Editor Pick
Service, Service, Service!
- April 2, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Tleonard458 from Ottawa, Ontario
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..
Mil Gracias Balboa Inn
- February 21, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
TinaChica from Toronto, Ontario
We stayed 3 days at Balboa inn at the beginning of our 2 week stay in Panama. We had read great things on Trip Advisor and were not disappointed.
Thorwald & Gina are great people and were really, really helpful in answering any questions we had about getting around in Panama City and nearby attractions. The were especially helpful in sorting out hotel stays and flight arrangements to Kuna Yala (San Blas)
Our room was small but comfortable and kept spotlessly clean. The breakfast bufffet was extensive and with different daily specials each day.
The neighborhood is very nice and safe with lots of trees and birds.
We felt at home straight away and that feeling stayed the same throughout our stay.
Thanks for helping to make our time in Panama so memorable!
Great New Bed & Breakfast
- August 18, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
scott_ingels from New York, New York
We found this recently renovated, Dutch-managed Bed & Breakfast thanks to the recommmendation of fellow travelers.
If you are looking for a friendly, comfortable (private bathrooms, nice garden, terrace, wifi, airconditioning, etc.) and conveniently located inn, check out the Balboa Inn.
It's close to the Amador Causeway, Casco Viejo and - very useful - the domestic airport in Albrook. The neighborhood is safe and quiet and very green.
The American breakfast was excellent but seeing 4 tucans jump by when you are eating your eggs, that was simply awesome.
The staff helped us extensively planning some trips and their insider knowledge was very useful. In short, highly recommmended. The website is www.thebalboainn.com.