Just returned from two weeks at the Decameron resort in Panama. My husband and I agree this was one of our better vacations.

Flight - Air Transat – 5 hours from Toronto – we pre-booked our seats at the back of the aircraft where there are only two seats on the side rows. Sufficient leg room and the flight passed quickly. The food served was terrible but we brought our own snacks.

Bus from Panama to resort – This is the only real drawback to this resort, the two hour bus ride. The bus makes a 15 minute stop half way to the resort, to use the washrooms and buy drinks. We arrived at the resort around 6:00 p.m. We were on the first of several buses.

Check-in was very quick and a van was waiting to take us to our villa. Our luggage did not arrive until 9:00 p.m.

Check-out was mayhem. We had to have our luggage ready for pickup at 8:00 a.m. and check out by 9:00 a.m. The bus was supposed to leave at 10:00 a.m. from Lobby 1. As there are over 300 people leaving, there were several busses and the last one did not leave the hotel until around 11:00. There was no organization in the departure process, everyone just lined up trying to get on a bus. The best thing to do is wait around the Lobby bar and have something to eat before you catch the last bus around 11:00. There is a line up at the airport anyway, so why hurry.

Resort – we stayed at one of the golf villas which lucky for us, was a short walk to Lobby 3 of the resort. Our balcony faced east onto the 3rd hole and therefore we did not get sun in the afternoon which was a blessing as it would have been too hot to sit outside. The rooms were similar to a hotel room with two double beds. We asked for a King bed but didn’t get it. We would spend the extra money next time and get a first floor room with a kitchenette. Each villa has two rooms upstairs, one with a balcony (room 2), and one without, and a shared balcony in between. The downstairs unit has a separate bedroom and living area. Some of the villas were a long way from the main resort and required a ride. It was fairly easy to get rides to the resort, as the vans pass through the villa areas every half hour, but I would not want to be dependant on a ride every time I wanted to go to the main resort.

For anyone who does not like to walk, or is handicapped, this is not the resort for you. There are rooms at beach level, but many of the resort rooms are at the top of a hill and are three stories high so there are a lot of steps to climb. All of the lobbies are at the top level.

The grounds are very well maintained and beautiful. There are 3 large pools at beach level, and two small ones on the upper level. One adult only pool, where we spent most of our days, close to Lobby 3. The pools at the beach were fairly crowded and not as clean as the adult only pool. I recommend buying an air mattress at the lobby shop, for $5, as the lounge chairs do not have cushions. They will inflate it at the beach hut. If you like being at the beach you need to go very early to get a beach hut or shaded area. Although they say you are not allowed to leave your towels on the chairs and leave, everyone does.

Meals - The meals were good but after two weeks, I was ready for a change. There were several restaurants to choose from which you had to stand in line to book. We were allowed to book 3 days ahead each week then the other days you had to stand in line to reserve. It was easier to go to Lobby 3 to reserve as there were fewer people. Meals at the restaurant were ok but nothing great. We had a couple of good meals and a couple of bad ones. Do not order the Seafood Medley at el Canal restaurant!! The Pad Thai at Mogo Mogo was very good. We went to Pesca el Dia (Catch of the Day) twice. The catch of the day was Red Snapper which was good, but I ordered the shrimp the second time which was very good. The catch of the day was free but the shrimp was $7.00 US and the lobster was $15.00 US. Overall we were quite happy with the meals.

We went to a restaurant down the beach “Pipas” one night which we heard about in a previous review. We were the only dinner customers on a Saturday night. We both had Lobster and Shrimp at $25.00 US each. It was pretty good, but the lobster does not taste like it does here. Lucky for us there was a group of locals having a party at this bar that night so we met some nice people and were entertained by their DJ. If they had not been there, it would have been very boring. It is very rustic, sitting on the beach at a wooden table in plastic lawn chairs and the washroom facilities are less than sanitary, but it was a good experience.

Golf – We took the golf package which included unlimited weekday golf and pay-as-you-play on the weekend. We had to pay for carts at $22.00 US per day. We called the golf course daily to be picked up and they were usually there within 5 minutes. If you plan to play every day, you can rent a golf cart for the duration of your stay for $40 US per day and keep it at your villa. The golf course was very challenging and is in great shape for a hot, hot climate. If you are planning to golf, make sure you book your tee times as soon as you get your room number so you can get an early tee time. It is even hot at 7:30 in the morning, but if there is a breeze it is bearable.

Activities – There was nightly entertainment which was good, but the disco didn’t open until 11:00 which we never got to, because we were too tired by then. I was disappointed that none of the bars had dance floors. I was looking forward to Latin dancing, but there wasn’t any.

Tours – We did not take any of the organized tours, because we did not want to spend all day on a bus. We hired a taxi (6 passenger van), which are available just outside the resort by Lobby 1. For the two of us to go to Panama City, it was $100 US. The taxi driver did not speak much English, but we managed to communicate. He would take us on the same tour or anywhere we wanted. We went to the Canal and to a shopping mall for two hours, then back to the resort. This was much more comfortable and relaxing than the large bus which would have been $95 US each.

We also went on the Shrimp Boat Tour (3 hours). It was fun. They did not catch many shrimp, but they always have some in the fridge just in case. It was interesting to see how it is done and you can participate in hauling in the nets if you like. There was a wide variety of fish in the nets. The beer was cold and the company was good. Be prepared to get shit on from about by the frigate birds as they follow the ship. We both got hit twice, so don’t wear anything good and wear water shoes.

Things to take – A radio for your room, lots of sun screen, Kleenex, face cloths, and if you like Caesar’s, Clamato juice. We found a store down the road “Johny’s”, which did stock some small bottles of clam juice which was close to Clamato. They do not serve Canadian Rye at the bars, so you may want to take your own.

We were in Panama at the Royal Decameron during the week of February 19th to the 26th. One week was not enough. Here's a run down of some information you might like to know before you book. Overall I recommend the Royal Decameron.

The Resort
After arriving at the resort, they take you to a conference building to check in. We found this confusing because our guide coming in from the airport didn't speak English and we had no idea what was happening. You will receive your room keys, towel cards and you can purchase your safe key and lock. After this, you find you way to your room. If your lucky, you can get a porter to help locate it. They have Orientation set up for the following day you get there. It's a pretty good idea to go even if you only stay for the first half. They give you some good information regarding the resort and it makes things easier to find and navigate.

The resort is huge. We stayed at the Villas while our friend who came with us stayed in building #19. (His room from the 3rd floor had a view of the ocean) It was a bit of walk to get around but after eating at some of the restaurants, it was nice to walk around. Lobby 1 is the largest of the three. It has a gift shop, Tour Desk, Guest Services and Internet Kiosk.
There is a larger bar that has a veranda area. Lobby 2 is small. Small bar (not always open), a gift shop, Tour Desk, Internet Kiosk and Guest Services. Lobby 3 is the newest lobby and it's beautiful. It was built around a beautiful old tree. It has the same items as Lobby 2 except the bar is open most times. They have shuttles between the lobby's and villa's but you are often quicker walking to the location than waiting for the shuttle to come.

