Hotels near Panama Viejo in Panama City

My family stayed at this hotel for spring break and let me tell you it was AMAZING!!! Upon check in there was a hiccup and after it was addressed by upper management, our stay was flawless for the rest of the week. First off the grounds are STUNNING and very well maintained. The hotel is a little further from the city but we enjoyed that because whenever we wanted to go into town it was a quick uber ride away. The pools were amazing! We were here 7 days and we did not want to leave! The breakfast was delicious and fresh every morning, the spa was relaxing and my massage was wonderful. We had dinner on property one of our nights and the live music was a nice touch and food here was top notch as well. Drinks at the bar were great-we had a ”date night” here to celebrate our anniversary and the staff assisted my husband with surprising me with lovely roses and fine chocolates. I'm giving the hotel 5 stars because not only is it truly a luxury experience, but their staff is incredible, Isaac is GEM!!!! He literally checked on my family EVERY single day. He turned my stay into one of the best vacations I've ever had (and I travel...OFTEN, all over the world). He was warm, genuine and PROFESSIONAL! He is the reason that I will return to this property during our next visit to Panama, because we will be back! Thank you Santa Maria for a wonderful vacation and thank you Isaac for EVERYTHING!!! Look no further, this is the hotel that you want to book.

The room was everything I expected to see at a Marriott. Great bed, pillows, sheets, clean etc etc. Breakfast, well it was my first day in Panama so I didn't realize how expensive it was for food here. So I felt like it was over priced for a basic buffet. I've had better buffets in much cheaper hotels in very expensive places such as iceland so... Also the price online we different from what I was charged which was irritating. Also when I asked the server how to pay earlier, by charge to the room or here (he had just asked me for my room number) he stated he would get back to me. He never did, despite my asking for water. And a spoon. And cream. Because none of this was supplied to me and not available at the buffet. So when I saw other people just up and leaving without paying a bill I assumed it would be charged to the room. And since the server still wasn't around when I was leaving, I just left. When I went to pay the bill that night it was a disaster and took nearly an hour to sort out. And I got called back down to the front desk twice for this. Then I got three calls at random times through the night from some automated Spanish speaking thing and my 2 am Spanish was not up to translation. I tried calling the front desk to ask what was going on. I assumed maybe incorrectly entered wake up calls. But there was no answer. It just rang. This happened twice and the third time I just disconnected the phone. Not thrilled with this stay.

The visit started right: My plane was way early, so I sat in the lobby; the desk clerk later brought my room key to me. I love hotel breakfasts that don't have only typical US eggs, etc... this one had that but also had platanos fritos, rice and beans, and more. It was all delicious. The problems were in my room. The most irritating were three notices (see photos) warning me that I'd be charged for various things -- for instance, bringing a towel from the pool to my room or taking the iron home with me. (I expect that at a cheap hotel, not at one of the top hotels in Panama City.) The tall window had a crack from top to bottom, which made me nervous that the high wind during the thunderstorm might break it... probably not, but even an obvious patch would have been better than (apparently) nothing.

The hotel is far from the airport, it takes a long time to take the car, the surrounding area is safer, the room is not very big, the traffic is very convenient, the hotel is a supermarket one block away.

We really enjoyed our time at this location during our recent family trip to Panama City, Panama. The only ding I had was that the room could have use a more thorough cleaning, as we noticed some mold in our room, but I guess its difficult in such a humid climate. The breakfast offered was delicious and the attendants were super involved and attentive. We were met with plenty of helpful hands while traveling with our little ones. We also loved our room and the view from our room during our stay at this hotel. Our refrigerator was stacked with plenty of refreshment if we required anything at a moments notice, but we decided not to purchase anything from the refrigerator while there - so no idea if the cost was reasonable. The pool area was enjoyed by the kids and we also enjoyed the poolside service we were offered while enjoying the pool. We really liked most of the amenities during our time we spent at the JW Marriot and would be happy to stay at this hotel again in the future.

Excellent choice in Panama City, the rooms are perfect, neighbourhood is great with endless number of restaurants. Continental breakfast is amazing. We stayed here for 10 days, however 1 single issue did confuse & upset us: Here was the scenario explained to them: - 10 nights of stay - guest A&B stayed for the first 6 days. - guest A alone 7th day - guest A&C the last 3 nights. Told them upfront that 1 guest leaves & another will join later. They charged $27.5/day, admin fee to change a guest name!? This was after suggesting that we cancel with Trip.com & rebook again with the correct names. We told them it doesn’t make sense to do that & it was disappointing that they couldn’t offer any solution to a customer who just gave them 10 days of business & being a Riu Class member loyal to this chain.

