Hotel Riu Plaza Panama - Breakfast Plan

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4897 reviews

• 

  Our stay in Panama

  The room was clean and a good size for two adults. However, the floor was uneven and I stubbed my toe on the pass way from the carpet to the tile floor! It was about a quarter inch difference in height.

  Apr 15, 2026
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  Best Hotel and Staff Ever

  From the moment we arrived the hotel, the staff was friendly, kind, respectful and very professional. Check in/out was good and fast. The breakfast was amazing and on point as well as the servers. Pascual and Evelyn at the salon son de lo mejor súper súper nice and professional. I truly have no complaints at all.

  Apr 14, 2026
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  Not a five store resort

  We arrived on a Monday. You catch the shuttle bus at the airport and it’s 10 minutes away. They greeted us with drinks. We got there at 5pm and after check in we went to the Rock bar and got sandwiches. We only saw the fridge stacked with sandwiches twice in that week. But apparently they fill it up at 3:00 everyday. We checked many times and saw nothing but nachos. They don’t have a snack bar or cafe where you can get an early morning/ late night snacks like muffins, chips, or sandwiches. They do have nachos with cheese sauce. One day they had the hamburger meat and the cheese. Another day they had just the cheese and it was cold so I warmed it in the microwave. I have no complaints about my room. The bathroom with walk in shower was huge and little bit of privacy. You get a bottle of hand soap on the wall. And a bottle of body wash/shampoo on the wall. They do not give the little bottles of shampoo, conditioner or bar soap. I wish I brought conditioner. I did bring a bar of soap. The tv had 5 English channels and all Spanish but if you hit the audio button on the bottom of your remote control it will change to English. Not all channels. I do wish they had the Riu app on the tv showcasing the hotel, excursions and other useful information. I’ve had this at the other two Riu’s I’ve stayed at. They clean the room every other day. I have no issues with the cleaning staff. You can go on the Riu app to check off stuff you want and they will bring it to your room. They were very accommodating. Our room was on the second floor and a garden view. It faced the stage and was noisy till 10:00pm. From 7-8 they had entertainer’s singing or a guitar player. Then 8-9 there was a children’s show called Riu land. For those of us with no children there should be entertainment in the lobby. I’ve never seen a Riu lobby so dead. They could put some activities or entertainment in there. There is nothing for the rest of us to do till 9 when the adult show begins for 45 minutes. I watched one show and they were lip syncing and dancing to famous singers like lady GaGa, Bruno Mars, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony. It was entertaining. If your room is on the second floor, there is no #2 button on the elevator. You need to get off at L for lobby. It was confusing at first. We would get off at 1 and walk up to the 2nd floor. The buffet is on B1 along with the 2 à la carte restaurants. The buffet was good. Lots of options. They have the birds that hang out by the tables outside of the buffet area and a few inside. Also a cat that comes around. He hangs out by the buffet and 2 restaurants. Very friendly. You also get access to the beach and pools on that floor. There are 4 major pools. The kids get their own pool with a water slide. A huge pool with a swim up bar, another pool where they have the activities and a smaller basic pool where more adults hang out. It’s quieter. They open at 8am and close 8pm. I think it was just the one pool. There is no pool side snack bar. You can get lunch at the steak house at 12:00. It’s located behind the towel exchange and one of the pools. You get a buffet lunch here. Also dinner is 6:30pm.The other 2 restaurants is 6pm. First come first served. The buffet is open at 1pm and 6pm. Breakfast is 7am. The spa is at the back of the swim up bar near the beach and looks like there’s a few message tables in there. Looks like a tiny hut. I never saw anyone go in there. There is 2 gift shops. One with souvenirs and toiletries and the other tiny one had alcohol and few toiletries. We didn’t notice that one until our last day. Lots of signs in Spanish only. Lots of staff including our housekeeper, servers, taxi drivers barely spoke English. Aerobics by the pool was mostly in Spanish. You can book a taxi at the front. We got a taxi for 2 to the nearby zoo 10 minutes away for $20 and $10 for the 5 minute drive to Super 99 which is a supermarket but next door is a dollar store. Spent 30 minutes and taxi driver waited. Not much to do around this resort. I didn’t swim on the beach. Waves to rough and red flag on many days.

  Apr 14, 2026
• 

  Excellent

  Love everything ...the breakfast and customer service was 5 point.........the restaurant and bar...access to ATM was a plus

  Apr 14, 2026
• 

  Beautiful Panama Hotel

  This is a great hotel, very affordable. It smells great and is very clean. They have a great pool and eateries. Don’t miss the tuna empanadas in the café. I know, just trust me. lol. The hotel is in a good location for walking and excursions. The breakfast was included and did not disappoint. If you’re a breakfast meats person, then probably not. You get one option per day. It was either a hot dog type meat or bacon. The food is so affordable in Panama. We really did not care. 10/10 would recommend.

  Apr 12, 2026