I brought a group of 14 entomologist's to the hotel in early August for two nights. I've stayed here with groups every year for the last 3 or 4 years. The rooms and bathrooms have just been remodeled, and look great. Nice huge shower heads and nicely tiled bathrooms. No air conditioning, but ceiling fans are all that is needed at this altitude. It gets COOL at night here, and there's usually a nice breeze blowing day and night. I'll be back to Panama twice in 2012 and 2013 with groups of entomologist's, and we'll be staying here for 2 or 3 nights on each trip. They have a nice jungle area next to the hotel with a great trail. Lot's of birds and butterflies. There's also a zip-line adventure a mile or so away, which I've been on 3 or 4 times.

I read in a Panama guidebook that this was a classic "Spanish hunting lodge". The signs called it a B&B. It was neither. The main part of the facility had been torn down at some point and there is no indication it will rebuilt.

The room rate seemed to be at the whim of the front desk and I was given a rate of $44, which seemed a bargain after the prices in Panama City. However, the room was dismal. It was large but had old furnishings. The bed was kind of saggy but I got a fair night's sleep anyway. The wind was blowing about 35 mph all evening and night and I couldn't get anyone to say if that was the norm. The noise from the wind and the others guests was excessive. The door between my room and the one next door had a 2" gap so I could everything going on there.

The bathroom window was out onto the main walkway in front of all the room and couldn't be locked or blocked from sliding because it was installed backwards. There were chairs right under the window so I was a bit worried about someone crawling in during the night or just looking in. There was no shower head and the flow couldn't be turned completely off so it dripped all night long.

The only good thing about the hotel was the trail 100' away that lead to a grove of square trees. That was pretty interesting and there were nice views from places along the trail.

A friend and I stayed at this hotel in 2010. At that time they had many plans for its renovation and return to its former glory. We vowed that we would not stay there again until the renovations were complete. However, while making plans to visit el Valle with friends the hotel's website indicated that renovations were well under way and upgraded rooms were available. Don't believe it! The only thing that has been upgraded in the past year is the price. Last year we paid $44/night this year we paid $66 for exactly the same room. It wasn't worth $44 last year - it certainly isn't worth $66 this year. If the renovations ever catch up to the fake pictures that they have on their website this will perhaps be the place to stay in el Valle but until then - stay away.

I was traveling by car with my husband and another couple early December. We got to El Valle after sunset. We have never been here before, had no room reservations and no pre- set expectations. We had not expected to spend the night here so i hadn't researched the hotels. The first sign we saw on the road was for Hotel Campestre. We drove up and saw two people on the veranda waiting for us. It was otherwise deserted. We were shown two rooms that looked clean and comfortable and settled in. The beds were comfortable, the showers were hot and we could hear the wind in the trees. All of us slept well. The next morning we found the area to be incredibly beautiful. The hotel was a little strange. It looked a neglected hunters lodge from a bygone era. We were offered breakfast but could not stay. For the $76 dollars a night we thought it was a great deal.