We reserved here for ease of pickup for our main event. This trip was planned around a full transit of the canal, which is only offered one Saturday a month with only certain hotels being pick up sites. We got 2 nights in an upgraded room for 18,000 points. We must have had a free night thrown in. We easily walked to El Trapiche and had an interesting Panamanian Feast and drinks. We were there the 18th and left the 20th. We had drinks and food at the hotel. And service was always good, no matter how busy they were. Food and drinks were good. (Cubano at the Cafe was awesome!) Check in was smooth and room was ready early. Everyone we dealt with was professional and friendly and helpful. Check out was a little slow, but you're not in America, so it was fine. You can't handle everything on line. Our pre-arranged transfer was right on time. The room was clean and well equipped. There was a beer (wine and limited liquor) accross the street, as well as a general market for drugstore items and a diner. We didn't go to the diner. There was also a little bar/restaurant right behind the hotel we didn't get to, but wanted to. We went to a couple of bars and the Cafe in the hotel. All were good. We spent all of Saturday on the canal. Such an interesting, historical adventure!

We stayed here for 5 nights to be able to acclimatise to the weather in Panama. We got a room with windows to the floor, which gives a nice touch for the view over the city. The room is ok, spacious, but worn out. Specially the bathroom is in need of a make-over. The beds were mixed, one had a good mattress the other a soft one with a dent in it. Wifi worked very well. Very friendly staff. My main reason for 3 starts is that this hotel advertises itself as adhering to Planet 21, (link to Accor Planet 21 site removed  ) meaning amongst others that they are reducing food waste. Well, have a look at the pictures here and you'll see that a small portion of jelly is in a plastic cup, the abricot jam is in plastic, the butter is in plastic, and the youghurt as well. The third picture shows you the waste after having had breakfast... I know I have a sweet tooth ;) So, not really planet 21...

1) First 3 nights, pool was closed for renovation. Reception said ”No pool available”. Only this, I thought, the pool was completely closed. On the forth day, I saw, guests were swimming. I asked the reception. ”Yes, you can swim”. Why the reception could not inform us only 3 days closed? 2) No towel after cleaning. Also first 3 nights. I thought that the clean team forgot to leave it, but it was not forgetting, but not ready. Towels were delivered around 19:00 first 3 nights. I called the reception every night and they said ”We inform the responsible staff” and waited for hours. Why reception didn't answer ”Towels will be delivered around 19:00 today” or advised us for delay delivering in advance? Then I didn't have to call the reception every day. Anyway, I had to wait to take shower till 19:00. Outside was 30degrees, and I wanted to take a shower immediately. 3) Weak WIFI. WIFI at Reception was with 96 Mbps, however, room at the door was 14 Mbps and at bed, no signal anymore. At desk also 2 Mbps or no signal. It's impossible to watch streaming like Netflix or web meeting. Also no smart TV. 4) My room card key was invalided every day. I had to go to the reception after back to the hotel (Elevator works with valid room card key). If no guests are at the reception, it takes soon, but one day, big group was there, and I had to wait more than 10min or more. I had a take away food, and it was no more warm when I was back to the room. 5) They asked me an advance payment even flex rate booking. They need cash? 6) No refrigerator in a room.

We just came back from a full week here. Check in was a breeze, the front desk agent was very informative and helpful. We got a surprise upgrade to an ocean view room instead of the garden we booked. We live in the Caribbean, so we see Caribbean beaches all the time, but this beach is amazing to watch. The tide is insane! In a good way (not for swimming but it made for good watching haha). So the pros of the hotel: - Very VERY friendly staff. Everyone had a friendly disposition, and always greeted with a smile. The staff definitely carries the resort. - grounds are beautiful and well kept - pools are amazing and one is absolutely huge. - there’s a kids playground that’s always accessible(but bring bug spray and watch for ants!) - we needed covid testing done for travel (our home country still requires them) and the concierge was very helpful at arranging a clinic to come to us to take the samples. Now unfortunately, there are some cons to mention… - housekeeping was inconsistent… room was clean enough, but as you can see in the pictures, there’s mold in the shower and dirt in places that have obviously not been cleaned in a long time. - the pillows on the beds smelled like mold. I was going to request new ones but forgot, and by the third day the scent seemed to have left. - one day we’d get 2 towels, other days 3 and only 2 days of our 7 days we got the correct amount (4). I had to leave a note requesting that. Same issue with the complimentary water you are supposed to get daily… most days we didn’t receive any. Normally not a big deal but since there’s no convenience store nearby or on premises, and we’re not paying 5$ for a bottle of water, this was quite annoying… - nothing in walking distance. No convenience store on premises if you need a water, razor or something like that… - the room was an upgrade, but it had random stains on the walls, rusty shower hinges, and black stains (don’t think it was mold but it did Look terrible!) all around the ac. (See pictures) The toilet seat was broken and moved when you’d sit on it, and the entire toilet door (heavy frosted glass) had its hinges coming out. It was scary, especially since we have kids. We mentioned it to the front desk and they just had someone screw it back in. It proceeded to come out again bit by bit the remainder of our time. - bath robes with holes in them… not exactly the luxurious feeling it’s supposed to represent… - phone Never worked. We mentioned it, were told someone would come check but nobody did. Normally not a problem except we were expecting a call from the testing center. - hotel is nice and quiet unless there’s an event or convention. The last 2 days of our stay it got super busy, and it became clear that the elevators were not enough for the load of people needing them. - restaurant navigation is confusing. There’s a schedule posted in the elevator and at random spots in the lobby indicating which restaurant has breakfast buffet or dinner etc. But 5 out of the 7