Panama Hotel
4 Bayview St, San Rafael, CA 94901-4913
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About
#5 of 9 hotels in San Rafael
Location
4.3
Cleanliness
4.2
Service
4.1
Value
4.0
Panama Hotel is an excellent choice for travelers visiting San Rafael, offering a boutique environment alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay.
Rooms at Panama Hotel provide air conditioning, and guests can stay connected with free wifi.
You can also enjoy free breakfast while staying at Panama Hotel. Need a place to park? Free parking is available at Panama Hotel.
For those interested in checking out popular landmarks while visiting San Rafael, Panama Hotel is located a short distance from Marin County Civic Center (2.1 mi) and Bartolini gallery, Marin Center (2.4 mi).
When you’re feeling hungry, be sure to check out Royal Thai Restaurant, Bangkok Thai Express, and Bay Thai Cuisine, which are some Thai restaurants that are popular with locals and out-of-towners alike.
Best of all, Panama Hotel makes it easy to experience many great San Rafael attractions like Museum of International Propaganda and Marin History Museum, which are some popular history museums.
Enjoy your stay in San Rafael!
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Property amenities
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Wifi
Free breakfast
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Non-smoking hotel
Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Mid-range
Location
70Somewhat walkable
Grade: 70 out of 100
96Restaurantswithin 0.75 miles
20Attractionswithin 0.75 miles
Contact
4 Bayview St, San Rafael, CA 94901-4913
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83Reviews2Q+A19Room tips
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When we arrived at 245pm, there was no one at the front desk and we had received a text that our key was in an envelope. We promptly went to our room as we had our dog with us and wanted to get everything settled. Immediately, when we walked into the room, we realized it was about 50 degrees and turned the heat on. The heat took HOURS to get the room warm, I am guessing bc of the SLATE floors. Again, not a huge deal, but we had to keep our coats on for hours which was ridiculous since the room was less than 250 sq ft We retired pretty early because we were exhausted from the day and realized the bed was going to be a challenge. It was clearly a very old spring mattress with a GIANT sag in it. At this point, I wanted to leave, but my wife wanted to just go to sleep. At around 10pm, we noticed they clearly rented the room above us to actual elephants. It was beyond loud and we could literally hear everything including their conversation. They were by no means being loud, but it became apparent very quickly that the walls were thinner than paper!!! We tried to go back to sleep and we were abruptly woken up about 4am because the person above us was snoring so loudly they literally were shaking our walls....I am not even exaggerating a little bit. I was dumbfounded. Again, the people above us weren't doing anything wrong, however, this 'hotel' was a joke and they didn't give a damn that we were able to sleep for less than 3 hours that night because of the ridiculousness of the walls/ceiling. This must have been an old home or something and the owners never did any actual renovations for HOTEL guests. The next morning I told them I wanted to check out and would not be staying another night as I needed to actually sleep! Not only did they not ask me if there was anything they could do, but when I went down for the 'breakfast' (dont even bother unless you want ruguela......) they had my receipt waiting for me to sign. I was beyond disappointed and guess I should have paid better attention to the other reviews. If you are able to stay somewhere else, DO NOT stay here. You will be sorely disappointed, but if you HAVE TO bc you have no other choice, then make sure you stay on the 2nd floor and bring your own mattress. The decor is definitely outdated, there is a coffee machine, but no coffee, the room itself did not appear clean and the lighting was joke. We had to open the blinds to actually see anything. Oh and good luck ever talking to anyone about anything. I had to go to the front desk 3x to actually be able to catch the person who was supposed to be working. …
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Bottom line - the place is disgusting. Dirty sheets, towels, surfaces. I felt sick to my stomach. We spent several hours trying to find another hotel but could not find a room anywhere. Having to stay there was awful. Hotel rooms do not need to be fancy, but they absolutely must be clean. Perhaps the hotel should shut down like the restaurant did. Never again.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
+1
The Panama Hotel is a little jewel hidden in the town of San Rafael, CA. You feel as if you were at home. The customer care of all the staff is spotless, never intruding, always helpful. Very clean, the rooms are fascinating, every one with a different theme. The amazing decoration, the whimsicality, the personal photographs of the original owners at the lobby and breakfast space make it all together unique. I heartily recommend it, it is a trip within a trip. Difficult to leave it. I will certainly come back.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
This hotel used to be quite charming, but now it's seedy and run down. The restaurant is closed, the hotel is literally deserted as management has disappeared and the phone number supplied should you need some assistance is never answered and their voice mail is full. It's creepy and empty and it should be illegal to run a hotel of this size without anyone present. We couldn't get the ceiling fan to turn off, couldn't find anyone to ask help and finally left in frustration.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Value
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Stayed at the Panama Inn for the first time this last weekend. It is a charming location with nostalgic photos all over, nice neighborhood to go for a stroll. We stayed in Maria's Pueblo, which was cozy and cute. We were able to bring our small dog for a small fee. The restaurant was closed for COVID, but a simple continental breakfast was provided and adequate. There is a coffee/muffin place next door. But for the negative: -no customer service. phone calls or emails never answered. phone calls to office gets ''the mail box is full'' -office only available 8am -6pm, so if you arrive or leave before that time, there are no instructions how to access or check out. -our room reeked of smoke and disinfectant, It was unbearable. It is a non smoking hotel -no hangers or iron in the room, but large closet and ironing board -no wi fi password given, had to wait until the next day for someone to arrive at 0800 to get it. -one wine glass provided. No one available to request another. -no parking on site, but we found parking nearby So when you check in, make sure everything is there in the room otherwise, you may not get the opportunity to correct it.…
