We spent the second half of a week-long Panama vacation at the The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama, a Marriott Autograph Collection property. We choose this property because we wanted to relax after what was a busy few days in Panama City, complete with day trips. We considered Bocas del Toro or Boquete but opted for The Buenaventura solely due to ease of travel (it is only two hour, highway drive from Panama City). This post reviews our stay at The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama.
The actually postcard perfect beach at The Buenaventura.
THE BUENAVENTURA GOLF & BEACH RESORT
The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, or simply, The Buenaventura, is a community located along Panama’s Pacific coast on the “Riviera Pacificia”, only 2 hours southwest of Panama City. The Buenaventura, while some what new to the Marriott group, has been around for many years. The property is comprised of 1700 acres and is truly its own community. Featuring private homes with full time residents (many American and Canadian ex-pats), a hotel, rentable villas along a river, pool facilities, restaurants, sports and water activities, a beach club, and an 18-hole, par-71 Gold golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, the resort is billed as having everything on needs. While we only stayed at the hotel for a few nights, the property is grand and set apart from the rest of the world. This would be a good resort for one iffy on traveling to Central America, as it feels super safe, or those looking to relax without having to think about anything.
This is part of the hotel – the bottom is comprised of a restaurant and bar for both hotel guests and residents of The Buenaventura.
The Buenaventura hotel. It looks very pretty here (this is the recently renovated hotel).
In terms of the hotel for tourists, the hotel is a rather standing resort hotel, with several types of rooms in a central building, a pool for hotel guests only, and a handful of restaurants. One interesting feature of the hotel are its free standing four-bedroom villas lining a man-made lake on site, many complete with private plunge pools. These looked much cooler than simply staying at the resort.
This is the view from our balcony of the man made lake lined with villas. You can see one of the private plunge pools to the right.
WELCOME & CHECKIN TO THE BUNEAVENTURA
Most guests reach The Buenaventura from the a main, modern highway connecting this area to Panama City. After passing a security gate, driving through the hotel’s very green golf course, and seeing some beautiful private residences at The Buenaventura, guests reach the hotel, which appears quite grand upon first glance. Indeed, its open air, decorated well, and surrounded by a white Spanish Colonial-inspired church and a very old tree. We were optimistic upon checkin.
This white chapel was very pretty and seemed older that I imagine it is… We did not go inside.
This tree is huge and very old at The Buenaventura.
Checkin staff were very friendly and immediately offered us Welcome Prosecco. While they checked us into our room, we were briefed on the property and its amenities. The lobby is also quite impressive and well decorated.
Welcome Prosecco from The Buenaventura !
The grand lobby of the Buenaventura. I very much enjoyed the decor.
The entrance to the pool and Beach Club from the lobby.
OUR ROOMS AT THE BUENAVENTURA
One Bedroom Suite
We booked a standard room through Marriott at The Buenaventura but were upgraded to a one bedroom suite, likely due to my Marriott Platinum status (and that the hotel was largely empty). The one bedroom suite was incredibly nice, appearing to have been renovated recently. Our suite consisted of two separate rooms, as well as a large master bath and a second restroom living area. The bedroom included a comfortable King bed, a desk, a reading char, sliding doors with views of a lake, and a flat screen TV.
The master bedroom in a one bedroom suite.
The master bath was located on the other side of the bed, and it was quite spacious. Consisting of a large closet area, double skinks, a bathtub, and separate shower and WC rooms, it was very nice.
The large master bath.
The closet in the suite.
The second room was largely living space, including a couch, chair and flat screen TV in one area. The other half of the room held a small dining table, a mini refrigerator, and the second WC.
The living area in the one bedroom suite.
The dining area in the one bedroom suite.
The best part of this suite, however, was its balcony with a small table and chairs overlooking one of the property’s lakes. This felt very Central American (even though its man made). We spent a lot of time here.
Our balcony in the suite.
Standard First Floor Room
In addition to the suite, we were moved on our last afternoon (from checkout through our late checkout at 4:00 PM) to a standard room, as someone had booked our suite. The standard room was also surprisingly nice and also redone. We were on the first floor. The room included two double beds, a flat screen TV, a sizable bath area, and a super nice and private outdoor space with a little water feature. We spent a little time out here drinking more Panama Light. I would not hesitate to stay in one of these rooms at The Buenaventura.
A Buenaventura standard room.
The standard room at The Buenaventura.
Patio space in the standard room.
The first floor standard room water feature.
Panama beer in our standard room.
The Villas
As I mentioned, while we did not stay in them, The Buenaventura has several four bedroom villas a long a tranquil lake (it looks more like a river). They looked incredibly nice. Many of them have plunge pools.
The Villas along the lake. It was giving “jungle”.
THE BUENAVENTURA POOL AREA
Of course, as The Buenaventura bills itself as a “beach resort”, the pool area is important, and The Buenaventura has two of them that are open to hotel guests. I was very much looking forward to this. Unfortunately, unlike the recently renovated rooms, the pool area is not quite as nice as it appears online… In any case, for logistics, the first pool area is that of the hotel, and its open exclusively to hotel guests (although no one checked or made us swipe keys). This pool area is directly behind the hotel. Guests pass through impressive large wooden doors and by an interesting statute before reaching the pool.
