Panama Sarah's Casitas on Paseo La Yeguala — Hotel in Panamá Oeste

The booking process was easy. The shuttle service was v.g. and courteous. The manager was nowhere to be found upon arrival. The house/office appeared empty except for the barking dogs. The owner did not Whatsapp us, as promised, with arrival details and which casita was ours for our stay. There was no note left on the door outlining our accomodation set aside for our stay. Nothing provided. We feared that we were not expected as there was no one to greet us Fortunately the taxi driver seemed familiar with this lax behaviour and he helped us narrow down our casita and gain access. The proposed cleaning fee ($35usd) that the prior guest likely paid seems outrageous considering the state our casita was in upon arrival. The floor corners were dirty with spider webs and critter carcasses everywhere. The eating utensil drawer was alive with ants and small insects, plus the utensils were scungey and unappetizing. We had had a long day of travel and were hungry and just wanted to relax. We headed directly to the pool and were greeted by multiple mounds of dog poop that were wafting over the seating area. Nasty. We had our swim and headed back to the casita. The bed was large but uncomfortable and the a/c worked well. The outside porch was filthy and the rocking chairs were v.uncomfortable as were the kitchen chairs. Obviously the yard and pool were not cleaned our arrival day as the dogs were locked up in the house so pooping was in place before manager left for the day. The pool was leaf and insect riddled and cleaned mainly by the guests. The pool chairs seats were rotten and not sufficient number for all guests at the same time. But the worst complaint of all was the 3 dogs that roamed the property freely pooping any and everywhere. The poop was left where deposited for 2-4 days at a time so obviously not cleaned up on a regular basis rather than the 5 minute poop patrol professed by the owner. I was so disgusted with the dog mess in the pool area that I cleaned up the poop with a dustpan and left it at the laundry area, in the pan, hoping it would embarass the manager and she would step up the cleaning. No, I was wrong. It had no effect. In fact the dustpan poop stayed there for 2 more days. The dogs barked in a frenzy at anything moving on the street, pedestrians,the trees or vehicles using the road or making deliveries. I am sure they did not develop that habit since we arrived. The barking started at 6 am and went on until 10:30 pm with occasional sessions mid night. I complained to the owner, who was on vacation out of country, who quickly responded and contacted the manager to remedy the dogs. The manager did make change, but 2 days later we were back to the pre-complaint days. I guess the owner does not carry the sway or intimidation she thinks she does. Things stayed that way for the rest of our stay- not satisfactory. In the website rules under which guests register it states dogs are welcome but their behaviour and nuisance problems including cleaning up their poop and barking is the owner's responsibility. That should also apply to the landowner who would be setting a good example. These 3 dogs live here. I don't know if they belong to the manager or owner- same problem, same remedy. Apparently the owner thinks I didn't complain often enough. Huh? I think she didn't fulfill her responsibilities properly. If I could have had a deep cleaning by complaining, then why did she not do a pre-inspection to our arrival and do the deep cleaning that was necessary. After all she charged the prior client a cleaning fee. The fee is for cleaning after the rental period not upon arrival. Priorities are sorely missing. Instead of asking clients to write a puffpiece review looking for a pat on the back and a participation trophy, she should be diligently ensuring the clients are receiving value. not trying to denigrate anyone that dares to tell things...

December 2018 was our first visit to Panama. We researched places to stay in Coronado and found Panama Sarah’s casitas. We made the right choice and now have a lifetime of fantastic memories of this adventure and of Sarah, Scotty and the other casita guests. We met Panamanians who were very helpful everywhere we visited. From the moment we booked our casita, Sarah was right on the ball with contacting us about our plans and needs during our stay. Her concierge services are outstanding. She helped us arrange transportation from the airport and back with Pedro (glad we did…you don’t want to rent a car and try finding your way out of Panama City on your early visits)! She has a golf cart available for rental to get around the neighborhood and even to Reyes, one fine grocery store. She then helped us rent a car in Coronado for the remainder of our stay. The day of our arrival was hectic. Our driver, Pedro, stopped so we could get some groceries and then took us to the casita. By that time, it was too late to cook, plus we were tired. No worries. Sarah had everything under control. She and Scotty took us with them to Picasso’s for dinner where we joined other couples and expats. Picasso’s is a hopping place. Vendors come on Tuesday mornings and you get to meet other expats from around the world; happy hour is every day; karaoke on Wednesdays; oh, and did we forget to mention, the food is great! After a good night sleep, more fun began. The casitas and Sarah’s property are beautiful. Once you’re sitting out by the pool watching and listening to the waterfall, snoozing in a hammock, talking to other guests, seeing an iguana or two, it’s hard to leave to do anything else! But we did. We took a short walk to the beach where we both experienced black sand (actually volcanic ash) and when it mixes with regular sand, and the tide goes in and out, the marbleized designs the two sands create are breathtaking! Guests can also hitch a ride into town for groceries with Sarah or Scotty. She even let us take her car to town. When you meet this couple, you’ll feel like you’ve known them forever…like friends from back home. Another fun experience was when we and another couple went to the town of Anton for mud baths. What an experience that was! We even brought a container of mud back to the States! We learned so much about life in Panama and relocating just in our everyday conversations with Sarah. The woman is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge! We’d go back in a heartbeat and are looking forward to relocating by the end of 2019! Enjoy your stay!

Marty & Sharon Juarez Hot Springs...

Sarah’s review: We love Panama Sarah! We just stayed at Panama Sarah’s Casitas for a personal record 5th time in January 2023! Coronado is a perfect winter retreat for folks from Pennsylvania, like my wife Pat and me. We are retired and we usually spend at least a week in Coronado whenever when we visit Panama. Sarah’s is perfect for us! For us it is one of the most relaxing places we have ever stayed, among many, in over a decade of visits to Panama. We love the Casitas – they are airconditioned, kitchenette units that meet our basic needs. We usually do breakfast and lunch, or microwave leftovers in the casita. They are basically tropical tourist cabins. There is a covered outdoor BBQ area outdoors for guests, too. We usually go out for dinners. There are lots of restaurant choices in the area, that are close by cab or car. The best part of Sarah’s for us is her beautiful and landscaped yard and pool. They are as beautiful as they appear in the video! The property also has wonderful little landscaped nooks for quiet reading or napping. The local beaches are an easy walk. We have also met a host of people at Sarah’s whose company we have enjoyed, or not (see “nooks” above). Life at Panama Sarah’s is an unscripted tropical get away place at it’s best for us. If you are visiting Coronado for the first time, Sarah or Casita Manager Diana can help you regarding shopping, local services, cabs, car rental, airport transportation, car rentals, (or anything else) about, or...