Westin Playa Bonita, Panama [Master Thread]
May 28, 2014, 4:42 pm
#46
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Bonvoy Amb LTT, HHonors Diamond, AA ExPlat, United Silver
Posts: 641
Great Review
I will follow Peatisback's useful format for my two-night stay over Memorial Day Weekend.
Pre-Arrival: Used 2 SNAs even though resort seemed pretty empty (plenty of SNAs to burn). Was upgraded to the Revival Suite with a rainforest view 5 days before check-in. A day before our stay, I saw that we were upgraded to a Renewal Suite with an ocean view.
We were finishing up a two night stay at the Le Meridien downtown. I made friends with a taxi driver which we used to drive us to the Playa Bonita resort. Took about 30 minutes with some traffic and a quick stop for gas. I paid $25. We used the same taxi driver for our return to Tocumen. It took about 1 hour at 4 PM on Monday. There's quite a bit of traffic. The driver was extremely friendly. I still have his number. If you speak Spanish, PM me if you'd like to contact him to arrange transportation.
Check In: Greeted with refreshments and luggage was taken immediately. Waited several minutes to check in as only one front desk person was working. Another one joined and helped us. No "thank you for being a platinum" or "you've been upgraded". I asked to make sure we had the ocean view suite and receive my 500 points since we had lounge access. Credit card machine was one of the old-school imprints, which didn't really work with my Chase Sapphire (had to take my number down manually).
Our room number was written on a sticky and posted to the regular key card holder. I only received one key even though there were two of us.
Overall, check-in was mediocre.
Room: We were in room 1426. The room was MASSIVE. We had a 1.5 baths, a 4 person table, nice couch, and two balconies with two chairs and a table each. The bathroom was okay. Water pressure was kind of weak.
Great view of the ships lined up waiting to transit the Canal, as well as the beach.
Apparently the non-ocean side (of which there are fewer rooms) has a nice view of the "bus graveyard". Interestingly, it's very difficult to find a view of the rain forest since those windows are covered up. Don't get a room on that side.
Overall, the room was quite nice and no complaints. We received a few waters each day, as well as turn-down service.
Dining: The food was mediocre. An assortment of restaurants were open for lunch or dinner each day. We were asked if we had reservations for dinner one night, which we did not, but we were seated promptly as the restaurant was empty. Lots of cooked/heavy food. By the last day, my GF and I chose to snack in the lounge and eat granola bars until we could make it to the airport.
Prices were reasonable ($8-10 for an appetizer, with mains anywhere from $10-$30). Drinks were around $8-$9 by the pool. The pool had a disappointingly limited food menu (hot dogs, burgers, and a caesar salad).
Service was okay. I would say slightly below average. It looked like the servers didn't feel comfortable pouring water. Some didn't speak English well.
On the second night, we ordered room service. It was delivered promptly (said 30 minutes on the phone and was more like 20 minutes). Unfortunately, the food just wasn't very good.
Panama City is only 15-25 minutes away if traffic isn't bad. You could always take a taxi into the city to eat.
Service: After reading reports, I was expecting the worst. Service was okay. Definitely not 4 or 5 star. It seemed like people were trying but lacked direction and comfort. Usually, a 5-star would greet me by name with a smile. That didn't exist here.
Executive Lounge: The lounge had great views and a nice outdoor terrace. Breakfast was okay - would've liked more eggs or hot items outside of carbs. Bloody mary's and mimosas were available.
Drinks and snacks (chips and dip/salsa, nuts, and fruit) were available throughout the day. The lounge is open from 630 AM to 10 PM. From 5-7 PM, there was a happy hour with some good snacks (fried sushi, cheese rolls, fruit, meats, cheeses, etc.) as well as a nice open bar with wine, beer, whisky, vodka, malibu, rum, etc. The drinks were prepared and served by one of the lounge attendants. Drinks were promptly re-filled.
Some drinks were out, with more in the back room. The drink situation was fine, if not awkward because it wasn't clear if you should request a soda that was sitting out or just take one.
