The Bijao Beach Resort is a four star all inclusive resort. The hotel is located on the Pacific coast of Panama, 10 kilometers from Rio Hato airport and 130 kilometers from Panama City.
Check in
Check in took a while as we got there minutes after a bus arrived. We were, however, offered a drink while we waited for our turn.
The Room
The room was spacious but would require updating. The heavy metallic bath spout fell on our toes numerous times as we showered. Our in room safe was defective for the duration of our stay even after having twice asked for it to be repaired.
The room offered gorgeous ocean, pool, and garden views. Because of the hotel’s architecture, many of the rooms offer some form of ocean view.
The Hotel Grounds
There are many pools on the resort, one of which has a small waterslide. The pool next to the snack bar has a swim up bar.
The hotel grounds are beautiful and well manicured.
Food
There are four restaurants on the premises.
– The main buffet and the snack bar are part of the all-inclusive plan
– The Seafood and Japanese restaurants are not part of the all-inclusive plan.
Although choices can be somewhat limited, most of the time, the food was quite tasty.
Food offerings tend to diminish at the main buffet when you go later on in the opening hours. On busier days, expect relatively long wait times in some of the lineups.
Entertainment
During our stay at the resort, nightly entertainment mainly consisted of karaoke and children shows.
Make sure to go for a stroll around the grounds in the evening. You never know what you can see. We were lucky to spot a beautiful boa making its’ way through the pool area. We followed it and made sure it made its’ way safely back into the bush.
General Information
Most of the staff at the resort are courteous and friendly. You are probably going to tell me that English is not always spoken or understood by some of the staff. With this in mind, remember that you are in a Spanish speaking country, not an English one.
Since we were there during the holidays, the Bijao Beach Resort was quite full. There were many Panamanian, Mexican, Venezuelan and Colombian patrons. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. Many of them even translated for us when we had difficulty communicating with the staff.
The hotel states that Wifi service is available in the lobby. I was able to connect without problem all over the resort and even on the beach.
The Beach
The beach area has a limited selection of beach chairs. In general, patrons were using them mostly for short durations. Most went for quick swims in the ocean only to go back to relax at the pool area.
The beach is quite beautiful. After all, the soft light grey sand has patches of beautiful gleaming black sand.
During peak sun hours, the sand becomes extremely hot. Make sure to bring water shoes when going for a walk or for a swim.
Although the beach is public, it is quite clean. There is, however, frequent ATV traffic on the beach.
Remember to set your alarm clock early in order to watch breathtaking sunrises.
All things considered, the Bijao Beach Resort is a great place to stay.
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