Description: When Panamanians want to visit Las Vegas, they don’t need a plane ticket to get there. They just head over to the Veneto Hotel and Casino in downtown Panama City. It is the closest that one can get to Vegas without leaving the country. Although there are numerous casinos in Panama City, the Veneto dwarfs the other ones in size and prestige.
The Veneto is located within downtown at the corner of Avenida Morales and Via Veneto in Panama’s financial and banking district. My one drawback to the hotel is getting there. There are so many one way streets and traffic congestion can be such a major problem that it becomes frustrating because you can see the hotel but cannot get there. There is no self parking at the hotel. All parking is valet and it is complimentary, which is something that I hardly ever see at a hotel of this caliber.
The hotel has 301 rooms and eighteen suites on seventeen floors. The guest rooms begin on the eighth floor and the elevators are controlled by your room key. You can only access the floor that your room is located on, so don’t forget your room key. The rooms are very spacious. The rooms are equipped with either a queen bed or two double beds. There is a work desk with high speed internet and power converters for international guests. Some rooms may have a sofa or two chairs making up the living room. The bathroom has marble countertops and an oversize walk-in shower. The room also has a flat screen television with most channels in English. If you need to dial internationally, I found this hotel to be the cheapest. Rates to the US cost $1.50 a minute as compared to $3 in some of the other hotels I stayed in.
The price of the rooms are reasonable, somewhere in the range of $135-155. They offer AAA, military, and senior citizen discounts. The Veneto is a Wyndham Resort and is part of the Wyndham Rewards program. Points can be used toward your stay giving you a free night.
The seventh floor of the hotel is a public access floor not requiring a room key. This floor contains all of the business meeting rooms as well as the business center. In the business center, there are about six or seven computers with internet access. It stayed busy as most people used these computers to chat online and would spend hours at the computer. If you need quick internet access to check email, there are two computers in the hotel lobby with a ten minute time limit. Also on this floor are the spa, sauna, fitness center, as well as an outdoor pool. One of the five restaurants at the hotel, Bamboo Spa Pool Bar, is located near the pool. It offers sandwiches and salads where guests can eat on the terrace or at the pool. Reservations are not required.
The hotel has four other dining options to suit your personal taste. Reservations are required at the New York Steakhouse where chefs serve up the best in quality steaks. The restaurant is located in the lobby just to the left of the guest services desk. There is a dress code for this restaurant. For those craving Italian, the Vivaldi is considered the best in Panama and is also located in the hotel lobby. Reservations are not required but highly recommended and there is a dress code. The La Fontana Sushi Lounge serves just what the name implies. Most of the people though just grab a drink and watch one of the many sports events on its flat screen televisions. If you prefer something quick and American, the Bet ‘n Win Sports Café is a good choice. Located on the second floor in the casino, it offers appetizers and burgers. It is very cheap compared to the other restaurants in the hotel. If none of those restaurants are appealing or you want something more Panamanian, Via Argentina, which is a few blocks away and within walking distance, offers some great authentic Panamanian food.
For those looking to gamble, you have come to the right place. The entire second floor is filled with slots machines, craps, blackjack, poker, and roulette. There are a lot of computerized versions of blackjack, poker, and roulette. For the high rollers, the casino offers a private room. As with all casinos, it never closes and you will not find a clock anywhere. Place your bets and roll the dice.
The hotel is definitely not for families as those under 18 are not allowed in the casino. The hotel does offer many amenities and a wide selection of different restaurants, making it where you don’t have to leave the hotel if you don’t want to. As someone who doesn’t really gamble, other than playing the penny slots, it was an average hotel, but if you are a gambler, than this hotel is for you.
Close