The tables were fully set, which was kind of pointless. Unlike previous reviews, I didn't feel the lounge staff fussed with the tables. Instead, they kept drinks flowing and plates cleared.
The service was fine. The staff was cordial. Most spoke English fairly well. The lounge wasn't very full. Perhaps service would've been worse if the lounge was near capacity. Would've been nice if staff offered to book dinner or engage a bit more. Often, there was a single server with no "concierge" or more senior attendant.
Overall, the lounge was good. Sure the service and offerings weren't the best I've had, but this was a solid lounge and better than those of I've experienced in North America.
Pools: The pools were very nice. There are 4, with one huge pool. The water was pretty chilly in the morning but refreshing a bit later in the afternoon. They were painting sections near the pool, possibly with some kind of cool paint. Usually, I need flip flops to walk around because the ground is too hot. This wasn't necessarily the case.
There were plenty of chairs surrounding the pools, as well as on the beach. The canvas covered cabanas were nice to escape the sun. The only downside was that I found the chairs to be quite uncomfortable.
Service around the pool was fine. A few times someone walked by and asked us if we wanted anything (we didn't). I ordered one drink for my GF and received it promptly. Seemed like a good amount of people had the all-inclusive package.
The music was great (Top 40 type stuff), although could be annoying if you don't like that kind of music or noise. Sometimes, there was music coming from different sources, which was annoying. A few times, the towel attendants put on a dancing show. They were quite good.
Seemed like there were some activities around the pool; however, the hotel was pretty empty so it was mostly quiet.
Other:
I didn't notice a special platinum pool area like Peatisback mentioned.
There's a nice game room with two ping pong tables and a pool table, along with 2 large screen tvs.
There are bug repellent cloths available. We noticed some weird small bugs biting us. It kind of hurt, but didn't leave a mark or itch. Neither my GF or I had any mosquito bites.
The beach has some great seashells. The tide is pretty crazy. With low tide, one can walk several hundred meters out into the ocean. There were kayaks and stand up paddle boards, which we didn't try. A few people took them out during our stay. No clue about cost.
Overall:
For 10k points a night, the Westin Playa Bonita was a nice escape for a few nights at a good value. The rooms and resort are modern and comfortable. The service isn't 4 or 5-star and doesn't look like it's moving in that direction. Overall, I felt the hotel lacks character. With a more engaged staff, the resort could really improve. Still, it's hard to find such a nice resort for 10k points. I'd take the WPB over the W Vieques for half the points, no resort fee, and a good lounge.
Pre-Arrival: Used 2 SNAs even though resort seemed pretty empty (plenty of SNAs to burn). Was upgraded to the Revival Suite with a rainforest view 5 days before check-in. A day before our stay, I saw that we were upgraded to a Renewal Suite with an ocean view.
We were finishing up a two night stay at the Le Meridien downtown. I made friends with a taxi driver which we used to drive us to the Playa Bonita resort. Took about 30 minutes with some traffic and a quick stop for gas. I paid $25. We used the same taxi driver for our return to Tocumen. It took about 1 hour at 4 PM on Monday. There's quite a bit of traffic. The driver was extremely friendly. I still have his number. If you speak Spanish, PM me if you'd like to contact him to arrange transportation.
Check In: Greeted with refreshments and luggage was taken immediately. Waited several minutes to check in as only one front desk person was working. Another one joined and helped us. No "thank you for being a platinum" or "you've been upgraded". I asked to make sure we had the ocean view suite and receive my 500 points since we had lounge access. Credit card machine was one of the old-school imprints, which didn't really work with my Chase Sapphire (had to take my number down manually).
Our room number was written on a sticky and posted to the regular key card holder. I only received one key even though there were two of us.
Overall, check-in was mediocre.
Room: We were in room 1426. The room was MASSIVE. We had a 1.5 baths, a 4 person table, nice couch, and two balconies with two chairs and a table each. The bathroom was okay. Water pressure was kind of weak.