A main feature of the hotel is this kissing statute.
The main pool here is large, complete with a swim up bar and a bridge crossing the pool. The pool is surrounded by loungers and cabanas. It has lot of potential but it is incredibly dated. That is unfortunate. The pool was also a bit cool for my taste, but that may have just been because the weather was unseasonably cool.
The main hotel pool.
Aside from this main pool, there is a separate lap-pool, a small children’s pool, and a hot tub, which does not get very warm and must be turned on in advance by the staff…. That is also unfortunate. We asked the staff several times to turn it on and while they did, it never got hot and was barely warmer than the pool.
The primary hotel pool area at The Buenaventura.
Luxury cabana seating at the pool. These actually looked very nice. They were not busy.
In addition to this pool area, the second pool area that hotel guests can access is inside the Buenaventura El Faro Beach Club.
EL FARO BEACH CLUB
The Buenaventura also boasts a Beach Club, which is accessible to both hotel guests and Buenaventura residents, and holds the second pool area. Before diving into the pools, the Beach Club is a brief, 5 minute walk from the hotel on paved road. Guests enter the Beach Club without providing reservation information. Inside the Beach Club are two restaurants, one poolside and one on the beach, four pools (one main large pool and three smaller, rectangular pools) and a black sand beach on the Pacific Ocean. The Beach Club is quite grand, but felt much more of a community Beach Club than the hotel’s Beach Club.
The entrance to the Beach Club from the hotel side.
The Pools at The Beach Club
There are a total of four pools at El Faro Beach Club. There is one large, main pool at the entrance, which abuts the Beach Club’s sit down restaurant, El Faro. The first part of the pool is a large circular shape, which then thins out into a rectangle lined by loungers and cabanas. It looked very nice and more modern than the hotel pool.
The main pool at the Beach Club. This pool was more modern than that at the hotel.
After that area, there are 3 small rectangular pools, each looking “darker” than the main pool (this is due to the tiles, not the water). While these looked cool and modern, it is unclear what purpose they served. I guess we saw different families using the three pools, so there’s that. It seemed odd to me. All of the pools were generally the same temperature. Guests could use any or all of the pools at El Faro Beach Club.
The modern pools at the Beach Club – 4 in a row leading to the beach. Practically odd, but it was pretty.
Another view of the Beach Club pools, this one looking back from the far end.
The Beach at The Buenaventura
The beach at The Buenaventura is accessible through the Beach Club. You must walk through the main restaurant and the pool area until you reach the … Pacific Ocean! Chairs and straw umbrellas are located along the beach. We walked along the beach but we did not go in. The waves were absolutely insane during our visit and were in fact, “red flagged.” The beach, however, was truly black sand and made for beautiful pictures. I would note that there is a big of a drop from the beach chair area to the actual beach that meets the water. I suspect this due to how The Buenaventura was constructed.
The beach at The Buenaventura.
Another view of the Pacific from El Faro Beach Club. You can seen the “drop down” to the water here.
THE RESTAURANTS AT THE BUENAVENTURA
The Buenaventura is home to several restaurants, each opening/closing at different hours, resulting in only 1 or 2 options for each meal. This was generally fine, but we would have grown tired of limited options if we stayed longer. For those staying longer than a few days, a car would come in handy here (Uber did not work and the taxi situation seemed not idea).
Before delving into the restaurants, I would note that we did not pre-book any restaurants and had no issues getting right in anywhere. The food at The Buenaventura was generally good. It was not the best food, but certainly serviceable. Prices were decent for a remote hotel where you cannot walk anywhere else.
Criollo Restaurantae
Criollo Restaurante is the hotel’s primary restaurant, located inside the hotel’s lobby with indoor and outdoor seating. Described as “Panamanian Creole”, Criollo offers Panamanian food with a “global flare.” We had breakfast here daily (it is the only restaurant offering breakfast) and dined here once. We found Criollo’s food to be the best that we tried at The Buenaventura. Criollo was also beautifully decorated, see the picture below. If you had one night at The Buenaventura, I would dine here.
The interior of Criollo Restaurante. I loved the floor, the paint, the table, and especially the ceiling. What a gorgeous place to have breakfast.
This was some sort of fried cheese that was so good. The best thing I had at The Buenaventura.
This salad was very good.
This was a tasty chicken dish at the restaurant.
The Pool Bar/Tagua Grill
The Pool Bar, called Tagua Grill, serves its own menu, as well as Crillo’s lunch menu during the pool’s open hours. You order at the bar and staff bring lunch directly to your pool chair. We split a Lomo Saltado sandwich for lunch that was very good. The fries particularly hit the spot.
The Lomo Saltado Wrap at Tagua Grill.
