The Balboa Inn

The pros: quiet - in residential area, clean, AC worked well once turned on, comfortable bed. Close to Albrook airport. Felt safe as single woman. Cons: HARD to find; Uber guy and I searched for 10 minutes d/t lack of signage & the facade doesn’t look like a hotel. NOTHING like the pictures….. I’ll say that again… NOTHING… not even close ; kudos the the marketing person! ;0) I should have taken pictures but I was too tired after traveling all day! Very Spartan. White walls, white linens, no artwork. Bars on the windows with no view. OLD… doors are warped & I got locked in my room when I was checking out. I had to jimmy the lock! Towels were gray and needed a good bleaching. The microwave looked to be from the late 70s. Fridge was maybe 90s. “Furniture” was built in concrete. No wood in the room! Amenities: when I arrived nothing was plugged in or turned on. I only needed the air and it took about 2 hrs to cool the room. There is nothing to eat within walking distance when it’s dark. If you uber it, the mall is close. There are no cups, glasses, or water in the room. Small generic shampoo and the smallest bar of soap I’ve ever seen! There was a sign on the reception “desk” that said $90/nt. After spending $56 I didn’t feel cheated… but at $90!!! Hell no!! Cheers!

Confortable, clean, good service

Nice rooms, good AC, quiet neighborhood. I’ve been staying here for many years.

Very pleasant stay, as usual. I've been staying here for many years.

Nice area quit but lack of amenities To get groceries etc is about 10 to 15 min wallk

Amazing Stay.! Will recommend

La experiencia fue un poso incómoda la señora que limpiaba no fue muy amable , me gustaría que la entrenaran un poco más para las persona a que están pagando por el servicio gracias

Good

The room was very clean. It had a nice hot shower. The neighborhood is very nice. For a short walk there's a shopping center with a restaurant. The only thing is be aware that the staff did not speak English.

Best service

Very nice place clean comfortable price clean .I wil come back for sure.

The parking is tight but covered. Property is absolutely spotless

It was a short 2-nights stay after a transatlantic flight. The property is close to the city center (by taxi) and both the national (10 min drive) international (25 min) airports. The pool was essential - first days were tough (hot and humidity). The breakfast lacks fruits. The staff is very friendly. Serenity and tranquility - were happy that didn’t stay in the central (noisy) locations.

We spend 10 days there, nice and clean place, good service,But needs space to hang your clothes and a place were to accommodate your clothes.

It's a small hotel in a nice residential area. I could park our rental car right in front, no fighting downtown traffic or searching for a parking spot in Casco Viejo. Most touristy spots are a $5 Uber ride away if you don't have a car. Since the hotel is so small the pool area and courtyard are peaceful. The AC worked well. There were agoutis playing in the yard across the street. There aren't many services within walking range, so if you don't have a car, you may have to use Uber to get to a restaurant or use Uber Eats for food. They will cook you breakfast at the hotel.

great, friendly staff!

The room met our basic needs, but could've been so much nicer with only a little bit of extra attention to the niceties and decor. First of all, our room didn't look at all like the photo when we booked. It was just 4 plain white walls and 2 beds. No bench, chairs, table or freestanding lamp. We twice had an odd difficulty getting them to give us a cup of ice--it didn't seem due to a language barrier. Pool and patio were great, but we were always being watched--not in a lifeguard sense. Breakfast was expensive ($14, not $5 as stated) and not great; only ate there once. On plus side TV, A/C, mattress, fridge and microwave were all good. When we changed our reservation in advance to delete one night, the price went up instead of down.

From the online photos, I expected the room to be more attractive than it is, which is quite sterile. This is a great place for backpackers and younger people. There are no handrails on the staircase which is a risk for older guests. The patio area is very attractive but could be improved with some plants in the planters for the palms. The rooms do not have washcloths, just one towel per guest and there are no drinking glasses. The mini fridge and microwave are a good feature. No chair in our room, only the bed to sit on. The manager is very helpful and will supply drinking glasses when requested. You can buy beer, bottled water and sodas but he had no wine.

The rooms were comfortable. Hot water showers and attached bath. My room had a small refrigerator and a microwave. The building had a kitchen but was not accessible for the guests. That was the only drawback, since there weren’t many restaurants nearby. You can order breakfast through them for a cost. We did not use that service. The national bus terminal/metro line is close by. You can walk to take a small bus or a metrobus to go to Albrook (which has a huge mall, bus and train terminals). You can easily walk to Ancon Hill and also Casco Viejo if you are into walking. Overall, it was a great property in terms of location and amenities.

I liked the fact it was quiet.didnt feel I was on the city. The guy that works there was always very helpful on all our needs.(taxi, directions, laundry) good place.