Breakfast and dinner served, local and international cuisine
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Reviews of The Balboa Inn

3 out of 5
The Balboa Inn
Las Cruces 2311/A, Balboa, Panama City

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 55 out of 95 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 31 out of 95 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 95 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 95 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 95 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Cat, Alto Boquete

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The parking is tight but covered. Property is absolutely spotless
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Melissa

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Escher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Julia

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We spend 10 days there, nice and clean place, good service,But needs space to hang your clothes and a place were to accommodate your clothes.
Stayed 10 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Clinton

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It's a small hotel in a nice residential area. I could park our rental car right in front, no fighting downtown traffic or searching for a parking spot in Casco Viejo. Most touristy spots are a $5 Uber ride away if you don't have a car. Since the hotel is so small the pool area and courtyard are peaceful. The AC worked well. There were agoutis playing in the yard across the street. There aren't many services within walking range, so if you don't have a car, you may have to use Uber to get to a restaurant or use Uber Eats for food. They will cook you breakfast at the hotel.
Stayed 8 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Susan

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Joos

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
great, friendly staff!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Close but no cigar
The room met our basic needs, but could've been so much nicer with only a little bit of extra attention to the niceties and decor. First of all, our room didn't look at all like the photo when we booked. It was just 4 plain white walls and 2 beds. No bench, chairs, table or freestanding lamp. We twice had an odd difficulty getting them to give us a cup of ice--it didn't seem due to a language barrier. Pool and patio were great, but we were always being watched--not in a lifeguard sense. Breakfast was expensive ($14, not $5 as stated) and not great; only ate there once. On plus side TV, A/C, mattress, fridge and microwave were all good. When we changed our reservation in advance to delete one night, the price went up instead of down.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Carol

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
From the online photos, I expected the room to be more attractive than it is, which is quite sterile. This is a great place for backpackers and younger people. There are no handrails on the staircase which is a risk for older guests. The patio area is very attractive but could be improved with some plants in the planters for the palms. The rooms do not have washcloths, just one towel per guest and there are no drinking glasses. The mini fridge and microwave are a good feature. No chair in our room, only the bed to sit on. The manager is very helpful and will supply drinking glasses when requested. You can buy beer, bottled water and sodas but he had no wine.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

2/10 Terrible

Juan

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vasuki

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The rooms were comfortable. Hot water showers and attached bath. My room had a small refrigerator and a microwave. The building had a kitchen but was not accessible for the guests. That was the only drawback, since there weren’t many restaurants nearby. You can order breakfast through them for a cost. We did not use that service. The national bus terminal/metro line is close by. You can walk to take a small bus or a metrobus to go to Albrook (which has a huge mall, bus and train terminals). You can easily walk to Ancon Hill and also Casco Viejo if you are into walking. Overall, it was a great property in terms of location and amenities.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sebastian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I liked the fact it was quiet.didnt feel I was on the city. The guy that works there was always very helpful on all our needs.(taxi, directions, laundry) good place.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2023

6/10 Okay

Jessica

I only booked at this motel because it was around the corner from my venue for the evening. My room was a white box but I was only there to sleep for a night so it was fine. No fridge or minibar but there was a random microwave. They don't give you the wifi password when you check in. The airconditioning seemed weak at first but after 7pm it cooled the room just fine. They should clean the carpet on the stairs as a dirty staircase can make a poor impression. Didn't use the shower or towels or have breakfast (breakfast isn't included so it's not a B&B), didn't see anyone when I Ieft just before 11am, just left my key on the counter...I'd stay here again if I had an event to attend in the area but otherwise I'd choose somewhere nicer and more central. Not thrilled to have paid $60 to stay here but given rates in the city it's not the worst. Nice to be able to drive up to what looks like a house in a nice residential area and self-park. Heard a few dogs barking in the early evening but it wasn't too noisy after that. No water provided in the room (tap water is probably drinkable? No pitcher, glasses, bottles, etc). There was a bedspread in a plastic bag (in case you get cold?) Night lights for reading were like 9000 k. Soap and one roll of toilet paper provided. Decent wifi. Didn't use the tv. My room was up a flight of stairs, no elevator, fyi (I had help on arrival...there was no one there when I left). Sheets were rough, clean, white.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Lada

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Staff was really nice and friendly. Our room was very basic, just white walls nothing more. Not like on the pictures at all. Breakfast is not for 5USD. You can choose from the menu but every item you pay for. So at the end it is more convenient and probably cheaper to book hotel with breakfast included in the modern part of Panama City. The pool is nice.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Christina, Orleans

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing staff!
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brenda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
William, our host was a treasure! Pool and lounging area is lovely. Rooms clean, well maintained. Mattresses comfortable. Wifi great.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

Lisa, COTTONWOOD

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We had business nearby, and this location is easy to get to from the interamericana without too much struggle with Panama City traffic
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
PTY 4
Easy check in, good location, nice staff...............
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

william

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great pool area and breakfast. In a residential area. Super close to Albrook airport, which is why we chose this place. Would stay here again, but stay longer to enjoy the pool.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lucy

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved it. Will stay again.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

8/10 Good

Lisa

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent
This is a great little boutique hotel. Check in was easy and the whole place is meticulously clean from the common area to the room. The bed was comfortable and the water in the shower was nice and hot, with good pressure. We would definitely recommend this accommodation.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lisa, COTTONWOOD

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a great value for the money. Simple, very clean rooms. The sheets smelled so fresh, that I just had to ask what detergent they were using.

