Hostal Casa Areka

Stayed here in Summer 2024 with 2 kids and had a great experience. The place had a cool, quiet hostel vibe. ALL the staff were super friendly, helpful, and accommodating--especially Jesus. Great email communication ahead of time. The pool is small but perfect for cooling off and fun for kids. Location was excellent too, being near a grocery store, a nicer mall, and restaurants. You need to understand that this is a hostel, it's not a 5-star hotel. If you're expecting daily turndown or a full service restaurant this may not be the place for you. But for a hostel (and really anything at this price point) it's fantastic.

One of the best hostel I have stayed .
staff are so friendly , the place is beautiful, in a very nice neiborhood , confortable room with a/c, breakfast and a nice kitchen .

Loved it here, staff was absolutely wonderful, we didn’t get the name of the man that was so helpful but he was a king and made us pancakes and helped us out a bunch. Great place to stay in panama city

Great hostel and great staff. The dorm rooms have very good beds, the rooms have a decent amount of space, toilet and bathroom are properly sectioned off from the room, air conditioning is good.
The hostel has a lovely indoor relax area as well as outdoor area which is an oasis in the middle of this bustling city, I loved the small pool for cooling off in the heat.
There is a huge supermarket across the road as well as coffee shops and restaurants (but avoid Jeffries Bakery, while the cakes are great, the savoury food is awful quality). Its not that easy to find your way anywhere near the hostel for sightseeing, you will have to take an Uber unless super confident but they are quite cheap. Would be helpful if the hostel provided local area maps (like Abraham hostels in Israel do) and put on their own city tours for guests. There are no in-house excursions. But overall, very good place and I've extended my stay. No complaints whatsoever.

Loved it! Great place to stay for a few days! The small pool is amazing for cooling down quickly. The vibe was very chill and we also met some really nice people. Breakfast is included and very simple to make yourself (pancakes).

Area: there’s a big grocery store across the street which is great. Not too many restaurants around if you’re lazy and want a quick easy bite. Surprised by the lack of street food in this area (if that’s your thing) We actually preferred the casco viejo neighbourhood but it’s easy enough to get to.

The room we stayed in (4 bed dorm) was nice and had AC. Just wish there were more outlets and maybe some kind of railing for the top bunk. Washrooms were clean but could use some more hooks. Jésus was the host when we were staying there, he always had a smile on his face and was so nice and chill! Would definitely stay here again :)

Amazing Hostel! The People are so nice and the staff was going the extra mile. I stayed in one of the dorms, which i can 100% recommend as they all seem to have AirCon. The garden is beautiful as well as the pool (clean and inviting) that comes with it. Party places seem to be a ride away.

Cool hostel with really friendly staff that can help you with everything you need. We really enjoyed our stay here. Cool chillout area with pool table and a pool outside. Can highly recommend to stay here if you are a backpacker and like to meet new people

We spent two nights in the Casa Areka. The Staff was soo friendly, the breakfast pankakes delicious, the pool cool and the relax area was perfect. They have a list of top ten to do things here and helped us with how to get around and tips where to go.

The kitchen and the bathrooms are ALWAYS clean. They have such comfortable mattresses too! They keep their swimming pool so clean! I like to use it when the sun is shining into it in early afternoon! The supermarket is right across the street, and there's a little nice park where you can see the ocean. There's a nice walk you can take along the ocean about 15-min walk away. The staff is so fun and helpful. I feel like they're my family! They also can give you good tips about some really yummy homemade local delicacies-nice queso blanco and European-style bread!

From the moment we walked in Olivia greeted us with a welcoming smile. We arrived late in the night to Panama. She was so kind and helped carry our bags to the top of the spiral staircase. We had a private room at the top with a shared bathroom. The room was very clean as well was the shared bathroom.

Casa Areka is in a perfect location, conveniently across from the super market. The kitchen was fully stocked with pans and pots to make any delicious meal. We started the next morning with free banana pancakes. Pancakes in Panama perfect way to start a morning of exploration of a new city! They also had laundry service for $5. We had a wash going as we left for the day.

