Bambuda Castle — Hotel in Los Naranjos

During my trip I tried out 3 different Bambuda hostels (in dormitories each time). I waited until I'd done all 3 before writing this review.||Here is my personal experience : ||The staff weren't at all rude, but they weren't exactly friendly either. I felt a bit like I was bothering them every time I asked for information. Despite that, they were helpful.|My trip was off-season and I arrived at 11am, so as there's no check-in before 3pm I was left wandering around the hotel (no one offered to put my luggage in storage and I didn't know it was possible, probably my fault for not asking...). When I finally made it to my room, a 6-bed dorm room, I saw that there was only one girl there, who asked me why I was only being shown the bed they were holding, since it had been vacant since the day before (along with 4 other beds). I thought it was a bit silly of them if the bed was already ready, why did they make me wait all that time? The room was very clean as the bathroom (the hot water was a bit tricky but a least there was hot water !) ||The location is simply stunning, it's quiet and restful (both the view and the hotel itself) but as it's out of the way you'll need to take cabs (you can ask reception to call one) which can take a little time and add costs ($4 per trip if you're going downtown). Personally, I preferred to be off-centre so I could enjoy the peace and quiet and the view!||As far as the food was concerned, I thought it was a pity that the restaurant only served wester food, which wasn't really bad, but it wasn't really good either. The restaurant remains friendly enough and convenient if you don't want to cook like me! As far as prices are concerned, nothing shocked me compared with other restaurants across the country.||I recommend this place if you want to chill and relax during your trip! (There's even...

Our family had mixed feelings about our stay since the hotel was under construction, which we did not expect. In our search there appeared to be limited availability, which we assumed was due to high demand, but later saw that it was that many rooms were under construction. We payed full price, almost $400 for one night in what was sold online to be a luxurious experience. However, we checked in at 8pm only to find that there were no curtians on the sliding doors, making the room clearly visible from the outside. Melany from the front desk was apologetic, but it took the staff almost two hours to install the curtains. They apologozed stating that the room was newly constructed. They advertised online that there was wifi and air conditioning, but later found out that those were not working in the room. Melany was understanding of our complaints and encouraged us to speak with management in the morning. If it gad not been 10pm and having no other options, we would had definitely asked for a refund. We cannot deny that the view is stunning, and the breakfast was delicious. However, at times it felt like the staff was not happy to serve us. We spoke with the young lady at the front desk who stated that the manager offered to refund the price of our breakfast. The manager never approached us personally and we simply went on with our day so as to not ruin our experience any longer. Even after the late night we had waiting 2 hours for the curtains, we were only given 30 minutes past check out after we requested some extra time since it took them an hour to serve our breakfast even though we were the only ones in the restaurant that morning. It definitely was not worth the $397 we spent for only one night. It seems that now is not the best time to visit...

Not for Tolkien fans. We stayed here because of the "hobbit house" but it was just a room with a bed and bathroom. Only the outer shape and the wooden floors were reminiscent of a hobbit. No place to store your clothes, very basic feel for luxury prices. Check out hotel Tapasoli in Mexico pictures for more attention to detail (round door, cozy feel, lovely furniture).

Pros: the bathroom was HUGE and with amazing finishes. The gardens were beautiful. The view was unbeatable. If you want a quiet location (which we did) this is a good place, otherwise you'll be quite far from town and will have to take taxis (we had a car). Breakfast was plentiful and reasonably priced. There was a good common room with games and a cozy tv room. Amazing pool area.

Cons: the basic feel of the room, hostel feel with hotel prices. The room works best for a solo traveler otherwise you'll get to be VERY INTIMATE with your partner: the bed is small and the bathroom door has an open window so you can fully hear and smell what they're up to. Garden staff was very noisy (talking) at 9am. Restaurant staff could have been friendlier. The room was very humid due to the hobbit shape and the floor was wet at times (our socks got wet) - a humidifier was provided but it was very noisy. The room felt hot and stuffy despite being in one of the cooler places of Panama.

Note that many of the cons (size of the bed, inside of the room) are indicated when you book so do pay attention and don't get carried away for the hobbit hype.

Overall I think there are better places for this amout of money (or cheaper) in the area, but I am glad...