We stayed here for 4 nights after 2 sleepless nights at "Panama's Paradise". The room was good value with clean sheets and bathroom. We also had a shared balcony with hammocks. The bed was squeaking with every little move and the parrot was sometimes a bit loud. There were also some strange dark spots on the ceiling. Anyway, the staff was nice, talkative and helpful. All in all, a good place to stay.

It's probably not the best hotel we tayed in but for $25 a night this was by far the cheapest room we stayed during our the 3 weeks in Panama. We're hoping for an AC and a large balcony with a nice view. Instead we got a noicy fan and a small balcony facing the neighbours... Though, the room was clean, the hotel looked nice, the staff was friendly, the (indonesian) food was great and it was cheap! We got visited by a cockroach just once and the Mondo Taitu across the streets plays some load music during the night. But in the end, i slept well and i had a good time here.

We forked additional 5$ for the "sea" view which was totally obstructed by an ugly edifice. There was no one to greet us and after waiting for 20minutes, a cocky young lady showed up, yelling in Spanish. After jumping through these hoops and entering the hotel, the first thing that leapt to my mind was that NO A/C. The sea view was as stated - disappointing.
All this was benign compared to what happened at night. It was our first anniversary and we anticipated sitting in the hammocks outside, sipping some wine and talking. but instead, we were greeted by loud thumping music from downstairs where some party was taking place. Across the street was some crappy frat-boy bar which was competing for my eardrums. Only at 2AM did the music stop while we stared at the cockroaches and lizards running across the humid room. And even after that, it was not until 3 did the "dude, I am so wasted" shouts stop.

I would recommend this only if you want to get wasted and stumble across into some random place. For 40$, this was a total rip off and not worth the experience. We ended up sauntering across town to Casa Verde where, for 33$, we got an A/C room with a hammock that was ON THE WATER!

PS: As if all this was not enough, this dump had 2 parakeets or macaws in cages. Not something I subscribe to and I couldn't blame those poor creatures for screeching their lungs out throughout the night randomly jerking me awake.

We reserved and arrived late in the day so even though the rooms were very suspect we felt we owed it to the owner to stick around for at least one night. Mistake! They really didn't care.

After trying the restaurant we returned to our inside room. It was dark and hotter than hades! No A/C. Mattresses - not. Just old stained, smelly pieces of foam with sheets and pillows which were even older and smellier! Sitting on the bed the wooden slates collapsed on the floor so we had to assemble it. At night we flicked on the lights and noted the cockroaches scrambling for cover so we left he bathroom light on all night to keep them out of sight at least. The bathroom and shower were as bad as the rest of the room. Rusty, old, stained and barely functioning.

The party at the hostel directly across the street was in full swing by 7pm so even though we were exhausted from a days journey there was no sense in going to bed until things wound down.

Even though Panamanian friends had recommended us we paid $40 for the night. Later we met two gals in the room across from us who aid $35.

The next morning we were in a rush to catch a snorkel trip so we ran next door to Hotel Delfines. There we got a second story room with A/C, TV, balcony and breakfast included for the same price! Absolute luxury compared with Casa Max!

Bottom line - avoid Casa Max and be sure to shop around town for the best rate. Later we even discovered a newly renovated hotel on main street for just $30/nt. Don't be afraid to ask/offer a lower price - accept at Casa Max - they don't negotiate!