Amador Suites
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
The rental price includes taxes, heating, gas, water, sheets and towels, basic household supplies and normal electricity usage. Household supplies include a small supply of coffee, toilet paper, paper towels and soap, coffee and household cleansers to get you through the first days. You will be provided with a cellular phone with for local calls to refill as needed. For long distance, we ask you to bring an ATT or other long distance phone card which allows you to call FROM Panama to other countries. Or, purchase a phone card in Panama for your use.
Normal utility usage is included. All of our suites are airconditioned and guests control the thermostat. You may incur charges for air conditioning should your usage significantly exceed normal usage. We kindly ask our guests to switch off the air conditioning when they are out of the apartment for several hours because electricity prices are very high. In a few cases, guests have left windows open while the air conditioning was running, which led to extremely high utility bills. As a result of these rare exceptions, we take a reading of the electric meter when you arrive and after you depart to track utility usage and to protect ourselves. We have never taken advantage of a guest in terms of extra charges but if guests abuse the system, we will need to charge them for it. Visit our terms and conditions page for further details.Easy: when you rent one of our Panama apartments, we will meet you at your apartment personally welcome you. We speak fluent English and will help in every way we can: from explaining how to use all of the appliances to shopping and restaurant ideas in the neighborhood and fun things to do in Panama, making all the difference to your stay. We don't send keys in advance as they are professionally cut for security and if they are lost, you will be charged $250 to replace them. We will pick them back up when we come to do the checkout.
We're a family-run outfit; this is a key difference between ourselves and most rental companies in Panama who use outside contractors. The maid who cleans your apartment also cleans ours. Having clean and well maintained apartments are a top priority for us and there is no replacement for your own good people who can check that everything is in place and spotless before a guest arrives. If there is something that we have missed, we are in the building and can come over as quickly as possibly to rectify it.
Yes, all our suites have the benefit of air conditioning!For more details about specific apartments please visit the suite pages.
Our minimum stay is for seven nights. For extra nights beyond the first week, we simply charge the pro rata nightly rental rate. Stays of less than one week: We only accept bookings for fewer nights if we are close to your travel dates and if there is a gap of a few nights between renters. Discounts apply for stays longer terms. Please see our rental rates here.
No, you may arrive any day of the week as long as we have availability and you schedule to depart a week or more later. Most airlines have 7 and 14 days schedules, so we think this allows you to get the best travel fares.
Yes, absolutely. The nice thing about Panama is that you can find many good restaurants. We can recommend numerous place that the locals go to for reasonable prices. Please don't hesitate to recommend your favorite Panamaian restaurants after you leave as we like to keep our list current with the best ideas for meals, food, and wine. The neighborhood we have chosen is one of the best reasons you should stay with us. For food shopping there's;a small plaza a 5 minute drive away with a full supermarket where you can purchase food or other household items every day of the week. We also have fresh produce delivered to the building once per week. We give you all of the details so you can visit and shop there as all of the Panamaians do. Our guests tell us that shopping at the local markets was a highlight of their stay in Panama.]
Please see our page called Prices and Conditions for full cancellation terms, but they are similar to other companies. We strongly recommend that you look into Travel Insurance in case you need to cancel.]
Yes! The Amador neighborhood surrounding our apartments are unquestionably among the safest neighborhoods in Panama so you can feel comfortable taking evening strolls after dinner. There are touristic police in the area monitoring the safety and we have Presidential security on guard at the building. Wandering around outside the Amador area on foot or bicycle is not recommended. We will give you clear advice on arrival of the areas to avoid. As in any foreign country, use reasonable precaution and you should have no troubles. Our Panama apartments are very safe, with apartment doors that are double-dead bolt, steel-reinforced for extra security with pick-proof locks so you can feel secure when you stay with us. Most of our apartments have safes where you can store your valuables.
Yes! Our apartments in Panama are across the street from a 25 cent bus ride by the "Co-op Saca" down the Amador Causeway. There is no rail or metro system here, but there are negotiable taxi trips for pretty much any destination. We will give you a guide of what kind of prices to expect for popular destinations on arrival, but most fares within the city are between $2-5 depending on the calibre of 'chariot' you're taking. Being in the Amador means that your apartment is walking distance to the Causeway and the many destinations found here.
