffet have none stop food and the sport bar had sandwiches and chips and hotdog for people who want to eat something in the late late night... the pool bar was excellent the group of us sat there and enjoyed the service. The hotel is 2hours away from the city but exploring the country while going to our destination was FUN.

My girlfriend and I just spent the week here. We have no complaints. We were in the ocean daily, no issues. Lots of food options and food was delicious. Fruit tasted fresh. Meat was cooked properly. The Italian restaurant was very good, we didn’t do the steakhouse or Chinese restaurant. Staff is wonderful and plentiful, very helpful and friendly. The room was spacious and no issues other than the pillows were not great, I would recommend asking for extras. Room was clean and cleaning staff did a great job replacing towels and drinks in the mini-fridge. There is a lobby bar, sports bar, pool bar, and entertainment bar.

The weather was phenomenal… if you like sun and heat. We didn’t have a drop of rain the week we were there and it felt like 35-40 degrees daily. The sand does get VERY hot, especially midday and will burn the bottoms of your feet. Bring multiple pairs of flops or water shoes. The heat melted the glue from my flops and I couldn’t use them as they fell apart and will need a repair job. The ocean water isn’t crystal clear but it is warm with minimal seaweed and smooth beach floor, not many rocks.

The guys on horses at the beach will harass you about drugs and horse rides, just ignore them and they will leave you alone. There are vendors on the beach that you can buy trinkets from but they don’t harass you. There is some horse droppings in the sand but not a big issue for us, just walk around them.

Make sure you get your loungers by 8am as they do fill up quite quickly. There was always stuff going on around the pools such as live music or games.

We used the taxi service at the front of the hotel to go to Panama City, Panama Canal, Amador Causeway, and to see the Old City. It was 200usd for both of us plus entry fees at the canal. It was the whole day but we really enjoyed it.

Beware there is a 35usd per person tax to leave the country.

Overall we are very happy with the resort, staff, food, and weather.

Rooms are a bit dated, but with so much to do, you won't be in there long. Amazing pools, top-notch eats, and the absolutely best staff you could ask for. English is widely spoken, but take the time to learn some basics in spanish to make your stay easier. Very family friendly!!!

We originally read great reviews on this resort...however the dsy before we left, there were some bad reviews and we were a little nervous apon arrival, thankfully none of the bad reviews we read were an issue for us (always gonna be haters out there I guess). The food was good, the staff were wonderful, if anything they went above and beyond. The resort is very clean. There is a market on the beach and you can find very good deals, example a sun hat is $6.00. The only thing to be rather annoying is the guys riding the horses on the beach. Other then that we had a fantastic trip. We rented a car and went out and explored lots of beautiful places. This is our second time to this resort and we will return when we come back to Panama.

Thank you RIU Playa Blanca!

The Airport:
Canadians flying to Panama have an advantage to fly to Rio Hato airport, which is a 10-minute drive to the resort. The only issue with this airport is that our luggage was broken into. So, my suggestion would be to lock your luggage. The airport requires USD $35.25 airport tax before you depart Panama. This airport does not have any stores, and they allow bottled water/drinks to be carried with you.

The Hotel Staff:
After we checked into our rooms, and opening our luggage, we noticed things were missing, I had an empty safety deposit box and it was pried open and bent out of shape that I couldn’t use it and had to throw it away. A friend of mine's jewellery box was emptied out. We asked the hotel staff to call the airport authorities and report the incident and within couple of hours we had two police officers who were at the hotel to take statements. The SunWing rep, Jorge, was with us until 11:30 pm as we had to visit the prosecutor's office at 10 pm in the city with the police officers. I'd like to commend that the hotel staff was very genuine and helpful in helping us out.

The Rooms and Internet service:
Our rooms were very clean, and staff provided fresh towels every other day. The internet is non-existent as some other travellers have mentioned. While I was trying to check-in the night before my departure and to receive my boarding pass, it was a bit frustrating to get the internet to work in our room. The TV was out most of the time, but we didn't bother calling anyone. Also, the safe in our room didn't work, so, I locked everything in my luggage again. Better safe than sorry.

