Plaza Paitilla INN — Hotel in San Francisco

This splendid small (by Panamanian standards) hotel named after the upscale city district in which it is located is perfectly situated close to the shore overlooking the Bay of Panama and the ocean. The signature Panama Canal is just to the west of Paitilla.

The building is undergoing ongoing renovation and refurbishment, but that said, the floors which are open to guests - most of the 18 levels - feature wonderfully spaceous, well equipped, modern rooms. Some offer magnificent waterfront views, especially from the upper floors; others overlook the burgeoning city skyline which, for first time visitors to Panama City, comes as a revelation.

Without doubt, the most memorable part of any stay at the Plaza Paitilla Inn is the ever cheerful, welcoming hospitality of the staff. Capably led by the egregiously outgoing Senor Valencia, the hotel manager, a big, bluff Panamanian hotelier with an always ready smile and a firm handshake, this would also include his senior staff. Senor Edwin, who wears many hats seems to be everywhere at all times ensuring all is running well; Nathalia who keeps an eagle eye on the cheerful, welcoming, efficient staff on the front desk (special mentions to Senor Davi and Kari- Isabelle); Maria who capably oversees the reservations of rooms throughout the hotel and of course Armaan, the grandson of the owners, who is involved in a wide range of varying responsibilities. Most importantly from a guest perspective, is the upgrading of the occasionally erratic, wobbly internet connections in the hotel rooms.

If I had one complaint during my extended stay at the Plaza Paitilla, it would be with this dated WiFi network. However, Armaan has made much progress in this area and promises more to come. Like all the other managers, he is committed to the comfort and speedy and efficient resolution of any guest issues.

The morning breakfast buffet is a highlight of any stay at the Plaza Paitilla Inn. It is marvellously well presented with a broad range of food choices to satisfy most tastes. Being a buffet, guests can fill up on as much as they want. Many do!

The dining room staff, overseen by the efficient Senor Edwin includes the cheerful, hard working Senor Ramon and his colleagues, Ana, Roy, Miracle, Madidi and a whole host of enthusiastic young servers for whom no request is too difficult. They are a wonderful team, and it shows in how smoothly the dining room operates, even in the busiest of times.

I did not visit the dining room at night but from comments by other guests, the level of satisfaction was high.

There is a fairly large swimming ool which can get a bit crowded during periods of high occupancy. Normally, this is not an issue. Comfy reclining chairs, mattresses and pool towels are provided on request by Senor Enrique who will also raise your umbrella, necessary when the hot Panamanian sun shines with full force.

The gym which is open to all boasts a good selection of high quality exercise equipment. In my experience over five months at the hotel, the facility was never crowded or difficult to use. A sauna is under construction and should be open soon.

In sum, this is a brilliant hotel, offering outstanding rooms and other facilities. It is staffed by warm, welcoming, efficient people who genuinely want to ensure that all their guests are well looked after. Highly recommended.

Allan H. Adams....

We rented a Junior Suite on the top floor. Luckily we had great million dollar views of the city and a view of the Pacific Ocean. At one time this hotel was probably the crown jewel of Panama City. Unfortunately, it is a little dated but we still enjoyed our stay. The charm was nice. Our room was really huge with tall ceilings and large amazing windows. We could even get a glimpse of the fireworks on NYE in old town when we opened them.

There are definitely a lot of birds hanging by the pool. In fact, every pool chair literally had bird poop on it. In fact, I got bird poop on my shirt the first day of the year. Doesn't that mean I have good luck all year long? It does make me feel better.

The pool is not great at all. It doesn't get sun until the late afternoon and even then it is partial sun (January). There was a giant New Year's Eve Party which closed down the pool on New Years Eve day. So we made a day trip to the seafood market and old town because of this reason. Then on New Years Day the pool was dirty with New Years hats, masks, horns, broken dreams and decorations. The gym guy had to fish it all out. Finally at 4pm I had to go to the front desk to ask if they could please bring back the lounge chairs. The manager acted surprised that they weren't any out there. I hate having to manage a hotel especially when I don't even work here.

The omelette lady rocks. She killed it. She was very smart to take off New Years Day because the breakfast buffet was slammed with all of the people from the party the night before. The young apprentice cook couldn't keep up with the fresh egg requests. He had two burners but could only make one omelette at a time. I know this cause we got up early to beat the party crowd and he couldn't multitask. At one moment there was 19 people waiting in line to eat fresh made eggs. The buffet had some nice Panamanian food selections like the tamal, steak tacos, boiled butter potatoes and the dry rub pork rib.

The gym was probably the nicest thing at this property. They had an attendant who basically made you sign in. He also gave out the blue pool towels. He basically would sit in there all day and watch his tv shows at full volume. What if I wanted to watch tv? Ha! On the first day I went for a run on the treadmill, he let me struggle to get the machine to work. He then came over and turned the switch on below the treadmill. He immediately pressed my start button as he walked away. What? I know how to hit start. I just didn't know they keep all the electronics switched off. If they really want to save money someone should unplug his tv.

The hotel is old but has a lot of charm. The in room fridge is a decent medium size. We asked for a roll away bed for our daughter and they set up a full twin bed with box spring and legs. That was really nice and not normal when traveling. The air conditioning rocked which is alway good when you have a lot of windows and sun exposure. The million dollar view...

The overall experience in this hotel was fine. The people at the reception gave us a warm welcome, although the bellhop forgot to take our luggage to the room after taking it out of the taxi and putting it on his trolley. This was not that bad after all, as it saved us another $4 on tips.

The room was quite nice and clean with airconditioning and some nice views over the bay (and a wall painting of Messi that unfortunately reminded me of his nasty behavior during the World cup). The two beds are a little small but give you two options: have a nice quiet night with lots of sleep, or have a very cosy night, if you know what I mean. In a country full of waterfalls, you can even find your own in the bathroom, as the shower is very comfortable and makes clear that there isn't any water shortage in Panama.

This hotel is probably a nice place if you take your dog along during your holidays, as dogfood is being served during breakfast. However, maybe even your dog will skip this breakfast buffet. Jokes aside, I honestly expect more dogs have tried it before, as I assume their vomit was collected after eating this breakfast and served as 'scrambled eggs' the day after. If you like to start your day well hydrated, we recommend you to try the yoghurt. The structure of this yoghurt was just as moist as the tears in my eyes while eating this rubbish. If you're more into drinking fresh juices while the sun is rising, save yourself the disappointment and skip the syrup with water which they refer to as 'orange juice'. Drinking seawater from the bay in front of the hotel is maybe even a better option! As they were understaffed, the personnel was incapable of cleaning the tables on time and we had to deal with other people's used plates on a daily basis. It's like you need to take a dump while the guy before you forgot to flush. Having to deal with other people's waste is not a nice experience while starting your day.

The coffee, fruit and cake served at the buffet were manageable and we strongly advise you to only eat/drink this. Or indulge yourself and order an Uber to take you to Casco Viejo. This will save yourself an early morning...