It is a great hotel, beautiful pools and bedroom....the beach is not good at all, durty, dark water and with big waves.

Just returned from the Bristol Buenaventura in Panama and I must say we enjoyed it very much. The Hotel itself is stunning and th beach is lovely. A very romantic location, although a bit hard to get to considering that you need to go about two hours from the airport by car or transport to the hotel. It is quite a contrast with the surrounding area so don't be shocked by what you go through to get there. Once there we were greated warmly. We also received a room upgrade for being members of the Leader's Club, so i recommend joining the club for $100 per year to reap the benefit. we got the $500 room for $325, not bad considering the extra space and the balcony views. The only drawback was that I ate the watermelon and got the stomach bug as a result which ruined one whole day. A word to the wise - Stay away from melon in third world countries! the spa was quite nice for a 60 minute massage and my husband enjoyed going out on a catamaran in the calm pacific for several hours. I also wnet to the complementary yoga classes which were expertly taught by a wonderful Canadian Lady.

What a find!. A beautiful high end resort on the Pacific coast less than 2 hours from Panama City. We used a very efficient english speaking guide/driver called Moses to get to the resort (www.panamaairporttransfer.com). On arrival we were warmly met and given a tour of the resort, which stands on extensive acreage and includes a Nicklaus designed par 72 golf course (soon to be open), riding stables, walking/jogging trail and expensive privately owned villas. The hotel grounds are spectacular with seperate pools for adults and children and an oceanside, very long pool, ideal for swimming laps. The beach is clean with cots and umberallas and has a rental location for water activities.The staff are extremely friendly, helpful and respectful. The property is immaculate. The rooms are large and beautifully furnished.with two sinks in the bathroom and the best linens on the beds. As mentioned in previous reports, the evening menu in the restaurants is somewhat limited, although the breakfast buffet was good. Lunch by the hotel pool or beachside pool is also good and the service is terrific.There are no shopping centres near the resort, but one strip plaza is currenttly under construction nearby. Panama follows the South American school schedule, so be aware that mid-December, January and February is school holiday time and the resort will have many South American families as guests, particularly.at the weekend. (we found a quiet spot by the beachside pool). There is a children's activity program. The weather during our stay was bright sun each day with a high of 92 degrees F and a low of 80 degrees F, with low humidity! (the rainy more humid season is in the fall.) We booked using one of the special offers found on the hotel, LHW and Vituoso web sites. Internet is free.
We will come back.

We stayed at the Bristol Buenaventura for 3 nights after a 2 week drive around Panama. Right from the start the staff was friendly and welcoming and check in was quick and easy. Our king room had a wonderful view of the grounds and ocean and is likely one of the nicest rooms we have stayed in on all of our travels. There was a very nice balcony and it was quiet and relaxing to sit there and enjoy the view. The bed, sheet and pillows were very comfortable and high quality. The morning maid service was great but the night maid was inconsistent and only turned down our room on one night. Because this was a holiday weekend and it was very busy we staying around the hotel pool rather than the beach pool but that was okay and fine for us. Our only criticism is that the food / restaurant variety was very limited and expensive. By the third night we would have welcomed somewhere else and something different to eat. There is a litte coffee and convenience store across the plaza where you can buy snacks, beer, wine, etc.