Panama by luis
The hostel was a great experience. The employees were very knowledgeable about the nearby area and other parts of Panama and Panama City. They also spoke English which was a plus because my Spanish was limited. As the description of the hostel is written, it's in a convenient area to for the supermarket and nearby restaurants. When we arrived, we made the mistake of booking a double bed for two people when we wanted to beds. I am sure that’s a usual mix-up. The staff gave us a bigger room for the same price and were happy for our business. The newer and more specials room had its own bathroom in a separated and detached part of the main hostel. About 50ft. From the main area. They also gave us an extra cot.
One of the Staff members by Panama by Luis, and American from Wisconsin as he described himself, give us in great detail some of the great areas of Panama City to visit during our stay in Panama City. He even took it upon himself to bring us to the Claro telephone company to translate for us. If you ever stay in Panama by Luis be sure to have a conversation with him.
Panama by Luis Layout
The hostel has a main lobby, upstairs when you get to the place
There's a washer and dryer by the main stairs for $2 a load
The main lobby has its own WiFi
There's one big bathroom in the main lobby private dorm rooms
On the first floor of the hostel is a kitchen that needs upgrading and two fridges to store your groceries
Be sure to label anything you put in the fridge
The first floor has its on WiFi but it's very spotty, it comes in and out of service
They also have an eating area outside and a hammock
Beyond the eating area is another dormitory
The only negative that I could think of about the place is the location. If you could pick up the hostel and put it somewhere else it would be great. The cab drivers had a hard time finding the street and the hostel. They are used to looking for hotels. When describing where to drop you off, just say by the McDonald's. Other than that, Panama by Luis is a great place to stay.
Los Faroles Guesthouse (Hostel)
Out of the many hostels in Panama City, I’m glad we stumbled upon this place. The place was clean and it appeared to be newly renovated. Its located in an apartment complex within a great neighborhood. The location is central to everything. Down the street of Los Faroles Guesthouse is the Einstein Statue. The statue is a giant head of Einstein which makes sense because he was very intelligent. Across from the Einstein is a well-known New York City Bagel place. You can tell by the name and the culture within this place that it was heavily influenced by New York City. The hostel is off the main street of Via Argentina, the pace is filled with mini supermarkets, German Bars, international and local themed restaurants.
The staff and owner of the place are very friendly and of course knowledgeable about Panama. They were happy to have some English-speaking visitors to so they can practice their English and it was great because I got to practice my Spanish. One of the managers gave us a tour of the nearby street and took us to the mall free of charge.
The rooms were decent size and they came with closets to hang your clothes. The bathrooms were shared and cleaned every day. The landlord gives you three keys to the hostel, the main entrance, the entrance to the hostel, and the 3
rd key is for your room. At night, they have a security guard named Fernando. He works from 6pm to 3am and sometimes later. Fernando is fluent in Spanish and English. He is one of the most interesting people who I've ever had the pleasure of speaking to. He knows most of the people in the neighborhood by first name. If you get the chance to talk to him, you will come out of the conversation more knowledgeable.
Prices for both hostels were around $20 a night. I used hostelworld and hostelbooker to book the hostels. For the most part, the majority of hostels were around the same price when we tried to book them on the main hostel websites.
