Where to Stay in Panama City With a Family

This post contains affiliate links. If you book or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Why We Stayed in Casco Viejo

If you are deciding where to stay in Panama City with a family, here is our honest answer, and the hotel we would book again.

In Casco Viejo Panama!  Well at least that is our recommendation.  If you are looking for a resort experience, golf course, and huge pool and spa, then maybe Casco Viejo is not for you.  Unfortunately, to stay in a larger hotel with all the amenities, you are going to be remote and have to take a car anywhere you want to go.  We love the freedom to be able to walk and explore a city and Casco Viejo gave us exactly that.

The rooftops of Casco Viejo with the Panama City skyline behind

Casco Viejo is the historic center of Panama City, or old city as some may refer to it.  It is lined with Spanish colonial architecture, graffiti, brick roads and crumbling buildings waiting to be renovated.  It is even home to Panama’s “White House” and President.

One of the girls walking down a brick street lined with balconies in Casco Viejo, Panama City

At one time, not so long ago, Casco Viejo was an unsafe place to go.  It was ruled by drug gangs and tourism was an afterthought.  However, the last couple of decades, Casco Viejo has seen a major gentrification and is now a very safe place to visit full of mostly tourists.

Dad, Kaida and Viona walking through a city square in Casco Viejo.

Parks and squares abound throughout Casco, as well as a ton of eateries.  It is definitely where the food scene is for Panama City.  So if you are food driven like me, you will want to be here for most of your meals.  To check out all of our food recommendations (most of which are in Casco) head to our Panama Eats page!

The brick streets of Casco Viejo on a rainy afternoon, Panama City

Rain or shine, the streets of Casco are beautiful.  All of the streets are lined with brick.  I read before our arrival that if you are on brick roads you are in Casco Viejo and you are safe.  Venturing beyond that neighborhood you should be mindful of your surroundings and only go where you feel comfortable.

The Pacific and the Panama City skyline from the rooftops of Casco Viejo

Being home to Panama’s “White House”, also means there are extra police and guards everywhere.   This should not be alarming, but instead a comfort.  If you see police, you are in a good area.  Most of the time police were just chatting with each other, playing on their phones and generally hanging out.  It seems they are mostly representing a presence.  I never saw anyone being hassled by the police.

One of the girls in front of a mural of a girl with a jaguar painted across half her face, Casco Viejo

In addition to brightly painted architecture you will see lots of brightly colored murals and graffiti throughout Casco.  It shows off the vibrancy of the culture and is fun to check out!

A vibrant mural of a toucan and other tropical birds in Casco Viejo, Panama City

Central Hotel Panamá Casco Viejo

The exterior of the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama City

We opted to stay at the Central Hotel in Casco.  It was by no means the best hotel we have stayed in but stick with me and I will explain why I think it is still the best option in Casco Viejo…Viona jumping into the rooftop pool at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama.

That pool!!! Okay, that is not why I think this hotel is the best option, but the kids would definitely say the pool is always the reason.  It doesn’t matter where we go and what we see, they are still the most jazzed about the hotel pools.  That all being said it does have fabulous views from the rooftop pool!  There is not any shade around the pool (hopefully they will change that soon) and there is not a shallow end for littles, but neither of those things stopped us from having a good time.  If you are there during wet season like we were, a pool is crucial for cooling off.  It is very hot and humid and if you get a place without a pool, you may regret your decision.

Kaida, Viona and our luggage in our room at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama.

The rooms were super spacious.  When I was looking to book this hotel, the photos online made the rooms look so small and I thought I was going to sacrifice size for location.  But to my pleasant surprise upon arrival, the room was quite spacious.  The bathroom was also huge.  All around plenty of room for a family of four and lots of luggage!  It was also very clean (which I am particular about), the AC worked great and the house cleaners often did cute things with the kids stuffed animals which they loved.

The children's things laid out nicely along the bed by the housekeeping staff at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama.

The interior and rooms were recently renovated and the the inner lobby is beautiful.  In fact, the staircase in the lobby is a replica of one from the Titanic, so there were always people taking photos with it.  Also, there were a couple of nights were some seemingly important people were having a special celebration in the hotel banquet hall.

Kaida and Viona on the grand wooden staircase at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama.

