Calling all Hotel Mavens. We write about hotels all day long and you wanna know something? We're so sick of ourselves! We wanna hear your hotel stories for a change. We love it when you comment under stories and we love it when you comment on hotel pages. We also love it when you send us in-depth reviews to our inbox.
So keep sending us your stories! If we like your review, we'll even publish it. Now, here's a review from Hotel Maven KerryV who wrote in about her recent hotel stay in Panama. Enjoy.
Hotel Cala Mia, as seen from the boat.
Cala Mia had all the potential to be one of those places that doesn't live up to the expectations. Fortunately, we didn't have many; sure, the website looks great, but we've lived through enough internet scams to judge a resort by its website.
Yet Cala Mia lives up to its promise, and even better, is a great value. Everything - from the paths that connect the bungalows to the main cabin, to the hand-made furniture and open bathroom in the guest bungalows - is conscious of the tropical island setting. (It's also eco-conscious in an island-resort kind of way; there's solar power, but all trash is burned - which is probably better than hauling it across the water to a landfill.)
Yesterday we ran a short review of The Bristol in Panama's capital city, including a celeb spotting of James Bond boss Judy Dench. Today we have a video tour of room 806.
Rooms on the 8th floor are the prime ones as they have the best view of the surrounding Panama City high-rises and the even numbered ones face the Pacific Ocean in the distance. Plus they have ceilings that stretch up to some 25 feet. This room even has a fax machine and a CD stereo. Enjoy!
Our first clue that The Bristol in Panama City, Panama is the hot place to stay was the brand new Masarati parked out front. Our second clue was sitting down to check in and finding ourselves chatting with Judy Dench, who was checking out.
The famed actress was in town for a week shooting her Q role for the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. (Funny enough, that portion of the film is actually supposed to take place in Haiti, so the Panamanians are not too thrilled.) Being the Oscar-winning lady she is, Ms. Dench won raves from the staff for her graciousness and lack of midnight diva demands.
A HotelChatter tipster recently back from a vacation in Panama has given us the tip that the La Coralina is a delightful place to stay, with hospitable staff and beautiful rooms.
Interestingly, most recent guests would agree with her, but a few have the opposite opinion: one disgruntled guest wrote "We fled this dump as soon as we could get a taxi" and another "I have stayed at many resorts but this one is one of the worst run I have encountered in years". It seems that the La Coralina is a place you either love or hate.
From the lovers' side, they mention good food, beautiful views and the owner, Stacy, is always available to provide ideas for excursions--it's only a five-room and two suite resort so there are no organized activities.
We were excited to see that La Coralina has just started up its own blog, but we mean just, like three days ago, and there's just one post so far, an artistic grid full of photos. We hope to see some blogging action there in the future.
Room rates are reasonable as you'd expect for a relatively isolated spot in Panama: starting from $40 for a double room "hidden behind the outdoor movie screen" and rising to $125 per double for the ocean suite or garden suite.
HotelChatter reader Lisa sent us this photo taken from her bed at the Al Natural Resort on Bastimentos Island in Panama.
The resort in Bocas del Toro is open from July to April and features six bungalows along the beach made by the Ngobe-bugle Indians. It's also an eco-resort that uses solar power yet you can still get a fairly modern bathroom with a hot water shower, all for about a $100 a night. That said, just keep in mind you are pretty much roughing it here. As one recent guest said:
I think that it is fair to say up front that this place is not for everyone. There is a chance of being devoured by bugs, you will be sharing your bed with lizards etc. and you must have an appreciation for raw nature.
If you can handle that, the place gets rave reviews for its beautiful scenery, nearby snorkeling and jungle explorations, charming European hosts who cook for you and the late-night whiff of something else that's very green.
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by juliana
