HL Rio Playa Blanca

I have never wanted to come home from a holiday before but i did with this one. Arrived around lunchtime to be told our room would not be ready until 3pm, then the receptionist just circled where the ‘bungalow’ was and said she didn't know where it was as she was new. We did eventually find it and unpacked, we couldn’t have been any further from the main facilities of the hotel. We spent most nights killing cockroaches in the room, we had to go and buy spray they were that bad. Had to pay a euro each for a cup that you had to use all holiday, the drinks were so watered down also. The food half the time was awful, if you like pizza and chips every meal you will be ok. Breakfast is the best meal of the day, no air con in restaurant but when you sit outside you are bombarded by flies while you are eating. The main pool is busy and loud, we found a quieter pool but the sunbeds and around the pool was dirty. We never saw anyone power washing round the pool and cleaning at all. The entertainment was poor, they worked hard but it was a shambles. The roof top bar served drinks in proper glasses, depending on which bar man u had depended on how strong your drink was. More coke and ice than vodka, the glass around the terrace was filthy and in a good need of a clean. It was 6 euros in a taxi to the main marina where we went for decent food and drink, there were no bars nearer to escape from the hotel. We paid £1250 each for 10 nights for this nightmare, a friend stayed down the road in a 5* lovely hotel for the same price. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS HOTEL

This hotel is average at best. Rooms are dated and In need of some serious tlc and a deep clean. We had a few unwelcome cockroaches. Dining hall has no AC and is ridiculously warm and uncomfortable to sit in. The food isint the worst but very much the same most days.

The path lights down to our room were out for the last 7 days of our trip and made it feel very scary walking back to our room at night in the pitch black. When mentioned to reception I was told the maintenance guys don’t know how to fix it.

Swimming pool is very relaxed which we enjoyed however a lot of the ground round about is in bad condition and cannot walk barefoot around pool area.

Quite a distance from any shops etc. would say a half hour walk to the main strip at Playa Blanca.

This hotel could be very nice with some care and attention.

⭐ 1 STAR — ONE OF THE WORST HOTEL EXPERIENCES WE HAVE EVER HAD If I could give this hotel zero stars, I would. What was supposed to be a relaxing all-inclusive holiday turned into an absolute nightmare. I genuinely cannot understand how this hotel is operating to the standard it claims to. The food was completely inedible. This wasn't simply a case of food not being to our taste — the standard was genuinely unacceptable. Even worse, we encountered cockroaches in the food hall and around the accommodation, which is utterly disgusting and completely unacceptable in any hotel, never mind somewhere serving food to paying guests. The number of flies around the pool bar and restaurant was ridiculous. They were everywhere, making it extremely unpleasant to sit down, eat or have a drink. Hygiene clearly did not appear to be a priority. Our bedroom was another disaster. We had ripped bed sheets, a shower that leaked water all over the bathroom, and when the shower was turned on, brown water came out. Brown water from a shower is absolutely disgusting and not something any paying guest should have to tolerate. To make matters even worse, items went missing from our hotel room. That alone is extremely concerning and completely destroyed any sense of security or trust we had in the hotel. Then there was the reception staff. The attitude we received was absolutely appalling. Instead of being helpful or showing any concern when we raised problems, we were met with rudeness, dismissiveness and an attitude that made us feel like we were the problem. The "all-inclusive" package was also incredibly disappointing. Many cocktails were excluded, meaning the drinks package was nowhere near as inclusive as we were led to believe. Calling this an all-inclusive experience feels extremely misleading. This hotel has problems on every level — food, hygiene, cleanliness, room condition, customer service, security and the supposedly all-inclusive package. Cockroaches around food, flies around restaurants and bars, brown water from the shower, leaking bathrooms, ripped bedding and belongings going missing are simply not acceptable. We paid good money for a holiday and instead spent our time dealing with problems that should never have existed in the first place. Absolutely disgraceful. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, and we certainly won't be returning. If you're considering booking this place, I would seriously think twice before handing over your money. Save yourself the disappointment and book somewhere else.