Bambuda Santa Catalina

I’ve already told all my friends visiting Panama to stay here. The sunset views from the rooms and around the pool are breathtaking, and the shared spaces are roomy and comfortable for relaxing. My room was spotless, spacious, and beautifully put together with a modern feel. The service was outstanding, and I absolutely loved the experience.

The rooms are clean and modern, and the bar and pool area with hammocks has a lovely, laid-back feel. It’s also a short walk to the beach for surfing. Service was consistently poor during the several days we stayed. Food and drinks took a long time, and the staff didn’t seem to care about helping. We ordered breakfast ahead one morning because we had a tour, but it came an hour late and made us late for it.

Best value dorm in the area. The rooms were clean, with air conditioning, privacy curtains, and a towel, and the ocean view brings some great sunsets. The pool and pool bar are great too. There’s no kitchen, but the hotel restaurant is good value, and it’s an easy walk to local bars, cafes, and restaurants. I booked the snorkeling tour when I arrived and highly recommend it. It visits four spots, then Coiba National Park island, and includes lunch and hotel pickup. The staff were excellent, especially Michael. The woman who checked me in seemed to stop listening when I asked about the tour, but Michael got it sorted.

The design, music, and food at Bambuda really hit the right notes for me. The properties are beautiful in both locations, and the menus were very good. The lounge seating is limited for the number of rooms, though. At Bambuda Santa Catalina, getting a pool lounger, or one by the ocean at Bambuda Bocas Town, wasn’t possible unless that was your main plan for the day. There were also no small washcloth-sized towels in the rooms, which I found odd. At Bocas, the self-serve water fountain was great. In Santa Catalina, staff told us to ask the bar to fill our bottles. I felt bad asking and hope the hotel explains whether tap water is drinkable or adds a self-serve station. We stayed in the king ocean suite at Bambuda Bocas Town and the queen ocean room at Bambuda Santa Catalina. Both places were lovely in their design and construction. At both, though, service at the restaurant and front desk was the worst we had in Panama. The staff were nice, but seemed poorly trained, and other travelers we spoke with felt the same. It was discouraging, so we mostly thought of the hotels as places to sleep. We found better service elsewhere for food and tourism. Still, since we didn’t stay at other properties in the area, these places may offer more than some alternatives. If good service, a common-area seat by the pool or ocean, or help arranging tours aren’t priorities, the properties look like the photos and you may really enjoy your stay. We read the book written by the owners and appreciate their vision and work. They brought a beautiful vibe to Panama that travelers with different budgets can enjoy, and it must have taken grit and tenacity to get these properties going. I’d love to return and see how they’ve grown. With more staff training and a few tweaks, the hotel chain could be excellent. Thank you both.