5 Best Hotels in The Canal and Central Panama, Panama

Panoramic views of the Chagres River and surrounding rainforest, abundant wildlife, a selection of outdoor excursions, and amenities such as a spa and massive pool make this hotel a great place to experience the rain forest without sacrificing comfort. The lobby is impressive, with giant windows overlooking the jungle panorama, life-size crane sculptures hanging overhead, and a stream cascading through a three-story tropical atrium. The bright guest rooms have wicker furniture, hammocks, colorful tropical decor, and balconies. Junior suites, with two additional queen beds in a loft, are an option for families. Garden views are disappointing—stick with rooms with numbers in the 300s or 400s. Activities include bird-watching, an aerial tram, a boat trip to Monkey Island, kayaking, and fishing. Day passes for nonguests cost $65 and include drinks, breakfast, lunch, and access to the swimming pool (nature tours cost extra).

Formerly the Bristol Buenaventura, Panama's loveliest beach resort combines elegant rooms and Spanish colonial architecture with an 18-hole golf course and a splendid stretch of sand. The lobby and main buildings resemble a colonial palace, with a chapel across the plaza. The sumptuous guest rooms have hardwood floors, four-poster beds, marble bathrooms with a shower and a tub, and the amenities you expect from a luxury hotel. Garden rooms open onto terraces lined with tropical greenery; the rest have balconies with ocean views past the canal, pool area, and residential nieghborhood. It's a short walk or golf-cart ride to the handsome El Faro Club House, with a restaurant and pool on the wide, palm-lined beach. Outdoor activities include the par-72 golf course ($115 for guests playing 18 holes or $70 for 9 holes on weekdays, $135/$80 weekends), tennis, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, horesback riding, and various other tours. The Tamarindo Restaurant ($$$–$$$$) serves excellent Latin American-Mediterranean fusion cuisine.

The smallest of Playa Blanca's all-inclusive beach resorts, this Mediterranean-style hotel has attractive rooms in two-story buildings scattered around sunny grounds, just steps away from a wide beach. Because the hotel is next to a river mouth, the ocean is sometimes murky, but there are two large pools. Guest rooms are bright and spacious, with wooden furniture and balconies, some of them quite small, though the best ground-floor rooms have terraces. There are a few rooms that have ocean views, but they are worth the additional $35. Unfortunately, there is often music blasting by day and the nightly "entertainment" performed by the pool is also rather loud. An aquatic center provides free kayaks and pedal boats, rents motorized watercraft, and sells an array of tours.

Panama's largest, and one of its most attractive, beach resorts offers good deals outside of the peak season, but also the food and service problems typical of all-inclusive resorts. Its 852 rooms are in 50 four-story buildings scattered along 2 km (1 mile) of beach, amidst luxuriant grounds. They are bright and colorful, with large bathrooms and balconies or terraces. Few have ocean views—it's worth paying extra for one. The resort has an 18-hole golf course, 10 pools, eight restaurants, 11 bars, a dance club, casino, game room, spa, gym, and legions of beach chairs. Meal options range from massive buffets to restaurants specializing in seafood, Japanese, Thai, or Italian cuisine, but don't expect memorable meals. Free activities range from kayaking and tennis to volleyball, but golf, fishing, snorkeling and other tours are extra.

Rooms in the upper floors of this stately resort are steps away from the beach, and have great views of a cascading series of pools and the glistening Pacific. The design of the resort's six-story building was inspired by the Tivoli Hotel, which was the Canal Zone's premier hotel in the early 20th century. Its well-equipped, spacious rooms have Juliet balconies with views of the pools, gardens, and sea; only suites are on the beach. Public areas are attractive, but it's more compact than the other beach resorts. There is a tennis court, game room, clubs for children and teens, a 24-hour gym, four restaurants, three bars, a dance club, and a Sheraton Club lounge for guests staying in premium rooms.