If you want to be close to the pools/beach you want to be in buildings 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 30, 31 and 32. We talked to a few people who had rooms there. They loved the convience of being so close to pool/beaches but said it was very loud and you had to keep your curtains closed because of all the people walking by looking into the rooms. We stayed in the Villas.
Our Villa had a kitchen, dining area for 6, living room, bedroom and 2 bathrooms. They don't supply anything for the kitchen and there are no irons or hair dryers so if you need them you should bring your own. We had a little courtyard out back to sit in, but there were no chairs or benches to sit on outside. You are very removed from the regular resort staying in the Villas. It has its advantages and disadvantages.

The evening entertainment isn't the greatest. In the amphitheatre they have kids show every night. There was a movie and live entertainment the nights we walked by. Later they have adult entertainment set up in the same amphitheatre but it's not very good. They do each production in Spanish, French and English so it get's a little long. The last couple of nights there were a two guys playing guitars at Cafe Med. They were quite good but only played for about 1 hour or so. After that, there wasn't alot going on. They say there is a Discotheque but anybody that went to it said it was horrible. This is someplace they could improve on.

Golf is available right next to the resort. Since we were in the Villa's all our golf was included with the cost of the package. I did 1 round but my husband and his buddy got 4 rounds in. The course if very long. The tee off times we could get were later in the day so it was very hot. The people working at the pro shop had pretty limited English so many golfers going in had a difficult time communicating. Just remember that at 7:00 PM is pitch dark so keep that in mind booking tee off times. Don't book too late or you won't be able to finish.

Restaurants
We found that the food was pretty great no matter what restaurant you go to. The buffets Atlantis and Pacifko were very good. They changed the menu up nightly and each buffet restaurant menu is different. We had 4 a la cart bookings.....Pannamai (Italian) fantastic. . Cayuco (Grill). Kontiky. (Hawaiian) and a new restaurant called Catch of the Day. At Catch of the Day, if you order off their regular menu everything is inclusive. My husband and I don't like seafood so we ordered the steak for $7.00. It was huge and probably one of the best steaks we've had The other nights we had dinner at the buffets. Breakfasts Atlantis, Pacifko and Pannamai were open, you could get eggs done the way you like and Pancakes and French Toast are made fresh. I was disappointed that there was no fresh juices at breakfast. It was more like fruit punch. We never had lunch at the buffet restaurants. We ate at the restaurants along the beach. They had hamburgers, fries etc. The Kontiky had pizza which was great.

The bar service was very good. The guys working are pretty quick. The drinks are pretty small. (put in a plastic drink cup) Many people brought there own reusable drink containers. We got ours at Canadian Tire. They will fill these up for you and save you many trips to the bar. One of the best places to get a drink is the Hard Rock Cafe. You get real size drinks in real glasses. We had a couple of great bartenders there. It usually pretty quiet there.

Tours
We did alot in the week that we were there. Decamero Explorer is the tour company offered at the hotel. The staff is great. Most speak pretty good English and many can often switch between English, French and Spanish without skipping a beat. When you have orientation, they will give you the days the tours are available. Some tours are only available once a week or on particular days. They offer a number of tours but here are the ones we took.

Anton Valley-takes you to a crater of an extinct volcano. You visit the El Chorro Macho waterfall, walking through the rainforest. The walk is pretty uneven so make sure you wear shoes with a good sole and can keep your balance. Not for somebody who can't walk well. You also go to a zoo and botanical garden. Lots of animals and birds. The "Golden Frog" is on display there. We didn't see it...I guess it was vacation. They stop in a little town that has a couple of good shops. Most of the women went shopping while the men went to the bar next door. The beer is about $1.00 but if you go across the street to the grocery store, it's alot cheaper. You leave around 8:00 AM and your back at the hotel around 2:00 PM.

Old Panama City & Panama Canal-I really enjoyed this tour. Seeing the Panama Canal in action was great. There was a freighter going through the first lock and in the second lock was a submarine. The freighter was suppose to have covered it going through the locks but the ship was too slow and the submarine was already down at the other end. The 15 minute movie giving the history of the canal was interesting. We got to see "Old Panama" and some historical sites throughout the city. We had a great lunch at a Lebanese Restaurant that was included in the package. Our guide was great and gave a very realistic view of life in Panama. Bring your passport. They stop at the end of the Amador Causeway which has a duty free shop that is excellent. None of us has our passport so we couldn't buy anything.

Embera Indieginous Community-this was very neat. You drive about 2 hours from the resort. When you get there you are picked up by the Embera people in piraguas (canoes) They have motors attached and you take a beautiful ride through the river to the waterfall. Keep your camera out as there is lots of beautiful scenery and birds to photograph. You go to the waterfall first. It's about a 15 minute walk to it. There is a lot of climbing over rocks and going through shallow streams to get there (wear wet shoes or old shoes because of the mud & water and wear your bathing suit) The waterfall is beautiful and you can have a great swim. After the walk back, you are taken to the village where you are greeted by the Indians. They are dressed in native attire. They serve lunch of fish and plantains, perform a dance and have a craft area set up where you buy their hand made items. The guide will take you on a tour of the village and then you head back to the bus. You leave around 8:00 AM and are back around 7:00 PM.

ATV Tour-they have a number of different tours set up. We took the 2 hour tour that went down the beach, up the air strip and through the back fields of the area. You went through streams, up and down hills etc. It was a lot of fun and the guide made sure everybody kept pace and enjoyed it. It was the first time I actually drove an ATV and it was a lot of fun. It was around $50 USD per person but worth it.

Deep See Fishing-my husband and his buddy went on this. They left around 7:00 AM and returned around 12:30. The cost was $150.00 USD. It included food, drinks, guide, equipment etc. They only brought back 1 fish but the day before 4 fish were brought in.

Leaving Royal Decameron
You basically lose the last day of your vacation because you have such an early start. We got a wake up call at 6:00 AM. Our luggage had to be outside our room by 6:30 AM. You had to be on the bus for 8:30 AM. It's usually a 1 1/2 hour drive to the airport. It actually took us 3 hours! We were very late getting into the airport so security didn't even look in our suit cases. (In Panama, security will take anything out of your suitcase that has a "danger" symbol on it. Hairspray, mouse, shaving cream etc. I left all our stuff for the maid) If your luggage is even 1lb over weight they will charge you $10 USD for every 1lb over. By the time we got through security etc it was almost 1:00 PM and our flight was suppose to leave at 2:10 PM. We were waiting for boarding call but didn't hear anything so we grabbed a bite to eat. At 1:30 PM a guy working at the airport started yelling that anybody for the AirTransit flight better board now as they were leaving. 40 minutes before our flight was suppose to leave. We got on the plane and sat down and the plane started to taxi out.

My husband and I have just returned (February 26 2007) from a week at the Royal Decameron. I had read all of the reviews from other travellers prior to going but after our week, we found we weren't quite in agreement with most of the comments so maybe it is us!!