Great view of the ships lined up waiting to transit the Canal, as well as the beach.
Apparently the non-ocean side (of which there are fewer rooms) has a nice view of the "bus graveyard". Interestingly, it's very difficult to find a view of the rain forest since those windows are covered up. Don't get a room on that side.
Overall, the room was quite nice and no complaints. We received a few waters each day, as well as turn-down service.
Dining: The food was mediocre. An assortment of restaurants were open for lunch or dinner each day. We were asked if we had reservations for dinner one night, which we did not, but we were seated promptly as the restaurant was empty. Lots of cooked/heavy food. By the last day, my GF and I chose to snack in the lounge and eat granola bars until we could make it to the airport.
Prices were reasonable ($8-10 for an appetizer, with mains anywhere from $10-$30). Drinks were around $8-$9 by the pool. The pool had a disappointingly limited food menu (hot dogs, burgers, and a caesar salad).
Service was okay. I would say slightly below average. It looked like the servers didn't feel comfortable pouring water. Some didn't speak English well.
On the second night, we ordered room service. It was delivered promptly (said 30 minutes on the phone and was more like 20 minutes). Unfortunately, the food just wasn't very good.
Panama City is only 15-25 minutes away if traffic isn't bad. You could always take a taxi into the city to eat.
Service: After reading reports, I was expecting the worst. Service was okay. Definitely not 4 or 5 star. It seemed like people were trying but lacked direction and comfort. Usually, a 5-star would greet me by name with a smile. That didn't exist here.
Executive Lounge: The lounge had great views and a nice outdoor terrace. Breakfast was okay - would've liked more eggs or hot items outside of carbs. Bloody mary's and mimosas were available.
Drinks and snacks (chips and dip/salsa, nuts, and fruit) were available throughout the day. The lounge is open from 630 AM to 10 PM. From 5-7 PM, there was a happy hour with some good snacks (fried sushi, cheese rolls, fruit, meats, cheeses, etc.) as well as a nice open bar with wine, beer, whisky, vodka, malibu, rum, etc. The drinks were prepared and served by one of the lounge attendants. Drinks were promptly re-filled.
Some drinks were out, with more in the back room. The drink situation was fine, if not awkward because it wasn't clear if you should request a soda that was sitting out or just take one.
The tables were fully set, which was kind of pointless. Unlike previous reviews, I didn't feel the lounge staff fussed with the tables. Instead, they kept drinks flowing and plates cleared.
The service was fine. The staff was cordial. Most spoke English fairly well. The lounge wasn't very full. Perhaps service would've been worse if the lounge was near capacity. Would've been nice if staff offered to book dinner or engage a bit more. Often, there was a single server with no "concierge" or more senior attendant.
Overall, the lounge was good. Sure the service and offerings weren't the best I've had, but this was a solid lounge and better than those of I've experienced in North America.
Pools: The pools were very nice. There are 4, with one huge pool. The water was pretty chilly in the morning but refreshing a bit later in the afternoon. They were painting sections near the pool, possibly with some kind of cool paint. Usually, I need flip flops to walk around because the ground is too hot. This wasn't necessarily the case.
There were plenty of chairs surrounding the pools, as well as on the beach. The canvas covered cabanas were nice to escape the sun. The only downside was that I found the chairs to be quite uncomfortable.
Service around the pool was fine. A few times someone walked by and asked us if we wanted anything (we didn't). I ordered one drink for my GF and received it promptly. Seemed like a good amount of people had the all-inclusive package.
The music was great (Top 40 type stuff), although could be annoying if you don't like that kind of music or noise. Sometimes, there was music coming from different sources, which was annoying. A few times, the towel attendants put on a dancing show. They were quite good.
Seemed like there were some activities around the pool; however, the hotel was pretty empty so it was mostly quiet.
Other:
I didn't notice a special platinum pool area like Peatisback mentioned.
There's a nice game room with two ping pong tables and a pool table, along with 2 large screen tvs.