The Food and Amenities:
We loved every aspect of this resort. The buffet has a huge selection to please every palate. Huge selection of salads, the fresh fruits and they serve guacamole, which was my fav, throughout the day. Quite a few selection of eggs cooked differently, sausages, bacon, pancakes, wafflels, variety of breads, variety of meats cooked differently, cereal bowls and loved their vegetarian mash. We also tried all three restaurants, and the food was ok in all three, but we preferred the buffet over the restaurants.

Pools:
The resort has 4 pools. Pools close at 6 pm for cleaning and staff takes care of the property very well.

Beach:
At the beach, although the water temperature was quite pleasant, it's not a crystal-clear beach, dark sand gets everywhere and it gets hot very quickly and we couldn't walk bare feet, ensure to pack water socks or sandals for the beach. Beach chairs get taken very quickly in the early morning, people leave their towels and don't show up for hours, which is a shame as that leaves people on the beach at that time without chairs. The men on the horses can be aggressive and bothersome, I learnt to ignore them. The vendors selling trinkets on the beach were very nice and we found items were reasonably priced.

Nightly entertainment:
The hotel has a large theatre area for shows, it was good entertainment. The hotel also has a Pacha disco, it had a very musty and foul smell and the music was ok.

Language spoken:
Panama is predominantly a Spanish speaking country; I wish I had polished on my Spanish before I visited.

It a nice hotel, variety of food to choose from.
Staff is friendly and helpful.
Beautiful beach for long walks, but the sand is dark, still very enjoyable.
Overall we are enjoying our vacation.

It was our first time in a RIU hotel and I can say that it was a really great experience! The hotel is like 3 minutes from the Rio Hato airport so the transfert is really fast. The staff is really helpfull and they know what they are doing. The pool and the beach are also great! In overall the hotel is really great!

A beautiful resort and from my point of view, very well equipped, with wide spaces, with beach places and extra fun, with very good and varied food, with friendly staff.

We had a fantastic spring break vacation at the Playa Blanca. It was our first time staying at a Riu property and we'd 100% consider returning. For those flying out of the USA, it's harder to find flights to the smaller regional airport, but I'd recommend trying. The drive from the international airport is quite long; definitely schedule a transfer with the hotel ahead of time and make sure that you remember to use a 24 hour clock! Our flight was at 3:30 and I'm glad the staff checked with me, because otherwise someone would have been waiting in the wee hours of the morning!

They applied my birthday discount, which was a lovely touch. Front desk staff were very helpful, even found my daughter's lost bag and kept it for her!

Our family suite was luxurious and spacious; you can tell the place is a little older but it was clean. Family suites are on the far end away from the elevators, but are very quiet, and I needed the stairs to work off all the amazing food we ate at the buffet. (Specialty restaurants were not worth the waiting). The food was excellent, loved all the fresh options every day.

A great place to go for a getaway!

I had a wonderful time at the rui in Panama all-inclusive the Highlight there was all the free alcohol and the horsemen were so kind shout out to j o e l one of the best Horseman at the rui very nice guy and the people that work there all the staff

This place is amazing! The staff is so generous everyone helped me everyone was so friendly! My room was super clean and comfortable! The pool parties were amazing with foam! Definitely the highlight of my trip was meeting bartenders Ivan, Irving, and Jose! They made us have an amazing time!! I can’t wait to come back!! I fell in love with everything!

This was my first time staying in a RIU resort. I had my 5 year old son with me, and they were very kid friendly. They had shows/activities every night for kids and families. My son loved the kids' pool with water slides and sprinklers. Lifeguards were always on duty as well. The staff were all very nice and attentive, and the resort was very clean. They had a large variety of food offered in the buffet as well as 3 other specialty restaurants and a couple of bars that also offered kids versions of drinks. This resort was recommended to me by a friend, and I will be using RIU resorts if possible in the future.

We absolutely love it here. My only criticism is that a resort like this one should have a seafood restaurant.

Love this place!!! Second time coming. The Panamanian people are simply amazing; so welcoming and respectful. I cannot say enough about the staff working at this hotel. The hotel is kept in immaculate condition from the hotel proper to the grounds and beach. The food is fantastic, beyond plentiful. We will return.

Exceeded expectations. The reason was accommodating staff and Managment. They asked for feedback mid week to ensure we were happy and asked if any problems were they would address.
The room was well cleaned daily which was nice. Older decor in rooms but they work well.