I stayed here last year in February and June, and came with a friend who had never been here. From experience and from reading the reviews, the Marparaiso has improved a lot recently. The staff were very friendly and helpful (they speak english but we spoke to them in spanish, maybe this improved our service?), the airport pickup was on time and very convenient, the restaurant has been renovated, the rooms are clean, ours had a fridge, AC, and hot water. The wifi has also been great to have, although only helpful if traveling with a laptop. The location was also great, we walked almost everywhere that we went in the city (Casco Viejo, Avenida Central, Bella Vista) and although not very a very touristy area, there are lots of shops that are great for running errands. Yes, breakfast is only bread (rolls with butter and jam), but you also get coffee (or tea or hot chocolate) and fresh-squeezed orange juice, and it is free. Our room was also very quiet (we couldn't hear other people in the hotel, although there is traffic in the morning because it is on a busy street). We will definitely stay here again.

We booked this hotel because it was recommended on Lonely Planet, why they recommended I do not know! The one nice thing was that they will pick you up at airport, but that is it! But beware, if you do not pay for 2 nights they want to charge you up to 40 dollars for the ride! So they kinda force you to stay 2 plus nights. The people at the front desk act like you are not even standing in front of them, they ignore you and act rude as hell! The diner was horrible! The best part of teh diner was the 1 dollar beer, that is it! It is dirty and there are cockroaches chillin on by while you eat, entertainment I guess. The rooms are small crowded and dirty. My curtain rods kept falling off the wall on top of my kids' heads and do not plan to get a good night's sleep there, because the street traffic is so loud, that you cannot sleep. Oh yeah, they will charge you 30 dollars to take you back to airport, WTF!!! I had to come back there the last night because they made me pay for a second night, or 40 dollars taxi, so I paid and while travelling, I misplaced the hand-writen note that said that I had a credit to come back and they told me that I would not be able to stay there without it. I was like, it was a hand-writen note from manager and you guys have my receipt that I paid. They were like sorry I need the paper, like it was a federal document or something! We dug it out our pack and they let us stay, yeaiii, BS. Moral of story, do not stay there, if you do not beleive me, find out for yourself.!!!!

the sheets may be clean but the pillows etc are clearly not and had a strange smell about them. also the sheets on the beds were far to small and you will find yourself waking up on a bare matress throughout the night. "breakfast" consists of 2 bread rolls, bad tea and OJ so we gave it a miss almost everyday.

the staff are a mixed bunch;one or two were nice and friendly but the majority were miserable and unhelpful to the point we were given incorrect directions on more than one occasion. also, one receptionist told us we were able to book day tours through the hotel only to be looked at as if we were mad when we actually tried to do so. put simply, there are far better options available to you.

We ended up at the Marparaiso after arriving in Panama with no accommodation organised and meeting a guy who had stayed here a few nights earlier, and Im glad we did. There is certainly nothing fancy about the place, the rooms are on the smallish side, but they are clean, have air-con (vital!) and have a private bathroom with hot water...all for $33 USD. We were really comfortable here, its in a reasonable location central to Casco Viejo and the city. The rate is actually $40USD with breakfast, but we asked for rate without breakfast and got it for $33USD per night , we ate out and sampled the local food instead for about the same price. We went away for a few days and were able to store our luggage securely free of charge. There was internet access for $1USD per hour. The Air Con was a little noisy, but not so much to be annoying at all. So all up the Marparaiso is good value for money! Just a little hint... always take a card with the hotels name on it to show the taxi drivers, even if you remember it. The number of times we jumped in a cab and the drivers couldnt understand us even with us knowing the name was incredible!

By the way, the Lonely Planet and other guide books will tell you to stay away from Casco Viejo...if you do this you will miss out on the real vibe of Panama. We had no problems there, taking normal travel security precautions. If we went towards an area that was a little risky, a local always took us by the arm and warned us. Make sure you check it out!