Grand Decameron Panama, A Trademark All-Inclusive Resort

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

5794 reviews

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  Lovely experience

  Lovely experience with plenty of choices for food and drinks; lovely views of the sea and swimming pools. Staff is friendly and the rooms are huge - king size beds

  Aug 01, 2025
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  Disappointed, not what it used to be, they charge too much for what they offer. The PLUS if NOT worth it.

  We have been going to this Decameron here and there since 2007. I can tell you it has changed a lot! We arrived around 2:30 pm. Did our check in and patiently waited for our 4 rooms. We did to get the wrist bands to go eat or get drinks. They used to provide the wrist bands to allow us to get food while waiting. Only gave us a #4 ticket to hold on to for drinks at Lobby 3. There was a pitcher of water (very much warm, no ice) and there were no clean cups once the cups were used. So warm water that no one could even try to drink. After 4;30 pm we got 2 of the 4 rooms! Like here you go hang out there until we get you the rest. Neither one had the drinks or chocolates (that you so much advertise!) and in one of the rooms the fridge was filthy with a dirty towel inside. It was not until 4:55 pm that we were told the other 2 rooms were suposedly ready. Right before 5 pm (your own cut off time)! One of the two rooms was just the way the previous guest left it. Towels on the floor, fridge empty and dirty, bed were not made and still with dirty sheets..it was such a mess! I was tired, disappointed and even embarrassed I recommended this place to our family and friends. One of the rooms, the bathroom outlets did not even work. We went back to front desk. We did not get the last room ready until 5:25 pm. Ridiculous!!! And did NOT get any compensation for it they said we were entitle to. Front desk was not helpful at all. They said they had no control over the housekeeping. Told us to talk to guest services. Front desk put all our 4 rooms in different floors and they were NOT all ready until well after 5 pm! At time of check out the gentleman was rude and we were not given the opportunity to eat lunch (like they used to and specially after all the mess that took place at check in and rooms not ready!). The Cowboys breakfast (EXCLUSIVE FOR PLUS PAYING GUESTS!) was a joke. No drinks waitress or drinks to welcome us, fruit trays and ham/cheese trays at the bar were empty. I brought it up to the one "in charge" (because they no longer have Captains in charge during the day time) and 30 minutes went by, still NO drinks, NO food at the bar. I had to go across to the Pacifik buffet to get another person in charge from the buffet restaurant to help us get drinks and food. Her name is Dieta. She went to Cowboys with me and got us drinks, and made sure the buffet was filled up so we could actually get something to eat while we waited for our orders to be taken, to then finally eat. She was very attentive and did a great job every time we went to the buffet she was at. We have dinner reservations (those were good). Then there is Dorindo,The Captain Dorindo of La Esquina Asiatica is a great person and Captain. Always making sure to take care of the guest. He took care of our little girl back in 2007 when she was really sick. He was in charge of one of the buffet restaurants back then. And we saw him again, and he still has the same good attention to guest and charisma. The activities on the day time are nothing like they used to be. There would be games for all ages back then, and beach volleyball, soccer ball with blow up balls you would get inside. Ping Pong and dart competitions. There used to be canoe competitions and also eaten pineapple competition. They used to give certificate for the games you won too. Decameron used to have water polo games every day, etc...Now you only have aqua aerobics and swimming for dominoes competition. Very boring and to pay more money for supposedly better service, and not get that service is a profesional way of stealing from people. It's false advertisement. Oh and after the show, they close the BARS! You only have one inside the club (and not everyone wants to be inclosed with music and tons of people). The other bar opened was inside a buffet restaurant along with people trying to eat night snacks. NO water stations (like other hotels have) anywhere to serve yourself. The line at the bar was long just to get water and only ONE bar tender! Again, ridiculous. Decameron used to have the one by the beach open and it is bigger and right by the water. The Canal was open for breakfast Saturday but we did not know. We found out by the lady that helped from the buffet. We went Sunday and it was great service and good food. But, it was closed on Monday. There is NO consistency, the people are supper slow, the shows are nothing like they used to. Not even the Decameron King show and we have been going since 2007! Internet was low specially for PLUS guests. Bottom line Decameron has a lot to work on to even become a 3 STAR! They are not even at a 3 Star and we have been to many countries and many All Inclusive Resorts, and I can honestly say Decameron has a lot of room for improvement. Unfortunately it is not what it used to be. The amount you charge is NOT worth it!

  Jul 25, 2025
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  no hot water - beach chair umbrella shortage

  this review is being done about 5months after our visit. only because we are currently looking to book our 2nd visit to Panama and Decameron keeps popping up in our searches. we went for 11 days booked through TripCentral.ca via AIR TRANSAT out of Toronto upgraded to PLUS section. did not have hot water EVEN ONE day of our trip! numerous visits to the Plus reception did not resolve the situation. i was hopeful that at minimum after our stay OR upon check out we would have received some communication or apology - heard nothing! but we made the best of it. now we are looking at the RIU with hopes of a better experience. i will say for the most part the staff are wonderful - beach is wonderful - food was good at buffet but the restaurants were not anything to be thrilled about. watch your chairs on the beach even when leaving your personal items to hold them - ignorant people will pull your chair out from the umbrellas and move right in while you go for lunch. by the time management came to deal with this situation the beach vibe and sun were over. we were disappointed but did not allow it to ruin the whole trip. maybe our concerns were dismissed because we only speak English - we tried best we can to communicate in Spanish through google translate and the little bit we tried to master. if you wish people to explore Panama rather then the norm Caribbean locations Jamaica Mexico Cuba Domincan you need to ensure your English speaking guests can resolve issues with an English speaking person.

  Jul 16, 2025
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  Needs Helps or Renovations Now

  Hotel rooms need renovation. The mattress cover had mold on it. The sleeping area had only 1 dim light on the wall & none next to the beds. The sliding glass door was off track & never fully locked. We had problems with our room keys not working several times & we had to walk to the front desk to resolve them. The internet is extremely slow so almost useless. The walls between the room are very thin so we heard the guests in the other room frequently. The buffet restaurants need to find a way to deal with the birds that kept landing on the guests' tables & stealing food. The facility needs to have a guest shop at both ends of the property since it is a long walk to get to the only one they have. The staff is very friendly & accommodating but they are having to deal with a rundown facility. The dining experience left a little to be desired. The meat had bones & fat that had to be trimmed off to get to the meat to eat. It was disappointing considering the pictures of the place from the hotel website & TripAdvisor.

  Jul 15, 2025
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  Excellent

  We actually went in December 2023 (no option to enter that date). Great resort with every facility possible. Very big but very well designed. The food was excellent and the entertainment was the best we have had in any resort in the world. Professional rather than just put up by the staff. Truly brilliant. Several restaurants, pools etc... great location too. Every member of staff everywhere was most friendly, helpful and actually seemed genuinely happy to be there. Definitely recommend. A little way from the airport but distance is not the issue, only the very heavy traffic.

  Jun 22, 2025