We knew the resort was far from the airport, so we arranged to use Road Runner Transportation.From the time we landed until we got to the resort was 5 hours! The bus took a route that stayed out of the traffic. We got caught in a traffic jam and arrived the same time as the bus. My advise would be to take the bus there and use Road Runner for the return to the airport only. Resort was ok, yes there is alot of walking but when you eat and drink all day the walking was great. Food was ok, you wont starve or gain any weight! Trip was ok but will not go back.

This resort was absolutlely beautiful. The beach went on for miles and the ocean was warm. Tons of swimming pools to chose from. 8 different restaurants which were all delicious. Very lush and green, flowers everywhere. Immaculate grounds. Security throughout 24/7. Very, very hot everyday. Staff very friendly. Had a wonderful time.

The only drawback was the 2 hour bus ride from the airport to the resort but this will change in 2014 when they finish building the new airport near the resort

The resort was good, clean and the food was good at the beginning of the week but by the end I was tired of it!! There was alot of walking (I had no problem with that) but would be an issue if anyone has mobility issues! The beach was wonderful and I really enjoyed swimming in the ocean. We had one incidence where I was bitten by jelly fish but the rest of the week there was no problem. My favorite thing - defiinitely the beach!!. The thing I was dissapointed in was the food-didn't change much! We wouldn't return because we have been to other places that we enjoyed more!!

We went to the Decameron through our local radio station, which offered it at a very good price for two weeks. I'll list the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. The beach was by far the best part of the resort....a lovely long stretch of beach for several miles, which you could walk and get away from the crowds, and enjoy the sound of the surf, and swim in as well. The water is warm, although sometimes cloudy, depending on the time of day, but I thoroughly enjoyed swimming in it. There were sightings of jellyfish, sharks and sometimes the spiny anemones, but it was perfectly fine for me.

2. The grounds are very well maintained and very lush, and the staff was continually trimming and watering and picking up fallen leaves. Many of the trees were enormous, and looked very old, which made the many buildings blend into the tropical landscape.

3.There are no shortages of palapas and beach chairs, however, you should try to put your towels out early to get your place of choice. It gets very hot by 10 am, and you do need to have a place in the the shade! Many people came out later in the morning, and complained that there wasn't anywhere in the shade. Be out be 7am or earlier to get first dibs on a spot.

4. Most of the food was decent...I did get sick several times, not sure what caused it, but as the weeks went on, we became better at finding out what to eat and where to eat it! Book the a la cartes, as the evening buffets can be hit and miss, depending on what they are serving. We loved the omlettes at the Panamai restaurant, and the fruit was also plentiful. The worst a la cartes were the Catch of the Day restaurant....skip that one, as the only option is a whole, breaded, deep fried fish....mine was skinny and totally dried out, so there was slim pickings there to eat. Mogo Mogo had a nice salad buffet with sushi, but don't order the fish with potatoes, it was overcooked and terrible. Be sure to ask for your fish how you want it prepared...or it was often overcooked. We liked Panamai (Italian) and Cafe Med and El Canal (salmon was fab!) the best of the a la cartes.

Cons:

1. Be prepared for MASS TOURISM. This is not a resort for someone who likes quiet (like myself). We found it loud and noisy, particularly so on weekends, when all of the Spanish people came out in droves. Between hearing Spanish and French spoken loudly and drunkenly all day long, and the incessant booming of the loud rock music....it was near impossible to find anywhere to have a peaceful spot to read or take a nap. It was tolerable from Monday to Thursday, but look out once the weekend hits. We tried to schedule our day trips for the weekends to be away from the resort at this time.

2. As mentioned before, the food was hit and miss...some was terrific, some was terrible.

3. The language barrier was indeed a problem. I learned a few words of Spanish before coming, I wish I had learned more. One thing Decameron really needs to do is to train their employees in at least basic English. At least the main waiters and waitresses should be able to understand and communicate. Some were fine, but the majority of them were hard pressed to understand anything, even the people at reception didn't seem to understand what we wanted when we tried to order a taxi through them.

4. The location is very far away from many of the sights in Panama....this will soon change when they build the new airport right next to Decameron. We found the bus ride very long and tiring, and it was a trek to go anywhere off the resort, as we took day trips to Gamboa rainforest to Jungleland, to Portobelo for snorkelling, to El Valle, to Contadora Island and we combined our trip back to the airport with a tour of Panama City.

5. When we first checked into our room, it was obvious that all that had been done was the bed linens were changed....there were still remnants of the previous occupants' items in the drawers, everything was dirty, toothpaste on the faucets, and generally, nothing had been done to prepare the room properly...we were disgusted and horrified, and complained to management ASAP, but nothing was done until the next day. Other people had also noticed that their rooms weren't cleaned up either, so we tipped the maid $1 every day, and from then on, it was nice and clean. Many people's air conditioning didn't work either, but ours was fine. The room we had was in a great location, building 42, which was a newly built unit, with a great beach view. Very nice and quiet. It seemed that the Spanish people were in the lower units near lobby 1, so if peace and quiet at night is your thing, request building 42. 4233 had a great view.