Monkey Lodge Panama

Monkey Lodge is remote, with no nearby food options. The owner was rude on arrival, the room was basic with a dirty shower, and the pool was filthy—with dogs swimming in it. No WiFi or phone signal, so don’t expect to stay connected. You won’t see monkeys unless you pay $250 for a tour. Totally disappointing.

Outstanding site, private villas in jungle setting. Pool, yoga studio with experienced, skilled India trained instructor.. Fantastic food. Every meal was superb. (Daily dinners, not a menu restaurant) Nice villas with AC. Good bed, (I think I'll buy a new mattress when I get home.) Daily excursions all around the central Panama area. Wifi all over the lodge. I was traveling alone, and everyone really took me under their wing and made me feel welcome. This is a jungle lodge, no 5 Star poshness, which is want I wanted! Perfect to just be yourself and relax. I intend to return!

The finca is located on a hill just outside Chilibre. There are individual cabins around a pool and a nice garden. When we arrived, we were asked, if we wanted to have dinner that day. We said, we'd rather go to a restaurant. The host told us, the closest restaurants were in Albrook, and there was nothing at all in Chilibre. When we said we would think about it, he said, we would have to decide this very moment, because otherwise there would be no food in the evening. Even though we realized he was playing us, we were tired and concurred. In the evening we were served Arroz con Pollo - something every fonda sells for $4-5 p.p. incl. VAT, and even in nice restaurants you hardly pay more than $10 anywhere. Here they charged a whooping $19.80 p.p. Of course it was a blatant lie, that there are no restaurants in Chilibre: the closest one is like 300m away next to the supermarket, and alongside the Carretera Transistmica there are around 10 over the next 2 kms. I get that they are desperate: in the three days we stayed there, we were the only guest, and maintaining the lodge certainly is not cheap. However I guess maximizing your income by playing such tricks, is pretty shortsighted. If you decide to eat there nonetheless, you have to love dogs: there are 3 or 4 roaming around the kitchen and the dining deck. One.of them even laid its face on our table while we were eating...