Excellent Trip

My group had a great time with little complaints. Many Thanks to Janet for letting us know about "the hill" and suggesting the upgrade to beachfront. This resort was very organized from check in to check out. There were never any lines or waiting. Even at the airport upon departure it was 5 minute wait to check your baggage. Having to reserve every meal was a concern at first but it worked out well and we ate in a different restaurant every night. The food was excellent, the service ca [... read more]n be a bit slow. I wanted to jump in a few times and organize the wait staff lol, but they were always pleasant and the food was always hot. The nightly entertainment at the main theatre could use some improvement and better communication as to what is happening. I believe the lobbies had a schedule of events but they are at the top of the hill. Placing these boards in the pool areas at the bottom of the hill or near each entertainment spot would better serve the customers as to what is going on nightly. The staff were all very efficient and pleasant. I had problems with my safe not working several times, I called the lobby and they would have someone there within 15 minutes. A security concern I had was the room keys had the room number engraved on them. If your key became lost or stolen someone could go right to your room and enter. Not sure how to get around that without switching to swipe cards. The Transat Rep Jacque was excellent, he was very organized and extremely helpful to his guests. He was always calm, had a smile and lots of helpful advise for people. He should be the example of what a rep should be. Thanks again Janet for helping me with my group trips!

Beatiful resort

The hotel grounds were immaculate the bar staff were increadable the rooms are big and the maids did a great job Food was acceptable the weather was a steady 32 degrees having to book all restaurants was a pain the stairs all 60 to the beach and restaurants was testing The trip to the Panama camel was a great experience

Great vacation - 2nd visit!

This hotel shows a bit of its age but is well maintained and clean (except for bathrooms near beach). The food is great and the choices are plenty. The weather and beach is why we keep returning to Panama and again it was perfect. If you're looking for perfect weather, great beach, good food and can handle a bit of wear and tear this hotel is great!!

Disappointing family vacation

This resort is dated. Rooms were kept clean. We had 3 small bath towels; no hand towels or wash clothes. We were finally able to get 2 hand towels. One 1.5 litre bottle of water in our room daily. Lock on patio door to balcony did not work. Food was pretty good, overall. Having to make reservations for dinner, even to go to the buffets was a pain. Selection of food was minimal. One omelet station per buffet created long lineups. Hoarding of bacon was ridiculous. Having to get to the po [... read more]ol at 6 a.m. to ensure that we were able to get a shady spot was unreasonable. Communication was a problem. We did have some employees who did try to help us. Most employees were not friendly. We are not sure how this resort has been designated with a 4.5 star rating. It is in our opinion that what we paid was certainly not worth the value.

Hot, hot heat!

I recently stayed at the Royal Decameron in Panama from January 12-19th, 2017 with a group of 14 adults and 1 toddler. The pros: A beautiful beach that stretches as far as the eye can see, well maintained grounds, great drinks, beautiful weather, Iguanas and peacocks roam the grounds, lots of bars and pools - it never felt crowded. The tap water is potable - safe to drink for tourist. The Rio Hato airport is small, one carousel for luggage so getting through customs at arrival is a breeze [... read more]. The resort is a short 5 minute bus ride away. The cons: Evening buffets have to be booked just like an a la carte. I could only book 3 days at a time and had to stand in line at 6:30 am in the lobby waiting to get a "ticket" and then had to wait for my number to be called before I was able to book. This process took about 1.5 hours each time I had to complete this task. I have never been to a resort where you have to book your evening buffet. The resort is built on a hill if anyone is booking with mobility issues I would be sure to get a beach front room where you are on the main level of the resort close to the beach, bars and buffets. A lot of stairs to climb or steep hills if using the road ways. If you do not have mobility issues, this makes for a great workout! Keys - you only receive 1 key for your room and it is a legitimate key, so don't loose it. All in all a great beach vacation. If you are looking for great food this is not the place for you. I always found something to eat, but I would not rave about the food and I certainly never went hungry.

Nice resort,Had a good time.

The resort grounds and rooms are nice. Lots of pools to choose from and plenty of chairs by the pool and beach. The drinks are good and made fresh in a blender eg. pina colodas , strawberry daiquiris .The food wasn't as good as we would have thought as we have stayed at a Royal Decameron before and had better food, but always found something to eat. Not a fan of having to book the buffets for supper. This resort is not for people that have walking difficulties as there is lots of stairs and up h [... read more]ill paths to climb. Went in January and it was very hot.

Very nice resort

We stayed at the royal Decameron from Jan 12-19/17. The grounds and resort in general are very nice, rooms spacious and clean. It is very hilly but gives you lots of exercise. The biggest draw back is having to book for the buffet restaurants. That is ridiculous it took an hour and a half to book 2 buffets and an al a carte. We were a group of 15 people and they don't book under one room number but each room separately. All in all food was good. Pools great, it is in need of some tlc soon. I wou [... read more]ld not go back because of the booking of buffet restaurants. Otherwise yes it is great.

Good Resort

Really big resort, well kept grounds, lots of pools and restaurants, nice beach. Rooms were well looked after and clean. Food was decent with good selection, restaurants and buffet better than snack bar options. Lots of activities and entertainment throughout the day and evening. Staff were all helpful, some really friendly but others less ambitious.

