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Reviews of Selina River Venao

Playa Venao Playa Venao, Playa Venao, Panama

#15 of 29 hotels in Playa Venao

Guests' Choice

Review score

Based on 254 hostel reviews

7.9

Score breakdown

  • Cleanliness

    7.9

  • Comfort

    7.7

  • Location

    8.6

  • Facilities

    7.8

  • Staff

    8.4

  • Value for money

    7.7

  • Free WiFi

    8.4

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Showing 76 – 100

  • Reviewed: 30 April 2025

    5.0
    Excelent room, location and pool, pour toilets and kitchen.
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 7 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Toilets and kitchen; While the refrigerator's order is difficult to control, so is the cleanliness of other guests and their behavior (they ate our food and opened our bag). The bathrooms are the responsibility of the cleaning team. Throughout the entire experience, none of the bathrooms were clean. They were clogged, the floor was wet, and the trash can was full.

    The room, the pool and the location was excellent, clean and easy to arrived.

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 30 April 2025

    4.0
    Disappointing
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Standard Luxe
    • Stayed 6 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Female staff. They have to do something different job...

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 19 April 2025

    1.0
    Very poor
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bunk Bed in Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 6 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    There were no place for me, so they were trying to move to other Selina which was not good for my plans.

    Nothing

    Stayed in April 2025

  • Reviewed: 16 February 2025

    3.0
    Poor
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Apt Studio
    • Stayed 6 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Very disappointing experience. Seems like they neglected the place for a long time. Very not good value for money!

    Location

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 14 February 2025

    6.0
    Good location, nice restaurant, but the rooms (cabin) can use an upgrade + clean the shared bathrooms at leadt 2x per da
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Tepee Retreat
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The rooms were not very clean and the shared toilet was also not cleaned very often

    The restaurant

    Stayed in February 2025

  • Reviewed: 29 January 2025

    6.0
    Does not show much pride of ownersip.
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Apt Studio
    • Stayed 4 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The place was run down, horrible cookware, small old thin towels, extremely uncomfortable chairs, no beach towels. On one side of we had guys working right next door on the other studio apts making tons of noise scraping, moving, etc. and playing loud bad music from 7 am. Then on the other side of us 4 or 5 loud, obnoxious Israeli men moved in for 2 days. Workers from Hotel playa Venao regularly drove through the parking lot as fast as possibly making it very dusty. If not for these very avoidable experiences we probably would have liked our stay.

    Loved how shady it was. Nice restaurant. Good pool. Comfy bed. Leo’s coffee.

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 19 January 2025

    6.0
    Great location and great caffe in the fa
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Apt Studio
    • Stayed 21 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Rooms were humid and mould would form on the walls and clothes. There was mould even in the pillows

    Location and staff

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 17 January 2025

    10
    Perfect !
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 4 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Everything about the place was great ! No complaints!

    Beautiful place ! Incredible attention! People from front desk and restaurant very nice and attentive! We are most definitely coming back !

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 13 January 2025

    5.0
    No value for money. Place needs remodeling
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Apt Studio
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Faulty AC and hot shower not working properly. Installations not up to date

    Needs maintenance

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 10 January 2025

    4.0
    I was sad to leave the friendliness. The environment was too primitive for my sensitive nervous system.
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 6 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    I am sensitive to mold. Not only could I smell and see the mold, it gave me a headache and my lungs are still recovering with a rattling cough…so I had to check out after just one night in the bungalow. As a surfers hang out, maybe this jungle by the river works . It just was the wrong match for me . I wish the venue long run of providing shelter and great service .

    The staff was wonderful, the restaurant was excellent.

