Royal Decameron Golf Beach Resort Golf & Villas, Panama City

Loved the beach! Spa massage on the beach was the Best ever!!! Golfing was great! Hot!, never pulled out a sweater ever! Pools were great! But... be careful...we were in Bldg. 48, it was 97 stairs to our room from the beach, buffets etc.. The biggest complaint I had was the WiFi!!! $15.00 a day, 1 device at a time, and you had to login everytime you were idle for a few minutes! A Pain in the butt! Don't plan on relying on the Wifi to get any business done!

n all my travels, which are extensive, I have never felt so uncomfortable in a resort (Nov 2011). The only redeeming qualities of this establishment were the beach, ocean and well-kept grounds (albeit they strictly enforced their “stay off the lawn” policy). We upgraded to an oceanfront room. I had three warm showers in 11 days; never had a full complement of towels; I watched the black mould grow in my shower, had a twin bed that was like sleeping on plywood (my husband's bed was broken); the air conditioner had one temperature - frigid; and, daily, the staff rifled through our belongings. We were kept up by rancorous shouting, partying and yelling throughout the night including the security staff and other employees. The resort sells day passes to the locals, and particularly on the weekends was overwrought with ill-mannered, rude children and adolescents; and condescending Spanish-speaking people. Most staff members were not much better (three exceptions in 11 days). I quit handing out tips as the staff would grab the money and not even smile (let alone say thank you). One can forgive a lot if you see the staff putting in extra effort. This was not the case. Do not expect good customer service or warm hospitality from this Royal Decameron. The food was sub-standard; the presentation was poor; the most appealing food was the watermelon, poached eggs and rice pudding. Many Spanish-speaking patrons had no respect for line-ups of any sort, and often cut in front with no regard to those in line. At my final meal there was a 2 year old running around only in his diaper, yelling at the top of his lungs; and a dozen other youngsters literally jostling me as I dined. I would never return, and strongly suggest you consider another resort, if not another country for your vacation. And yes, November is still rainy season, in spite of what your travel agent may say.

The staff was courteous, always professional. Great selection and most importantly, good quality of food choices throughout the several restaurants and buffets on-site. Panama is a place where you don't worry about poor water quality - water is a good as anywhere in the United States or Canada. Even so, the resort consistently provides great quality bottled water as often as you please. Bar tenders are classy and do not "expect" tips, but show great appreciation for them. Slightly far from Panama City (1.5hrs away by bus), but the shuttle that drops you off at Albrook Mall in the morning, and picks you up in the afternoon is ONLY $20USD. A MUST if you go is the Panama City/Old Panama/Miraflores Canal Locks tour. Very cheap, lots of fun. Between the beautiful greenery, clean suites, dance lessons, tennis courts, ping pong tables, beach, exercise gym, entertainment shows, numerous pools, scuba diving, tours, plus extras you can pay for, It's hard to find something "wrong" here for the price. You know it's happening when even local Panamanians spend vacation time at this resort.

The resort is dated and an hour and a half to 2 hours from the airport in Panama City. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing to do outside of the resort. Prices were high at the gift store, golfing was extremely overpriced! The staff was not accomidating and at times rude and unfriendly. We had one night without electricity which was very annoying since we were leaving early the following morning and was unable to pack till early that morning. The food was just ok and the drinks on the beach were terrible. Good drinks at the bars in the lobbies though. For the money spent, we will go elsewhere. I recommend people go elsewhere. Vacation ok outside of the resort. There was no "free" internet as advertised. You had to pay for the service 24 hrs at a time. Too many stairs. The beach was clean but small. Too many locals with too many kids. Staff seemed to cater to the locals unless you flashed money at them. Panama is a beautiful country and will visit again but will not stay at this Decameron.

Nothing to dislike.. The place was amazing.. We met friends at woods off the compound on the beach, woody himself and Monique and family ( we know that's not your real name "W" If your Canadian and love a good hockey game and poutine that is the place to go.. Over all it was an amazing trip and highly recommend it.. I'm dying to go back.. Some people I see here say the service was bad and the stairs are to much bla bla bla.. If you treat the people there good you get good service there not servants there staff and they did an awsome job when I was there.. So keep that in mind and take the trip and see for your self. Also if you want a good adventure ask woody about Mary. She gives a laid back adventure no rush and an awsome site of her own. It's a must as well.. Well enjoy I did...