The grounds are beautifully kept and all areas including the many pools are clean. As stated in other reviews, the rooms are large but pretty basic. Mattresses were not very substantial, pillows positively lumpy. There are no face cloths provided but you can buy them in the on site boutiques!! No amenities such as shampoo, conditioner or lotion provided in room - again - for sale at boutiques. The floors are all tiled and no rugs anywhere so not much comfort.

The resort is very big and there is lots of walking but there are shuttles which you can hop on to get from lobby to lobby (there are 3 lobbies). We found it difficult to get shade - seems you had to be up at 6am to 'hold' any loungers with towels (which is supposed to be a no-no anyway but everyone does it). The loungers were the hard plastic type - no pads so again, very uncomfortable - many people bought plastic airbeds from the boutique to lay on top of the loungers. You are only allowed one towel at a time and they are pretty old so quite thin - not much comfort lying on them.

The nightly entertainment didn't start until 10pm and was not that great - a lot of repetition. Again - the seating isn't comfortable - concrete steps like an amphitheatre. There were kids shows every night before the adult shows and they seemed pretty good for the kids.

The restaurants were also very repetitious - the same food in all three buffet restaurants and the same offerings every meal. Eg. breakfast was the same choices every morning, lunch was the same choices as was supper. We found it difficult to eat well - the fruit was good but not much variety - pineapple, melon and papaya. The desserts looked fancy but tasted like cardboard and very synthetic. The speciality restaurants were slightly better but the food quality on the whole was poor. The Italian themed restaurant served the exact same things you could get at the buffet. The service wasn't great - very high volume - get 'em in and out as fast as possible. The water tasted like chlorine - not great for making tea.

The two tours we took were the Jungle Boat ride and a partial transit down the Panama Canal - both were excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed them. The guides were awesome and very informative about Panama, its history plus the relevant information about what we were seeing on our tours.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Royal Decameron Costa Blanca Resort and Spa from August 6th – 13th (7 nights and 6 days). We arrived in Panama at 4:30 pm Panama time. Panama is one hour behind compared to Canada. We were greeted by a Nolitours representative who gave us our packages. Going through immigration was pretty straight forward. We were given forms to fill out on the plane and one was handed to us as we entered the airport. We picked up our luggage and had to put it beside a truck which would take them to the resort and would later be brought to our room. We were out of the airport within half an hour.

The weather was humid, it had just rained. Rainy season in Panama lasts for 9 months (April – December). The Decameron is located 2 hours (not 90 minutes) from the airport, and is located in the driest part of Panama. So, it doesn’t rain as much as it would in the city or other parts of Panama. We arrived at the resort at about 8 pm and it was dark so we couldn’t really see how it looked until morning.

Check in
Check in was a breeze. The packages we were given had a number on it and we were told to wait in the line that corresponded to our number. We were then given our room key and bracelets. We also got a key for the safe which was $2 per day and no deposit required ($14 for the week). We had to find our rooms on our own and since it was dark and the resort is so huge we got lost. Our room was very close to Lobby 1 and at the top of the hill. I guess one of the employees saw that we were a bit lost and he escorted us to our room. We were overwhelmed by the amount of stairs at first but got used to it as the week went on. In a way I’m glad for all of the stairs because it was a good way to factor in some exercise after all of that eating. We were given reservation tickets for the Panami Restaurant which had an Italian buffet. The food was great.

Tours
On Monday morning we went to the tours counter and booked the Canal and Shopping $40 each) and the Anton Valley tour ($40 each).

Canal and Shopping – This tour was all day from 8am to 7 pm. For this tour we had to take a bus all the way back to the city (2hrs). We were taken to two places for shopping. The first stop was an outlet plaza. There were tonnes of stores, some with good prices. I found that name brands like Guess were the same price as in Canada. The 2nd place for shopping was the mall. It was nice, but again the prices were not really that competitive. We did however see some digital cameras for really good prices. Lunch is not included with this tour. I recommend you go to the Dominoes Pizza, it was so good.

The Anton Valley tour included a visit to the zoo and a walk in the rainforest. This tour was only half day and was from 8am to 2pm. The zoo was about 45 minutes from the resort. The busses were well air-conditioned which was great. The zoo was outdoor and all of the animals were either in cages or behind fences, which was ok with me. However it didn’t make for great pictures because the fences were in the way. We saw the toucans, peacocks, monkeys, parrots and over 50 different types of chickens. My favourite was the leopard.

After the zoo we went to the rainforest. It wasn’t all they made it seem to be. We thought we would be able to see birds and maybe even some animals in the rainforest but we didn’t see any of that. It was pretty much a trail and some bridges in the forest, as they couldn’t take us deep into the jungle for safety reasons. There was a waterfall which was nice. The whole rainforest walk took all of 10 minutes. Lunch was not included with this tour. I would suggest the jungle boat tour instead. Many other people went on that tour and it seemed to be more interesting. We also were taken to a local strip of shops where we bought all of our souvenirs.

Food
The food at the Decameron was great. I will give you a list of the options available:
Sushi Samba – Japanese, closed for renovations
Mogi Mogi – This is an a la carte restaurant for dinner only. They alternated every night
from Thai to Japanese to accommodate for the closure of the Sushi Samba.
Panamai – Breakfast buffet, Lunch buffet, Italian buffet for Dinner (reservation only)
Atlantis - Breakfast buffet, Lunch buffet, Buffet for Dinner (alternating themes)
Pacifico - Breakfast buffet, Lunch buffet, Buffet for Dinner (alternating themes)
Club Med – Snacks and bar (snacks were from 2-5 and 11pm-2am Mediterranean Dinner (reservations only)
El Cayuko - Snacks and bar (snacks were from 2-5 and 11pm-2am Steakhouse for dinner (reservations only)
El Canal – Seafood Dinner (reservations only)
Kontiki – Indian Dinner (reservations only)
Creperia – French Dinner (reservations only)

Overall the food was great. Out of all the a la carte’s I liked El Canal (seafood) the best and El Cayuko (Steakhouse) the worst. The steak was really juicy and tasted good however it was a mission to cut. The steak knives were not very good; I gave up trying to cut the steak. The corn and potatoes provided were also not very good.

If you are used to eating a lot of rice and chicken you will love the buffets. They tried to have different themes every night for the dinner buffet but it always ended up being some sort of variation of chicken, riche, veggies, potatoes, and beef. Can’t lie, I liked it. If you are used to eating spicy food I suggest you either bring your own hot sauce or learn how to say “can I have some hot sauce” in Spanish. It was a hassle to ask for it each time as they don’t put it with the other condiments. But the hot sauce made everything taste so much better. Also, try not to go at the very end of the buffet, as one other person put it the workers go into “clean up mode” and do not really help you.

Pools
The pools were really nice. There were a lot of kids. I recommend going to the adult only pool. There is only one and it’s quite a trek to get to but it was well worth it. It’s located on the top of the hill behind the Pacifico. The view is amazing and it is the only pool with a swim up bar. Often my boyfriend and I were the only ones in the pool. I guess not many people knew about it or didn’t want to walk that far.

