Description: Balboa Inn
Three generations of my family spent four nights at the Balboa Inn in Panama City, Panama. Everyone of all ages was pleased with the trip. The owners and staff (especially Thorwald and Gina) were flat-out incredible; some of the most well-informed, friendly, courteous, and helpful people we have ever had the pleasure to work with anywhere in the world. Gina and Thorwald helped us plan and coordinate all our tourist activities by email prior to our arrival, and handled changes of plans quickly and smoothly in country.
The inn’s location is in a quiet, safe residential area at Ancon Hill (Cerro Ancón) in Balboa. There are a cafeteria-type restaurant, playground, and small store within walking distance. All the tourist attractions we wanted to visit were within a convenient 5-15 minute drive.
The murals throughout the inn are gorgeous. The rooms are works in progress, but clean and efficient. The quiet in-room fan and air-conditioning are operated with remote controls. The bathroom fixtures are European, including dual-flush water conserving toilets. The ensuite, private showers are hot and plentiful. Every room has a safe. Some rooms have televisions, and there is another television in the lounge. The wireless internet is quick and free. The inn has a refrigerator for guests to store cool drinks, medications, or leftovers.
The breakfast was saved by the cooked to order eggs (served with a side of ham, cheese, or sausage some days). Other offerings included cereals and milk; yoghurt; coffee, tea, and two juices; butter, jams, and peanut butter; fresh fruits; and two types of breads or rolls. When we had to leave too early to enjoy breakfast, the staff kindly brewed coffee and put out some food items ahead of time for us. The service was truly top quality and above and beyond. Unfortunately, if we came down to breakfast later, some of the food items were already wilting in the heat and did not appear fit to eat.
Do not rent a car from the nearby domestic airport, especially not Avis or Budget. Use a rental agency at the main, international Tocumen airport instead.
The only negatives during our stay were the language barrier and the inn’s construction status. We do not speak Spanish, and neither of our otherwise wonderful private drivers (Alex and Gabriel) spoke much English. At the inn, an English-speaking staff member was only available on Mondays through Fridays from approximately 9:00 a.m. to about 4:00 p.m. As the inn is not yet finished, some rooms had no hooks or shelves anywhere to hang anything up or set anything down. There was nowhere to put the soap or washrag in the shower. These are, however, easily corrected deficiencies..
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