I just got back from this resort, and I already want to plan another trip there. The beach was beautiful. I thought the sevice was wonderful. As far as a language barrier, I do not speak Spanish other than the little I remember from school and it was not a problem. Do not expect people in other countries to speak your languge though. Remember, you are visiting their country, therefore you should have a way to communicate using the local language. Most of the staff did speak some english though and I used a hanheld translator at times. The staff was great. We didn't have to wait for anything (except omlets and the staff made them quickly, they were just popular). I didn't get the impretion that anyone had their hand out or expected tips. This was also one of the cleanest resorts I have ever stayed at. The room cleaning was perfect and the reason some of the restaurants were closed (just one at a time) was for cleaning. We saw the staff cleaning one of the buffets and they pulled everything out and apart to be sure it was clean everywhere. They even pulled up and replaced tiles that were getting a little old. We didn't have a problem getting reservations the the restaurants. When we arrived we picked the which restaurant to eat at for each night of the week. I honestly cannot think of a single complaint about this resort. Water sports were fun, shopping was great, and the nightly shows were really good too. The kid's shows got the kids up on the stage and involved them in it, which I thought was great. The horseback riding was not for the timid though. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast doing it but the horses would cut eachother off and would bump into one another. It is just a little different from the horse rides through the Smokey Mountains where they all stay in a line. Moral of my story is, the resort is worth evey penny, I will return, and I would recomend it to everyone! *side note: there are a lot of stairs to get up to some of the lobbies but there are vans that can take you up if you need assistance.

We recently travelled to Panama and stayed for one week at the Decameron.When we went down in the morning of our first day(early) we were told that the ala carts were all full.During the entire week we only were able to visit one restaurant and took other meals at the Buffet.I was told that there would be 10 restaurants but to my knowledge many of them were not open.The food was alright but nothing to get excited over.What was really apparent to myself and other North American guests is that we felt that we were getting service if we flashed a lot of money at the bartenders and wait staff.I don't have any problem with giving a gratuity when it is earned but in this place everybody seems to have there hand out waiting.This is the major problem in customer service and it needs to be addressed by the management of the hotel.The same service standard should exist for all.The hotel and grounds were kept clean and nice but I would not go back to this Decameron.

First off ,DO NOT book deep sea fishing' total RIP OFF, parade you back and forth in 66 feet of water with drunken morons you don't know(they had to fill the boat so they'll put anybody on regardless of their state of mind,after I complained to the owner i was told i should have thrown them overboard!! in compensation he did offer us another three hours to fish so we showed up on time, guess what no boat! a man of his word, thnks Dennis your a man of character??? it's only about the money with that guy) the grounds are beautiful,service is ok especially if your colombian and can speak spanish, some of our group were actually ignored at the buffet and served last after arriving first at the omelet counter,a la carte were decent if you want to get up every morning at 6:30 am and stand in line to book a restaurant,buffets were average,rooms are plain no beverages other that a bottle of water,lots of hills and stairs but there's always a ride available if need be,didn't golf but did hear it was a very nice course,overall very nice resort to look at but improvements needed in the service end of things(mostly language barrier)

Awesome customer service found wo rooms for us on a weekend with no reservations. Not recommended to try this. Was better than our Expierence at another resort up the road. Yes I travel to Panama a lot. I have never had a problem in Panama and I am American. Do not expect everyone to speak English if you have to use a dictionary, I have done this many times and have never been looked down on. Baggage service was excellent and had no problems at all. Small trucks and vans were never a problem and areas of traffic are marked in English and Spanish. Overall was awesome trip.

I was very excited to go to this resort..i had heard great things about it. I broughtmy husband with me to experience Panama for the first time .Almost no one spoke english. I did not get the room that I had reserved with a balcony. We did not have hot water for two days. I asked to speak with a manager three times and never did. I kept getting excuses from the staff. All of the surrounding restaurants were closed when we wanted to go eat there. I feel that the money I paid was definetly not worth the service. I ended up leaving and finding better service, a better price at Playa Blanca. Decameron was a hell hole and Playa Blanca was heaven. My husband said he never wanted to return to Panama because of his experience at Decameron. I do not recommend anyone to go to the Decameron!!!