The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama Autograph Collection by Marriott

Phenomenal experience from booking to checkout. Luis and his staff’s friendliness, attentiveness, and professionalism made this the best family vacation we have had in Panama. The rooms were gorgeous, spacious, and very relaxing. The hotel has a pool on the property but they have the ability to shuttle you to and from nearby Buenaventura pool/beach sites each with their own luxurious amenities. The staff was extremely accommodating and answered all of our questions quickly and honestly. Our only issue is that I wish we could have stayed longer! If you are coming to Panama, this resort is a must! Book early especially around major and local holidays. Rooms go quickly!

What an AMAZING oasis! From the moment we walked in, Arnold at the desk warmed our souls with his radiant smile and very personable demeanor. Ivan in the bar/lounge was just as gracious and poured us several great cocktails. We had a blast with Luis who drove us to a nearby restaurant on the resort property. His English was wonderful, and his stories were welcomed. EVERYONE at the facility was warm and greeted us with smiles. Our room was clean, the views spectacular, and the prices fair. If we ever make it back to Panama, we'll DEFINITELY visit again.

Overall, I would say I am giving this hotel a 3.5 stars, but having to choose between 3 and 4 I erred in the direction of 3 for some specific reasons that I will detail. Overall, this is not a five star resort. I would call it a four star resort. I went in with my fingers crossed after reading a few reviews, and I chose to ignore the more critical reviews and pay attention to the higher ones and that was my mistake. This property is dated. Everything needs a refresh. Furniture is worn out, plugs do not work, things look tired. The food across the board is pretty mediocre although we did have fun in the Teppanyaki restaurant. We were there on Easter week and the pools and beach were very busy. The hotel is not that large as I understand the crowds are people coming from the villas and surrounding area. Most troubling, there were frequently no towels for long periods of time. And the hotel allowed people to put one item on chairs and let them sit for hours. As a result, our family could not even find a chair, although there were many sitting around us empty for hours. And service was unbearably slow. Two days in a row at the pool we had to ask three times and wait for over an hour for a simple thing like an ice cream or a soda. I want to note also that the hotel is a good solid 5 to 7 minute walk from the main pool and beach. None of the rooms are ocean view. If you are arriving when there is any traffic, do not be surprised if it takes you three hours to get to the resort. If you take an Uber to the resort, make sure you have Other transport to get back to the city or airport as it is impossible to get an Uber from the area. While this is pretty critical so far, I would like to add that the staff is very gracious, kind, eager. Everyone that I came into contact with was very kind polite and helpful. If you want a beach resort driving distance to Panama City and you are OK with a somewhat tired property with a friendly staff then give this a try but do not expect five star luxury.