There are bug repellent cloths available. We noticed some weird small bugs biting us. It kind of hurt, but didn't leave a mark or itch. Neither my GF or I had any mosquito bites.
The beach has some great seashells. The tide is pretty crazy. With low tide, one can walk several hundred meters out into the ocean. There were kayaks and stand up paddle boards, which we didn't try. A few people took them out during our stay. No clue about cost.
Overall:
For 10k points a night, the Westin Playa Bonita was a nice escape for a few nights at a good value. The rooms and resort are modern and comfortable. The service isn't 4 or 5-star and doesn't look like it's moving in that direction. Overall, I felt the hotel lacks character. With a more engaged staff, the resort could really improve. Still, it's hard to find such a nice resort for 10k points. I'd take the WPB over the W Vieques for half the points, no resort fee, and a good lounge.
May 28, 2014, 5:12 pm
#47
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: From: PWM
Programs: United GS, Fairmont Platinum,SPG LTPlat, Hilton Diamond, MarriottGold..like the rest of the world
Posts: 4,401
Overall, check-in was mediocre.
Dining: The food was mediocre.
Service was okay. I would say slightly below average. It looked like the servers didn't feel comfortable pouring water. .... Unfortunately, the food just wasn't very good.
Panama City is only 15-25 minutes away if traffic isn't bad. You could always take a taxi into the city to eat.
It seemed like people were trying but lacked direction and comfort. Usually, a 5-star would greet me by name with a smile. That didn't exist here. The service isn't 4 or 5-star and doesn't look like it's moving in that direction. Overall, I felt the hotel lacks character. With a more engaged staff, the resort could really improve.
Dining: The food was mediocre.
Service was okay. I would say slightly below average. It looked like the servers didn't feel comfortable pouring water. .... Unfortunately, the food just wasn't very good.
Panama City is only 15-25 minutes away if traffic isn't bad. You could always take a taxi into the city to eat.
It seemed like people were trying but lacked direction and comfort. Usually, a 5-star would greet me by name with a smile. That didn't exist here. The service isn't 4 or 5-star and doesn't look like it's moving in that direction. Overall, I felt the hotel lacks character. With a more engaged staff, the resort could really improve.
May 28, 2014, 5:13 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: From: PWM
Programs: United GS, Fairmont Platinum,SPG LTPlat, Hilton Diamond, MarriottGold..like the rest of the world
Posts: 4,401
May 28, 2014, 5:58 pm
#49
Join Date: May 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, WN A+, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Amb, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,126
How would you compare the Westin with the downtown Le Meridien?
Was any hotel restaurant better than the others.
We had lunch at Starfish Grill. I had a chicken Caesar salad (wasn't very hungry), which was okay, but rather small. My GF had a hot dog, which had more accompaniments than the one available by the pool. Food was blah.
Understand there is a "sister' hotel across the beach. Did you try to eat there?
Any quiet pool areas?
Also forgot to add the WIFI is free (I believe to all guests). The WIFI was very fast and available most everywhere. I had some reception by the pool and beach, although it depended on where I was sitting.
May 28, 2014, 5:59 pm
#50
Join Date: May 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, WN A+, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Amb, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,126
Every single one of the points above point squarely at the quality of onsite management. A crackerjack team of management could turn all of this around within a two week timeframe. What a tremendous shame that this property is plagued with either cheap ownership or inept management (or both!).
Dec 15, 2014, 11:27 am
#51
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Bonvoy Amb LTT, HHonors Diamond, AA ExPlat, United Silver
Posts: 641
Currency issues with hotel conversion?
The Westin Playa Bonita has a strong disclaimer on its web site about use of credit cards and currency conversion. Can anyone with a recent stay give an indication of what conversion the hotel used if an American credit card was used (i.e. SPG Amex, etc)
Dec 15, 2014, 3:50 pm
#52
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, AC Elite, Airmiles Gold, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
Posts: 785
Dec 15, 2014, 6:29 pm
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Wanting First. Buying First.