Great family vacation

It was a big resort but laid out well. Beautiful upgrades with older charm and mature trees that gave much needed shade. Staff were good but English speaking ones were rare. WiFi was a hit or miss on most days with more misses. Would recommend family and friends to visit the Royal Decameron Golf and Beach Resort.

Awesome resort

The hotel and grounds were very clean, beautiful and vast. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The staff were friendly,courteous and helpful. There was a lot of things to do and we really enjoyed our tour.

Amazing Royal Decameron

Royal Decameron is a very nice resort. All around excellent service, friendliness, polite, clean and always ready to assist. The a la carte restaurants are fabulous with a large selection. The buffet restaurants are nice, large variety of items and several of the buffets around the resort. Would recommend this resort to all of my family & friends.

Great vacation!

We recently enjoyed a week in Panama at the Royal Decameron. The resort is huge and offers lots to do. I would recommend this resort for families. The grounds are well maintained, food choices are good. A note of caution for everyone to use sunscreen! It is incredibly hot and the sun can be harsh. My husband never burns but he did on this trip. Most of the staff speak minimal English with their main language being Spanish. Staff were relatively friendly. Bonus is that the resort is located 2 min [... read more]utes from the airport.

Good Resort

Very large resort with excellent staff. Nice place with many options. The hill side is a bit steep but if you are on the beach front its not to much of an issue. Overall good food (minus raw chicken fed to our child in the seafood restaurant) with plenty of options. Lifeguards were amazing with children. Some of the bars were a bit backlogged but again it wasn't to bad. One pool was a bit worse then others for a line at the bar. On the beach, the only thing annoying was feces from the h [... read more]orses. I suggest more shaded areas for people (around the pool or beach) as the sun is very strong. This is really the only thing I would change. Check in at the airport was great!

Not for English speaking people

The hotel was very nice and the grounds and amenities were excellent. However having to make reservations for every single dinner, even if eating at the buffet is ridiculous. I have traveled many, many times over the years and this is the first all inclusive that I have ever been to that you would have problems getting into the buffet restaurant if you did not have reservations. Then there was the staff. If you did not speak Spanish then they did not pay any attention to you even at the re [... read more]staurants. Almost every meal we would have to ask 3 different severs to get us drinks, and we are talking simple drinks like water, coke and wine. Most of the time they would look at you with a blank stare, not say a word and then walk away as if you didn't exist. On new years eve it got even worse. We were ignored so much that I had to go to the servers station and with 4 of them standing there staring at me I served my own wine to myself an my table. We were eating at the buffet that night and nobody cleared our plates even once. I had to get all of our plates, stand beside a server at his cart and scrape off our dishes into his trash can and stack the plates on his cart. I then offered to clear other guests tables as they just didn't care. This hotel provided the absolute worst service I have ever had. However if you spoke Spanish they took good care of you. The new years party that they through was great however it was completely in Spanish and French, no English at all. I would not recommend this resort to any of my travel companions and I travel at least 4 times per year with more that two dozen friends that also travel with us during these times.

Not disappointed

This was our third trip to the Royal Decameron in Panama. Hot weather, as expected, good service and food. Beach is fantastic, water very warm and pleasant. I was disturbed to see horses on the beach relieving themselves on the shore and onto the sand (where children play). I did write this in the evaluation given at the end of our stay, and hopefully something will be done to remedy the situation, as the idea of swimming with horse shit is repulsive. Our previous two stays there were no ho [... read more]rses on the beach, and this time the two horses rarely brought any business to the owner.

Awesome weather and a very clean resort!

My husband and I have been to the Royal Decameron Beach Resort in Panama many times. Having the new airport open so close to the resort was an amazing experience. The grounds are impeccable and the staff are friendly. The addition of the waterslides is awesome! We will be back soon for sure.

Well-run resort

We had an excellent week at this resort. It is well run, the staff are really pleasant and professional. The facilities are fine, if a little worn around the edges in areas. Beautifully-maintained grounds and pools. Great room, ocean view - a bit noisy at night if there was a show in the outdoor theatre near lobby 1. The food was fine, not exceptional but pretty good for buffet style. The a la carte restaurants were variable in food quality, but always excellent service and ambiance. All-in-all, [... read more] excellent value. One negative...buyer beware on the tours sold in the lobby; we were badly shortchanged on our Canal excursion. Really be careful in terms of ensuring the specifics are adhered to.

Nice big resort

Public area and the pools of the resort are clean and the personal friendly and ready to help. The staff was speaking almost only spanish. Just a few could answer a litlle bet on english The food was not to various but ok.

Nice resort

This is a nice resort with a long beach, close to the Rio Hato airport. The food was not to various but ok. Public area and the pools of the resort are clean and the personal friendly. Unfortunately, just a few of the staff are speaking English.

Good resort

The public washrooms in the beach bars were pretty dirty. The outside landscape was beautiful. The rooms were always well cleaned and cold. The staff was very friendly. The food was decent, but the snack bars were the only options for food without booked reservations.