N T
Google
My husband and I stayed in the "Suite Matrimonial" (the Honeymoon Suite, Room 111) because, according to the front desk, it was the nicest room in the hotel. It was about USD $100/night on a Friday and Saturday night. We had travelled from Asia (36 hours of travel) and were jet lagged, so being in a comfortable place to relax was important.
I would not stay here again.
The room is in the first floor, right off the noisy, busy street that goes along the beachfront. The view of the river is beautiful, but it is where there are cars and motorcycles rumbling all night long with many cars cruising slowly playing music very loudly out their windows.
Much more noisy is that the hotel, itself, is blasting live dance music starting around 9 or 10 pm until around midnight. It is very loud, thumping, with guests singing along and cheering the entire time. A live concert is blasting, booming, thumping, and shaking in your own room for hours. It is not possible to sleep, watch TV, or even hear yourself thinking.
The staff are courteous and responsive. The level of hospitality is very nice, but it's not at the level of a what you would find in Hawaii or resorts or hotels in Asia where bell men hold the front door for you when you arrive, greet you, and help you with your luggage.
The room is very clean and attractive - mainly decorated in white tones. It is well-appointed - much more attractive and inviting than other places I've seen online in Colon. By western standards, however, it is not anything to write home about. There is a four poster bed with a pretty mosquito net. There is a small bay window alcove. In addition to the queen sized bed, there are: a chaise daybed, three ottomans, a tiny hall table that is not really deep enough to sit at and do any work, and two tiny bed stands. The bathroom is a standard sized bathroom with a tub/shower and a bidet. The bathtub has jets but otherwise is standard size and is not inviting or luxurious. Below the TV, there is a small refrigerator, microwave, a few drinks, and two bags of potato chips/snacks. It is one room that is about 30% larger than a typical hotel room. There is no balcony. Some of the windows open but there is a space even when they are closed which makes it so that noise from the street is very loud inside the room. (For example, you can hear the conversations happening on the street.)
For those with physical disabilities / wheelchairs, note that there are a few stairs to get into the hotel and a few more to get to the elevator. When the elevator lands on each floor, one has to descend a few stairs to get to where the rooms are.
The free breakfast on the fourth floor is very nice - the view of the water is spectacular. The food is fine. Nothing to write home about, but perfectly wonderful for a continental breakfast. (No ready-to-order or hot food.)
As a summary: The location is wonderful because it's right on the water and has gorgeous views and from the perspective of someone who would want views, is the best located hotel in Colon. However, the location also is a liability because the hotel is not set back from the street, and the noisy traffic in front of the hotel is incessant. It is also where everyone stops to take a photo, so there is a lot of street noise. The hospitality is genial, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary for a good hotel. The hotel is very clean, but there are only two bath towels and two hand towels provided. They (as well as the robes) are a little worn and off-colour. When I asked if someone could come to help figure out why the TV reception for the US Open (provided by ESPN) was fuzzy and only in black and white, the man downstairs came up immediately to help me. (He couldn't fix it though; we ended up streaming the finals on my laptop.) The room is clean, comfortable and well-appointed, but not spectacular.
What gives this hotel one star is that it is unreasonably noisy at night. They should warn people that unless they want to be awake until around 1 - 2 am at night, they should stay elsewhere.
