Disaster

Guest: Gabriela (Oaxaca, Oaxaca, MEXICO)
Date of Stay: 02/11/11 Review Submitted: 11/12/11

The best tip I can give a potential renter is that if a property rental owner is evasive with communications ...Move On! My friend and I didn't move on due to the reviews on the Randy's " VHBO" Top Central Location -- Ave Balboa Ocean View Value-- New. We were also thinking we were dealing with a language or culture difference which we're happy to do. We traveled to Panama in February 2011 and stayed in Randy's property. We experienced the same shabby conditions as the couple from Colorado. The apartment was neglected in exactly the way that gives these sites a bad reputation. There was no one to meet us when we arrived at the building. Roosevelt who finally showed up to let us in was very apologetic and assured us a maid was coming. The maid never showed up. The place was dirty. The sheets were dirty, and still crumpled on the beds from the last people who'd stayed there. The dishes had not been done. Roosevelt did his best to tidy up and assured us the television would be turned on the next day. That was impossible as we found cable bills from months before that had never been paid. The telephone, also was not working. The only communication we had was with the front desk. They were very helpful and sympathetic. The only light to read by was over the kitchen counter and the chairs were not tall enough for the counter. There is a view of the water but only from one chair if you crane your neck. We only slept in the apartment (not easy to due with one very squeaky bed) and made coffee in the morning. We managed to have a good time despite the abysmal conditions of the apartment. Panama is a fascinating, lively city.. The restaurants and Hotel facilities nearby were great. I regret I didn't review this experience sooner to save other unsuspecting tourists from the unfortunate situation we found ourselves in . My apologies. I rent apartments also, and was hoping this was a fluke. It was not! Gabriela

Owner response:Dear guests, this is very strange! Why does someone who made no notice to us about any deficiency at the time in the apartment, complain 9mos. later? It is of course disappointing when any guest feels not satisfied but we must be given notice of the problem and the chance to make it right. We received no notice that there was anything lacking. If we do I immediately correct the problem or make an adjustment . That is my guarantee. I will send anyone the entire email stream from this person from initial contact to checkout. There was no notice of anything lacking. How can we remedy a problem if we are not told about it? I challenge Gabriella( or whoever she was, because the guest we had in at that time was Lauren) to send me proof of any notice that something was wrong. All any guest needs to do is email me. 9 mos. later it is difficult to determine what really happened. I will look into this and improve anything in our operations that I may find that can possibly make our service better. We are dedicated to satisfying our guests. This guest made communication difficult in this instance, because she was using two different emails.Without informing me she switched emails. I rely on email to do 99.9% of business. Like many people I track a communication by email. If I ever receive a complaint I immediately do something to remedy it. We will always make it right for our guests but we must know if something needs to be improved at the time of the visit. My guests have my personal guarantee that if there is any problem we will make it right.

Recommended for:

Wonderful condo

Guest: Panamara (New york)
Date of Stay: 09/24/11 Review Submitted: 10/14/11

I stayed at this condo 9/24-9/28 2011 on very short notice! The owner Randy was extremely accommodating for such short notice and doing business with him was very easy and pleasant. When I arrived everything was as described and checking in was a Breeze. The location is in a very safe area literally in the heart of everything. The private balcony with the view of the ships waiting to enter the canal is wonderful! The condo was excellent for the price, great ac, beautiful en suite bath, comfy beds, great kitchen- made coffee several times and was fully equipped to make a meal. The laundry room was just showing off Randy!! lol yes folks there is a stocked laundry room right next to the kitchen which for me was just awesome! Roosbelt also came by my second day to check on me and make sure I was settled. Very nice man. Upon checkout I made a mistake and left the balance of my stay and Randy was very helpful in assisting me to recover the money! I honestly could not have asked for anything more I am overly pleased with my experience and hopefully I will not have to stay any place else but Randy's when I am in Panama. Randy once again it was a total pleasure and I'll be back and hopefully staying at Your place in late feb early march! Best regards!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

A BIT DISAPPOINTING ~ OWNER COULD HAVE MADE IT RIGHT!

Guest: Greg and Dede (Westcliffe, Colorado USA)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 08/28/11

Prior to renting this unit, we contacted the owner, Randy, with a few questions about the apartment; “What rate applies to these dates? Does the rate include the 10% taxes? Are there any other fees? Is there a lock box or safe in the room?” He replied; “We can offer you $***/nite including Super Hi speed Inet, WiFi, Cable TV, free DVD movies & free local telephone calls(non cellular)!All taxes included. There is a safe in the room.” As requested when booking, we contacted Randy a week prior to check in to have his coordinator in Panama, Roosebelt, meet us with the key, but when we arrived Roosebelt was not there. This wasn’t a problem as the front desk was very friendly and accommodating. After being in the unit for a while, we noticed that our feet were black from walking in the apartment and we found the counters & furniture were filthy as well. The windows were grungy, the air conditioner in the bedroom did not work and we found that the stove had no gas in it and was disgustingly greasy to touch. We attempted to find the safe in the apartment but never did. We tried to call Roosebelt but we were unable to make any local calls. I then tried to connect to the WiFi but was unable to. There was an ethernet cable that was very difficult to use as it would not stay in our laptop or the router. Not that we wanted to watch DVD’s but there was not one in the apartment. I emailed Randy with regards to the state of his unit, which led to Roosebelt calling. He said that he left the window open and forgot about it. We had, by this time, washed the floors and counters. Roosebelt said he would not send the maid since we had cleaned. He said that the gas in the stove was purposely left empty due to management request. Randy then sent an email to the contrary. Needless to say, we felt we were in the middle of a domestic dispute. We had already purchased groceries that we were unable to use and Randy was not willing to work with us on an amicable compromise with regard to the rate. No full kitchen, no maid service, no local phone calls, no WiFi, no safe. We basically rented this apartment for eating and sleeping and aside from having to eat every meal out and the other issues mentioned, we enjoyed the location and felt very safe. We just feel that the description/photos of this apartment were a very misleading.