Gym and Spa
The gym and Spa were located near the adult pool, it was a long way from our villa. We did go to the gym once but it wasn’t that great, and with all that walking we seemed to have been exercising all day. The spa was great. We each got a 30 minute massage and it was so good. We got to be massaged in the same room which was a nice feature. Massages are $1 per minute, so 30 minutes for $30, not bad I guess. We saved our massage until our last day, and it was so relaxing.

Although it was rainy season and it did rain everyday the showers lasted for 10 minutes here and there and after the rain the sun came back out. Although the sun was out it was often gloomy which didn’t help with the pictures. When there was a clear sky the water was so blue and other days the ocean seemed so eerie because it was so dark almost grey. The weather ranges between 25-30 degrees which was very bearable and we never really felt too hot.

Also, if you’re thinking of getting married on a beach this is the place to do it. They did such a good job at the wedding we attended, it was so beautiful. They set up the tables with centerpieces, the alter was right in front of the ocean and was stunning, and the reception on the beach was amazing.

In summary, here are the pros and cons of this resort.

Pros
- food was great
- resort was clean and well maintained
- people spoke enough English to get by
- lots of pools
- lots of beach chairs and shelters
- drinks were great
- no mosquitoes (weird but we didn’t get bit once)
- nightly entertainment
- friendly staff

Cons
- rainy season (cant really blame anyone for this)
- sun sets early, around 7ish (again blame mother nature for that one)
- stairs (could be bad for the elderly or disabled, I didn’t mind)
- the club was not worth going to (no dj just a cd playng)
- we lost one day due to travelling (half the Sunday we arrived and half the Sunday we left)

Photos
My family, a party of four, booked our 2 week vacation, starting May 21, 2006 to the Royal Decameron Resort, Costa Blanca through Nolitours early in the spring for our 25th wedding anniversary and our daughter’s birthday which falls on the same day May 23. Our travel agent notified Nolitours twice about our special event with acknowledgement from the tour operator.

However, this is how our trip enfolded and comments about the resort.

The flight on WestJet left on time and was quite comfortable with the added legroom and leather seating, soft drinks and snacks were provided, the crew attentive to passengers needs and helpful. I personally would have preferred less joking during the safety procedure demonstration.

Upon arrival, smooth sailing through customs, greeting by the local Nolitour representative and directed to the proper bus with luggage taken separately. After the 90 minute bus ride with a “pit” stop we arrived at the resort with predetermined check in lines and off to the rooms.

However, our luggage at the airport was tagged for building 10 and upon check-in; we were redirected to building 31. My wife and I received ground floor corner unit room, patio with two sides open and with two beds, 3 feet from the main walkway between buildings, 10 feet from the main front traffic route while our daughter and her friend got the king size bed in the adjacent room. Our room offered no privacy, was very noisy, the drapes did not fully close and was right next to the room staff’s room.

On Monday morning May 22 briefing, this was brought to the attention of the Tour Representative, Reynald, who initially tried to pass this off to the Guest Services Representative, Mr. Andersen, however, this was very quickly resolved with a new pair of rooms (one ready now, the other later) to be ready after the briefing, fully acceptable BUT this did not occur and the room change was put off to the next day. Next day, Mr. Andersen’s day off the issue was given to the Tour Representative, and then resolved. We booked dinner on May 22 for the Cayuco Restaurant for May 23, our wedding anniversary day, noted on the restaurant slip of paper but it was ignored, we might have received more attention had we been dead. Our wedding anniversary was fully spoiled and this set the stage for the vacation somewhat but we tried to make the best of it.

The resort pros:
- Grounds very well kept, clean, tidy and in good repair
- Lifeguards always around and helpful
- Food is good with a variety of selection, in both buffet and a la carte restaurants, few if any line-ups for food
- Large pool area with lots of open spaces, never felt crowded and could find shade
- Rooms are large but lack a bath tub, shower stall large
- Staff generally helpful and attentive most of the time.
- The Café Med and Kontiki restaurants the best for sit down dinners and food top notch. Did not go to El Canal, fish was better at Kontiki.
- Beach was clean, swept daily and water very warm. Lots of shade Only 2 days of red flag.
- Not hassled on the beach by souvenir sellers.

The resorts cons:
- Too large and noisy
- Constant foot traffic along the main path between the restaurants and bars
- Constant service vehicles using the same path, people must get out of the way
- Bar and restaurant closings for conventions and/or weddings not posted early to allow for alternate arrangements. Postings only in some lobbies, not throughout the resort at least a day in advance.
- Bar, restaurant and snack station closing for no apparent reason.
- Staff rotation makes it difficult to “get to know people”
- The entertainment and resort geared to the main clientele from South America, English speaking tend to come in second.
- Tours and outside activities expensive for a country that has low earnings. ATV for 2 hours at $58, Canopy Adventure $65, Mountain peddle bike tour $21, Anton Valley tour $40, all in USD. (Anton Valley by public bus $2.50, Penonome $1.50)

Clientele issues
- Kids and babies in larger pools without diapers intended for adults, some relieved themselves. Found small infinity adults only pool near lobby 3, only to have adults sit on bar serving ledge with legs in the water.
- Some adults took water in their mouths, then spit out or clear their noses.
- Adult relieved themselves in staircase of the building.
- Been to other Spanish speaking countries but the language was not as loud or sharp as encountered here?

The last 2 days we were fortunate to have the option of going to the Decapolis in Panama City, great hotel, excellent food and good places to shop. Buy souvenirs and other items at the local duty free shops or malls, the airport charges at least 20% more for the same. A Panama beach towel at Decameron beach was $5, at the airport $15.

Even during the rainy season we had little rain at Decameron Resort and it was a much needed rest. For the money paid for the trip, it was worth it. A four star for this resort.

I just returned from a week in Panama at the Royal Decameron Costa Blanca. I traveled with a group of 70 people for a friend's wedding. Overall, a good time was had by all, and I would recommend this resort to others.

We flew Air Transat from Toronto, Ontario direct to Panama City. 5 hour flight was not too bad, a little squished in the seats, but nothing out of the ordinary. Upon arrival in Panama, we noticed that the airport was under a lot of construction, and looked very run down. After about an hour of lining up for the Nolitours package, we were able to collect our bags and head for customs (another line up). Then we brought our bags outside and got in yet another line up to board the bus. The baggage is delivered to the resort on a separate truck from what you travel on. This is a little unnerving, but when it arrives at the resort, they bring it right to your hotel room door.

The bus ride is long, but there is a guide who tells you interesting bits of information about Panama City and the areas that you pass through on the way to the resort. Consider this your first free tour, beautiful scenery, especially when going through the mountain area known as the Continental Divide. They also provide a drink when you get on the bus. You stop halfway to the resort at a little roadside restaurant, and you can purchase a snack or a drink and use the washrooms. From here its only about 50 mins to the resort.

Check in at the resort was really fast, they give you a rum punch and away you go. The first thing you will notice about this resort is that there are approximately 70 stairs from the main lobby to the beach. This gets to be a little much, especially with the heat, but I guess it allows you to work off some of the massive quantities of food and drink that you will consume through the week.

