Bonita

I rarely write reviews this long, but travelers deserve to know exactly what they’re walking into. Check-in: Pure Chaos From the moment we arrived, it was clear this resort had no idea how to operate a hotel. There was what looked like a traditional front desk, fully staffed, but those people weren’t even handling hotel check-ins. Instead, guests were directed to several office desks scattered throughout the lobby. It felt more like waiting at the DMV than checking into a supposedly upscale all-inclusive resort. We completed our paperwork and were initially told our room would be ready at 2:30 p.m. That quickly became 3:00 p.m., which is the standard check-in time, so we weren’t overly concerned. Jorge, one of the employees, gave us access to the Preferred Lounge and restaurant while we waited, along with glasses of what can only be described as some of the worst champagne I’ve ever tasted. Food Before Check-in Since only one restaurant was open, we headed there for lunch. It was an outdoor buffet serving cold, picked-over food that looked like it had been sitting for hours. There are several other restaurants on the property, but none of them open until 6:00 p.m., leaving newly arrived guests with one disappointing option. A Hotel With No Rooms Things really fell apart at 3:00 p.m. There were…no rooms. Jorge appeared completely overwhelmed, frantically calling housekeeping on his personal cellphone while simultaneously typing away on a computer. It became obvious there was no functioning communication system between housekeeping and the front desk. To make matters worse, the power went out. When it came back on, Jorge continued typing even though his computer monitor remained completely blank. Guests continued arriving. Guests who were checking out simply walked to the desk, dropped off their room keys, announced their room number, and walked away. Yet somehow the resort still couldn’t determine which rooms were available. We asked to speak with a manager. We were told every manager was in a meeting. As the lobby filled with increasingly frustrated guests who had paid thousands of dollars for their vacations, management was nowhere to be found. No one apologized. No one offered updates. No complimentary drinks. No explanation. Nothing. By approximately 4:45 p.m.—nearly two hours after the official check-in time—rooms finally started becoming available. The Room…Eventually We had booked Preferred accommodations but were assigned a room on the fifth floor. Only then did a manager finally appear to explain that the elevator serving the fifth floor was out of service. Not temporarily. For the remainder of our stay. The lobby is on the third floor, meaning guests had to climb two additional flights of stairs in sweltering heat every single time they returned to their rooms. This wasn’t just inconvenient—it was unacceptable. My roommate has a documented disability and is medically unable to climb stairs. Yet the resort knowingly assigned us to a floor that required stair access. The room itself wasn’t much better. * Television didn’t work. * Telephone didn’t work. * Basic amenities were lacking. After the first night, we requested—and thankfully received—a room on the third floor. Unfortunately, the phone in that room didn’t work either. The complimentary bottle of champagne that had been placed in our original room was never replaced, despite us leaving the unopened bottle behind. Because the phones didn’t work, every request—for towels, robes, room service, or anything else—required physically walking back to the front desk so someone there could make the call on our behalf. There seemed to be absolutely no urgency to repair anything. Housekeeping That Didn’t Housekeep Every single day we had to hunt down clean towels. Housekeeping routinely failed to remove dirty towels from the floor while also failing to replace them with clean ones. This happened repeatedly throughout our stay. “Preferred” Means…Lower Expectations We paid extra for the Preferred package. The Preferred Lounge was one of the biggest disappointments of the trip. Sparse snacks. Cold food. Very little selection. Nothing remotely “premium.” The Most Disturbing Experience The lowest point of our stay involved a medical emergency at the Preferred pool. A member of our group required immediate assistance. We asked staff for help. Not once. Not twice. Three separate times. The initial response? “Can you pay for it?” We assured them payment was not an issue. They still did nothing. Only after asking a third time did someone finally send a lifeguard with a wheelchair. When someone is experiencing a medical emergency, the first response should never be a discussion about payment. Every minute matters. That incident alone would prevent me from ever returning. A Troubling Observation at Checkout Throughout the week we watched guest after guest check out by simply placing their room key on the desk, stating their room number, and walking away. No paperwork. No verification. No exit pass. However, when it came time for Black American guests—including myself—to leave, we were required to obtain a paper clearance card proving we had paid our bill before security would allow us to exit the property. I did not observe this requirement being imposed on non-Black American guests checking out under the exact same circumstances. Perhaps there is another explanation. Perhaps not. I can only report what I personally witnessed. Final Thoughts This resort advertises itself as a luxury all-inclusive experience. What we experienced instead was: * A completely dysfunctional check-in process. * Management that disappeared during a guest crisis. * Broken elevators left unrepaired for an entire stay. * Rooms with non-functioning phones and televisions. * Poor housekeeping. * Disappointing food. * A “Preferred” upgrade that added little value. * An alarming response to a medical emergency. * Checkout procedures that, at minimum, appeared inconsistent depending on the guest. Vacations are expensive. People save for months—sometimes years—to take trips like this. This resort failed at nearly every opportunity to provide even basic hospitality. I cannot recommend it, and I certainly would never return.

Amazing location, good food, beautiful resort in need of some repair and urgent need of entertainment. what is this resort have and I like to give a 5 star for that, is that if you get there before 3 pm you can live the luggage with them and go eat sit at the bar and they serve you and also when you live you can give the room and still use the facility. That make me fill like they value my bussines even if some thinks are not perfect

Edward, Madeline and Ruben!!! Excellent!!! Thank you for the Class A customer service and attention. You were the highlight of our girls trip @ Dreams Panama. 23 Deep and they didn’t miss a beat.