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 7 January 2025

    5.0
    Disappointing stay
    • Leisure trip
    • People with friends
    • Tepee Retreat
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The cleaning can definitely be improved. I think the common bathrooms and showers were cleaned once in the morning as they were quite dirty for the rest of the day. I was also let down by the staff and customer service. I went to the reception a few times as I needed to ask something and there were no one to be found. Also, I needed to use the cowork space (the main reason I still choose to stay at Selina) and I was told I don’t have access as a guest, I need to pay extra for it. That was surprising as I always used it when I stayed at Selina. I ended up staying outside in a common area and got completely bitten by mosquitos all mornings and couldn’t have my calls in a quiet environment. At the check out I mentioned this to the receptionist and I was told I did have access to the cowork, I was given the wrong information. Nor a great experience overall which is a shame as I always enjoyed staying at Selina.

    Location is close enough to the beach, easy walk. The place is quiet, away from the beach bars and in a forest which makes it look nice

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 3 January 2025

    5.0
    Passable
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 6 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    When sharing bathroom facilities, I expect a higher standard of hygiene, looked at and cleaned more often ..rooms nowhere to put clothes, air con absolute shocking unable to set temp satisfactory, poor description of room ..not a bungalow 1 step up from a potting shed at best and certainly not a tee pee.. when paying the best part of a hundred dollars a night I expect t more ...iam not behind the door and travelled extensive around the world from the best hotels to camping hostels apartments villas beach huts ..so iam honest and not personal...

    Location , food was great coffee ect

    Stayed in January 2025

  • Reviewed: 20 December 2024

    6.0
    Great spot close to the beach, very basic accommodations.
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Unfortunately, the wifi was out when we arrived, and did not come back for the three days we were there. We had to purchase an eSIM to make arrangements for our next shuttle, travel plans, etc. It would have been a disaster if you’d planned to work. No compensation or alternatives were offered. The A frames are super tiny/basic, and the pillows smelled terrible -like too many wet heads slept on them without drying out in-between.

    Very walkable, but a bit away from the main action. Great spot for surfing. The staff were fabulous!

    Stayed in December 2024

  • Reviewed: 19 December 2024

    5.0
    Mas o menos 50/50
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    2 Tage kein Wifi und keine faire aber akzeptable Lösung

    So here I can just say I really was a bit disappointed! I thought to have a good WiFi to work stay relax and enjoy also just some time for me! Because the WiFi did not work and still not(2day) And this was one out of 2 reasons why I came here I got the 2 nights cheaper but hat to spend a lot of time for it! So to make it short! Stuff (especially reception) was very kind and helpful Area and rooms are very good and I like the atmosphere there because it was quiet and slept pretty well!But But to tell the truth about finding solutions with the management I would say always 51% minimum to the people who come there and want to spend time there if something goes wrong!In this case I tried a lot to get my room cheaper!! But I came for work in silence,with no people arround,just in my room or the working area(they have a pretty nice one) but with no WiFi no possible!and I had to find different places for work was exhausting me!!so more a less I spent 6 hours to find other spots get my stuff organized,and so on… Nobody will me payback the 6 hours(or?)-I could have spent for different things like surfing 🫣so a little mix for me for a beautiful spot with some really nice people there Everyday is something to learn from each other✌🏽 I

    Stayed in December 2024

  • Reviewed: 12 December 2024

    3.0
    Critic about cleaning, and water in the shower
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Standard Luxe
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The cleaning of the rooms.. very bad and low quality. When we arrived at our first room, there was mold everywhere - on the pillows, blanket, doors and walls. It's so bad, that when you get in the room, there is a smell of mold in the room. Also there was dust and spider webs on the chair and the table. It's look like nobody ever clean this room. After one night, we went to the office and asked to change our room. The employee was very nice. We went to eat lunch and our new room was ready, when we came back. In the new room, the situation was better - the sheets didn't have mold, but they did have some spots on them. In our new room, we had a little kitchen with a sink, stove and a steam hood. The sink was clean, even though we cleaned it by ourselves. The stove and the steam hood looked awful. They got dust and the steam hood looked disgusting, like nobody ever used it. The absurd is that we had a house keeping service. We were surprised to find that the only thing that was in order is the sheets on our bed. The thing is that is on the bed, firstly when we stepped in, there was a decoration pillow on the bed. This pillow also had mold on it. We puted it on one of the chairs. After we came back to the room and found that there was a house keeping employee in our room, we saw that pillow again on our bed. This really was a disappointed moment. Another thing that was in both rooms is a problem with the hot water in the shower. In our first room, there wasn't hot water at all. We had to open the sink faucet so maybe we could get more water flowing in the system. Luckily it worked, but after five minutes both faucets only produced cold freezing water. This situation also happened in the second room.