The rooms are nice, simple decor and pretty well kept. Here's a list of the things you WONT find in the rooms: Refrigerator, Kleenex, Face Cloths, Alarm Clock. If you need to get up early in the morning, bring your own clock, or arrange with the lobby for a wake-up call. On the Royal Decameron website, it says that the rooms have satellite TV...I wouldn't call it Satellite TV. There are about 10 channels, most of which are in Spanish. We didn't spend much time watching TV however, so it really didn't matter to me.

We had a ground level room facing the beach in building 12, right out in front of NegaNega bar. This was nice because we had no stairs to climb to our room. We could see the ocean, but the rooms on the third floor had a better ocean view. Our bags were waiting for us when we arrived. Word of warning...if you get a ground level room, security is VERY careful about making sure that your sliding door is kept locked. They have a security guy who tours around and checks to see if the doors are locked, and if it isn't locked (even if you are standing in the room) they will call up to the lobby and have the lobby call you to tell you to lock it. This is a little annoying, because they did it even when I was inside having a nap, but I guess it is good to know that the security personnel are on top of things. One nice thing about having a ground level room though is that you see a lot more wildlife at night. We had a few animals pass by our terrace, like a land crab, Iguanas, peacocks, house geckos, and another type of lizard that I'm not sure of the name.

We rented the lock for the safety deposit box in our room, it cost $14 for the week ($2/day). We only used US dollars when we were here, and never had a problem at any location. My cell phone did not work in Panama, I'm with Rogers and I have a "GSM" phone, but it still didn't work. Anyway, if you want to make a call, there are instructions on the phone in the room, but be prepared to pay for this service.

The food at the buffets was great, lots of delicious fruit and veggies, and the cooked dishes were pretty good. At breakfast, they always had scrambled eggs, but they are ALWAYS runny. There is an omelet stand where you can get a custom omelette, and those were very tasty. We ate also at the Creperia (beside Pacifiko buffet), the Italian restaurant (Pannamai), and the seafood restaurant (El Canal), all were excellent. In the buffet restaurants, they have these little speakers that make bird noises, and they get a little annoying after a while, but I heard that they were there to scare off the nuisance birds that keep trying to swoop in and steal food from people's plates, and from the buffet. We saw a couple of these nuisance birds, but not many.

If you want a unique Panama experience, and a great seafood dinner, go down the beach to Pipa's Beach Bar. From the Decameron, go on the beach and turn right and walk for about 1.5 km, its a nice walk, and WELL WORTH IT!!! We walked down one afternoon and made reservations for Saturday, and we met the owner, Nancy (and her husband), who have just recently taken over the ownership and management of Pipa's. They are from California and speak perfect English and Spanish. We had such a good time, I made friends with Nancy and she asked me to help her out with DJ'ing and bar tending, so that was a unique experience in itself. Then there was the food...I'm not a big seafood eater, and let me tell you, this food was to die for. Huge shrimps and a delicious lobster cooked and seasoned to perfection. They also put on a beach bonfire for us, and one of the waiters did a little show with fire sticks, which was really nice.

I did three excursions from the resort. The first was a $1.50 bus ride into Penonome to do some shopping. You can catch the local bus at Lobby 2, and they run about every 15 minutes or so. The bus ride was really exciting, they cram about 20 people in a vehicle the size of a mini-van, and just when you think that its full, the driver pulls over and picks up 2 or 3 more passengers. The ride is about 20 minutes, and they drive really fast. If you get motion sick, make sure to take some gravol before boarding the "bus". With all the speeding, frequent stops, and curves in the road, you are in for a ride! The town is pretty good for shopping, LOTS of shoes, and dirt cheap too. I saw a pair of decent sandals for 2.99 US. The same would be worth 29.99 in Canada. We had ice cream for 50 cents each, and a bottle of water for .75 cents. It is worth the trip, just to get away from the resort for a couple hours, and its good to see the local culture.

The second excursion we did was the Jungle Boat tour. This is an all day tour, you catch the bus at 8am and are back at the resort at 6pm. Well worth the $90 we paid to go. You are taken out by bus to a pair of boats, which then take you to a houseboat on Gatun lake. Gatun lake is part of the Panama Canal. This is where we were given lunch and could go out by canoe or kayak, and do some exploring on your own. We saw Tamarind monkeys while out on the canoe.
After lunch you are taken by boat out to see some wildlife. We saw lots of birds, turtles, manatees, crocodiles, an iguana, 3 types of monkeys, and a sloth. We also got to see a few of the big transport ships coming through the canal. We drove up right beside one and saw how immense they are. This is definitely a great choice for a day trip from the resort.

The third tour was to El Valle D'Anton, or Anton Valley. We went hiking in the rainforest, saw the el Chorro Macho waterfall, lots of wildlife, and then we stopped on the way back at the local market, and at a wildlife zoo. This is a half-day trip, and cost only $40, and definitely worth while.

There is a mini "market" set up at the resort on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. They have lots of neat souvenirs and jewelery for good prices. Most of the souvenirs we saw were the same at all the places we visited. There are some vendors down the beach a little ways, and they had similar things there as well.

The beach is nothing fancy. The water is not clear and blue like in many Caribbean locations, it is a bit darker, and the surf is rough. The red flag was up for all but two days that we were there, which indicates dangerous undertows. We went in the water when the yellow flag was up, and the waves are strong, and you do get pulled around a bit, but its nothing that you can't control, as long as you stay aware of how far out you are going. We didn't go in to the point where we couldn't touch bottom, we stayed at about shoulder-deep and were able to keep our footing pretty easily. I am a strong swimmer, and had no worries about the undertow, and I enjoyed myself while in the water, but if you are unsure of your swimming abilities, take extra care. The sand on the beach is also a bit rough, its quite coarse and was a little hard on my feet at first, but I got used to it after a little while. If you walk down the beach, you will notice that the sand gets a bit softer and is pretty nice to walk on around the vendor huts.

One thing you definitely must check out is the live entertainment. The dancers are great, and its a pretty action-packed show. There is also live acoustic music at the Cafe Med bar almost every night. Two or three guys (depending on the night) came and had their guitars, and boy could they sing! It was probably the best live music I've ever heard. They do a mixture of English and Spanish songs. It was the perfect end to the day, you can sit on the beach chairs with your feet in the sand and a cold beverage in your hand and just relax and listen to the waves crashing and the guys singing.

date of trip Jan.30 for 2 weeks, another amazing trip to the Decameron, we were there last year and plan to go for 3 weeks next year. Awesome food, great rooms and very accomodating staff.
A few hints; first, pay the extra for an ocean front room, money well spent as the resort is built on a hill and the stairs to the other buildings are exhausting especially in the heat, we were in building 11 which was great.
The trip to penome was great, the bus stops in front of the resort and is $1.50 one way. Shoes are very cheap!!! Between 4 women that went down there, we bought 56 pairs of shoes (only other women would appreciate that). Also we hired a cab for the day, cab driver was Carlos who brought his brother along who spoke English and took us for a tour to Panama City, the canal, the causeway, old panama city, the panamanian White house as well as to Albrook Mall which is where the locals shop. Huge mall where you can shop till you drop. Very good prices!! I bought 2 official soccer shirts, one Italian and one Dutch, they sell here for $120.00 down there paid $6.99. The cost of the cab for the day 12hr. was $100.00 plus we tipped well and bought the boys lunch. Carlos has a family and his brother is a university student, the average wage is $1.00 per hour, so please be generous with the cabbies as well as some of the other staff i.e., the staff that cook the omelettes and pancakes in the morning, they all work very hard. Don't worry if you forget something, there are 3 gift shops that carry all the necessities and don't charge an arm and a leg like they do in the Dominican.

