Hotel HL Río Playa Blanca

Claudia Finlayson

We travel a lot as a family and this hotel was beautiful. We had a suite and omg the outdoor bathroom was sublime. I have a shellfish allergy I informed what I think is the manager in the dining hall ( mixed race lady) and every meal she got the chef to show me what I could and couldn’t eat. So so helpful and a big help. She never made me feel like I was taking up her time. Really appreciated. I never really rate all inclusive but this one was 10/10. Room was lovely and clean. The night entertainment was good. The pools were lovely. The only thing was the outdoor drinks area smelt like sick. But I put that down to brits not being able to handle their alcohol. Annoyed that the lift was broken because we had to walk all the way around everytime. We was only there for 3 nights. But great location. 15 min walk to the beach. Amazing. Will be going again. Also the kids pool was great the slides were awesome for the kids. They were just tucked behind the other pool which was lovely. There is also a supermarket on site.

Kieran

Excellent hotel and perfect for a young family. I stayed last week with my wife and 2 young daughters. The room was great, spacious and very clean. The grounds are nice, the staff are extremely helpful and friendly. The food is great and in near constant supply. The baby pool was much appreciated, never had to worry about getting chairs and it’s a short walk from a beautiful beach. The negative reviews seem extremely picky and unappreciative. We had a great stay and thank you very much to everyone at HL Rio.

Mathew Mould

So i booked this for me and my girlfriend and my 9 year old daughter! Some of the reviews I read before going put me off! But it was fantastic, we really enjoyed the room as it was like our own private little bungalow, it had two shower rooms one normal one and one without a roof 😀 the hotel grounds were lovely full of plants and flowers! The pool area is decent and right next to the bar! The staff were lovely and helpful! The FOOD was brilliant, they had chicken legs, beef steaks, duck, fish, pork chops 😋 I love meat and they were plenty of it! To say it was an all inclusive family type buffet, we couldn't fault it honestly! Breakfast was decent with the usual stuff etc. The Breakfast window was good starting at 7:30am until 10am, then it was open for lunch at like 12:30pm until 3pm then 5pm - 7pm, and in-between they was a snack bar! But that was like ice cream, hotdogs and burgers (tbh it wasn't great) the snack bar was poor but the ice cream was good. If you want ice lolly's and like magnum ice creams etc you have to pay extra! The all inclusive drinks were OK but not brilliant as they were no cocktails you have to pay 5euro for a mojito. But lager (amstel) was decent and when the restaurant was open you can pour your own, they had sparkling wine bottles you can help yourself to. They were only one bar person working the pool side bar at any given time which ended up with people lining up! Which for me was the biggest downfall! They should of had 2 people on the bar atleast. You could get vodka and whiskeys etc but they were not branded. Id recommend buying your first drink for 5euro like a mojito (they give you a plastic cup instead of paper) then you can keep that and use it all day, and if you leave the mint leaves and lemon in the cup just ask them to top it up with bavardi and lemonade and it was like a free mojito pretty much. The entertainment was brilliant tbh they were great dancers and they put in Real effort. But theys no bar in the entertainment room so you had to walk a little bit to the bar, the bar stops all inckusive drinks at 11pm but opens until 12, so for the last hour they charge you for everything. They were a couple things like this which let it down! That's why I give it 4 stars and not 5, but all in all I would visit again! The flamingo beach is a 7 minute walk and the rubicon marina was only like 5.50 euro in a taxi so good location. It was better than I thought it was going to be based upon the reviews I read before arriving, so.if you've booked this DONT WORRY! You will have a great time, but you'll also like me, find a few things you would improve, but nothings perfect.

Louise Hutchinson

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this hotel was genuinely one of the worst experiences I’ve had. From the moment we arrived, it was clear cleanliness and maintenance were not a priority. The room had clearly not been cleaned properly. There were what looked like period blood stains on the blanket, a dirty bathroom brush left out of its holder, and even nausea and diarrhoea tablets left behind from previous guests. We also found a bag full of sand inside one of the drawers, proving the room had not been checked before our arrival. To make matters worse, there were bugs in the shower. The bathroom smelt strongly of mould and damp throughout the stay. The ceiling was peeling and pieces of it actually fell into my hair several times while using the bathroom. The bed sheets were ripped, and despite paying for a double bed, we were given two single beds pushed together that constantly moved apart. Privacy was almost non-existent. The only thing separating our room from the neighbours was what felt like a standard internal door, meaning we could hear every conversation and even intimate moments. Cleaners would also enter the room without warning, even while we were in the shower shouting that the room was occupied. The food was absolutely disgusting. Eggs at breakfast were green, glasses looked dirty enough that I genuinely questioned whether they had been cleaned, and overall hygiene standards were shocking. We ended up spending over £300 eating out elsewhere because the food was inedible. The “all inclusive” package was also misleading. The pool bar regularly ran out of drinks by around 1pm, and unless you wanted straight vodka, many drinks required extra payment. There was also a horrible fish/feet smell coming from the pool bar area most days. Security was concerning too - it seemed anyone could walk into the hotel grounds without going through reception. The pool closed at 6pm every evening, leaving very little to do at night. Finally, even basic room design made no sense — there were five different light switches seemingly controlling the same light. Overall, the hotel was dirty, poorly maintained, lacked privacy and hygiene, and did not deliver what was advertised. I would absolutely not recommend staying here.

Carolyn Sykes

Actually nicer than the website photos made it look!!! Variety of evening entertainment. Good quality, hot food. 3 adult pools, 1 shallow/ kids pool and a children's splash area with a few slides and water spraying. 10€ for safe, which is refunded when you return the key on check- out. 1€ per reusable plastic cup. Refunded on check- out when you return the cups. Exchange as often as you like for clean cups, just ask a bar staff. Free WiFi. Strong signals in rooms, but not really anywhere else!