The Westin Playa Bonita Panama - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5684 reviews

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  Amazing pool experience!!!

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding service at the Pool Bar – Nilka is amazing! Nilka at the pool bar at the Westin Playa Bonita truly made our experience unforgettable. From the moment we sat down, she was warm, welcoming, and incredibly attentive. Her positive energy and genuine smile set the tone for a perfect day by the pool. She made excellent drink recommendations, crafted everything perfectly, and somehow managed to keep service fast and friendly even when things got busy. Nilka went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable, happy, and always had exactly what we needed. It’s rare to come across service that feels so sincere and effortless. Nilka is a true asset to the Westin Playa Bonita, and we looked forward to seeing her every time we visited the pool bar. Because of her, our pool days were next-level enjoyable. If you’re at the resort, do not miss the chance to be served by Nilka—you’ll be glad you did!

  Jan 01, 2026
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  Minimum, say hi to the Westin Playa Bonita

  I assume at one time, this facility was the crown jewel of Panama. That time must have been quite a long time ago. I assume Marriott has just accepted its meeting minimum mediocrity. Everything is FINE. Nothing is horrible and absolutely nothing is above fine. I’m still at the resort and going to enjoy the amazing weather that Panama has to offer and keep my expectations looowwww.

  Dec 31, 2025
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  Amazing experience.

  Nilka, who assisted us in the pool area, was exceptional. Her service was truly above and beyond. We love her❤️, really recommend.

  Dec 30, 2025
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  Kind staff. Stressful unpleasant experience otherwise.

  2 stars for: Comfortable bed and pillows Location Kind staff What went wrong: The music at the pools is loud, fast beat pumping and inescapable no matter where you are on the property. It was so stressful and unpleasant. No sound of ocean or birds. We saw guests covering the speaker with their towels. We saw other guests get up and quickly move when a new dj started. I heard someone call it an assault on their ears. Walls are paper thin. We could clearly hear conversations in the hallways and adjoining rooms. We also could hear the pool music. Only three of six elevators worked for a massive tower. We regularly waited in long lines in the lobby or 7-10 mins on our floor. Coffee shop didn’t open until 8:30am even in a hotel serving families. I don’t think I’ve stayed at a Marriott property that doesn’t have coffee shop open earlier. Dinner buffet was not good and very expensive. Pool food had only very basic stuff like chicken tenders and a quesadilla so my kids didn’t want to eat at the pool day two and three… but the restaurants like Asiana had terrible expensive food so we didn’t have great options.

  Dec 30, 2025
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  Nice Amenities, but Worst Westin/Marriott Service All Around....

  This Westin is a nice property with good amenities, but there are just so many problems, issues and we just had poor service from so many people throughout our 5 night stay. THE PROPERTY - 4 Stars Our family decided to stay in Playa Bonita instead of one of the properties in Panama City Centre for the amenities. The multiple pools were really nice. Next to a beach which really isn’t a hang out swimming beach but has a great ambiance. The reception area with its high ceilings and view to the ocean is really nice. Those were the best parts, but unfortunately everything else about this Westin Playa Bonita sadly underdelivered in so many ways. For context, we stayed for 5 nights and I am a long time Gold Elite Member and am generally forgiving on the occasional lapses in service or hotel standards. A huge problem for this resort is the main elevator bank to the rooms during the morning time period is a very long wait anywhere from 5-10+ minutes. No exaggeration. One morning it was at 10 minutes, we stayed in a lower floor and it took us 10 minutes just to ask where the stairwell was, and then it only took us to the 2nd floor and we had to cut through the offices to get to the main area and then take a different stairwell. Elevators would show “full” and skip our floor multiple times every morning. One morning, a housekeeper let us take the employee elevator so thankful for that. The rooms has very thin walls/ceilings, and interior slightly outdated as other commenters have mentioned. With that being said, we had an ocean view and the other side was of the treetop canopy so they were nice. SERVICE - 1.5 star THE. WORST. MARRIOT/WESTIN “service” I have ever had in the world. Check-in receptionist was unfriendly, rude, and curt. We arrived early morning and of course they didn’t allow that early check-in. Then, 15 minutes later we were allowed to check-in early for $80 even though I am a Gold Elite member. That’s fine, but when I would ask questions, she just answered curtly and seemed quite bothered. This continued with the buffet which we ate 1 lunch and 1 dinner. Food itself was okay, not great, but serviceable. We thankfully did not have the full meal package. However, the servers while okay just seemed annoyed everytime we made a request. Starfish Grill didn’t have good reviews. Food quality was solids, but again, the service was horrible. Waitress had to keep being flagged down for everything. 1 plate didn’t show up until 30 minutes later when the rest of our meals were done. The “full chicken” dinner place literally was just 2 small pieces, so that my son went next door to order another pizza afterwards. We wanted to book a couple day trips and talked to one of the tour desk person. While he was able to let us know if there were any availability, the price, he Oh speaking of the pizza at the casual italian. Pizza itself was fine, but then getting the bill took multiple requests even though there were multiple people standing around. My only good service experience was at the Cafe where I got my morning coffee and the ladies who got my coffee each morning were pleasant and efficient. This is reason for the extra .5 star or it would have been a 1. EVERYTHING. WAS. HARD. Caused frustration every day. I actually don’t blame the staff for all of this poor service. It’s clearly a training issue and management hasn’t properly trained the staff or emphasized trying to even pretend to be nice to customers. LOCATION: 3.5 stars Playa Bonita is across the bridge to the Center. It’s both a pro and a con. Pro in that it’s really nice property as mentioned. Con is it took a 15-20 minute Uber ride to get into city outside the Westin. Good part is Uber is around $15-20 into city center and usually arrived to pick up in around 10 minutes so reasonable. We normally prefer to pick city centers but decided for a more resort experience. While we don’t regret this decision because property has good amenities, the bad service and crazy slow elevators made the experience negative. VALUE/OVERALL: 2 stars For this price point and the Westin brand, and you can see my other hotel reviews where I rarely provide poor reviews, but I would NOT recommend this hotel. Worst Westin/Marriott service I have ever gotten. Check my review history, I rarely give below 4 stars.

  Dec 28, 2025