Playa Blanca Beach Resort - All Inclusive

We went in March 2026 for one week. We booked through AirTransat and paid $1700 CAD each all in (resort and flight). Pros Weather was perfect - no rain Room was nicer than I expected for what I paid - king bed, full kitchen, lots of space Lots of activities on the resort, listed on a website, but couldn’t always find the activity spot (I went and they weren’t happening) Air transat excursions were great - lots of options and reasonably priced ($99USD for a day trip to Panama City and ticket to the canal, $65USD for a nature trip to a water fall, rescue zoo and markets) Good drink selection but made very differently based on what bar you went to Sun rise on the beach is beautiful - worth it to get up early at least once 2 pools Water slides About 6 friendly dogs who hang around - very cute and friendly They have a bunch of love birds and a beautiful 10-year-old parrot named Paco. They are in cages however I believe Paco was rescued because he is blind in one eye and missing a claw (not really sure though just a guess). He says hola if you spend enough time with him! It is a kid friendly resort (lots of activities for kids, lots of families) however as a couple travelling without kids I didn’t think it was overrun by children by any means - I wasn’t annoyed by it. Cons Lack of chairs - have to claim a chair by about 6:30 AM or they will all be taken - if you’re just one or two people you can sit around and wait for someone to leave and it may not take long, but I’m sure a family wouldn’t have that option. Food was pretty mid, but what I would expect for a resort. Some good a la carte restaurants There are some restaurants you have to pay for which sort of goes against the “all inclusive” labelling. At some restaurants there were also some plates you could pay for (not on the included menu). They have an arcade but it’s paid. No room service There is one building further away from the rest, ~10 min walk to main area. This is where we were, I didn’t really mind but they should probably advertise this before booking for people with mobility issues Not all staff spoke great English (I didn’t expect them to) but if you learn basic Spanish before going you won’t have a problem. Just learn how to ask for things (quiero agua por favor, donde estan los banos, etc) Beach is pretty calm in terms of solicitors, just some people trying to get you to ride their horses (which could be a pro if you want to ride horses) - they don’t bother much though Lots of beautiful shells to collect on the beach Lounge chairs on the beach, same situation as pool though, you have to get up early to claim Clientele was about half Canadian and half local - not a problem other than locals love to bring their own giant speakers and blast music so you have to listen to the resort’s English pop music and their Spanish music at the same time