Hotel Riu Playa Blanca 5*

This is quite possibly the worse resort experience in my lifetime. There are so many negatives I don’t even know where to start. We don’t do resorts for this reason, but it was a friends wedding. One star is generous. The decor of this place is just ugly. The AC is so loud you can’t sleep. They did not hold our reservation and instead tried to tell us it was on an availability basis. Tried to place us in a room with twin beds. Had to argue just to get our room. Had to inform them of an empty room with a king bed, they didn’t even know it. Check in was not 3:00 it was 6:00 pm. Zero apology. Some 20 something year old kid talking over me when I tried to get resolve. The garden view was a dirt lot. Pillows on a king bed, just 2, were 20” long made of chunked foam. CHUNKED FOAM. The bar staff acts like they are doing you a favor when you ask for a drink. The closed down most bar services in the swim up at 4:30. There is ONE ELEVATOR in the entire resort. Say that gain ONE ELEVATOR. You have to walk forever just to get anywhere, OR use 6 flights of stairs, more walking. That isn’t what a vacation is about… walking. There are 4 pools, all just rectangle, all ugly, all spread out. More walking. Not nearly enough shaded areas around the pool to get out of the hot sun. 4 longe chars to ONE umbrella. Tons of open, unused space. Green but completely unused. More walking. If you are not willing to arrive early and stand in line, the Restaurants fill up and you won’t get in. No real signage or direction to let you know where things are. No one asks you if you require assistance. The snack bar food looks like it was left there for a few days. The sports bar had one TV. The all inclusive room bar is only all inclusive every other day. No one on staff is pleasant, no one smiles. No one is helpful unless you force the issue. The WiFi, didn’t work on either on my devices. All inclusive is only inclusive if you push the issue. Nothing to stir your coffee with at all. Use your finger ???. The location, I don’t know why the hotel row is so remote. But there are dozens of them, hotel row is Not pretty at all. The beach is black sand and dirty. Their reply to my review… that didn’t work either.

My experience with RIU Playa Blanca, Panama, was deeply disappointing. I traveled with my partner to enjoy our stay between Friday, October 9, and Monday, October 12, 2026, with a reservation of USD 550, the payment for which would be made upon arrival at the hotel. As a RIU member, we had airport transfer included with Nexus Tours. When Avianca changed our flight schedule due to the situation related to the earthquake, I informed Nexus Tours on two occasions. The response I received was that there would be no issue with the new schedule. We arrived at Tocumen at 12:50 a.m. on Saturday and, after immigration, we discovered that no one was waiting for us. Upon contacting Nexus, they informed us that they had no vehicle available and that RIU Playa Blanca remained inaccessible for security reasons. I then called RIU directly. I explained the situation and asked about the hotel's operation. They indicated to me that it was operating normally. Trusting that information, I rented a vehicle for approximately USD 150 and drove nearly 200 kilometers during the early morning. We arrived at 5:20 a.m. and, to our surprise, they did not allow us to enter. The security staff informed us that the hotel was not receiving guests due to the contingency. After several calls, the only solution they offered us was to cancel the reservation at no cost. They did not even authorize us to use a restroom or rest for a few hours in the parking lot while we looked for other accommodation. The situation was even more frustrating when I received an email announcing a penalty of USD 175.50 for a no-show, despite the fact that we had tried to coordinate the transfer and confirm the hotel's operation. Finally, the reservation was canceled at no cost and the penalty was not charged. We ended up at six in the morning with our luggage, without accommodation, and looking on our own for somewhere to rest. We paid USD 40 for a roadside hotel and then USD 550 for a new reservation at Decameron Grand Panama, in addition to gas, food, and other expenses. I perfectly understand that an earthquake can force the adoption of safety measures. What I question is the lack of timely communication, the contradictory information received, and the absence of assistance when we arrived following the instructions we had been given. We did not enjoy a single night at RIU Playa Blanca nor were we able to access its facilities. The cancellation without cost did not compensate for the expenses nor did it resolve the situation in which they left us. I hope that RIU reviews what happened and takes responsibility for providing a formal response. I recommend that other travelers confirm in writing both the hotel's operation and the transfer before traveling, especially if there are contingencies that could affect the service. A reservation should not end up becoming a dawn of uncertainty, unforeseen expenses, and calls without an effective solution.