Shores of Panama Resort

You will find mixed reviews on this place but you have to realize some facts about it: it’s a condo building, not a hotel so each unit is owned by someone and that owner is fully responsible for everything inside the unit or they have a management company who handles the day to day parts of the rentals. So what does that mean? It means experiences will differ. Do your research and make sure you’re choosing well. Not just in the condo unit but also the time of year can offer a drastically different experience. Going peak season in summer can be an exercise in necessary patience. Yes elevators are slow and they definitely could use more of them. So if you’re on a high floor be flexible and try to adjust your schedule around peak beach hours. Most of the rooms are in the horseshoe and overlook the pool. There are only a handful that are full Gulf views; those will be more quiet as the pool deck can get noisy. PCB has grown in popularity and there are a lot of events outside of peak summer months to draw folks into the town but generally Sept-Feb and then Easter-Mid May are great times to visit if you want something more quiet and manageable. Spring Break and Peak Summer will be very busy but there’s a lot of fun in that type of energy as well, depending on what you like. The Shores can be a 5 star experience or a 2 star experience depending on the decisions you make around your visit.

The Shores of Panama is unique in set up. We loved the large pool as it is desperately needed with the amount of guests staying. It's very kid friendly. Security cameras everywhere. They don't allow drinks or food within 4 feet of the pool or hot tub. We saw several people get approached and asked to move beverages. I love that it is so kid friendly, but I do feel that the hot tub should have an adults only time. Like maybe 6pm until close. Kids were using the hot tub as a mini pool and jumping and splashing non stop and no sign of parents of kids. Also... for the amount of guests there are no where near enough elevators. Check in day will be the worst. Good luck getting an elevator. We carried groceries up 10 flights of stairs. Also they need fans or something in the elevators. They are extremely stuffy. The parking garage will take you about 10 minutes to get in and out of as well.

Disappointed and Would Not Recommend Our experience at this resort was extremely disappointing. The elevators were a nightmare—no ventilation and rarely functional. We waited over 30 minutes just to use one. The entry gate never worked properly with our wristbands, causing constant frustration. We stayed on the 23rd floor, which was advertised as the “penthouse,” but it was far from luxurious. The pull-out couch beds were broken, and there was visible mold on the shower doors in our room. The parking garage was also a mess—poorly laid out and hard to navigate. The pool remained cloudy all week, clearly not being maintained properly. A staff member even told us the resort had run out of money, which explains a lot about the lack of upkeep and poor service. Overall, this place is overpriced, overcrowded, and poorly managed. I would never stay here again or recommend it to anyone.