El Panama

Frommer's Review

The older, Spanish-owned El Panama has a central location, a casino, and a breezy, tropical ambience with lots of open-air spaces. This latter feature, however, does not work in favor of the hotel; in fact, El Panama feels as if it should be shrunk down by a third because its vast hallways and lobbies with minimal decoration and furniture hint of abandonment. Indeed, it seems as though the hotel is on its last legs, slowly giving in to competition. The hotel is popular with Europeans and Latin Americans, and hosts many local and international conventioneers. Although the service is very friendly, most staff don't speak English. Overall, the hotel has a more Panamanian feel than most chain hotels. Guest rooms in the main building are spotlessly clean and quite large, with glossy, tiled floors and stuffy chintz decoration. There are also cabañas: double rooms with small terraces that face a large, hourglass-shaped pool with a swim-up bar. The ground-floor cabañas have direct access to the pool -- to get there from the second floor you have to walk down a hall and a flight of stairs. The landscaping around the pool, and the public area in general, could use a little TLC. However, there's no denying the hotel's good location, and there are lots of on-site shops.

Facilities:
2 restaurants; bar; casino; fitness center; business center; gift shops; cellphone rental; 24-hr. room service; laundry

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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