Has any one ever stayed at this resort or this island? Any info would be appreciated! thanks!

Not that resort, but I did visit Contadora several years ago. Nice beaches, laid back atmosphere, more European than US visitors. I would not recommend the resort at which I stayed, very bad experience.

I went over to tripadvisor to see if they had posted any reviews of the Punta Galleon Resort. I suggest you take a look at the postings before booking.

Thank you for your response! I had already read the reviews at Trip Adviso but would love it if someone who had stayed there would respond so i could ask a couple of questions. We are planning on spending 5 nights at Gamboa - the n 2 nights here and then 1 week at Royal Decameron. Trying to get a feel for the country so if anyone has any info i would appreciate it! thanks alot!

Punta Galeon is a great (though not cheap) resort

Isla Contadora is absolutely beautiful. The beaches of the Pearl Islands, as you must see the surrounding islands, are pristine just like in Survivor: Pearl Islands

It is true that the Hotel Contadora is now a simple budget hotel

If you are still looking can you tell me did you stay there? During the day is there any particular island or anything that is a must do?

The highlight of my stay on Isla Contadora was sailing to the adjacent Pearl islands and discovering their beauty. And this was brought back to me when I watched Survivor: Peral Islands

I sailed with Max - there is info on

www.isla-contadora.com

Also, Isla Contadora, like a previous post is a place to relax

can someone tell me if there is a casino in the Contadora Resort?

The Casino was not operational during my last trip to Contadora (it was really only one small room)

And I dont see it mentioned on the hotel website.

Contadora is a quiet laid back place

Stayed there 2 weeks ago. If you have any questions, please drop me a note

Here was the review I submitted:

We stayed at the Punta Galleon on Cantadora in November 2005 for 3 nights. We were traveling with our 2 teens and opted for 2 rooms. The rooms are basic-There is a refrigerator that comes stocked with beer, soda and water and it leaves very little room for guests to store their own beverages. In hindsight, I would have requested that their beverages be removed at the beginning of the trip.

The hotel offers a full American breakfast for guests and it is quite satisfactory-either a basket of various breads of a choice of eggs, meats and fruit. We only had one lunch there, and it was reasonable and good.

This hotel is currently NOT a 4 star hotel. It is in need of a minor facelift- that would cost very little and make ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world. The roofs are thatched (for appearance only) and many areas of the roof are caving in (which gives an overall appearance of total despair) though the structure is sound. The wood trim on the balconies is beginning to rot and is in dire need of replacement. A quick paint job would help. This hotel has a tremendous amount of potential if someone invested a little time and money into it. The beach is beautiful and the surroundings are stunning.

We are “off the beaten path” travelers, and I would highly recommend some of the local eating establishments. If you walk around the island you will find some local places where dinner for 4 (including drinks) is less than $20 US. There are also a few stores that sell beer, snacks and most anything you would need.

When you land at the airport, you just walk down hill about 20 yards and the hotel is on the left. We found VERY FEW people spoke English and we were able to get by with broken Spanish but don’t believe that “most people in Panama speak English”.

There are three things I would recommend: # 1 Eat at Charlie’s (aka Hotel Romantica). The van will pick you up and return you to the hotel…the van driver is also the owner (Charlie)-he is entertaining and a wonderful businessman. The hotel is on a bluff overlooking the sea and the location is superb (the food is outstanding too). # 2-Rent a golf cart from Bill (an American from CA) for $45 for 24 hours. He will deliver the golf cart to you and pick it up. You can get his number off most of the carts on the island and it is SO worth seeing all the beaches around the island. # 3- Have one of the long boats at the beach take you to some of the other islands just to get a feel for the area. It is about $20 an hour for 4 people. The guy we had would take you any where and if you want to snorkel he will bring you to other islands to do it.

If the hotel put a little money into the place and perhaps opened up some of the bars near the beach, it would be a phenomenal place-there is SO MUCH potential!

We did a lot of snorkeling off shore at beaches around the island-it was great. We went SCUBA diving one day and it was mediocre at best. We rented tanks and did a shore dive and we were more impressed with that. We had a great time just because the location was so ideal and it was a totally relaxing trip.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions~
Darlyne
[email protected]

Hi, I just got back 2 weeks ago. The place needs some minor cosmetic wrok, but we had a great time. The rooms were nice, the beach was BEAUTIFUL and it was very laid back. We rented a golf cart from Bill (you can get his number at the airport) for $25 for 24 hours...Its a great way to check out all the beaches. If you are a little more adventurous, there are a few locals restaurants that look a little scary but have very reasonable (and good) food...The four of us ate for about $20 including beers...There are boats along the beach for hire and it is a great trip going to other islands (about $20 an hour). The hotel has a great location and with just a little "tweaking" it could be a fantastic place...email me if you need any info