Just got back from an amazing week in Panama with the boyfriend. From reading previous reviews on this resort I was expecting something totally different then what I had actually experienced.

The moment we landed in Panama I felt like I was already on vacation. Although the flight and bus ride down was quite long it was definitely worth it!

First off, Panamanians are very friendly and polite people. Their native language is SPANISH so I find it ridiculous that people complain that they cant speak english when in fact lots of the employees do or at least are able to just enough to communicate.

The bar and food service was great, the entertainment was amusing and best of all, the resort itself was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! The weather was perfect. The beach and view was just unbelievable. It was like looking at a postcard from the vacation of your dreams which to us, this place was.

Like many others have said, there are many pools to choose from. Each one better than the other especially the swim up bar.

As for the food, the buffets were pretty good. Lots of items to choose from. I found the Al a Cartes to be the best. We went to the Thai (Mogo Mogo), seafood (El canal), fusion (Kontiki) and lastly sushi restaurant. All were quite delicious. We were very pleasedThey fill up fast so make sure to book your ASAP!

We also, checked out Woodys bar located just a few minutes down the beach from the resort. The owners were fabulous. They were very inviting and Canadian! It was nice to sit and have lunch with them. A definite must see for good laughs and food.

Lastly, was the ATV tour to Anton Vallee. Worth the money for you get to see the beauty and nature of Panama. Check out Ty's bar and grill too who is the tour guide. He has a monkey named "Mona" which alone is worth seeing.

To sum up, we will DEFINITELY be returning. This was an amazing trip especially considering that this was our first one together. I LOVE PANAMA <3

My girlfriend and I just returned from 5 nights at the royal decameron then 2 nights at the hard rock hotel. My choice would be the decameron if we go to panama again. The water was fine as it is the pacific ocean, for some people who clearly arent very educated. The pacific ocean has very few areas of clear blue water. Its the caribbean side with that type of water. If you book a trip ignorantly to somewhere youve never been, RESEARCH it beforehand. We enjoyed learning spanish to help us communicate better, even though most the bartenders and staff knew enough english to help. The food was not bad and there was tons of selection, we always found something we could enjoy. We had 4 a la carte dinners: sea food, kontiki , sushi and thai which were all delicious. The drinks were delicious. The disco was fun and we had a good group of about 10-15 to party with most nights. I would definately return in a heart beat. Service everywhere was impeccable as well, between the use of sign language and minimal spanish and english we were always pleased.

As a sidenote, definately do the atv tour to anton valley and swim in the waterfall it was incredible.

Stayed 1 week at Decameron, Jan 28-Feb 4, 2013. Booked on a golf package, (2 couples) in a Villa on the Golf Course. Nice and quiet there, away from party Beachfront rooms. An extra 3 minute walk to Main Lobbies or Shuttle service is quite quick. Golf course very pretty, challenging, NOT on the ocean. A la Carte Kontiky and El Cayuco very good and they all book up quickly. Buffet food tasty, limited selection. All staff not very warm and chatty, not too smiley though not impolite either.
Unless you are physically challenged, don't let the steps deter you. I expected something horrible, not so. Stairs at Lobby 1 are easy, the hill at Lobby 2 and 3 will give a bit of a workout each time! Use Shuttle service instead if you want.
All pools are glorious, the lounge chair in the shallow pools were my favorite! Beach is great for walking and seeing the large homes and Public Beach with shopping. I did not go right in, we had 8 people get stung by Ray Fish buried in the sand in shallow water at low tide. Apparently excruciating pain! That along with the black lava mixed with the sand and strong waves was not so inviting. Pools were my first choice.
New airport being built for December 2013, 15 mins from resort. Currently everyone must travel 2-2.5 hours. VERY long.
Lastly, bring facecloths, lots sunscreen: Guaranteed hot sun from December-May. No rain.
We will return, beautiful vacation.

Visited the Royal Decameron Resort from 29 Jan - 6 Feb 2013. The weather was amazing everyday! I think it rained for 10 min over the 7 days.

Good points
1. Arrival - We landed at 430pm... Tour staff met us at the airport and gave us our hotel package. Once arrived at the airport check in was done in 20 min and we were off to our room. Luggage was delivered to the room within 60 min.

2. Food - lots of choices

3. Pools - clean, big, lots of location

4. Activities - Beach volleyball, ping pong, small gym with treadmill, pool aerobics, universal gym and elliptical.

5. Bars - Located close to every pool. I recommend the Banana Mamma Drink or Farrallon....purchase a Large Bubba Mug at Canadian Tire. This will keep your drinks cool and keep you from going back to the bar every 20 min for a drink

6. Casino - Went every night. Staff were friendly and most spoke english

7. Beach - Long and clean. If the life guards close the beach for swimming obey them.... most times it's because stingrays are close to shore.... if you step on one you will be stung and end up in the hospital.

8. General Noriega house. Just a short walk from the resort was an abandoned beach house once owned by General Manuel Noriega, former military dictator of Panama.

Bad points
1. The 2 hour bus ride to the resort is long. If you arrive during the day, stay awake through Panama City (about 20min outside the airport) to see the amazing buildings. After that there's not much to see until you arrive at the resort

2. There is lots of stairs and there is no elevators in the buildings. If you have mobility issues this resort might not be the best for you.

Comments from other travellers: I've read other reviews about staff not speaking english. I did not run into this problem.... In the past 3 years I've traveled to Cuba, Jamaica and Costa Rica and I found the staff to this resort as good as any other resort I've been to in the past 3 years.