The lobby of the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama City

The restaurant is garbage.  That’s right, I said it, and I am not sorry.  Some room booking options come with free breakfast.  Don’t bother!  It is a joke and you could literally walk 5 minutes to really great breakfast with ease.  Anthony Bourdain always said never eat at the hotel, so…

That brings me to my final and most important aspect of this hotel, the location of course!!!  It is located right on Independent Square, in the heart of Casco Viejo Panama and directly across the square from the beautiful Cathedral the Pope visited.

The girls jumping in front of the cathedral in Independence Square, Casco ViejoThe girls walking hand in hand through Independence Square in Casco Viejo

It was always nice starting and ending each outing by crossing the beautiful little square.  All of the sites and most restaurants are a very easy walk from the hotel, which is true for most hotels in Casco.  After comparing prices of the few sizable hotels with a pool in the Casco Viejo area, this one came out on top.  I would have liked to stay at the swankier Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama but it was like double the price and I couldn’t have justified it.  If budget is no issue, check out the Sofitel.  If you are looking for budget selections, AirBnB has a lot of lower cost options but you may forgo a pool!

www.centralhotelpanama.com
Plaza de la Independencia, C. 5a Este, Panamá, Panama

Here are a few more photos from around Casco Viejo…

The girls in front of the Monumento a Bolivar at night in Casco Viejo

A wet rainy sidewalk in Casco Viejo.

The Panama City skyline lit up at night as seen from Casco Viejo.

Our family on the rooftop at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, with the Panama City skyline behind

Dad and the girls walking a brick street in Casco Viejo at night

Where to Stay in Panama City With a Family: What We Would Tell a Friend

Pick the neighborhood before you pick the hotel. Staying in Casco Viejo meant we could walk to almost everything, and with kids that is worth more than any resort amenity. The bigger hotels with the pools and the spas sit outside the old city, so every single outing starts with a car ride.

Get a pool if you are going in wet season. It is hot and humid, and the rooftop pool was how we reset the kids in the middle of the day. There is no shade up there and no shallow end, so plan on a morning or late afternoon swim instead of noon.

Check the room size, not just the room photos. The listing photos made ours look tiny and it turned out to be plenty of space for four of us and all our luggage.

Skip the included hotel breakfast. Casco is where the food scene is and almost everything is a five minute walk, so we ate our way around the neighborhood instead. Our favorites are all on the Panama City eats page.

If you are still building the trip, our Panama City with kids guide has the whole picture, and our Panama City family itinerary shows how we paced the days.

Casco Viejo Gallery

One of the girls jumping into the rooftop pool at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo
The girls jumping in front of the cathedral in Independence Square, Casco Viejo
Two kids partway up the wide wooden lobby staircase at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama City
A brick street in Casco Viejo lined with restored colonial buildings and balconies, Panama City
Our family on the rooftop at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, with the Panama City skyline behind
Dad and the girls walking a brick street in Casco Viejo at night
The lobby of the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama City
The girls walking hand in hand through Independence Square in Casco Viejo
The Panama City skyline lit up at night, seen across the water from Casco Viejo
One of the girls walking down a brick street lined with balconies in Casco Viejo, Panama City
The rooftops of Casco Viejo with the Panama City skyline behind
One of the girls in front of a mural of a girl with a jaguar painted across half her face, Casco Viejo
The brick streets of Casco Viejo on a rainy afternoon, Panama City
A family walking a brick path through a shaded plaza in Casco Viejo, Panama City
A rooftop pool with loungers at the Central Hotel, looking out over the Casco Viejo cathedral and the Panama City skyline
A rain soaked brick street in Casco Viejo lined with brightly painted buildings, Panama City
The exterior of the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo, Panama City
A vibrant mural of a toucan and other tropical birds in Casco Viejo, Panama City
Stuffed animals arranged on the bed by housekeeping in our room at the Central Hotel, Panama City
The girls at the top of the grand wooden lobby staircase lined with orchids at the Central Hotel in Casco Viejo
The Pacific and the Panama City skyline from the rooftops of Casco Viejo
The girls on lit steps under string lights in the trees at night in Panama City
Two kids with the family suitcases lined up in our room at the Central Hotel, Panama City
Valerie, Dawson, Viona and Kaida of Little Eyes Big World on a safari truck in Kenya

Build your kids
a free Trip Kit

Heading to Panama City? Before you go, build your kids their own free Trip Kit: a printable explorer passport, a countdown to takeoff and a scavenger hunt matched to their ages. It’s the exact kit our girls travel with!

Build your kit