Simple: we have selected the best. These are the apartments with outward facing views located in one of the best buildings in Panama. We make sure they are custom modeled to the highest standards for your comfort. Apartments like these are extremely difficult to find but the views and finishings are simply fantastic. In our opinion, you are making a major investment in coming to Panama; in many cases you're planning a trip to celebrate a special occasion and your stay should be fabulous in every way. That calls for an unforgettable view from your apartment, where you can toast your arrival with a glass of Champagne and one of the most romantic views in the world.
Our apartments in Panama are located in the best area of Panama, enroute to the most popular touristic destinations,which implies busy neighborhoods. For the most part, the area is blissfully more quiet than the downtown core. The Causeway can get pretty noisy on Fri/Sat nights but our units are better isolated away from the street and are incredibly quiet as a result. We have never had a complaint.
When you rent an apartment in Panama from us, our goal is for you to have a wonderful stay with us, experiencing life in an apartment as a Panamaian. We provide you with an information binder on our neighborhood and Panama and our guests love it. It includes: A long list of our favorite restaurants and cafes,Great web sites for information on monuments and tour ideas; General ideas on shopping in Panama with important hints and tips on places to go; Ideas for families and children; Information on how to use the apartment including air conditioning, internet connections, etc. And we're generally happy to help you any way we can within reason.
Our apartment rentals are new, so regrettably we do not have a list yet of hundreds of satsified references; BUT,we are a family-run outfit and we live in the building we rent out of -- so you'll know where to find us!
We hoped you would ask! This is a strong point and sets us apart from most Panama rentals. The advantage you have in renting a Panama apartment from us at is that we you are dealing directly with us, the owners. Our philosophy is simple: if it needs fixing, get it done as quickly as possible. We also have a team of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters who have worked with us for several years and who respond quickly if needed. We do not need to ''try to contact the owner and wait for approval'' for something to be repaired!
Our suites are completely equipped with everything from bed linens to towels, appliances, dishes, and complete cookware; we want you to feel at home in Panama the minute you arrive. We describe each apartment in thorough detail on our site and you will see that we have installed large refrigerator/freezers, ovens, separate microwaves, washer/dryers, toasters, coffee makers and even a wine cellar.
Yes, absolutely. We take all of the pictures ourselves from the apartments. Despite our amateur efforts, the stunning views from the living rooms and balconies stand out for themselves. The pictures of the apartment are all recent and are re-taken regularly by us. Importantly, we constantly maintain and repaint our apartments, making improvements during quiet times. That way, there are no unpleasant surprises when you walk in the door of your apartment.
Its a difficult question to answer, but sooner is always better. The best apartments ;are booked up to a year in advance. We recommend that as soon as you have your vacation dates, you contact us for availability. Sometimes we have last-minute cancellations, so please dont hesitate to contact us and ask.
Sorry but we have a non-smoking policy in all suites.
Sorry, we cannot accept pets in any of our suites. Many of our guests have allergies and we try to provide an antigen-free environment.
Once you've picked the dates for your trip and the suite you'd like, please fill in our booking form here or email your Reservation Request to confirm availability. We will send you detailed instructions on next steps. We ask for 50% payment now and the remainder of the payment plus refundable security deposit 60 days before arrival. If you are arriving within 60 days, then we ask for full payment now. We will hold your suite for 48 hours. On receipt of deposit, we will send you your reservation confirmation.
Check-in time is 3:30 and check-out time is 10:00 am the morning of your departure. However, guests often arrive early and we do all that we can to accommodate them. Just keep in mind that the previous guests may still be in the apartment and that our staff needs to be able to clean the apartment prior to turning it over to you. If you have a flight arriving extremely early in the morning, many guests rent the apartments beginning the previous day, so that they can get right in, knowing that the cleaning will already have been done. For late arrivals, we do charge $25USD for arrivals after 7:00 p.m., and we do not generally have staff available for arrivals after 10:00 p.m. Since we are a small business, our staff is often up early to meet incoming guests and they work very hard for our guests, but even they must get home to their families too.
Truly you get what you pay for...First, the Amador Causeway is one of the most prestigous areas of Panama and continues to be one of thee most sought after places to visit and live. It is also one of the safest. And second, Altos de Amador is one of the highest quality buildings in Panama. It wasdesigned and built with the personal interests ofaw ard-winning architects Cambefort y Boza, who also live in the building.
Please don't hesitate to ask us.