Eight Days in Panama

Within the Panama City hotel scene, La Estancia represents a unique value at less than $100 per night. Owing to its location in a quiet and scenic residential setting in the Ancon Hill neighborhood, La Estancia attracts a large number of middle-aged travelers – including many North American expats currently residing in other parts of the country. When lounging in La Estancia’s common areas, one gets the feeling that the bed breakfast would cater many of the same people who stay at Luna’s Castle – only 20 years later in life.

La Estancia is a former residence in close proximity to the Panama Canal and Allbrook airport. This affords La Estancia the distinction of providing guests with a peaceful setting against a natural backdrop no more than a short cab ride away from all the sites and activities within Panama City.

The rooms at La Estancia are pleasant, simply, and airy, though a bit on the small side. Ancon Hill is full of local flora and fauna, so it is not uncommon to see a variety of rare birds right outside your window. La Estancia also has two common areas where guests can mingle, complete with two computers for use by the guests.
One drawback of La Estancia’s location is that most dining options are a cab ride, albeit a short one, from the hotel. To offset this inconvenience, La Estancia provides guests a list of menus from local restaurants that deliver to the hotel, as well as a fully stocked fridge of wine and beer for guests to purchase. As a result, it’s not uncommon to find a mix of people enjoying dinner and a drink "in" on one of La Estancia’s terraces.

Overall, La Estancia offers a pleasant experience for travelers who want to stay in Panama City, but at the same time, desire a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the capital city.

Finding a decent value among Panama City hotels is a surprisingly difficult proposition. According to the Aeroperlas (Panama's regional airline) in-flight magazine, the city has the second highest hotel occupancy rate in the world. Keeping this fact in mind, Hotel California is sound option for travelers looking for a single room in Panama's capital city.

The rooms are small, basic, and thoroughly uninspiring. The neighborhood is safe, but slightly off-putting. The staff is not the most hospitable in the country. Nonetheless at around $40 per night, it's not a bad deal in a city where finding midrange value options for hotels is a real challenge.

Our room was clean, the AC and TV worked, and a hailing a cab outside the hotel was very easy. If you are looking simply for a place to rest your head while in the City or simply need a safe, quiet place to sleep before moving on beyond the capital - Hotel California has a lot to offer.

If you are planning to spend a lot of time in your hotel room while in Panama City - and you have the means to do so - you may want to consider some higher end lodging options.

Much more than just a hostel, Luna’s Castle is a nerve center for backpackers in Central America. Housed in a partially renovated mansion in Panama City’s "Casco Viejo" section of town, Luna’s Castle is nearly always full and full of energy. The location is unbeatable, and the staff are extremely knowledgeable. While staying there, expect spontaneous partying in the hostel’s ample common areas to proceed well past midnight. The fun frequently starts up early the next day at 8:00 AM, as early risers help themselves to a self-made all-you-can-eat pancake and banana breakfast.

The common areas have plenty of amenities to keep the Castle’s small army of guests busy – a ping pong table, four computers for personal use, a homemade theatre, and a fridge full of beer ($1/beer, based on the honor system).

There are a number of events that are occasionally organized by the staff, as well as postings about an array of travel options throughout Panama – for example sailing trips to San Blas and Colombia. While there, make sure to pursue their binder of local activities and information. It’s more timely and informative than anything you will find in any of the travel guides, and probably worth the price of admission ($12 for a dorm-style bed) itself.
I didn’t stay in the communal rooms, instead my girlfriend and I stayed in one of the private rooms. The room was small, tight, stuffy, and contained bunk bed comprised of one full and one twin-sized bed (no private bathroom and no hot water). But at $28 per night – in a city where finding value can be a daunting endeavor – the private room represents exceptional value, especially given Luna’s location in Casco Viejo.

Our sole complaint was the lack of communication about the scheduling of Luna’s private rooms. Despite given the impression that we could have a private room for two nights, after one night at Luna’s we were told that on our second night we had to give up the private room (but would be welcome in the dormitory). Incidentally, in our travels throughout the country, we bumped into another couple that had a similar experience regarding the private rooms at Luna’s. So keep this mind if having a private room is important to you and/or your traveling companion.

Aside from this minor issue, if you are looking to connect with other travelers in the Panama City area and enjoy a lively dorm-style environment, it doesn’t get any better than Luna’s Castle.

In virtually any other city, Hotel Plaza Roma would not qualify as decent value. At around $80 per night, the hotel offers basic, small, secure rooms with a TV (about 5 channels in English) in a neighborhood that doesn’t offer many amenities in walking distance. But given the high occupancy rates in Panama City and the surprising lack of mid-range hotel options, Hotel Plaza Roma is worthy of consideration.

Hotel Roma Plaza also has a decent, though overpriced restaurant in the lobby, which seemed to be popular among locals. Additionally, the hotel has a small, though well-maintained pool on the roof.

When making a reservation, make sure to ask for a room with a window. The windowless rooms seemed rather bleak and stuffy, and others on TripAdvisor have reported that these rooms were rather unpleasant.

All in all, Hotel Roma Plaza offers adequate accommodations in a city where good accommodations at a good value are hard to find.