Hotel Vía España

On our second stay, the receptionist was extremely rude. Our rooms were missing both toilet paper and towels.

The internet worked, the shower was hot, and I didn’t get any bites or anything like that. Despite the sketchy feel, it was ultimately safe and clean. The room smelled of cigarettes, though, and there was a blood stain on the sheet. The bed was on wheels, so it creaked and rolled around a lot. Traffic made the location noisy. I chose this hotel for its airport shuttle, but the available times weren’t very useful. For a 7 am arrival, you could be in the lobby at 4:30 am, or wait until 7:30 am for a 9:00 am arrival. In good traffic, the cab ride takes 30 minutes and costs $30. A homeless person hassled me as soon as I arrived. I’d apparently dropped $2 in change, and he kept asking me for $5 to give it back.

The shuttle they advertised wasn’t running. When I arrived at Tocumen, the transportation company’s staff told me they no longer worked with this hotel, so I had to pay for a taxi. I asked for my money back, but was told to speak with the supervisor, who wasn’t there and supposedly wouldn’t arrive until later. I was only in Panama for one day, so I had no time to come back and pursue a refund or go to the police or another authority. The rooms were nothing like the simple but clean ones in the online pictures. I was shown two, and both had worn furniture, stained beds with hairs, humidity marks on the walls, and a stale smell. Avoid this hotel at all costs.

It was okay, not bad.