Tai Kai Sushi & Martini
Tai Kai Sushi & Martini is a Japanese and sushi restaurant at The Buenaventura, located in a separate building near the hotel’s spa, both of which are just outside the hotel’s main entrance. Tai Kai felt more a part of the community than the hotel, but we were easily able to charge our meal to our room. We tried a number of dishes at Tai Kai, including dumplings and the chicken hibachi. We enjoyed the food and drink at Tai Kai, but it was odd to find yet another Asian restaurant in the middle of Panama (so popular!). Tai Kai also offers indoor and outdoor seating. We sat outdoors but the inside also looked cute.
A complimentary started salad.
Dumplings at Tai Kai.
Chicken Hibachi at Tai Kai.
El Chiringuito Snack Bar
El Chiringuito Snack Bar is the El Faro Beach Club’s casual restaurant on the beach. The tables are covered with a straw roof and the floor is black sand. We lunched here and it was fun and tasty. The drinks were also good. We were uncertain if we would be able to charge our food to our room from El Faro Beach Club, but we were able to without issue.
A beach table at El Chiringuito Snack Bar.
The fried chicken sandwich at El Chiringuito Snack Bar.
Cocktails at El Chiringuito Snack Bar.
El Faro
El Faro is a sit down restaurant with indoor and poolside seating at the entrance to El Faro Beach Club. We did not eat here, so I cannot comment on it. It was only open for dinner during our visit.
BARS AT THE BUENAVENTURA
All restaurants at the hotel serve alcohol, as do the restaurants at the beach club. In terms of bars, however, there are only three real “bars”. The Lobby Bar, the Pool Bar, and Palapa Bar.
The Lobby Bar
The Lobby Bar is a beautiful bar located in the heart of the main hotel building. It gave real Central American vibes, in the most wonderful way. Think tropical, wood, giving cigar bar. The drink menu was complex and offered gorgeous cocktails (although not particularly strong). The Lobby Bar was pretty empty until Friday evening when the wedding guests started showing up. We also found the cocktails to be a bit pricey.
The beautifully decorated Lobby Bar.
A Coconut Negroni at the Lobby Bar.
More cocktails at the Lobby Bar.
The Pool Bar
The Pool Bar is located, not surprisingly, in the pool. Complete with swim up seating, the Pool Bar serves drinks by the pool in plastic glasses. While the pool was not busy, the Pool Bar was manned with at least two people at all times.
The Pool Bar.
Palapa Bar
Palapa Bar is located between the pool and the hotel, connected by a bridge. It looked very cute, but was closed every time we walked by… This was a bummer. The Pool Bar seemed to be serving its menu.
Palapa Bar is the little hut on the bridge there. It looked super cute but was never open!
OTHER FEATURES AT THE BUENAVENTURA
Tennis and Volleyball Courts
For use by both the hotel and the neighborhood, there are both tennis and volleyball courts between the hotel and the Beach Club. It was unclear if balls and rackets are available to rent or if you need to bring your own. They appeared well maintained.
Volleyball courts.
A wider angle of the volley ball court.
Tennis courts at The Buenaventura.
Corotú Spa
The Buenaventura has a spa attached to it called Corotú Spa. I booked a massage, and it was very nice and professional. I booked the evening prior and had my pick of times. The spa also holds a small hot tub and sauna and steam rooms in the locker rooms. Guests can choose to use just those amenities for a small fee. Dan did this.
The spa. Its located near the Japanese restaurant.
Hotel Activities
The Buenaventura offers various activities for hotel guests throughout the week, as explained by a calendar in Spanish. Some activities had a fee; others did not. Some required advance booking; others did not. It was unclear if the activities are in Spanish or English and Spanish. We did not take advantage of any of these activities.
The calendar of events during our stay.
The Golf Course
Of course, one of the main draws of The Buenaventura is its large and very green golf course. We don’t really golf and didn’t take advantage of it, but we saw people out golfing daily.
MARRIOTT STATUS BENEFITS AT THE BUENAVENTURA
I was had Platinum status when we visited. Due to that, we were offered a complimentary upgrade to a suite, which was very nice (as we had booked a standard room). Waiting in our room was a welcome letter and a tasty plate of desserts. We were also able to select an amenity or points (I cannot recall the amount). We selected a savory snack tray and a half bottle of red wine. We enjoyed this on our little balcony on our first day.
Marriott Platinum Welcome dessert tray with a welcome letter explaining all of the perks offered by the Buenaventura.
Our savory amenity + a half bottle of red wine. The snack was plantain chips and a delicious salsa.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, The Buenaventura was fine, but not my favorite hotel. We selected it to relax and enjoy the beach and pool, but it was very medium. It also felt dated and was oddly empty during the week. It did fill up for a wedding on Saturday, and a Gate 1 group checked in as we were leaving. I would not go out of my way to revisit The Buenaventura, but I wouldn’t be opposed to staying here again if I was in the area. Next time, I would absolutely rent a car to access nearby towns, restaurants, and shops.
The Buenaventura hotel.
STEAL OUR HOTEL
Buenaventura Golf and Beach Resort: Riviera Pacifica, Cocle, Panama. This The Buenaventura community’s website. The Marriott website is here.