The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama, Autograph Collection

Paradise resort. Loved every minute of it. Hubby loved the golf course while I relaxed at one of the many pools or calm and peaceful beach. Room with gorgeous view was amazing. Service is great. Only thing I would suggest is to have some nightly music and dancing.

This hotel is amazing. It's in a safe compound with lots of beautiful homes. The staff were super friendly, the rooms are beautiful, the food at the assorted restaurants was terrific and they have a big breakfast buffet. The spa was super nice, they have lots of pools leading down to the beautiful quiet beach. I would highly recommend going here!

Let me start off my saying that booking a tee time here is a real challenge. I sent the course several meals in advance of my trip and it often took several days for them to respond. When you try to call, they simply don't answer. (I tried calling 10+ times.) When I arrived at the course, I asked them why they don't answer their phone and the person at the counter just smiled and said "We've been very busy." Then, we were told that our 8:30am tee time had been moved to 9am because "some members wanted your time and they get priority." Hmmm, never had that happen before. Anyway ... the course itself is very nice. Fairways, tee boxes, and greens are in great shape. I only hit a few bunkers, but the sand was deep and soft. The pace was good and the cart girl came around many times. Prices on the cart were amazing, but that's where the value ended. Our round for two green fees, a cart, and one set of rental clubs was $470 USD. The restaurant, bathrooms, and club house are nice and clean. Overall, we had a nice day. The course was just 5 minutes from our hotel (Riu) and the taxi was just $20, round trip.

We had a great stay at Buenaventura. We are a family of 4 with one tween and one teen kid. We reserved 2 pool view connecting rooms because we were told these are the only type of rooms that are adjoining. The rooms are large and clean but the bathroom doors do not have locks. Free bottled water is provided and restocked each night. The rooms were promptly cleaned in the mornings. I also appreciated that the cleaning staff came in during the evening to switch out dirty towels. The breakfast buffet was decent and included in our room rate. The beach is beautiful, about a 7 minute walk down a flat pathway from the hotel. The sand was fine and soft and the sea water was clean. I took a few photos since I didn’t see too many in other reviews. The pools are beautiful and well kept. We were here over the Christmas holiday and they said they were 89% full but it didn’t seem crowded and we usually could get pool and beach chairs when we wanted them. The restaurants said they had no more reservations available on Christmas Eve but all tables were still open at 6:30pm. Most guests seem to dine very late. The golf course is well maintained, and a round of 9 holes was $100 including the club rental. The surrounding neighborhood is great for long walks/runs. I took off one star for two drawbacks: 1. Our biggest complaint is one that was mentioned in older reviews and is a very easy fix. Every day they would run out of pool/beach towels (at both the beach and pools) at about noon. And if you could get a towel they were small and quite worn. It was surprising that at a 5 star hotel they just don’t have enough towels. And it was humiliating walking into the hotel through the lobby dripping wet. The other guests around us were talking about this problem as well. 2. The service is mediocre. If you were at the pool or beach the staff would come around infrequently. Same at the restaurants. Tip: if you want more restaurant options, there are two restaurants about a 20 minute walk away also reachable by hotel shuttle. One is called Amanda and the other is a taqueria.

The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort has a lot going for it, with a gorgeous setting, stunning grounds, and excellent facilities for a relaxing getaway. The property is beautifully landscaped, with lush gardens, inviting pools, and access to a lovely beach. Rooms and Grounds: The rooms are spacious, clean, and well-maintained, offering comfort and nice amenities. I especially enjoyed the balcony, which provided beautiful views. The resort’s layout is also impressive, with plenty of places to relax and enjoy the scenery. Dining: The restaurants offer a good selection of food, with something for everyone’s taste. I usually enjoy the breakfast buffet, which has a wide range of options, this time though it was closed and breakfast was far from ideal, happening in the Jpanese restaurant. The service at the restaurants was attentive and friendly, making dining a pleasant experience though. Spa: Unfortunately, the spa experience was a bit underwhelming. While the spa facilities were nice enough, the service itself didn’t meet the high standards I expected. The treatments felt somewhat rushed, and the overall ambiance lacked the tranquility I’d hoped for in a resort spa. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but it didn’t provide the relaxing, rejuvenating experience that I’d anticipated. Overall, The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort is a beautiful property with a lot to offer. While the spa could use some improvements to match the high quality of the rest of the resort, it’s still a great place to unwind and enjoy a tropical escape. Rating: 3.5/5