10/10 Excellent

Karsten

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I had a small room that had everything I needed. I would stay there again for sure...

10/10 Excellent

James, Hillside

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Shella

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A true hidden gem
We really enjoyed our stay. The staff are very friendly and the environment was very peaceful and refreshing. A true hidden gem.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2022

8/10 Good

Carole

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice quiet hotel with lovely outdoor area
Lovely small hotel in a safe quiet residential area. Lovely veranda/hammocks and pool. Bed comfortable. Very clean. Ac was comfortable. Shower good. Microwave in my room but no cups, plates or other items to cook with. Fridge in lounge area was apparently not for guests (but they let me put my water there). A bit far for food etc if you don’t have a car but Uber connections were good.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

ROBERT

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Maciej

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There are no grocery stores walking distance. Nice place, quiet area, low traffic, easy to drive around.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Yuki

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is a great place to stay in Panama City! Beautiful, tranquil neighborhood but close to the historic district and the cabal. Also there Reserva Cerro Ardon is in walking distance just behind the hotel. We saw many sloths, toucans and other cool birds! It’s amazing to have this natural area with so much wildlife so close by in the middle of the city! Beautiful views from the top as well. The hotel has nice grounds and a pretty pool. Rooms were simple but clean and ac was nice. Food options are a bit limited so plan ahead. I would definitely stay here again!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Such a beautiful little retreat in a nice quiet residential neighborhood. Close to the old town and a quick cab or Uber ride there. Great breakfast for a small price with attentive staff. Highly recommend it.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

6/10 Okay

sastry

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
will choose a different place next time
being in a residential area without a car, needed some advice on restaurants, and the in house eatery was NEVER open. no one was EVER at the counter to talk regarding visiting the canal. room was GREAT, service was EXTREMELY POOR.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Ivonne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Balboa
Nice, quiet & close to transport but off the beaten also nice pool
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

8/10 Good

Robert

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Dawn

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The rooms are basic but with effective air conditioning and excellent hot water. The pool is lovely and the birds all around are wonderful to hear and see. Short hike up Cerro Anton and you have amazing views plus sloths, poison dart frogs and more birds. Service is lackadaisical at best although using WhatsApp with the owner works well. Note that dining options in the area, which is residential, are VERY limited. Many restaurants are out of business after Covid. Almost all are closed on Monday. There are no breakfast places at all. No mini-supers nearby, so best to come prepared (our room had a microwave and small refrigerator). Basic breakfast is available at additional cost at the inn. They also sell Coke and Balboa beer.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jenifer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
As advertised, clean, quiet, friendly hosts. It's a nice healthy walk to the Amarado Causeway.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021

10/10 Excellent

Ivonne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean & Comfortable
Just outside the busy city but close enough to get low cost uber but there’s public buses. Friendly staff and helpful, English speaking staff. Dining area near pool & affordable
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021

8/10 Good

EFRAIM E

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Panama, excellent approach
Very nice situation, near to Panama Canal and Amador peninsula, and easy comunication to every City of Panama interesting places.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
It is a nice place to stay due to location and price. It is more a hostel than hotel. Our room(I believe only 6 rooms total) had a small fridge, TV, bed and private bathroom. Very nice lounging area with pool on back patio. They do laundry for a reasonable price. The owner is very nice but came and went. They offer breakfast beginning at 7am but that never happened. I had to ask owner if they had ice or if I had to go buy a bag. There is 1 restaurant about a10 minute walk away or you can do Uber eats. Main reason we stayed here was because I lived in this house over 45 years ago when it was US Panama canal housing.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Arrived at hotel after a long flight to find it was closed. The taxi driver took us to nearby hostel for the night. Felipe was wonderful. Helped us find another hotel the next day
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Allison, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Very friendly and kind staff. Clean and nice outdoor space.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was great, the staff was very helpful and friendly
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

6/10 Okay

karlshadley

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Things were OK. Room was hot when when we arrived but cooled off over the next couple of hours. Lots of renovation going on so the pool is just a big hole in the ground, grounds where all torn-up and cement projects going on so the patio and back yard are pretty much unsustainable. This would have been nice to know.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from The Balboa Inn on 10 Feb 2020
Thank you for your comment, we will take your feedback into consideration.

10/10 Excellent

Denis, Thunder Bay

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property is conveniently located. It has all the amenities we needed. It is well maintained and spotlessly clean. Andrea was so friendly and helpful! We highly recommend the Balboa Inn.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from The Balboa Inn on 16 Jan 2020
Thank you so much, it was a pleasure to receive and assist you!

10/10 Excellent

Rico, Curacao

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Hotel is on a great location. The staff was excellent. We stayed 3 nights.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from The Balboa Inn on 2 Dec 2019
Thank you so much! It was a pleasure to have you with us.

10/10 Excellent

Tammy, Boquete

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very clean and quiet in a residential area in easy walking distance to buses/taxis. They have great quality linens and super fluffy towels you'll enjoy and even perhaps want to buy! They have a fridge stocked with cold beverages you can help yourself to and note what you take for your room to pay for at checkout. Nice. They are always improving the property and I love to see what's new each time!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from The Reception on 23 Sept 2019
Thank you very much for your comment. For us it was a pleasure to be of service, our goal is to offer a better service every day.

10/10 Excellent

David E

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyed a green area in a city
We spent 5 nights here and had some specific requests, all of which were approved.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from The Balboa Inn Staff on 15 May 2019
we do what we can, thank you!

8/10 Good

Tanya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019
Response from The Balboa Inn Staff on 15 May 2019
thank you!