We saw an Oferta Simple deal for the hotel in Coronado, and since we wanted to see the area anyway we bought it. It was for the TRYP Playa Coronado, a Wyndham hotel.
It’s a very new hotel. We were told it has only been open for three months and it was still obviously under construction. We could hear construction noise, and we saw paint and dust covered workmen in the building. It was very new and bright looking, and everything was painted white.
There were some … ahem … interesting issues though, some in the fundamental design, some in the decor, and some easily corrected details that had been overlooked. It started with numerous unanswered calls to make a reservation, unanswered emails, and consulting with the Oferta Simple people until the one last call before I gave up actually got through.
The outside of the hotel is bright and pretty. The garage is on the second level, and the pool is on the 3rd level.
The is a part under construction on the far side of the ground floor, not sure what it is going to be.
This is the lobby of the hotel, where the AC could barely keep up and the staff was sweating under bright lights at the far end. We teased the bartender on the right who was there most of the afternoon and evening all alone. We never saw a customer at that bar.
Our room had a living room / kitchen area, and a separate bedroom. The cow chair was interesting. At my age, the full length mirror didn’t improve my day.
This is the kitchen area, a nice touch but not really needed. The bar stools were quite uncomfortable though. There was no trash can, or any soap or means to wash dishes if you used them. The stove also wasn’t hooked up to the gas.
The bedroom, with another odd, uncomfortable chair. Notice there is barely enough room to walk by the foot of the bed. But, there were 4 pillows and 3 more in the closet. Do 2 people need 7 pillows? The phone on the tiny nightstand also keep beeping until I unplugged it. I’m not sure why there is “Manhattan” art work on the wall when there is so much beauty in Panama.
The bedroom closet was tolerable, but it would have been nice to have more than 2 hangers. It would have been nice to have a luggage rack or somewhere to put a suitcase as well.
The square toilet in the bathroom. Notice the washcloths perched on the edge of the sink. The toilet paper was also behind you, and on a holder that would cause the roll to come off as soon as you pulled on it. There were also frequent sewer gas odors.
We removed the washcloths and glasses, and the kleenex box, and there still barely enough room for a few toiletries. If the vanity has to be so small, a shelf or two would be really nice.
This shower was really nice, and I thought it was cute how they perched the toiletries on top of it until I realized they had to. There was no other place to put them except on the floor. There wasn’t so much as a little soap dish anywhere in the shower, and there definitely wasn’t room by the sink.
Sloppy workmanship added to general feeling of “not quite right”. This was the kitchen counter by the front door. It was also interesting when you go out the door and look down the hall because you could see an obvious mixture of flat and satin paint on the all white walls.
This sort of baseboard was common also, along with paint drips on baseboards. It was especially obvious by the elevators, a bad thing since you have plenty of time to look around as you wait for the (always slow) elevators.
Our room overlooked the pool which we didn’t find too inviting because there was no sun shade anywhere. They had some canopy beds which looked pretty, but if you don’t want to lie on a bed you are in the full sun.
They served a very good breakfast in the dining room. Unfortunately the floors were tile and the walls were smooth, and all the sound bouncing around was intense. We were happy to get out of there as soon as we were finished eating.
I also forgot to mention, there were no light bulbs in the lamps. The area rugs were also shag loop and I’m not sure how one would clean them. I can’t see them lying down for a vacuum cleaner. There was no internet in the rooms, only in the lobby and pool. We were lucky though because if we sat by the window in the room we could still get a weak signal from the pool.
We did all right though, and the bed was comfortable. Thankfully we aren’t too fussy about details but for someone paying full price at $100/night, they might not appreciate all the annoying details.
Now though we are at a La Estancia in Panama City and we’re having a wonderful experience! We’re going to kick back and chill today, so maybe I’ll have a bit more time to catch up on the blog and tell you more about what we are doing. Or, maybe I’ll continue to be too busy taking photos of birds, trees, monkeys, and other wildlife 😀
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About Kris Cunningham
We live in David, Chiriqui Provence, Republic of Panama! This blog is about some of our experiences in our new country.
The Panama Adventure 
Yikes! I hope you left a review on their website and got your money back.
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Nah, it wasn’t so bad I would ask for money back, but I will write a review on TripAdvisor.
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We stayed there last month. Also, using the Oferta Simple. The room’s decor, was, a little eclectic. I agree with the comment on the metallic shag rug. And the “Cowhide” chair? But it was a nice modern hotel. We enjoyed our stay there.
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It was a bunch of little things, none terribly important but all together made for a lot of annoyances. I’m glad we made the trip though.
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I didn’t realize that this place was the Wyndham. When we were last in the area in January it still looked very “undone”. Thanks for the report and safe journeys.
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A friend told me that it changed hands a few times while it was under construction, so it could well have been something different when you were there.
My pleasure, and thank you amiga 🙂
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Pingback: A Surprise Treat – Great Italian Food in Coronado | The Panama Adventure
When in Panama Ciudad the Center Apartments are nice and in El Cangrejo. No breakfast and no bar. But clean and good rooms at a low price between 43 and 55 per night approx. TV and Wifi.
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Thanks for the tip! That is a good price.
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This hotel was bought by TRYP in some state of construction for IZBISA (or some such -sorry for the sketchy description) and they have been working on it for about a year. As with everything here at the beach, it is slow, slow slow. Materials and such have to come from the city, and then getting reliable/knowledgeable crews to install is always an issue. Eventually, it should be a nice hotel. AND the only one really at the beach. There are short term rentals at the Golf resort, but not ‘hotel’.
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I heard it changed hands along the way. If they get some of these details taken care of it can be a very nice hotel. Hopefully after a year or two to settle in, things will be really good there. I understand though the challenges of getting good materials and qualified help, and getting things done in a timely manner.
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I was really hoping to see a monkey when we were there but never did see one. I didn’t even know there were monkeys in the city. It looks like it will be a nice hotel when it’s finished.
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We’re here now on Ancon Hill and these are the first monkeys we’ve seen in Panama. We did see some in Costa Rica though. I think in Panama you have to know where they live and go look for them.
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