HL Rio Playa Blanca

Nice hotel room, poor all inclusive drinks range (non alcoholic and alcoholic), food was okay but no air conditioning in the restaurant made meals stressful.

The location of the hotel was great, being close to the beach and in a fairly quiet area, which gave the surroundings a nice, relaxed and zen atmosphere. The hotel itself looked lovely from the outside, and the bungalows were particularly nice, with beautiful flowers and greenery throughout the resort. Unfortunately, once inside the bungalow, the cleanliness was disappointing. There were visible marks on the mirrors, the floors didn’t look particularly clean, and the bed sheets were not as fresh as we would have expected. We decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and see how things would be after the room was cleaned the following day, but the same marks were still there, which made it clear that the room hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly.

On one morning, we had breakfast and returned to our room while it was being cleaned, so we sat outside and waited. Once the cleaner had left, we noticed that very little had actually been done — the towels in the bathroom had been tidied and the living room had been given a quick tidy, but the room itself had not been properly cleaned. We had to find the cleaner and ask her to come back and clean the room properly, which was disappointing.

The food had plenty of variety and there were lots of different options to choose from, although unfortunately it was often cold. The drinks were okay, but if drinks are your main priority when choosing an all-inclusive hotel, this probably wouldn’t be our first choice. The cleanliness of the plates and cutlery was also an issue. It was often necessary to go through several plates or pieces of cutlery before finding one that was properly clean.

We also had the option of booking one dinner at one of the hotel’s à la carte restaurants, and we chose the Italian. Unfortunately, this was another disappointment. The food was very similar to what was already available at the buffet, so it didn’t really feel like a special dining experience. The atmosphere was nothing particularly special either, and once again we found that some of the cutlery and glasses were not clean. We had to ask the waiter to replace them, although getting someone’s attention was quite a mission. We had made an effort to dress up for what we thought would be a nice evening meal, but once we were seated, we honestly felt we had wasted the effort and would have been better off going somewhere outside the hotel for a proper meal.

On the positive side, the pool areas were good and there were several options to choose from. There were a few areas showing signs of wear and damage, but given that it is a high-traffic area, this is understandable and it didn’t stop us from enjoying the pools. The entertainment was a bit hit and miss, depending on the day.

There were also some things we really liked. The air conditioning in the room was excellent, and the TV had Netflix, YouTube and Prime, as well as the option to connect your phone, which was a nice touch. The surrounding gardens and greenery were beautiful and really added to the atmosphere of the resort.

One thing I would recommend to the hotel is extending the pool opening hours. We spent a lot of our days out enjoying beautiful Lanzarote and often found ourselves rushing back to the hotel before 6pm just to have some time by the pool, so a later closing time would have been greatly appreciated.

Overall, we enjoyed parts of our stay, particularly the location, pools, gardens and relaxed surroundings, but the cleanliness, food temperature and dining experience let the hotel down. If we were to return to the area, we would probably try a different hotel.

After reading alot of negative reviews I was really worried about our holiday but it was honestly amazing. The staff were all lovely and helpful, the rooms are clean and very spacious, bed isn't the most comfortable but then nothing beats ur own bed, there was always plenty to eat and it was nice. The cocktails weren't the nicest but there was plenty of other options. The entertainment staff were brilliant. I would say its more a 3 star than a 4 star but we had no issues at all and had an amazing time, would recommend to anyone!