Stayed three nights. Room was just fine. Staff was courteous and helpful always. Grounds were expansive and lovely. Plenty of room to avoid crowds. Beach was fine. Nice birds to see if that is of interest. It was to us.
My husband and I take a trip every year. We decided to come to Panama March 7-12 2020. The view was beautiful and the greenery/flowers were amazing. The pools need to be repainted and some tiles need to be replaced. There was mold on some of the water features that could be scrubbed off. The place just needed a little bit of a facelift for a five star resort. There was one bartender that stuck out to me though that gets 5 stars. Zanche or some people called him Happy, he was amazing. He made sure that everyone was well taken care of the whole time. I didn’t even finish my drink and he was bringing me a new one. That man deserves a raise. All in all it was a good trip. The Panama Canal is a must see bucket list for all.
My partner and I had a fantastic vacation at Dreams Playa Bonita. We were there February 23 - March 1. We were greeted with wet towelettes upon arrival. Check in was fast and we were treated to champagne :) -Although we stayed in a partial ocean view room on the the first floor, we still had a great view of the ocean and the beautiful grounds. The room was spacious and clean. The bathroom was clean. Plenty of hot water for showers. AC worked marvellously. My only complaint is the housekeeping attendants weren’t consistent on replacing face cloths or towels. Not a big deal as I would either grab items from a cart when I was walking by, track down an housekeeping attendant, or call housekeeping. Mini bar was restocked each day. -We especially enjoyed the food at Bordeaux, Portofino, and Oceana. Wait time at these restaurants weren’t bad. Burgers and fries at Barefoot were tasty. My least favourite restaurant was Seaside Grill. I actually only enjoyed the soup. My partner found the food ok. The Market Cafe had a good selection for breakfast and lunch and the food was good. Delicious treats, coffee, and ice cream to be found at Coco Cafe! Room service for breakfast was quick and efficient one day while a bit slow another morning. Food was delicious though! -The resort was booked to capacity so we had to be out early to acquire chairs with shade. I saw plenty of chairs without shade available throughout the day though. -The beach was nice and the water wasn’t dirty at all. I didn’t partake in swimming in the ocean, but plenty of other people did. -You can see the ships lined up in the distance waiting to go through the canal. At night, the lights on all of the ships gave the appearance of a city. Very pretty! -We hung out at the Preferred Club Pool section as it was quieter and found the service at the Preferred Club Pool bar to be the best. Joel, at the Preferred section treated everyone like a king or queen. Joel is definitely an asset to Dreams Playa Bonita. His customer service skills are superb! Bartenders at Rendezvous (lobby bar) and Barracuda (pool bar) need more training. We didn’t find them to be very observant as people who came up to the bar long after us got served before us. This happened more than once at these bars. I can’t comment on service at the Manatees Bar (swim-up bar) as we didn’t go there. -The resort offered nightly entertainment and although the performers were good, the performances were too short, approximately 30 minutes. The entertainment manager definitely needs to extend the nightly performances to at least an hour. -The lizards at the resort kept me entertained throughout the day. They love eating pieces of lettuce, banana, and pineapple. -The resort offers walking tours up the rainforest. We didn’t get a chance to go on the tour as we participated in tours off the resort. From what I heard, the tour is challenging, but worth it. -I was concerned about mosquitoes and noseeums and took plenty of repellant, but I didn’t need to use it. I received only a couple bites the whole time I was there. -Another asset to this resort is Yannyreth, our UVC rep. She went above and beyond her duties to make our stay fabulous and memorable. Thank you, Yannyreth! -I recommend getting up early to watch the sunrise. Absolutely spectacular! We hope to return one day to this beautiful resort!…
The four of us (my brother and our wives) went to Dreams Playa just before the Corona was getting underway March 6-13th and I would't mind a private email to share some shortcomings the staff can work on, but I guess this is going to be a public format. The staff was friendly and as others have pointed out, many speak no English (its Panama, not the US, just want travelers to be aware). -Music by the pool: skip the Macarena version being played that sings about ni_____s and bit___s. Plenty of other music works. It could be a bit lower in volume too, I didn't hear anyone saying louder please. -Have bitters at all of your bars so you can make common drinks like a Manhattan or a Rob Roy. You can do it! I know you can! -Teach your staff how to make an omelette! Grill all the items (onion, pepper, mushrooms...what have you) first, then put a couple cracked eggs on the grill, then lay on the cooked items, then add the cheese just before folding over. Not that hard, right! I tipped my omelette maker after she put up with me, telling her how to make one. Again, no English, just me and my high school Spanish and a lot of pointing. I'm sure there is a Youtube video on this. -Have you staff who are signing guests up for the jungle hike, actually take the jungle hike so they can tell guests what to expect. Have guests meet in the lobby. Not by the pool standing in the sun for an extra half hour! And pass out extra water. The group we went on March 11th had 39 guests which was too many to take safely. The delayed start and over large group caused some to have heat stroke. (Yeah vacation!) Informative guide, nice views, but too much stopping and explaining on the trail with a group that big. -DON'T FEED THE BIRDS! at the buffet! We saw staff do this and told them to stop! Get an exterminator to eliminate all the birds that have learned to perch and eat in the dining area. This is the perfect down time for this. -Replace towels in the guest bathrooms when you take them away! And if you are not going to replace them, just leave them! -Encourage guests to use the few boating options you offer. Have the boating times match the tides! Don't say the only boating time tomorrow is at X if you know it will be low tide! Look it up, its not hard. I used a kayak on my last day after complaining to the staff that the tide was high now and it was perfect. I was even more pissed when I saw the owner's teenage sons kayaking and paddle boarding (without life jackets) when I had been turned away. Staff did correct this and let me, and then other guests, use the equipment when I pointed out the hypocrisy. -Don't keep leaving flyers in our door for your spa everyday!!! Its more garbage and lists our Name!! and Room Number!! that anyone can come by and grab! This is the opposite of good security. -Like others have said. Don't let guests hog beach chairs all day they are not using. Strip every towel and old magazine left to claim a chair several times a day. It might mean you have to act in charge. It will make it easier when you tell people not to smoke at the pool, which you should enforce. (Just go out to the beach!) I am a Creative Director in real life and know that many of these are attainable goals. I want you to have a Great! resort and I have not called out anything that is not unobtainable, I will restate that the staff was helpful and friendly.…
This hotel is not up to Unlimited Vacation Club standards, it is dirty, not maintained, there is grime or sloppy paint on every surface, there is no 'unlimited luxury', premium brands are only located in one bar, mini bars are not refreshed, employees have no ideas or helpful advice for the guests. Food is marginal, except for in Bordeaux..which they closed down. Don't waste your vacation here.
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