Fodor's Expert Review Playa Blanca Hotel and Resort

The smallest of Playa Blanca's all-inclusive beach resorts, this Mediterranean-style hotel has attractive rooms in two-story buildings scattered around sunny grounds, just steps away from a wide beach. Because the hotel is next to a river mouth, the ocean is sometimes murky, but there are two large pools. Guest rooms are bright and spacious, with wooden furniture and balconies, some of them quite small, though the best ground-floor rooms have terraces. There are a few rooms that have ocean views, but they are worth the additional $35. Unfortunately, there is often music blasting by day and the nightly "entertainment" performed by the pool is also rather loud. An aquatic center provides free kayaks and pedal boats, rents motorized watercraft, and sells an array of tours.