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Date of stay: April 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
My wife and I were traveling through this area and found this small hotel online. Because of the coronavirus restrictions, the room price was sufficiently reduced to be attractive to us. We were not disappointed. The Panama Hotel has a restaurant attached, but it was closed. We booked the “Bordello” room, because it came with a balcony and a large free-standing tub. We purchased a meal at a nearby restaurant within walking distance and ate on our balcony. The staff provided a self-serve continental breakfast with coffee, juice, instant oatmeal, fresh fruit and yogurt. This is an old hotel, so don’t expect modern construction. The floors creek and the doors don’t fit their frames and lock with traditional keys, but that just adds to the charm. Be mindful that some of the rooms share a bathroom down the hall and not all have balconies. We ran the air conditioner fan to mask the exterior noise. There is no off-street parking. On the other hand, the vintage decor and the “old-world” feel make for a lovely stay. There are fancier places to stay in San Rafael, but this place will make you smile.…
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Read room descriptions carefully, as they differ significantly.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Do you have a date night to plan? What could be better than a romantic dinner and live music in this intimate restaurant? They have a fabulous chef and attentive staff. Hey, go on “HUMP DAY WEDNESDAY” and you may get lucky and there’ll be a room available ! Who who! Just pack your toothbrush and last night’s pearls in your backpack purse Louise! Love, Thelma.
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Date of stay: May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
This “hotel” is actually a relatively charming old house where my quite small Somebody’s? “Safari” room at the top of the stairs was perfectly adequate for my needs. Not at all what I expected, but my family later said, “Funky, but locals love it because the people are so nice.” (They must be talking about the restaurant, because why would locals stay at the inn?) Anyway, I’m all for giving business to nice people. So I took an Uber from the airport to this distinctly residential neighborhood— located close to family, which was the reason for the visit— and checked in... at the restaurant. (?!) Not a hotel, get it? What I didn’t like so much was their 48hr cancellation policy, which means once you see what you’ve got here, you either have a fight on your hands (?) or you shrug and stay. The lady was nice, (not exactly professional, maybe, but this is a neighborhood joint, not a Four Seasons.) I was concerned about security because there is a physical key, not a card that changes with each guest, and the house where the room is located is not locked— but the patio gate is locked and the restaurant door— through which you enter to get to restaurant and the house/inn— IS locked at some point during the night. Long story short, I WISH I’d known the heater was controlled on the side of the floor vent unit, (it was so hot in there!!!) I wish there were a small room safe, and I wish I had known this is a Bed & Breakfast, not a hotel, but the small bed was cozy and the room was quiet. So if you like a charming B & B, I do recommend this place. …
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
I've eaten at the Panama Hotel many times and the food is great. This time I had the occasion to also stay at the hotel for two nights while I was in the area. The hotel is quirky and funky (which I expected). My room was probably one of the smallest ones, perhaps a little claustrophobic, but clean and pretty comfortable. Even though the floor in the bathroom slanted (it is a very old hotel), the bathtub/shower was fine and there were nice soap and shampoo options. There was a small kitchen with coffee maker, microwave, and fridge and even a bathrobe in the closet. Included was a very nice continental breakfast offered in the dining room to hotel guests. The parking can be somewhat of a problem because the hotel is located in a residential neighborhood. You can expect to walk a block or so after you park your car. But it's a beautiful area and the walk is very pleasant.…
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Date of stay: July 2019Trip type: Traveled solo
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Took a risk and drove out of the way from San Francisco to Chico in heavy traffic. We did not have a reservation but were there early enough that the Host was very kind to seat us. The place was packed when we left at 7:30 on a Friday Night. I've never seen a Pork Chop so big! Absolutely delicious everything and quite bargain by Marin County prices. The decor was fun and I'd like to stay at the Hotel sometime. It was all charming!
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Date of stay: May 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Service
Room Tip: Only ate at the resturaunt!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
PRICE RANGE
$85 - $136 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaMarin CountySan Rafael
NUMBER OF ROOMS
14
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Frequently Asked Questions about Panama Hotel
Which popular attractions are close to Panama Hotel?
Nearby attractions include WildCare (0.2 miles), Mission San Rafael Arcangel (0.5 miles), and San Rafael Pacifics Baseball - Albert Park (0.2 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Panama Hotel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at Panama Hotel?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Panama Hotel?
Conveniently located restaurants include Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine, Il Davide Restaurant, and Cafe Arrivederci.
Is Panama Hotel located near the city center?
Yes, it is 0.5 miles away from the center of San Rafael.
Are pets allowed at Panama Hotel?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Are there any historical sites close to Panama Hotel?
Many travelers enjoy visiting American Legion Log Cabin (2.2 miles), Robson-Harrington House (2.1 miles), and First American Flag Raising in San Francisco (4.4 miles).