HL Rio Playa Blanca

“Family of 4”

Great place for a family holiday. Animation team work very hard to keep all the family entertained, never a boring moment! Location is very good, near to the beach and restaurants. The food is good and always something to keep everyone fed and happy.

“A good hotel in the sun with plenty of facilities”

TLDR: Great for a cheap getaway with a broad range of facilities. Pleasantly surprising. We've just come back from a week staying here, and you know what? It's actually pretty good, especially for the price. Is it the best hotel we've stayed in? No, not at all. But it's far from the worst too... more

TLDR: Great for a cheap getaway with a broad range of facilities. Pleasantly surprising. We've just come back from a week staying here, and you know what? It's actually pretty good, especially for the price. Is it the best hotel we've stayed in? No, not at all. But it's far from the worst too. I'd describe it as a mix between a typical British Haven-type holiday and ITV's Benidorm series. Not complete budget, but not luxury either. Positive observations: - Staff are very friendly and very hard working. They all 'muck in' and do everything from the washing up in the restaurants to the taking out the bins, serving behind the bar etc. They all have a very can-do attitude. Special mentions to Yaisson & Jhon! - Supermarket on site, a huge (although under-utilised) amphitheatre, high ropes, multiple pools, football pitch, tennis court, basic mini water-park etc. - Daytime activities for adults and kids were very good for getting to know other guests. The animación team do a great job. Special mentions to Maria, Cristina and Belen. - Food , I'd say is better than you're average all inclusive but definitely geared towards British/Irish. (BBQ Ribs, Fried Chicken, Pizza etc). - Whilst sunbeds can become a bit scarce around 9am, we were never without one. Probably one of the best guest to sunbed ratio from any hotel I've been in. Some of the less positive things, although admittedly are a little picky of me. - Evening entertainment was very lacking, and pretty poor when it was on. And the start times for this seem to be pretty late compared to other hotels I've stayed in. As mentioned already, there's a huge amphitheatre but it's just so under-used. - Whilst I've mentioned that staff are very hard-working, they do appear to be overworked. I'm unsure if there's a shortage of staff in the hospitality sector in Playa Blanca, or it's a budgeting issue. But some more staff with the same aptitude would really benefit the hotel as this would reduce queueing at busy periods. - The main pool (whilst a little cold at first) could do with some filtration attention. The pool water is 'clear' but there's a lot of debris on the bottom of the pool, as well as some knots of hair floating around. Particularly near the stairs. - There's a small problem with other British 'raff-raff'. Don't get me wrong, 95% of the people we came across at the hotel were decent people, but some were seemingly straight out of the Jeremy Kyle Show guest-list. I guess this is a side-effect of being in the lower price bracket. (Drinking until they pass out, loitering at the bar like it's giro day, screaming at staff, even one was arguing with a Spanish kid because he thought he was talking about him in Spanish to the barman). We stayed during the UEFA Euro Cup final and there was a bit of hooliganism, which was pretty embarrassing but it didn't seem to be anything major. Obviously nothing to do with the hotel directly, but it does show the kind of people that visit. - We stayed in a standard room, but I believe all rooms are more-or-less the same. I.e they have a door between each adjoined room that is locked. This isn't a major issue, but because there isn't a solid boundary between each room - noise travels. As in, I could hear our neighbours having a difficult time on the toilet. All in all, it's a great hotel for the price bracket. And whilst I wouldn't say 'ignore the negative reviews', just come with a positive attitude and some realistic expectations based on the price you've paid. Some people are just hell bent on having the tiniest inconveniences ruin their holiday. There are some other small picky bits not worth mentioning, but from my point-of-view most of the negativities from my own review and others would be to get more staff if possible.

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“Will not be back”

Very large complex Full of families Very busy Food very poor and repetitive Food was cold No music around pool during the day Snack back very busy and long waiting times as only one serving Night time entertainment poor Cockroaches in shower Lots of mosquitoes Sadly would not return

“Average stay”

We stayed as a family of 5 at this hotel 2 years ago and really enjoyed all it had to offer, hence re booking to visit again. Currently staying here on a 10 day holiday. Food is great, although during busier times you are often waiting for food to be refillled. Staff work hard and there is a va... more

We stayed as a family of 5 at this hotel 2 years ago and really enjoyed all it had to offer, hence re booking to visit again. Currently staying here on a 10 day holiday. Food is great, although during busier times you are often waiting for food to be refillled. Staff work hard and there is a variety to choose from. Pools are fine, although one pool was out of action for a day as had a green tinge and scum on the steps. The splash park could do with a refresh- broken parts to slides and old tape hanging where it had been cordoned off. Plenty of sun beds and shade if needed with children. Sadly the animation team is below par, shows are cringy to watch and felt awkward watching the poor lady who was running the kids disco. There is a huge theatre space and basic shows- would really improve with visiting acts or better skilled staff who can sing/dance. It really shows and is nowhere near anything you would expect as entertainment. The real positive here are the rooms- self contained mini bungalow style and with Netflix and 2 bathrooms. Beautiful grounds and well kept.

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