We were married at the Decameron on Jan 27th, with 32 of our nearest and dearest. What an adventure!

This was our first all inclusive holiday and if this is only 4 star, I can't imagine what they could have done to spoil us more. If you are a first timer or getting married abroad The Royal Decameron Panama is for you!!

Rooms: Were clean and comfortable. The beds were very comfortable as specially the pillows. We booked about a year in advanced and were all in section 12 on the beach front. Well worth the extra couple of bucks, if I had had to hike it all the way up those hills every day, I might have been a little disappointed.

Staff: SOOOOO nice, those who spoke little or no english did everything they could to figure out our "international" hand gestu! res with a great smile doing all they could to get us what we needed. Which is much more friendly then the tired old Quebec vs. Canada complaining. Our first week was mostly folks who flew out of Toronto who complained about the French Canadian tourists to no end. As did the group that flew out of Montreal, that were there our second week. They complained about the English Canadians. Let's live up to our reputations people, we're supposed to be friendly!

Food: We love to eat and the food here is really good. If you're ready to try things that are a little different, there is tones for you to eat. If you just want a hamburger, the snack bar is where you want to go. We got up early a few time for the a la cart, which were good, but the buffet was just a good and we didn't like to be rushed.

Food tip: if you're just dying for a simple sandwich, the Pacifica had a sandwich station to the ! right of the big grill. ALSO....if you want a really special meal that is like nothing you've ever eaten, ask the tour desk about Pipas Bar and Grill. OUTSTANDING seafood for $25 and the wine is really good.

Tours: Any place that isn't covered with snow is my idea of great time. But the tours we did were nothing like I could have imagined. The zip line threw the rain forest was like being in my tv as a cast member of the Amazing Race. The crew was very careful and lots of fun. The trip to the Embara Tribe was really cool, a swim in a waterfall, food, dancing, great souvenir shopping, and tattoos. A really good day. All of our tour guides were awesome and loved to answer any questions you have about Panama and the tours etc.

Tour tip: if you have a sensitive tummy any trip into el Valley will require gravel (I used the garlic, non-drowsy kind) as the road is curvy with lots of ups and downs. ALSO...el! Valley is best on Sunday as there are more local vendors then during the week.

Wedding: So perfect! If you're thinking about getting married this way, Marnie (the wedding coordinator) is great, easy to get a hold of and her english is perfect, she's from Canada. I didn't have to worry about anything. The photographer takes amazing shots and the video is done with 2 cameras to get everything in. The live music is very romantic. The setting is very romantic, we were under the big tree. Other tourist were very respectful and stayed at a respectful distance. We were married on a Friday, after dinner we went to the beach disco that was just off site, you still drink for free and you can party until 4. The power went off a few time that day and night ( a little scary as it was pitch black) due to the air conditioners over loading, but came on right away.

The Gamboa...is very different from the Decameron.! This wasn't the best for us, where as others we met loved it. The Gambo is a beautiful big hotel in the middle of the rain forest. It's quiet and reserved with a lot of property to explore, you will see alot of wild life if you get up very early, the hotel has coffee and muffins for the hikers. We stayed in the villas which were beautiful, but I felt a little like an unwanted guest tucked far way from where is was happening. The walk to the hotel was about 10 minutes and a driver would come an pick you up if you called. Our phone was broken for 3 day and I told 4 people at the front desk about it. The food was nice, but we had to wait to get a seat, I wasn't used to waiting. Getting the bus to the airport on going home day was a nightmare, highly unorganized with no representative to tell us if we were missing out bus, when the next one was coming or if we need to get cab.

I worked at a 5 star hotels in down town Toronto for years before moving to ! Thunder Bay, and in my opinion the Gamboa was not a 5 star by Canadian standards, with the exception that the staff generally tried to be 5 star snobby.

We have visited this Resort from: December 19th 2005 until Jan. 3th 2006.

weather : excellent

Room: Very Nice good service block 24

Restaurant : It was fine Three dinning hall very busy, Specility restaurant the best Sea Food, Italian steak house Not very good several guests return their meal cold, not very well prepared. Reservation for the speciality restaurant: terrible!! Restaurant should be ALL non smoker Great Evening !!!December 31th 2005. Champagne ,two orchestras dance. A lot of people.

This is a big Resort 800 rooms and during our stay they add a new part total now 1000 rooms, plus a GOLF.

Nice visit to Penonome about 35 miles from the resort it is a smal town we have visited the local market . We take a local bus about 15 passengers and the sercvice is available every 15 minutes.

Excursion: we have visited the old Panama city and the Canal ( canal is quite something) very pittoresque : cost $65.00$us incl. the dinner a good steak house near the Radisson Hotel However trip from the resort to the city is 2 hours. My wife has taken a massage, good ,very professional.

Airport tax $20.00 US. Cash per person .

On this resort the a lot of circulation and noise ( music, lawn mower ,leaf blower. Sea doo on the beach?

This was our 10th visit to an all inclusive resort but our 1st visit to Panama so I am comparing the Decameron to 4 and 5 star resorts in the Dominican Republic and the Mayan Riviera. It compares well and I would say it is a solid 4 star resort.

We stayed 10 days from January 16-26 (then 4 days at the Decapolis - I will review it separately).

Air Transat - we flew from Toronto and arrived on time or even a little early. Club Class is definitely the way to go, no line-ups, we board first, good meal, our luggage comes off first, and the luggage weight is higher and of course the comfy leather seats.

Nolitours - very organized both at the airport and at the resort. You receive your room package at the airport, put your room number luggage tag on your suitcase, go through Customs (no problems here), put your luggage on a bus and get on the bus in front after the tour guide offers you a cold soft drink, water or cerveza for the trip. It is a long trip but the guide makes it interesting and there is lots to see.

The Decameron - check in was very well organized. Lines were organized to get room keys, another line for safety deposit boxes and then we were off to our room in building 10, first floor, room 1016. This is an oceanview room, we could see the pool and the ocean right on the other side, great view. Room was easy to find after checking the map. Room was good, 2 double beds, dressers, shower in bathroom, and a working air conditioner. Nothing fancy but all we needed. Maid service was good the whole time, we never really saw the maid but the room was always made up before noon. We left small Canadian souvenirs and $1 a day as a tip. A few things you may consider, no facecloths ($2 in the shop) and no Kleenex in the room.

