Decameron Panaca - All Inclusive

We stayed at Decameron Panaca from March 11-13. The hotel is beautiful, clean and well maintained. There are many activities for the kids e.g. pony rides, milking cows, feeding baby goats and baby pigs plus the walk to the Panaca park is short and the entrance fee is discounted if you are staying at the hotel. The highlight for me was the food. Absolutely delicious. We had steak twice snd it was cooked to perfection. The swimming pools are bi and well maintained. The rooms are big and while there is no AC, we didn't need it since the ceiling fan was enough. We travelled with my mom who has mobility issues. The hotel provided a wheelchair and I was pleasantly surprised to realize that all areas of the hotel are wheelchair accessible. A big plus! We truly enjoyed our stay and we will definitely come back!

The hotel closes its recreational activities at 7:pm, such as the pool, board games, gym, jacuzzi, and cannot be enjoyed after 7:pm. Generally you take the tickets to the Panaca park and your visit is until 4:30pm which is the last show, therefore if you want to return to the hotel to enjoy its activities it would be in the afternoon which are no longer available. The restaurant during my stay only offered one protein option which ran out very quickly. For what you pay and cost the hotel, and my experience during my stay I do not recommend it nor will I return to that hotel.

We were really excited about the hotel so we booked 2 rooms …. As I was reading some reviews prior to arriving I didn’t think the check in process could possibly be that bad and I was wrong it was worse than the reviews had explain 1.5 H Let me be extremely clear there was no line Any issues I had to resolve I had to contact the reservation call center directly in another city Then they wanted to speak to the agent themselves so they proceeded to take my cell phone to a back room and discuss some things with the person in charge which was not in the front desk So they took my cell phone in the back room for 20 minutes which was pretty unconventional I am a national Colombian who lives in the US for a long time I have travel to other hotels in the area and always had a great experience However this is totally different Not your typical professional and pleasant experience Wanted to give this one a shot because it’s right next to the park that I wanted to take my kids to The marketing campaign is great They offer you an all inclusive experience And speak about their wonderful restaurant which you can only make reservations to if you are giving a special pin after you check in however you’re only allowed to try to make reservations for the second day you’re here due to the fact that they have to be made at 8 AM I was ready at eight on the dot as I was told to do so by the front desk staff I was able to select my reservation one minutes after the portal open and it was already all booked The only other options are some very mediocre buffet I asked about the protocol for food allergies and you told me they are prepared to accommodate and offer a safe meal Unfortunately that was not the case they told me they were making the food in the back but I saw them come to the front of the line and take all the ingredients that everybody was using by the peanut products that they had nearby by I spoke to the manager about it then he told me he cannot have full control he advised them to do something but once he turned around they did something else … sounds like a poor excuse finally they went in the back and use separate ingredients to minimize the chance of cross contamination which I was very grateful that he finally got to eat a meal That was the last time we ate at the hotel because we didn’t feel the protocol they had in place was practical or safe Being that one of my sons has a peanut allergy it was not a good scenario Furthermore as I explained earlier the food choices were very mediocre Rest of the staff was very cordial There is no bottles of water in the whole hotel except in the boutique which they overcharge for They give you one bottle of water per room which is what you need to use for brushing your teeth as they have a large sign next to the sink that says do not use this water for drinking If you come to drink alcohol all inclusive you may have a different experience however we’re not drinkers and we came on a family trip so the whole in

I have been to other Decameron hotels in the past and usually love them. This time coming from the US. PROS: food was great and abundant. Very good Colombian and international staples with a very relaxed atmosphere. Great tasting snacks are available between meals. So essentially good food available all throughout the day. Complementary open bar ready available with very friendly staff. 2 good pools, large one can be crowded at times and has little sitting space. Good non-intrusive recreation. They have free pony rides and let you collect fresh eggs, milk cows and feed baby farm animals following the PANACA theme. Great for kids. Good but not great experience. Ready access to PANACA and complementary shuttles to the nearby other Decameron Hotel, airports and other attractions. Games (ping pong, Rana, corn hole) are available near the pool area but you have to sign your life to get them and hear a reminder of how you would get charged if you don’t return items on their schedule. CONS: no one tells you but pony rides need reservation the day prior. Limited access to pool towels, you are “allowed” one pool towel change per day and have to carry the towels with you if you visit the other available hotel. Activities at other nearby hotel need reservation. Front desk staff seems overwhelmed with their complex processes to care about your experience and their assistance is inconsistent. Concierge staff (Decameron adventurer) is rude, passive aggressive and unhelpful across the board, has little regard for your experience and more for their rules and complicated processes. Hotel policies and processes seem to be made to protect themselves from guests stealing their towels/games/other items, leaving without paying and cutting costs on wristbands and other supplies which creates a constant annoying atmosphere of distrust in you asa a guest. Wifi access is limited to 4 devices per reservation regardless of how many rooms and how many people in your party. Rooms have minimal power outlets available to charge your devices. There is no air conditioning, rooms have a fan but power goes out when it rains, prepare for sweaty nights. SUMMARY: overall good but not great experience. Great food and experiences which make this trip worth doing and maybe even repeating. Very friendly staff outside the front desk and concierge but prepare for a poor and passive aggressive experience in these 2 areas. For a place that should be a staple of the country overall experience should be much better.