Programs: Lifetime Executive Diamond Platinum VIP with Braniff, Eastern, Midway, National & Pan Am
Posts: 17,482
Why would any fee be assessed for performing the complicated math of converting balboas to dollars at the rate of 1.000000000?
Certain credit cards may charge fees for foreign transactions (not currency conversion) regardless of denomination but I'm not aware of fees for currency conversion when the local currency is pegged to the dollar at a permanent 1:1 exchange rate.
Whether the hotel decides to charge you in balboas or dollars should be immaterial.
Dec 16, 2014, 6:29 am
#54
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Bonvoy Amb LTT, HHonors Diamond, AA ExPlat, United Silver
Posts: 641
Looking for someone with personal experience using cc at this hotel
Huh???
Why would any fee be assessed for performing the complicated math of converting balboas to dollars at the rate of 1.000000000?
Certain credit cards may charge fees for foreign transactions (not currency conversion) regardless of denomination but I'm not aware of fees for currency conversion when the local currency is pegged to the dollar at a permanent 1:1 exchange rate.
Whether the hotel decides to charge you in balboas or dollars should be immaterial.
Why would any fee be assessed for performing the complicated math of converting balboas to dollars at the rate of 1.000000000?
Certain credit cards may charge fees for foreign transactions (not currency conversion) regardless of denomination but I'm not aware of fees for currency conversion when the local currency is pegged to the dollar at a permanent 1:1 exchange rate.
Whether the hotel decides to charge you in balboas or dollars should be immaterial.
Dec 16, 2014, 11:50 am
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Wanting First. Buying First.
Programs: Lifetime Executive Diamond Platinum VIP with Braniff, Eastern, Midway, National & Pan Am
Posts: 17,482
Presumably that language is there because one might wish to pay with a credit card from a country whose currency does not have permanent 1:1 parity with the balboa.
I am looking for someone with recent personal experience at the Westin Playa Bonita who used a US Credit Card to clarify if they were charged more than the one to one currency conversion.
Dec 17, 2014, 6:28 am
#56
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Bonvoy Amb LTT, HHonors Diamond, AA ExPlat, United Silver
Posts: 641
Personal experience?
I understand your point logically, but it does not answer the question. The hotel has a strong disclaimer on its web site about currency fluctuation, not pertaining to credit card foreign transaction fees. I am looking for someone with recent personal experience at the Westin Playa Bonita who used a US Credit Card to clarify if they were charged more than the one to one currency conversion.
Dec 17, 2014, 9:10 pm
#57
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Titanium & LTP, NEXUS
Posts: 613
Dec 19, 2014, 4:33 am
#58
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Bonvoy Amb LTT, HHonors Diamond, AA ExPlat, United Silver
Posts: 641
Thanks!
Jan 24, 2015, 12:35 pm
#60
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, SPG LTP
Posts: 1,526
Anyone able to compare the Westin to the Sheraton Bijao? I know they're not close geographically and the Sheraton is all inclusive, but I'm curious if anyone has stayed at both and can compare. We have a trip to Peru planned for March, but are considering scaling it back to Panama for more beach/pool time to accommodate our 3 year old. After a rough weekend trip last weekend, we're thinking of waiting a few years for Peru so it's more enjoyable for all of us.
At any rate, I'm having a hard time adjusting from the anticipation of going to Tambo del Inka to one of the Panama resorts. Clearly, neither would be anywhere near the same level, but thought I'd see about help deciding between the two. We would likely do 3 or 4 nights at the LM for some city/touring time and 3 or 4 nights at one of the resorts.
Are there any offsite restaurants near either resort or are you stuck with (what sounds like) mediocre resort food? We'd have a car.
At any rate, I'm having a hard time adjusting from the anticipation of going to Tambo del Inka to one of the Panama resorts. Clearly, neither would be anywhere near the same level, but thought I'd see about help deciding between the two. We would likely do 3 or 4 nights at the LM for some city/touring time and 3 or 4 nights at one of the resorts.
Are there any offsite restaurants near either resort or are you stuck with (what sounds like) mediocre resort food? We'd have a car.