HL Rio Playa Blanca

“Great family holiday complex.”

Great holiday. Greeted by a friendly reception team. the rooms were large, clean and well equipped, the only negative is that you had to use the bathroom mirror as the one in the living room didn’t have a light or plug socket near it but thats it. The whole complex was clean and well kept. The … more

Great holiday. Greeted by a friendly reception team. the rooms were large, clean and well equipped, the only negative is that you had to use the bathroom mirror as the one in the living room didn’t have a light or plug socket near it but thats it. The whole complex was clean and well kept. The entertainment team were excellent & funny. Food was good, something for everyone, the beer that’s served is Amstel which the other half doesn’t like so he paid for bottled Heineken @3€ but that’s our choice. It’s a good walk to the harbour and the market but well worth the walk, plenty of shops to browse.

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“Good and bad”

Really mixed review here, I’ll start with the good - Room was spacious and clean Hot tub lovely Reception staff very nice and helpful Entertainment was good something for everyone Never a fight for sunbeds there was plenty for everyone. New year day dinner fabulous again gluten issues Bad - I … more

Really mixed review here, I’ll start with the good - Room was spacious and clean Hot tub lovely Reception staff very nice and helpful Entertainment was good something for everyone Never a fight for sunbeds there was plenty for everyone. New year day dinner fabulous again gluten issues Bad - I paid a lot of money to be here to have stone cold food breakfast lunch and dinner that made us sick for 2 days Lack of gluten free food and lack of knowledge was told if I want chips gluten free they would need to be ordered in the morning which I did only not to receive when needed Snacks had nothing to offer gluten free (why did I pay all inclusive) Paper cups at bar that leaked everywhere just wasn’t a very nice experience Sewage smell was disgusting

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“Really disappointing stay”

Stayed here for 2 weeks over Xmas and the New Year and can definitely say that this hotel is never a 4 star, no dressed tables with table clothes, no waiter service in main restaurant at any time. Just because you have two themed restaurants of which the Tex Mex we sadly was able to book doesn’t qu… more

Stayed here for 2 weeks over Xmas and the New Year and can definitely say that this hotel is never a 4 star, no dressed tables with table clothes, no waiter service in main restaurant at any time. Just because you have two themed restaurants of which the Tex Mex we sadly was able to book doesn’t qualify it as 4 stars. This hotel has a decent location but lacks the basics such a health and safety and sanitation, pool pavers breaking up, loose tile vents around pool, workmen cutting down palm tree leaves without appropriate safe guards and signage to avoid harm to customers. No visible hand sanitation in any parts of the hotel especially dining areas. Birds openly flying into restaurants and pool bar eating areas. Staff putting fingers into bowls, glassware and drinking vessels in all stations such as pool bar and lounge bar and so on. Food is generally cold and not much variety especially over a two week stay unless you like chicken, pork and do obscure types of fish. The one plus was the New Year eve Gala supper that we had to pay for a bottle of cheap Prosecco for 15 euros to which we took one glass and gave the rest away to a lovely family on the adjacent table. The entertainment was pretty poor and held in an entertainment centre like an auditorium that has no tables to hold drinks and the bar shut at 10pm although the entertainment was on till 11pm so you have to walk outside and down to the pool bar to get drinks and tramp back. The staff are mainly friendly and polite but some are pretty aloof and no curtesy to the customers who are spending good money to visit their hotel and island. Rooms very basic but a good size and cleanliness ok and serviced most days although room was originally infested with small fruit like flies which we gave a good beating and spray to. The pools are very cold but usable and pool area clean but as stated earlier dangerous because of the flooring issues in and around the pool area. The single lift only works when it wants and as stated in many reviews the smell of raw sewage is prevalent in a few areas around the hotel. This is predominantly a family hotel and needs its children areas and facilities upgraded and improved as a lot of the children had little to do in the evening post 9.30pm when their so called entertainment finished. The drinks are mostly local and the Amstel on tap just drinkable but the cups are only 330ml size and leads to loads of cardboard cups being used and queues do to people needing to replenish on a faster rate even though it’s 4 drinks max at the bars per person. In my view the hotel has major staffing problems as there is only a max of 2 people at peak periods serving at any one time. The onsite shop is very good with decent prices that was a general plus but overall we was very disappointed with our stay and therefore definitely wouldn’t recommend or return.

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