JW Marriott Panama Golf & Beach Resort

We had our wedding here in April 2018. It was the most wonderful experience. I stayed at the hotel the week prior to our big day. We had guests from around the world come into town to join us and they stayed here. Everyone had the same response.. What an amazing hotel!! We have to thank Mr. Ricaurte De Leon firstly for everything. He ensured everyone was accommodated accordingly. He made the whole experience a truly pleasant one. He is a true professional. The hotel grounds are beautifully maintained. The rooms are very stylish and well kept. The beds and pillows are some of the most comfortable I have ever experienced in a resort! The staff at the hotel is very accommodating. Every request, whether in person or over the phone, is answered with "Yes, Immediately".. and shortly thereafter, your request arrives. In our case we ordered room service several times and the quality was just as good delivered as it was in the restaurants. The food at the resort is top notch. We had lobster paella almost every day for lunch with corvina ceviche. At night we tried rib eye, grilled covina, fried red snapper, the octopus gallega, calamari.. we tried just about every dish they offered and every single one was tasty and prepared properly. The dish presentation is great. The pools are great, especially the pools by the beach area. Around the pools they play relaxing, chill music, while by the restaurant on the beach, they play more upbeat music. You have a choice, depending on your mood. My family and guests all agree... we can't wait to go back!!!

Location is lovely, about 2 hours southwest from Panama City. The staff was excellent, so pleasant, and did their very best to make our stay a fabulous one. The golf course was imaculately maintained and offered a challenging round. Fabulous spa and decent gym. Beach was a little disappointing. Was expecting beautiful, white sandy beaches, but not to be. It’s more of a volcanic, dirty brown/black sand, and water often too rough to even venture into. (Not the resort’s fault). Collection of about 10 different pools makes up for that though. That being said, there are a few things that need attention. The pools need to be cleaned more often, especially skimming the debris from the surrounding trees out of the pools, as well as vacuuming the sand from the pools down by the beach. Pool attendants were non existent so we had to get our own chairs, towels, and chaise covers (I know, first world problems!). They could use more wait staff at the pool area for food and drink orders. They did not seem to solicit from the hotel guests, rather you found your way to the bar or restaurant to make your order. This also was the status at another resort we stayed at, so perhaps that’s just what they do??? Staff was always available to shuttle us around the property to the beach, restaurants, or golf course. Breakfast buffet was included with our room, and I would encourage you to wrangle that deal with your reservation. I was able to obtain that with persistence and a very helpful Marriott reservationist, who stayed on the phone with me looking to secure the best deal. It was not available on my website view, but more of a local advertisement. Food was great, with an excellent choice for the breakfast buffet. Make sandwiches and take fruit/yogurt for lunch. Several restaurants on property to chose from for dinners. Would recommend a 10 minute short drive to the next beach town north, to a restaurant called “La Fogata.� The owner is originally from Switzerland, is trilingual, and is the quintessential host, visiting each table, and chit-chatting with all the customers. You’ll get super fresh seafood in a funky outside decor, with menus in Spanish, English, and French. Highly recommend it The hotel has an extremely attentive staff, who encouraged my version of Spanish, laughed as we communicated in our “Spanglish� translations, and always made us feel welcome, and after just 1 day knew our name and room number. 98% of the staff fluent or near fluent in English, so communication is not an issue. That being said, any attempt to speak the native language is always welcomed. With any of the numerous internet translators available, it is very easy to get a few basic phrases communicated. If you’re ever in Panama City, of course take a day trip through the canal and visit the Miraflores lock visitor center and the Gamboa rain forest, and for some escape time visit the Buenaventura resort for a few days.

I enjoyed my stayed at the Buenaventura Hotel. The grounds are beautiful and everything is kept immaculate. The service is excellent and all the employees make sure you are well treated. I highly recommend this place if you are looking to relax. The hotel is very private and you have many areas to read and walk around. Adams at the pool area by the beach is the best. He was always making sure we had everything we needed and was good resource for information regarding the hotel area.

Return guests from when it was a JW Marriott, we came back since we had a wonderful experience last time. I have been a Marriott Rewards member (Gold Level) since the program was launched and am used to a high level of service-especially at resorts. From the moment we arrived at check-in, the service was poor. While I had checked in on the app, there was still some processing to do and in the middle of the transaction, actually stopped my check-in to give change to a guy who just stepped up to the desk...no apology or acknowledgement at all. We got to the room, our luggage was not delivered promptly. The TV was not working right, and calls to "At your service" went unanswered multiple times. We went back to the desk, our luggage was just left unattended. We had to wait in line again to explain that the TV wasn't working. We had to request that our bags get sent and the bellman did promptly bring our bags then. It still took a long time for someone to look at the TV. We also had requested twice that the fridge get emptied of mini bar items and they have yet to come. In addition, the desk staff were not overly warm or friendly, did not mention my Rewards status, as is typically the case. I really hope this changes, meanwhile I need to call for a third time to request that the fridge get emptied.

The property is really nice and well managed. Rooms are clean and very comfortable. Especially the beds :) Breakfast lots of great options, good service. Pools are plentiful with nice ambiance. Beach is beautiful. Overall very relaxing and casual atmosphere. Only suggestion is for staff to smile more, it makes a huge difference. Recommended.