Loved the staff and preferred services.

As vacation club members, we were disappointed with our experience at Dreams Panama Resort. While the staff was generally friendly, the overall level of service did not meet our expectations. The resort itself feels very outdated and could benefit from significant renovations. The specialty restaurants served decent food, but the buffet was disappointing. On more than one occasion, there were small bugs on the food, which was very off-putting and raised concerns about cleanliness. The most disappointing part of our stay was when I accidentally left my purse at one of the resort bars. I returned shortly afterward, but it was gone. Despite telling staff exactly where I had left it, no incident report was created, and there was little effort or urgency shown in trying to help locate it. That experience left a lasting negative impression. We came in expecting a much higher standard, especially since we pay monthly for our vacation club membership and also paid an additional fee to stay at this resort. Unfortunately, this was not the level of service we anticipated, and we hope management addresses these issues for future guests.

I requested a chain of communication so I could submit a formal complaint regarding my experience. The day before my arrival, I underwent surgery and was not discharged from the hospital until 6:00 p.m. Despite being in recovery, I had a scheduled 2:00 a.m. flight from Washington, D.C. to your property. I arrived at approximately 9:30 a.m. in significant pain and urgently needed to rest. Unfortunately, I did not receive the room category I had reserved and paid for until 7:00 p.m. that evening. Meanwhile, other guests who checked in were accommodated with the room types they had booked. I should not have had to repeatedly advocate for myself or hold your staff accountable to receive the accommodations that matched the rate I paid. What made this experience even more disappointing was the complete lack of empathy, urgency, and accountability shown throughout the process. Given my medical condition and the circumstances surrounding my arrival, I expected far better customer service and compassion. Instead, the experience added unnecessary stress during a time when I should have been focused solely on my recovery.

I recently stayed at this resort, and unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations. On a scale of 0 to 5, I would rate my overall experience a 2 out of 5. The biggest disappointment was the check-in process. Our group of seven arrived around 12:00 p.m., but the room assignments were extremely delayed. Some members of our group received their rooms around 4:00 p.m., others around 5:00 p.m., and I didn’t receive my room until 7:00 p.m. after waiting for seven hours. This created a very poor first impression. The rooms were outdated and in need of renovation. The resort also lacked entertainment and organized activities, making it difficult to enjoy our stay. The food was another disappointment, and I would rate it 2 out of 5 for both quality and variety. Overall, this was not a pleasant experience, and I would not choose to stay at this resort again or recommend it to others.

Not your typical Dreams resort

Panamá is very nice, however I have mixed reviews about this resort. We are UVC members and paid quite a bit for our membership. This was my birthday trip and the entire experience is subpar. Our first room, the bed wasn’t made and they had us in a “low tier” room despite being members. When we complained they said they didn’t have any room upgrades available. After we continued to complain and threatened to cancel our reservation, they miraculously found a suite available for us. Also, I was promised wine and a birthday banner which I never received. If you are considering a UVC/Hyatt membership, please reconsider. If we could sell ours back we would. Also, the spa is not that great. My masseuse (Clara) was too busy in her phone than focus on my massage. Luckily we are only at Dreams for 5 days and headed to book a different hotel for the next 6 days and hoping the experience will be much better.

I appreciated all of the reviews to help prepare for this trip. After reading the negatives, I was very, very pleasantly surprised. We commented throughout our trip that we could not understand the complaints. We felt the resort was excellent, especially considering what we paid for our trip. Of course, we travelled during low season so it was very affordable. We did not pay US luxury prices so we did not expect a US luxury hotel experience. Isn’t that sort of the point of traveling? At least for us, we were extremely pleased and would love to return to Dreams Playa Bonita and continue to explore Panama. We stayed in a Preferred King Junior Suite consisting of two large rooms. Sure the room and resort showed some issues related to harsh climate - bugs outside and some wear and tear but did not detract from experience in any way. We used some potent bug spray and returned home with ZERO bites! Easy uber from airport $45 + tip Easy Uber downtown $15 + tip Make sure you do electronic customs in advance. I completed in line for customs and was not asked for it but maybe it showed up for customs agents electronically. Food and service very good Beautiful views AC VERY cold Gym was perfectly adequate À la carte dinners nice to very nice Buffets at least fine if not good, depending on meal, selection, and personal taste Easy to get to tours, etc Beach beautiful to see and walk but not to swim Every staff member we encountered was incredibly pleasant and service oriented. They quickly remembered our names. These are a few of our favorite: Manuel - server Kathiel - hostess David - breakfast Madeline - preferred pool bar Airport departure very easy - please note you need to do security a second time at your gate pre-boarding so don’t get too comfortable. You will need to remove electronics and shoes. You can download an app to monitor the shipping vessels you will see entering the Canal!

The resort is located in a beautiful area. If you just want to relax and do nothing else, this place will meet the need. There is no entertainment or its very limited. There are no nightly shows. You can play board games in the lobby. Excursions are too expensive for what you get in return.

We had a great experience with the preferred area. My experience with Madelin and rueben were amazing they made sure me and my wife were taken care of. They were very great very accommodating overall experience was exceptional. Also the bartender Sanchez was amazing very attentive and wonderful. Thank you we both had such a great experience with this resort as members, highly recommended.