Veraguas Province
This conservation association near Morillo offers basic accommodations in three dormitory rooms with eight beds each. Newer and more comfortable are the…
Must-see hotels in Panama
Panama City
This tiny retro-cute hostel has only six rooms, including two dorms. Though conveniently located, there's little in the way of shared spaces, beyond a…
Veraguas Province
Ana Gonzales, the chairperson of the Malena Beach Conservation Association, rents out a handful of tiled rooms on the main road in Malena. They are motel…
Panamá Province
Perched on a cliff above Playa Galeón, this is the island's only ‘resort’ but it feels worn out and in need of a revamp. The 48 rooms, in low-rise adobe…
Península de Azuero
Sister hotel to the Pedasí Sports Club B&B and sharing the same property, pool and restaurant, the Casa Loma has 10 large and immaculate rooms in a…
Colón Province
This community learning and visitor center on the edge of the reserve in the village of Achiote offers Hostelling International–supported accommodations…
Panama City
Though the look here could use an update, the spacious rooms have flat-screen TVs, leather sofas, and beds with firm mattresses and brocade covers…
Chiriquí Province
About as bare-bones as you'll find, the five cabins at this popular beach bar with a US owner are seconds from the sand. Surfing tides can reach 6m here…
Santa Catalina
Well-kept and strewn with plants, there's a certain amount of pride in this basic two-story hotel, run by owner Juvenal. It sits on a hilltop with its…
David
A very secure budget choice, this central hotel offers 86 tasteful tiled rooms with wood furnishings. Rooms are on the small side, but the setting is…
Darién Province
Simple and sweet, Hotel Biaquirú Bagará has hardwood decks, wicker furniture and firm beds above street level. Five of the 13 rooms share a bathroom,…
Península de Azuero
This property at the northern end of town with 11 motel-style rooms may lack a certain character, but the rooms are impeccably clean and cool, with air…
Península de Azuero
A clean and well-kept place with frilly bedspreads, friendly Piamonte has 44 small-ish rooms; make sure to ask for one with a window. The rooms in the…
El Valle
Now in a new location and run by the next generation of the same family, this scaled-down version of the legendary 'John's House' is aglow with street art…
Panama City
This renovated hostel offers triple-decker bunks and plain, pleasant rooms at great prices. Showers are temperate. There's a lovely rooftop with city…
Panama City
Cute and convenient in a busy part of town, Metro feels like a chain hotel with an extra ounce of cool (witness the crashed-out party boys in the lobby)…
Península de Azuero
These two cabañas (cabins) accommodating up to five people each with two double beds and a single bunk have air-conditioning and their own bathroom. They…
Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro
Six canary-yellow cabins plus a 69-sq-meter mock lighthouse line a wooden dock. With individual swim-up decks and wood floors, they are lovely and…
Bocas del Toro Province
This 33-room place above a shopping center is a good-value stay, though you can expect dated bathrooms with showers with a spigot and room-temperature…
Parque Nacional Volcán Barú Camping
Highlands
Camping is possible in the park and on the trail to the summit from the Boquete side, along the Sendero Los Quetzales at a picnic spot called Mirador La…
Península de Azuero
What was Pedasí's first hostel has metamorphosed into a budget hotel. Some of its six colorful rooms look out onto the central plaza and behind is a large…
Puerto Lara Community Accommodations
Darién Province
Right in the center of the village, this open-sided lodge giving on to the main road has a half-dozen basic rooms and a shared toilet. Activities on offer…
Veraguas Province
Along the Interamericana, but set back opposite a leafy area, the 34-room Hotel Plaza is well regarded locally, mainly because of its swimming pool. Rooms…
David
Professional and superclean, this hotel offers 69 cheerful tiled rooms with matching beds and desk sets in a vaguely art-deco style. Each is equipped with…
Comarca de Guna Yala
This is the cheaper of the two lodging options on the island, but it's not as nice as Cabañas Niadub. There are eight cabañas and a cramped dormitory for…
Comarca de Guna Yala
What is essentially a restaurant (plates US$7 to US$15) of the same name also has five thatched cabañas and six rather stuffy, wood-paneled rooms in an…
Santa Catalina
These brightly colored cabins lined up on a hill directly above the beach offer very conveniently located lodgings for surfers on a budget. Rooms have air…
Bocas del Toro Province
This relatively modern hotel in a shopping plaza offers rooms with flat-screen TVs, though not all feature an exterior window. At least there's a variety…
Comarca de Guna Yala
In terms of lodgings, Isla Perro Grande provides nothing but camping for adventurous souls with their own gear. To preserve the site, guests must pack out…
Darién Province
This slightly grubby guesthouse down from the port has 16 frayed but tidy rooms with cold-water showers. The best of the seven rooms upstairs are Nos 1…
Panamá Province
Hidden in a leafy suburban neighborhood, these two basic and very small cabins offer some respite. The bathroom is in the main house. Pre-booked dinner …
Bocas del Toro Province
This big family-run place has 28 rooms, but make sure to choose one in the back as those on the main street near the central bus station are noisy…
Comarca de Guna Yala
This rather bland hotel with four rooms (one has a single and two bunk beds) has air-con and cable TV, but is rather overpriced for what it is.
Panamá Province
Visitors can camp by the ranger station. There's access to water but no other facilities here.
Comarca de Guna Yala
What was once upmarket Dolphin Lodge taking up most of Uaguinega has emerged phoenix-unlike, with its feathers singed and claws clipped. The six cane-and…
Veraguas Province
This property on the east coast of Isla Cébaco, facing the Sunset Coast, is simplicity itself. Guests can camp in tents under the coconut trees on the…
Comarca de Guna Yala
Catering to backpackers, Cartí Homestay is the best place to meet young Guna, though the inflatable Jägermeister bottle in the corner might be a good…
Darién Province
At Rancho Frío (or Station VIII along the trail), this very basic two-story lodge has a total of 14 bunk beds accommodating 28 visitors. There's a small…
Panama City
This well-located casino hotel has a swinging, tropical style with open architecture and cool breezes. Service is often praised and recently remodeled…
Highlands
This friendly hotel on the main road offers a row of 10 concrete rooms that accommodate three people. They are a bit tired and beaten up, but they…
