HotelChatter - Tag: Panama Hotels

Panama City: Come To Panama For The Canal, Stay for the Cool Hotel Art

ASchechter — 2012-02-13T09:10:02-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/GamboaBirdArt.jpg" class="top">It's been two weeks since we returned from Panama, but still we find ourselves <del>flipping</del> clicking through our photos from the trip and letting out tiny sighs. One thing we loved about almost every hotel we visited was all the cool lobby art on displayall of which had a great way of summing up the look and feel of each property. Inside the lobby at Gamboa Rainforest Resort, there's so much animal art, it feels like the safari's begun before you even setting foot in the rainforest! In addition to banners embroidered with frogs and butterflies hanging from the ceilingnot to mention some beautiful metal sculptures of birds poised in mid-flightwe loved this intricate metalwork on the railings,

Gamboa: Who Needs A Club Lounge When Your Hotel Has Its Own Mini Library?

ASchechter — 2012-02-09T09:12:54-05:00

Wandering around Gamboa Rainforest Resort in Panama recently, we were excited to discover the hotel had its own private library, accessible via a small staircase leading up from the lobby.

Which is, in many ways, far superior to the usual "VIP" club lounge experience. For starters, all guests are welcome, it's always quiet and peaceful, and you can actually educate yourself about your surroundings with bookshelves full of texts on Panamanian history and wildlife. Plus, it kind of reminded us of the library scene from Beauty and the Beast—except way smaller. And in the middle of a rainforest.

Check out our photos after the jump!

Punta Pacifica: Inside a Room at Trump Ocean Club in Panama

ASchechter — 2012-02-06T09:48:55-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/TrumpPanama.jpg" class="top">Because the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Trump+Ocean+Club+International+Hotel+%26+Tower/local/4809">Trump Ocean Club</a> in Panama is built onto a coastal (and relatively affluent) strip of the city known as Punta Pacifica, there is a strange feeling here that you're surrounded by nothing except wateralmost like you're staying at a resort. And that's exactly the impression you're supposed to have. The building's butterfly design (which can also look like a "sail fully deployed in the wind," depending on where you're standing) allows for all of the rooms to at least partially face the ocean. Of course, certain views are more head-on than others. Last week, we showed you a little design quirk hidden inside the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/1/31/91323/6604/hotels/Men_Get_A_Little_Something_Extra_In_The_Bathrooms_at_Trump_Ocean_Club">mens bathrooms</a>. Now, for a look at the actual rooms.

Gamboa: Inside a Suite At Gamboa Rainforest Resort

ASchechter — 2012-02-02T09:15:01-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/GamboaRoom.jpg" class="top">What's it like shacking up in the middle of the rainforest for a few days? Not as bad as you'd think! The independently-owned Gamboa Rainforest Resort went up 12 years ago, and was built as a way for visitors to experience the rainforest of Panama, while still enjoying all the luxuries of a full-service hotellike tiled bathrooms, a Club Lounge, and air conditioning. Technically, the resort isn't too, too far from civilizationit's only about a 45-minute drive from Panama City. But by the look (just trees and rivers for miles), feel (kinda woodsy), and sound of it (birds!), you'd think you were in it for the long haul. And that's just how owner Herman Bern wanted it: "The

Panama City: Do Yourself A Favor and Make It An Ocean View At Westin Playa Bonita

ASchechter — 2012-02-01T09:28:50-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/61268/WestinOceanView.jpg" class="top">You're checking into your hotel. You're tired from the trip, yet excited to be somewhere new, yet disoriented by the unfamiliar sceneryoften all at once. Without your wits about you, how are you supposed to determine which side of the building to request to get the best room view? Well, in the case of <a href="">Westin Playa Bonita</a>, let us point you in the right direction: between two options (Rainforest view and Ocean view), always, always pick the Ocean view. We were lucky enough to get given a room with an Ocean view right off the bat. And sure enough, one of the first things we did upon entering our room was rush over to our balcony, slide