Panama Trip Part 2 - The Royal Decameron Resort

During this trip to Panama, we did something that we haven't done in the past. We stayed at a fancy resort called the Decameron on Playa Blanca. Sabi, my mom, my dad and I all stayed there one night before my mom left Panama and then my dad, Sabi and I went back and stayed another two nights there after my mom left. It was an amazing place.

The Decameron is a chain of resorts and hotels that can be found in Panama, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador and Jamaica. The one that we stayed at in Panama was HUGE. There are condo/villas for people to stay in as well as hotel rooms.

There were so many hotel buildings that I stopped counting them. There were so many buildings that there are three different lobbies to handle all of the guests and their needs.

I was amazed at the cost of the Decameron. It is pretty cheap. The cost per adult is about $80 per night and $40 per child. (It is cheaper if you are Panamanian to stay there)

The price includes almost everything that you can think of such as meals, unlimited drinks, games, horseback riding, tennis, exercise classes and a gym, snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboats, adult programs, kids programs, 7 pools and unlimited cigarrettes. (if you like to destroy your lungs like that!) There are also things that you can do for an additional cost such as golf, jet ski, scuba dive and go on guided tours of Panama away from the site. We were at the Decameron for a total of 3 nights and 4 days and didn't take advantage of half of the things that they had to offer because there was so much to do and too little time.

Food is served at the Decameron from 7:00 am all the way to 2:30 am the following day at different areas on the grounds. There are 2 large buffet rooms where breakfast, lunch and dinners are served.

I usually hate buffets but these were great. There were fruit bars with all kinds of tropical fruit beautifully displayed. There were also bread bars, dessert bars and veggie bars. There were also two large buffet areas with the main course entrees for each meal. I enjoyed lots of yuca, platanos, chicken, fish, rice and best of all sancocho de pollo and caldo de pollo with ñame and yuca in them - YUM!

In addition to that, each of the buffet rooms also had an area for specialty items to be cooked on the spot. The Pacifico buffet room was a more traditional Panamanian themed room. Two items that I enjoyed from the Pacifico were pastelitos, carimañolas and patacones. The Atlantis buffet room had an Asian inspired theme for their on the spot cooking areas. In addition to the buffet rooms, there are also 6 restaurants where you can eat as well. Reservations have to be made in advance but it is still included in your fee.

Each morning, we got up and ate and then spent the better part of the days between the pools and the beach. They were very close to each other so it was quite easy to hop back and forth. One morning Sabina spent 4 straight hours in the sun playing.

At night, we went to the children's program. One night they showed the Scooby Doo movie. Another night all the kids came on stage and played a hula hoop musical chairs type of game.

All of the hotel rooms were located on top of a hill and the rest of the action (bars, restaurants, beach and pools) were located down the hill. The walk down was always an easy one. Going back up was not as fun. We tried to take different routes each time to esploe our surroundings. We found so many paths. They were all so beautifully lined with plants and flowers. I kept snapping up shot after shot in an attempt to remember it all.

I will definitely go back to the Decameron the next time I go to Panama. I heard that one is being built right now close to Coiba. That should be a nice spot too.