Selina Casco Viejo Panama City & Cowork
Selina Casco Viejo Panama City & Cowork things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Oh boy, where do I even begin with Selina ? Let's start with the positives - the view is absolutely perfect. I mean, who doesn't love staring out into a dark alleyway with a couple of flickering streetlights? The view of Panama City is simply breathtaking. From the towering skyscrapers to the glittering lights of the city at night, it's a sight to behold. Now, let's move onto the speaker quality. To be honest, I'm pretty sure the speakers are just a couple of tin cans connected by a piece of string. But hey, who needs clear audio when you can just yell "WOOO!" at the top of your lungs and pretend like you know the lyrics to every song? As for the actual night out, it was okay. Not great, not terrible, just...okay. The drinks were decent (if you're into watered-down, not overpriced cocktails), and the company was...well, let's just say I've had more stimulating conversations with a wall. And of course, let's not forget the entrance fee. Is it worth it? Eh, maybe if you're feeling particularly masochistic that night. But honestly, you're better off just taking that money and buying a case of beer to drink alone in your apartment while binge-watching Netflix. if you're looking for a night of mediocre fun, Selina is the place for you. Just don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed.
Süleyman Celik
00
Beware the rooms are in much worse condition than advertised and than their photos depict on their site - upon arrival and being given a room I was shocked to see the state of it and that they consider this normal to accommodate people: The floors where dirty and in damaged condition. The curtains were stained in almost every location and did not appear to be washed/replaced despite clearly being dirty. A random sock was on the floor (I assume from a previous guest) that was left there. There was mold on the wall/ceiling. The walls were smudged with dirt/grime in various places. There was no way to control the AC (the front desk person told me that there should have been a remote however there was no remote to be found anywhere in the room). There was only one wall outlet in the whole room and one of the plugs was taken by the desk lamp, so if you have more than 1 thing you need to plug in you're out of luck. No closets dressers for your stuff. The shared bathrooms were in horrible conditions, all of which have loose faucets, dirty shower floors, and mold as well from all the moisture. Upon mentioning this to the staff, I was told that this is the "style" of Selina and that basically it was all normal. I get that this is a hostel and not an upscale hotel, but regardless the rooms should still be in livable/hospitable conditions, because as it was they more resembled a homeless shelter or jail cell than a place of accommodation. They offered me another room which was only mildly better than my initial one. Needless to say, I only stayed one night and found an AirBnB nearby for the remainder of my stay. However they refused to refund me the remainder of the 5 nights (I booked 6 nights total), saying that because I booked through a 3rd party (Agoda) that I would need to contact them instead. I did so, and Agoda tried to get in touch with them but they ignored Agoda and Agoda was never able to get a hold of them. Thus, the crooks never even gave me a partial refund. Avoid unless you're prepared for disappointment! Can find a much nicer AirBnB in the area and for about the same.
Igor Onipko
00
This is a backpackers party hostel in all aspects. You should expect that. The property is very poorly managed. It's dirty and almost everything you touch is broken. Some things you should know 👇 - You need to pay extra for the coworking space. It's $10/day. - The WiFi is not good (on floors 4 and 5). It cuts out frequently. However, when it does work you get around 20-40 mbps, which is not bad. - Expect everything to be broken!! Literally everything. Some examples from our stay: the towel rack was broken, the toilet handle was broken, the sink faucet was broken unless you jiggled it, the lamps didn't have bulbs in them, the chess board in the common area was missing pieces, the gas stoves don't work, lightbulbs burnt out in different areas. (see photos attached for some examples). - The kitchen is improperly stocked. It's hard to find the utensils you need. There's barely any pots. It's filthy all the time because they rarely send cleaners in there. Only two of the stovetops work, the rest are broken. See attached photos for the cleanliness of the kitchen when we arrived. - The luggage room doesn't actually lock. Your luggage is not safe in there. - The rooms are not secure. There is no safe, and the simple wooden doors can be broken into very easily with a butter knife. Your stuff isn't safe. Additionally, since there's a Taco restaurant upstairs, almost anyone can walk into the building and access the floor where your room is. - It's extremely loud. The taco restaurant plays loud music until 11pm (current curfew in Panama City) and sometimes later. The doors on the suites don't block any sound. You can hear your neighbour clearly at 8:00am when they wake up to take a shower. The only good thing I will say is that the manager Jess is quite responsive to feedback, this is why the review is 2 stars instead of 1. Unfortunately, the place has a long ways to go, maintenance wise. My advice: Book a properly managed hotel room.
Benji Visser
00
When we arrived, we were excited to enjoy our stay, however during our three nights a few issues began to reveal themselves. We arrived in the morning, so we simply locked our bags in a storage room accessed from the lobby. To our surprise, the locks on the storage door were not functioning properly - they did not lock! We were a bit nervous to leave our valuable as anyone could simply access the room. Out of options, we simply took a chance and left our valuables in the storage room. When we were able to get our room in the afternoon, slightly earlier than the 3pm check-in time. When we got to the suite entry door, we were met with a similar condition to the storage room on the ground floor. The lock to the suite room functioned, however it was a low quality lock and handle, and we felt rather insecure. We left early one morning to take a ferry to a nearby island. When we awoke at 5:30am, we noticed the electrical power was out for the building, which meant the elevators were not functioning. Taking the stairs was fine, however all the stair exit doors are locked shut at the ground floor and can only open with a key. We walked up and down different sets of stairs until we found one route that lead us back into the elevator lobby on the ground floor, where we were able to get out of the building. Should this have been an actual fire, we would have had to break down the stair exit doors to get outside. Beyond the negative, they have a great rooftop patio. The view is great, and it is significantly larger than any rooftop patio nearby. The bar on the ground floor has a good "happy hour" deal. The food was satisfactory, but for a nice meal, feel free to try the restaurants nearby instead.
Jason Fung
00
Another bad stay at the Selina. The overall vibe of the place is buzzing, a trendy backpackers hostel where travelers from all over the world can converse in a wonderful decorated rooftop bar. Unfortunately I’m not reviewing a bar, I’m reviewing a hostel, a place to call home for a few days, a place to wake up feeling well rested and a place to relax, so, when the price for a private room is comparable to much higher market hotels, like Novo and the Westin, that is exactly what I would expect from the Selina. This was not the case… We were greeted to a small room with a leaking AC unit that dripped all night whether it was turned on or off. If the monotonous dripping didn’t keep me awake then the accompanying splashes of water to the face did. The next day we returned to the hostel and when I went to use the shared bathroom I was surprised to find it completely dismantled, I also got paint up my entire left side when I leaned against the wall. Maintenance was redecorating and nobody thought to let us know or put a sign on the door to warn us. When we spoke to reception about these issues we received a dismissive ‘there’s nothing we can do’ without apology and were told to ‘use another bathroom’ which was significantly further from our room and often occupied as there was now twice as many people sharing the same bathroom. We stayed here because Selina compensated us with voucher after a previous bad experience, so we decided to give them a second chance by staying at this Hostel. Needless to say they won’t receive a third chance. I advise you spend less money on a nicer hotel and maybe come here to drink and socialize.
Dominic Carr
00
Not a good hostel at all. Would never come again and would change hostel if I wouldn’t have paid before. Dirty and wet sheets with yellow stains, water leaks in the hallway, dirty and broken bathroom - pictures attached. We stayed in a standard double room. First we got a very small one that smelled heavily like mold. We then changed rooms to a bigger one, which was better but still had serious issues with water leaks and humidity and therefore mold. I’m not an expert but it screams health issues to me. Our friends room heavily smelled like deodorant evaporated from the AC - they clearly want to cover the mold smell. Only cash. The hostel offers a cinema which isn’t working if you ask for it. Yoga class wasn’t happening when we were there. The free walking tour was a guide literally reading out loud the signs that are put up across the city, which I think you don’t need a guide for. The AC in the entrance and the breakfast area is so cold you can’t stay there longer than 10 mins. The hostel has good reviews due to the rooftop which is actually not part of the hostel but its own restaurant. It is expensive with little portions but tasty. The view is great. Music on the weekend is so load in the rooms, you think you sleep in the party. During the week it’s ok. The area in Santa Ana is nice and walking distance to the main sights of the old town. !!! I’m unable to write a review on Hostelworld as they seem to have closed down the review function entirely!!!
Sarah B
00
Nearby Attractions Of Selina Casco Viejo Panama City & Cowork
France Square
Pacific Lookout
Plaza Simón Bolívar
Panama Canal Museum
Tántalo Hotel / Kitchen / Roofbar
Plaza V Centenario
Plaza Herrera
Plaza 5 de mayo
Mi Pueblito
National Theatre

