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.

I have stayed at this hotel many times over the last 35 years with groups of entomologists. I was there on 14 August 2010 with a small group of 6. We would have stayed longer but the hotel was completely booked for a team of athletes coming into El Valle for some sort of competition that weekend. They have a jungle trail next to the hotel that is fantastic and at least 100 species of butterflies have been sighted there, including at least 2 species of blue Morpho butterflies. While the rooms are sparsely furnished and on the "rustic" side, they offer a quiet and comfortable stay at a reasonable price. Their restaurant was closed when we were there, but I've had some fine breakfasts and dinners there. If they are not operating, there are many fine restaurants in EL Valle that are 5 minutes or so from the hotel. I recommend EL Rincon de Vallero if you visit El Valle. I will be returning to EL Valle with groups of entomologists for several more years, and EL VALLE and the Campestre Hotel will be one of our stops for 2 or 3 days on every trip. There is also a Canopy Zip-line ride a couple miles away that is well worth taking. I'm 63 and this was my 4th time going. It's a blast.

We stayed elsewhere but were told by the locals that Campestre is currently closed, except for occasional use for equestrian shows. We walked by the Hotel and it looked completely deserted.

It is this kind of place that gives the evolution of the Panamanian Tourist industry a bad name. A previous poster used the words 'Jurrasic Park' - well that conjures up the right mental images. In the lobby a fifty-year old picture boasts Campestre to be the idyllic destination away from Panama City at $3 per night. Well, that's about where it has evolved to in terms of value.

What a waste of a prime location. The setting is beautiful, spacious, albeit the grounds do this lush region of Panama little justice. The presentation of the buildings and infrastructure seem to stem directly out of the fifties. The signs that asks forgiveness during remodelling seems to be a permanent fixture that has been screwed to the wall a long time ago.

The rooms are clean but very sparse and dated. Breakfast? We didn't SEE ANYONE by the time we left 10:00am the next morning... The dining room appeared to be in a state of disarray from previous days, certainly not the previous night as we were the only guests in the place.

All in all we felt that we have had better presentation in surfers' accommodation on the beaches of Bocas del Torro, Chiriqui and Veraguas, or mom&pop places in the backwoods of Colce. Not to mention the excellence of some places in the highlands for much the same price per night.

Smarten up your presentation, or sell the place to someone who wants to serve their country's tourist industry justly.