Owner response:This was a very unusual and surprising convergence of misfortunate events! It was sort of like a condo owner’s “Perfect Storm” kind of thing. Thanks that it is such an anomaly! Just look at my reviews which I never solict. It was not managed as well as it would normally have been due to my local rental coordinator,a bit on in years, was burdened with an illness of a family member&the owner was far away on a business trip. Throw in some contradictory/misleading statements, easily misinterpreted and the result is a “freak set of events.” I called the guest several times, but was not able to reach, to personally offer a satisfactory remedy. Faced with inconsistent, contradictory statements from the guest, and being away of course I let my local coordinator, who has a great record for 3 + yrs. working with me, handle the situation. It is disappointing that the guest would try to damage my long standing record for this kind of unfortunate event. DIRTY? What a shock I had when I heard that there was dust or soot! I couldn’t imagine how that could happen! The apartment had been completely cleaned and was ready for guests! However, as we were to learn, Roosebelt had left the windows open (he was probably preoccupied with his sick family member’s medical condition!), and apparently if the wind is blowing from the wrong direction it transports construction dust or something grungy! The ac is an LG Plasma model and only 3 yrs old regularly maintained. The technician came the next day and found a burnt capacitor and restored it to normal. The phone cannot make cell calls which can be quite expensive. Examples of contradictory statements: Roosebelt sent the maid when we learned of this but the guest said she had already cleaned and the maid wasn’t necessary. Guest said stove not working but Roosebelt went to the apartment, turned on the gas valve and voila lit the stove! Her email says there was not a problem to eat out & she is very happy to stay, therefore I thought things had been managed adequately, but apparently the guest did not. I also have more examples.I have worked hard to build this rental apartment into a good business to assist with my retirement. It might be interesting to see what complaint history the guest has. Like the attorneys will tell you the stories of those few people looking for some wet place on the floor to slip on in the supermarket. Sorry, but unfortunately and at a cost to all of us, some of these crazy bizarre things happen.

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

Great Value!

Guest: Justin (KC, MO)
Date of Stay: 01/07/11 Review Submitted: 01/13/11

The views are amazing at this property, especially from the rooftop pool... you won't find accomodations more in the heart of things and right on the water for the price. You can walk to many places including a huge mall that is just a couple blocks away. The apt is spacious and is fine for 2 people or even 8 as there is plenty of places to sleep. Staff are very friendly as well. You will feel very safe staying here.

Recommended for:Age 55+, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

buena vista!

Guest: Shyanne (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 12/15/10 Review Submitted: 01/10/11

I cant wait to come back and stay again! The apartment is very close to everything with oceanfront views. The landlord was very kind and the reception staff were helpful. I enjoyed hanging out on the front balcony watching the tides come in. The apartment itself was clean and spacious with 2 conditioners. Thanks again

Recommended for:

Excellant location with great views!

Guest: SHARON (ROANOKE, IN.)
Date of Stay: 09/21/10 Review Submitted: 11/01/10

We stayed here for 9 days in Sept. of this year as well as our last stay in 2009. I would highly recommend this condo for anyone who wants to be within walking distance of restaurants, banks, and the mall w/theater. The caretaker, Roosevelt, is a great guy who is only a phone call away for anything you need help with. He can provide the transportation for you from the airport upon arrival and will offer any tours you may want. The apartment was very clean and well taken care of. The views from the rooftop social area are stunning. You can see the canal as well as Toboga Island and the view of the city. We would definately stay here again!

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Fantastic condo!

Guest: Casa Karina (Pacifica, California, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/29/10 Review Submitted: 06/12/10

The condo is wonderful and my family of 4 was very comfortable here. The living room is lovely, with comfortable sofas and a beautiful view. The bedroom has two double beds plus a loveseat - plenty of places to sleep. The apartment is very clean and has all of the basic appliances. The location is perfect - just one block from the movie theater/arcade and a few blocks from a big shopping mall. Also, across the street, the Avenida Balboa promenade is great for taking long walks or runs along the water. The best feature, though, is the shared area on the 27th floor - nice pool, good BBQs, great gym with modern machines and equipment, nice game room with pool tables and ping pong table, and amazing view. The front desk and security staff are very helpful in recommending restaurants and directions. All in all, a great time in Panama City!

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.