France Square
4.6
(3.6K)
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Pacific Lookout
4.6
(3.4K)
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Plaza Simón Bolívar
4.6
(1.8K)
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Panama Canal Museum
4.6
(1.4K)
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Nearby Restaurants Of Selina Casco Viejo Panama City & Cowork
Mercado De Marisco Cinta Costera
CasaCasco
La Pulpería - Casco Antiguo
La Rana Dorada Casco
Lazotea Restaurant & Rooftop
San Felipe Neri Public Market
La Fishería Seafood
Fonda Lo Que Hay
En La Fonda, Panamá
Cevichera La Bendición

Mercado De Marisco Cinta Costera
4.2
(5.5K)
$$
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CasaCasco
4.5
(2.1K)
$$$
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La Pulpería - Casco Antiguo
4.9
(1.9K)
$$
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La Rana Dorada Casco
4.6
(1.6K)
$$
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Basic Info
Address
C. 12 Este, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
Map
Phone
+507 6524-1630
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Reviews
Overview
4.4
(1.3K reviews)
Ratings & Description
attractions: France Square, Pacific Lookout, Plaza Simón Bolívar, Panama Canal Museum, Tántalo Hotel / Kitchen / Roofbar, Plaza V Centenario, Plaza Herrera, Plaza 5 de mayo, Mi Pueblito, National Theatre, restaurants: Mercado De Marisco Cinta Costera, CasaCasco, La Pulpería - Casco Antiguo, La Rana Dorada Casco, Lazotea Restaurant & Rooftop, San Felipe Neri Public Market, La Fishería Seafood, Fonda Lo Que Hay, En La Fonda, Panamá, Cevichera La Bendición

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