Food - 3 buffets for breakfast and lunch, 2 buffets for dinner and a lot of specialty restaurants. The choices in the buffets could have been better but what was there was excellent. Very sanitary, all the servers wore gloves and face masks! Salads, fruit (especially the pineapple) and chicken was the best. Cervesa was good and even the red wine was ok, although it took a bit of getting used to. We heard a lot of complaining about the system to book the specialty restaurants, but I don't really understand the problem, we never had a problem. You get up in the morning and take a number at lobby 1 (or 2 or 3), they start calling the numbers in order at 7:00 and you book your restaurant for the night. You can still book at noon or 2 for the ones that aren't full. I guess the problem is getting up before 7 am but it didn't bother us. Specialty restaurants that we tried were excellent, the fish and seafood had the best salmon and we did the Italian restaurant a few times, it was especially good.

Vendors - there were a few at the resort on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. There were a few huts on the beach to the right and a few walking on the beach but they only came up if you called them.

Beach - excellent walking beach, and great for collecting shells but a scary undertow. You could walk for over an hour to the right and about 15 minutes to the left. The red flag was up most of the time we were there, yellow for a few afternoons. Lifeguards were on duty and we saw them in action one afternoon, just like Baywatch. Nicest part of the beach was in front of building 10, it was quiet, a bit of construction noise but not much. The quiet pool was here while the one with all the activities was further down the beach.
There was a walking tour every morning, starts at the bottom of the stairs by lobby 1, that goes to Noriega's old mansion, a very worthwhile walk, only takes about an hour from start to finish.

Pools - lots of pools, very nice, clean. We usually sat at the beach under a palapas , walked on the beach and then swam in the pool in front of building 10,

Bars - good service and good drinks. Never too crowded even though the resort was full. Our favorite bartender always knew what we wanted in our insulated mugs.

Stairs - OK, the stairs were a bit much sometimes, I counted a few different ways, 72 stairs, 69 stairs, I was glad our room was at the bottom so I only had to climb maybe once or twice a day, but good exercise I guess. We could have taken the little cart but that would have been admitting defeat!

Internet - 3 PC's in the lobby, $10/hour, $7/half hour - high speed and seemed to work well.

Tours - we didn't do any from here as we were going to be in Panama City at the Decapolis for the last 4 days and would do the tours from there, much closer so we didn't waste so much time travelling.

Massage - I booked 2 for $35/each - they are cheaper if you book during the Nolitour information meeting the first morning. An excellent 50 minute massage for $35.

Bugs - no mosquitoes but something, I think a spider maybe, bit me on the foot at supper one night, we were at one of the buffets near the beach. They are constantly spraying so I knew there had to be bugs somewhere. I put bug spray on my legs in the evenings and never had any more problems.

This resort could be a 5* with just a few improvements like, fridges in the rooms (I didn't really miss it though); a bit more selection at the buffets and cushions for the beach/pool chairs. Other than that, just remember that Panama is hot, wear sunscreen, we used SPF 30 a few times every day and didn't get burnt but we saw some bad sunburns. This is a great resort and I would return in a minute.

My husband, 19 year old son and I just returned from the Royal Decameron on January 16th after a one week stay. I’ll try to not be repeat all the wonderful comments in the previous reviews. They are all true.

PASSPORTS (IMPORTANT)
Your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your departure date in order to enter the country. Be sure your passport is up to date. We saw several people left behind at the Airport in Toronto to have their passports renewed and having to purchase another flight!! Check with your travel agent or
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=233000#8

Bring a Pen there are several forms to fill out on route.

Airport arrival was very efficient – transfer to the hotel was a long ride but the guide provided a great deal of information about Panama on route and it is always nice to see a little bit of the country. Look at is as your first “free” tour. Check in was very fast and efficient with your luggage waiting in your room. Nolitours reps were very helpful.

Resort: What can I say …… stunning. I think I was a bit overwhelmed at first and it took me a few days to relax. Didn’t want to miss anything. We had an ocean front/view room (building 13) right in front of the “big tree”. I think that was the most photographed tree at the resort. It was a quiet area … no noise from the disco or the activity pool and if you didn’t want to hear the music from Café Med .. just close your patio door (my door was open!) Most of the rooms (buildings), if you had a third floor, would give you an ocean view – it’s just a matter of how far you want to walk to the ocean/pools. The resort is on a cliff so if you don’t ask for an ocean view, you may get one but may have to climb a lot of stairs to get to your room. You have a view of the ocean from all the pools. The pools are beautiful, clean and we never found them to be overcrowded. There were times we couldn’t find a lounge chair near the pool but just move on to the next pool and you’ll find something .. there are several choices. The grounds are beautiful … I wished had put name plaques on more of the trees as I had no idea what most of them were. There are several cashew trees by the Sushi Samba and a few mango trees near the pool area. We were told the cashews would have their fruit within a week or two. There are three musicians that play at Café Med nightly. (Octavio Solari, Dembler Luna, Joel Medina). It was beautiful sitting and listening to them or taking a stroll on the beach or walkway as the music echoed throughout the resort. They do have a CD for sale ($10.00) I don’t think too many people were aware of this. It is not professional quality very nice just the same. I played it when I came home and it put me right back on the beach. They are great musicians …. Support them if you can.

Weather/Bugs: The weather was fantastic the whole time we were there .. HOT no rain. We have been to Cuba and Mexico and the evenings cool down. No need for a sweater in the evening. We didn’t notice any bugs. I did witness them spray the buffet restaurant which would explain the lack of insects … however .. we went to the rainforest armed with musk oil just in case and didn’t see a fly the whole time.

Food: No complaints. Everyone has different tastes and we’re always willing to try something different …. That’s all part of the experience. If you are a fussy diner, you still shouldn’t have any problem finding something to eat. The meat is definitely not what we are accustomed to but there was nothing wrong with it. It gives you a better appreciation of the beef we have in Canada but if you’ve been to Cuba – you already know that! It was nice now having to worry about the water, fruit or salads. We ate freely and never encountered any problems.

Tours: We went Para sailing at the resort. Took the tour to the Gamboa Rainforest which included the Arial tram, a quick peek at Panama City, a stop at the Centennial bridge with a photo opportunity of the canal and a stop at a craft market on the way home. I would have liked to do the Canal/shopping but will save that for the next visit and …. Yes …. There will be another visit.

We took the half hour city bus ride to Penomone. ($1.50) There is not any quality shopping there but just the same it was a nice little side trip and close to the resort. There is no English spoken there but we did find the owner of the store Super Fuerte, right where the busses park, spoke English and was very friendly and helpful. His name is Musa George … if you are stuck I’m sure he would be more than happy to help you. Our bus broke down on the way back and we were left at a gas station not really knowing if another was coming. There was a little girl, approximately 10 years old that was able to speak enough English to tell us another bus was coming and she ensured that we got on the right one. I was sorry I didn’t have anything Canadian to give her to thank her. We did give her a few dollars which she and her mother initially declined but we insisted. I think she was probably pretty happy she was able to use her English to help someone.

As for the language barrier, I never had a problem communicating with anyone there. Try to remember Canadians are not the only people frequenting this resort and we should not expect to be treated as though we are. We met people from Columbia and Argentina also. I wonder if they complain about all the Canadians or the resort catering to Canadians on their “trip reviews”.