Oswaldo worked during the night and was very kind as well. Down to earth and happy to hear the stories we came with at the end of the night and also helpful on activities to do the following day. The people we met in the hostel were very kind and respectful. I would definitely recommend this hostel for everyone. Thank you Casa Areka for being our home away from home.

Hostel. Pros: Fun hostel, excellent customer service. good price. City center location. Cons: Very noisy and bustling location with lots of cars honking every few seconds(very very noise). Hard and uncomfortable stairs between the floors. There is no toilet and faucet on each floor (there are some in the private rooms).

Lovely people and great atmosphere! Staff are all super sweet and are down to help however they can. You’ll likely encounter some people staying just one night to get out of the city, a few that stay a few nights, some that come and go and some that stay a bit longer. Breakfast is simple with a bit of banana and two pancakes which you make. I’d recommend buying some yogurt and some fruit from the grocery store across the way to go with your pancakes to make a true meal. Kitchen, bathrooms and rooms are clean. My only frustration was with the wifi. It’s unreliable and cuts out/ sometimes works sometimes doesn’t. Get a SIM card and use your own when theirs is out.

Very clean and well kept rooms and overall hostel. They have 24-7 reception to support travellers and all the staff are super helpful and kind. The location is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the city which makes everything relatively close. There are lots of reasonably priced food options in the general vacinity too and the 24hr grocery across the street is a blessing. Would definitely come back.

Really friendly and helpful staff. Facilities were pretty clean throughout the four days we stayed there. There’s a supermarket right across the street (somewhat busy intersection). Rooms were small, but manageable if you’re lucky enough to have considerate roommates. Social yet relaxing (just overall recommended).

Also seemed like the staff were pretty learned in multiple languages (Italian, French, Spanish, English, and German)

Great, relaxed hostel. We stayed as a couple in the 4 bed dorm. The common areas are very nice to hang around, and the pool outside is the highlight. The staff is very friendly, special thanks to Jesus who was a perfect host. Everything is clean. Breakfast is DIY pancake, which we don't love but cannot complain for being included. There's a 24h supermarket across the street so you never run out of anything! Easy to get everywhere from here.

We had a wonderful stay at hostal casa areka! The staff is super nice and really cares for you! They are friendly and help you with everything you need and little extra wishes. Its people like them who make your trip even more beautiful and make you feel good and comfortable :) Additionally, the hostal is really great for getting to know other travellers.

I can only recommend everyone to choose this hostal for a stay in panama city!

Lovely place and even more lovely staff. Super social environment and clean rooms.

Also the location is pretty good. Unfortunately I stayed only a night. Will come back for sure :)

Best hostel in Panama, more than a hostel, this is home far from home!
Good facilities, nice location, great people but mostly, one person makes everything exceptional: JESUS :)
Good fun, big heart and very professional, he makes the hostel very clean and well organized, in one word, he just makes it the best place ever to stay!

the most amazing vibe in this hostel. I stayed here in a van and felt at home from the moment I stepped in. The administrators are friendly and very professional, anything I needed in terms of help or information, someone was there to help. Carlos is a special gem of a person, wait until you meet him. The vibe in the hostel is awesome with pancakes by the pool & chilled music in the morning and then beers, communal cooking and pool playing at night. I HIGHLY recommend this hostel. Have fun!!

We had a long lay over in Panama City and needed a place to stay and shower before our night flight. We didn’t stay overnight at Casa Areka, but could purchase a day pass which included using all facilities, free towels, pancake breakfast etc. all for 7USD. The staff was so incredibly welcoming, the atmosphere was super chill, everything is super clean (although a bit run down). My husband and I usually stay at hotels, but we loved this hostel and would recommend it to any traveler looking for a place to stay in PTY. Thank to you all staff for making our short stay unforgettable :D