Gamboa Rainforest Resort

This was our second stay at the Gamboa Reserve. Encountered the same issues a few years ago on our visit. The front desk check in was seamless. The rooms are spacious and clean. The view from the deck is a perfect spot to listen and watch the many birds in the jungle. Interrupted by staff weed eating and leaf blowing between the hours of 7am and 9am. The a/c works well but was very loud. The level of service in the bar and restaurants was not up to international standards. The service required so much patience. The bar staff treated us like we were a burden to them. When the bar food finally came it was sub par. Not one smile in the morning when ordering coffee. We had dinner in the private dining room. The service was a bit better but the food was not worth it. All “freezer to fryer “ food. Hope that the service and food improves soon. I will find someplace else to stay on my next visit to Gamboa. Maybe some customer service seminars for the staff is needed. This could be an amazing place.

The location and the bird/animal life is amazing. However, the property needs more of an investment, and the unfriendliness of the staff was really palpable. The front desk check-in was fine, but particularly at the restaurants, including the monkey bar, staff were really not helpful or welcoming. And when you are trying to figure out tours, probably best to do on line and register in advance as tours, such as the Pipeline, fill up. This place has so much potential and I just hope they can bring it up to the next level.

I was truly looking forward to my stay at Gamboa when I visited Panama for the new year. When I left Panama City, the staff at my hotel shared how the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve was a beautiful property and I would enjoy my stay. While the hotel provided amazing views, the facility definitely needs some tender loving care. My first room had AC issues, and I was able to get switched to another room, but had to say something to the front desk staff twice. The second room was better, but when I woke up the next day I had trouble breathing as there was a mildew/moldy smell in the air and the AC was not properly working. I surveyed the room and noticed through the vent grate that the room filter was black, which means it had not been changed in a while. Because of this, I checked out early as staying would have caused serious health challenges. I did work with a travel agent who tried to get a partial refund for the nights I did not stay, but it was very difficult/impossible to get approval from the hotel.

The place is wonderful, dreamy, but unfortunately the cleanliness of the rooms leaves something to be desired, especially the bathroom.

Brad Rogoff Dec 30, 2025, 11:43 AM (8 days ago) to me This is the place to stay for wildlife and we knew it wasn’t going to be a 4 star experience even though it is not cheap. However, the hotel quality is probably closer to 2 stars than 3. The room was pretty grimy. White socks are brown after walking in the room for 15mins. The shower was not cleaned, dirt and hair in it upon arrival. Both toilets are also disgusting with poop stains. The family suite is too hot upstairs and when maintenance came to check they turned the heat on instead. I understand things can get lost in translation but no one would possibly want the heat on when it’s almost 90 degrees and humid out. When we spoke to the supervisor who was trying to help, he said that this is a known issue about the high temperature upstairs in all rooms with this layout. While he offered to swap us to a queen/queen room that doesn’t fit the family need for sleeping and wasn’t what we had paid for. They brought us two cots which was a good compromise and eventually the room cooled enough for the kids to sleep upstairs although with a triangular window up there with no blinds they were up at sunrise. The food was also pretty bad at the buffet but we expected that. There was really nothing the kids wanted to eat. The monkey bar is very limited in menu but a better option and the view is really nice from up there. This hotel is really the only option to see the wildlife but to pay as much as we have the room should at least be clean. On the wildlife front it was pretty amazing that just outside the room we saw Geoffrey’s tamarind monkeys, aracaris and mot mots up close. The parking lot had so many toucan spottings and frequently capuchin monkeys. This is one of the weirdest reviews we have written in all our travels because despite our disappointment with the hotel we don’t regret our 48 hrs there bc the wildlife is so amazing.