    The location of the hotel - near the sea and to the center...

    Stayed in December 2024

  • Reviewed: 25 November 2024

    4.0
    Disappointing
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    - Selina did not accept card payments. They sent me to another hotel down the road to pay for my room, which was a bit weird and inconvenient. Selina is such a large brand. It is odd and unprofessional to accept only cash payments. All other outlets in Venao did accept cards, so it had nothing to do with the location. - Initially, I was allocated a room with a very old-fashioned, loud, and not working AC. Because of moisture, this room smelled very mouldy as the AC wasn't working. Make sure you get a room with a modern Ac. - Hot shower water was not always available. - The entire Playa Venao feels like a construction zone. There is not a proper footpath from the Selina River to the beach nor to the other Selina Playa. Also, the road is not lighted at nighttime, which feels a bit unsafe. - The Selina River is a quiet location. Most activities take place at the other Selina in town so I was there quite a lot. - The entire Playa Venao and especially Selina, seems to be an Israeli colony. More than 90% of the guests were Israeli, and they don't really socialize with other guests and are rude to the staff members. Also, they smoked a lot of weed, although there were no smoking signs everywhere. It was just not a pleasant atmosphere. Even the staff members complained about this, as it takes away the purpose of a social hostel.

    The staff was friendly and accommodated a room change when I requested this because of a non working AC unit.

    Stayed in November 2024

  • Reviewed: 14 November 2024

    6.0
    Nice hostel but we had a very uncomfortable room
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The room we got was extremely humid. It never got dry at all. The towels stayed wet, our clothes, toiletpaper, sheets… There was water/moisture against most of the walls during our entire stay, which makes it very uncomfortable.

    It’s a great location, the restaurant is amazing, really good food!! The pool is nice and the whole hostel is very cosy and good looking. The staff is very friendly!

    Stayed in November 2024

  • Reviewed: 8 November 2024

    10
    Quiet
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    All is very cool

    Comfortable

    Stayed in November 2024

  • Reviewed: 5 November 2024

    2.0
    Very poor
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Filthy , not clean and neat , shared bathrooms were disgusting

    Near the beach , nice restaurant and pool

    Stayed in November 2024

  • Reviewed: 4 November 2024

    10
    I loved having time here, so beautiful and serene.
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 28 nights

    The electricity went out sometimes - but more related to infrastructure in the whole town

    I loved the atmosphere, great vibes, great restaurant.

    Stayed in November 2024

  • Reviewed: 28 October 2024

    4.0
    I would not return
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 3 nights

    The room suffers from a huge humidity problem

    Stayed in October 2024

  • Reviewed: 30 August 2024

    10
    Tranqul paradise in venao
    • Business trip
    • Group
    • Tepee Sanctuary Triple
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Nada

    The location and vibes were perfect

    Stayed in August 2024

  • Reviewed: 25 August 2024

    6.0
    Pleasant
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bunk Bed in Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Nice location not far from the beach, chilled vibes and friendly people. The dorms don’t have curtains. The kitchen could be cleaner.

    Stayed in August 2024

  • Reviewed: 20 August 2024

    1.0
    .
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Simple Tepee
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    .

    .

    Stayed in August 2024

  • Reviewed: 13 August 2024

    10
    Exceptional
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Cozy Micro
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Great hostel really goid vibes. The shower have hot water and the bethroom clean. Free ice bath. Really good price for rental surfbord. The staff are relly good and help at anything you need

    Stayed in August 2024

Showing 76 – 100

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