This past May, I had the opportunity to stay at the Bristol Buenaventura on Panama’s Pacific Coast, about 2.5 hours outside of Panama City. As the Frommer’s Panama Guide writer, I’m always on the lookout for unique, new hotels and was very excited about the much anticipated opening of the Buenaventura. The Buenaventura is located on a new development with with vacation properties, horse stables, a petting zoo and a golf course with an anticipated 2011 opening date — plus a five star, full-amenity, full-service 114 room hotel that somehow seems bigger..

The Pros: The Buenaventura definitely achieves its goal of impersonating a colonial Spanish hacienda with its many courtyards and fountains, and rooms are tastefully but simply decorated with. Plus,  you can watch TV while taking a bath — how cool is that? The staff is attentive and do their best to accommodate you, and there’s a great pool a nice gym (especially by hotel standards), and casual and elegant dining options. Plus, the full-service spa is one of the best and most upscale in Panama tropical chic lobby. Spanish-hacienda style hotel. Sure, everyone knew I was with Frommer’s, but I was treated like royalty and in a country like Panama where the idea of good customer service is just starting to get off the ground, it felt quite nice.  If you’ve stayed at the Buenaventura Bristol, feel free to let me know if you had a similar experience.

The Cons: Because the golf course is being worked on and there’s construction going on,  the Buenaventura has a bit of an “unfinished” feel to it, which may bother some visitors, although the property is so large that guests don’t have to worry about being woken up at 6am to the sound of loud machinery. In addition, the hotel can feel like a bit of a ghost town during weekdays in low season, but this is pretty common in many hotels outside Panama City. Lastly, the thought and detail put into the Buenaventura makes me feel like it was originally intended for couples looking for a romantic getaway, but the hotel has attracted a large family demographic and the pool and common areas are populated by plenty of kids on the weekends — great if you’re on family vacation, but probably not what you’re looking for on your honeymoon.

Even though I’m not much of a resort person, I enjoyed my time at the Buenaventura, although you probably want to have a rental car if you’re staying for more than a couple days  so you can visit other nearby attractions. For more information, visit the official website; [tel]: +(507) 908-3333.

For more hotel reviews, check out hotels in Puerto Vallarta and Costa Rica.