Portobelo Plaza de Las Américas

The hotel and rooms look almost new, and the staff were friendly and helpful. I got there at 5:30 a.m., well before my 4 p.m. check-in, but they welcomed me, took my bags, made coffee, and found me a quiet chair where I could sleep. They had my room ready by 1 p.m. Exceptional service.

I was a hotel guest, but they said I wasn’t a VIP guest, so they wouldn’t let me use the gym. It was empty, but they still turned me away because I hadn’t made a reservation one day in advance.

The location is good, around a seven-minute walk to the beach, though it isn’t the best beach. Still, the price didn’t feel justified. We found San Andrés disappointing in general because nothing seemed worth what it cost. The room needed maintenance, with a broken bathroom sliding door and poorly adjusted air conditioning. You have to book a time to use the gym, and the pool is small with limited hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Breakfast was low in both quality and quantity. I don’t recommend it.

I spent a week here and mostly had a positive experience. The room was a good size and cleaned properly, and breakfast was decent. Most of the staff were friendly, though some at breakfast acted like they wanted to kill you for wasting their time. The pool closes for a full day each week, and everything shuts at 7.