Mamallena
- November 13, 2006
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Little Ayun from Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nine bucks a night gets you a (bunk) bed in an air-conditioned room, breakfast, Internet access, and tons of opportunities to pick the brain of the Belgian expat owner about what's worth seeing beyond Panama city. Ask real nicely and he'll give you a ride to the airport for ten bucks, much less than a taxi would cost. The staff is friendly too, and remembered me when I came back for my second stay. Mamallena is in one of the more upscale areas of Panama city, surrounded by fancy hotels and tons of restaurants, clubs and bars. It's also in walking distance from a 24-hour grocery store, which came in very handy after a long evening of barhopping.
Panama City doesn't have a ton of Euro-style backpacker hostels - most hotels are cheap enough that the hassles a dorm-style bed in a crowded hostel isn't worth the money you'd save by staying there. But I've got a soft spot for hostels, not least because they're such a great place for solo travellers to meet people. I stayed at Mamallena because the older and more established hostel on the same block was full the night I arrived, and ended up staying five nights altogether, at the beginning and end of my trip.
Most of the guests were Europeans on round-the-world gap year trips, or Americans on surfing vacations - friendly, up for a party, and happy to share a bottle of whatever you might like to drink.
From journal Last-Minute Trip to Panama