My husband and I just returned from a week vacation at this beautiful resort. Today I am going over the reviews from other people and cannot understand where they did not eat well! I have been a lot of places and this resort has the best food so far. My favorite was the Suchi Samba but all of the a la carte restaurants were very good. We got up early every moring, as we always do, and went to pick up a number for the restaurant reservation. We ALWAYS had the restaurant of our choice. The only thing I did not particularily liked is the fact that after an hour they turn the lights on and tell you that you have to leave in 5 mins since they have to prepare for the other service. Two service like would be better, like int he two new restaurant (Creperie and Kontiki) where there are oinly 2 services (6h30 and 8h30).

We went to the 3 breakfast buffet (panamai et the other two regular buffets) and we loved them all. For lunch we would go to the buffet or the snak bar for a good french friend.

Just got back last night.

We went with a group of 16 from Dec. 19 to Jan 2nd.

Our family is two adults and two boys.

Air Transit is very efficient at moving people and they Airbus was new which was pleasant. They had everything on time which was very impressive considering the logistics of moving 300 people. When Air Transit staff (ground and air crew they were invariably professional and pleasant)

Good Points:
-check in and out was extremely efficient -good coffee and espresso machines -the buffets were "Ok". It was acceptable for buffet food and they changed the selection each day -they are working on improving the resort, a lot of shrubbery planting and ongoing work, there is a definite pride of ownership -the facilities were clean, a rather strange lack of bugs though which makes me worry about chemical use -good drinking water -staff try to be helpful and definitely don't have an attitude -good beach, I have definitely stayed at worse -life guards at the beach and pools -good list of inclusives, the cigarettes are a strange inclusion. There was no problem getting sail boats or kayaks once you found the English speaking guy.
-they have aqua Finn wet day sailers and a 17' catamaran plus basic windsurfers and plastic kayaks.
-a sense of safety when you walked off the resort but I wouldn't feel as comfortable doing it after hours, we walked into a nearby village.
-good service if you tipped which we didn't mind doing, My wife's first language is Spanish which helped a lot -the pools were nice -the golf course was good, do not try to play after 10 am because of the heat. We talked to some guys who did and one of them got the First Aid golf cart trip because of heat stroke.
-the weather was good
-fantastic New Years show, great bands (Latin) and dance show

Negatives:
-DO NOT go here during the Christmas/NEW YEARS break, it is way to busy.
-we were there two weeks and in order to get an al la carte dinner had to line up BEFORE 6 AM to get a ticket so that when they called the #'s at 7 you had a chance. If you weren't there at 6, go back to sleep. We didn't get al la carte on 4 of our 10 tries even when we had people in each lobby, I am not into competitive dining -to many Canadians, I am Canadian and like to relax with people of other nationalities to hear their views.
-people were very aggressive about getting the #'s -don't go to the Sushi bar, soggy rice, california rolls and stir fried veggies -very few staff speak english, interestingly enough everyone spoke english at the airport
-6 oz cups? Why do resorts do this? You finish a drink this size by the time you get to your chair. I had heard about this and there were no problems filling thermal mugs we had brought -plumbing was a problem, we had 6 rooms in our group and three toilets that were problematic.-maintenance staff are very busy, in order to get a toilet fixed or a room unlocked my wife basically had to hijack passing staff.
-Calls and personal visits to the front desk for maintenance help were not responded to. This is from 5 separate occasions ie toilets, locks, leaky air conditioning etc.
-if you don't have a beach chair by 8:30 AM, forget about it -one setting air conditioners, full on or full off, it makes for a noisy evening and they leak water into the rooms -extra charges for the key to the safe box? $2 per day is an irritant, I would have rather paid $30 in the fee and not have to feel annoyed.
-one key per room and a $15 deposit per key after that? Just give me a key per paying adult and if you lose it you get charged.
-we had to pay adult fees for our 13 year old but he had no adult privileges such as signing recreational equipment out. He was able to get drinks though.
-no fridge in the room, there is a charge for the fridge but we couldn't get one. We put our name on a list but you have to be aggressive in getting something done.

As a frequent traveler to all-inclusive resorts, Decameron would rank very low. It is NOT a 5-star resort as some would have you believe. It is also not completely horrible. Here are some good and bad points.

We returned from the Royal Decameron Beach Resort in Panama on the 28th. What a fabulous vacation!!! Our rooms had a beautiful ocean view even though they were on the upper level and not considered beachview. The a la carte restaurants were excellent with exception of the steakhouse. Between the 2 couples we had 4 different favorites. Not only was there no lack of seafood, it was always perfectly cooked. The pools were prisine and there are many located just steps from the beach. Only the activity pool was actually crowded. Who cares...too noisy anyway. Most days we parked under a beach palapa and when it was time to cool off dipped into the closest pool. This usually included a stop at a bar on the way. Lots of those too and very good bartenders... didn't matter how pushy some people were, they managed to serve people in order and they bent over backwards to accomodate us English speaking tourists with limited Spanish. The Serenity Pool on the upper level was absolutely gorgeous. Great long beach for walking and looking for seashells. The pickup at the airport was painless and the check-in at the hotel was quick, friendly and efficient. We only took one tour during our 2 weeks to the Anton Valley...it was ok...not great...but definitely gave us the taste to want to return and really experience the rainforest. We also took the bus (actually a small van) into the town of Penenome...who'd have thought you could fit 18 people in a van...an experience we won't soon forget. We had some fun shopping and just looking around the town...cost us each $1.50 each way.

I just returned on Nov 16th from my 8th visit to Panama and my 5th stay at Decameron. I have always enjoyed my stays at Decameron and this trip was no different.

I make our own flight and hotel reservations, so this trip we flew Continental with no problems. We have friends in Panama City and therefore they take us to and from the airport and the resort, so I can’t comment on transportation from the airport to the resort.

Checking in at the resort was pretty easy. We had one little mix up with our room (I requested a specific building and they put me in a different one.), but when I made it know that I had spoken to someone on the phone previously with my request, they moved me to a building that I preferred. By the way, I speak some Spanish but most the people we spoke to at the front desk spoke decent English.
Once we got checked in, the rest of our vacation was a blast. Here are a few things I would like to share-

FOOD- This trip my husband and I only went to one ala cart restaurant- Mogo Mogo, I have been there before and love the Phad Thai. This trip we ate there twice, but the rest of the time we went to the buffets at Atlantis. Most days we ate lunch at Atlantis also, except for a couple of days we had lunch at Café Med (hot dogs, hamburgers, and French fries).No complaints with the food, I always found something that I liked on the buffet.

SERVICE- I had no problem with any service. The maid did a great job keeping the room clean. I sent my laundry out twice with no problems. Anytime I called the front desk for anything (we did have issues at first with our air conditioner freezing up) they took care of us promptly. One night I broke out with a rash and thought that I should see an MD. We called the front desk; they sent a cart that took us to the nurses’ station where I saw the MD on call (who spoke good English) and he reassured me that it was an allergic reaction to my sunscreen. He even called my room a couple of days later to check on me. I thought that was very