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Reviews of Manglar Lodge

3 out of 5
Manglar Lodge
Calle 1 norte El palmar, San Carlos, Panama

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 105 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 63 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 15 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 191 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 191 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Trent

Traveled with group, Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was the first time my wife and I had been back since our marriage almost 2 years ago so we were very excited to see our friends (Mafi and Ivan) for the first time as husband and wife at their awesome 4 room boutique hotel. My wife and I have been coming here for almost 7 years and I must say it was one of the best berried treasures we ever found in San Carlos Panama. This place has become home and the Mafi and Ivan is like visiting family. We enjoy sassy Mafi and Mr. Laid Back Ivan. We only got to stay one night January 8th to January 9th but it seemed like we were there a month. My wife and I ended up brining our friend as a last minute guest to just swim the day on the beach and when she decided to stay the night with us, Mafi and Ivan charged a very small fee for her to use our extra bed in our room. Our new friend is now in love with Manglar Lodge just as much as my wife and I are. The food and cocktails like always are delicious and enjoyable. I also got to purchase a lot of new items from their little gift shop like t shirts and cups to take back to America to both my daughter and mom. April 2024 will be my wife and I second wedding anniversary and we have already booked our Manglar Lodge hotel stay for this special day. If you are looking for a unique experience that is literally across the street from the beach this is the place. Sending mush love to Mafi and Ivan and see you in April to celebrate the wedding anniversary with Magi and I Te Amo
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We stayed here on our last two days of a 16-day trip to Panama. We wanted a quiet place to rest up a little before our return trip home. We did not go wrong by choosing the Manglar Lodge. The staff was very helpful even with the language barrier. The restaurant provided good meals quickly which was a change from some of the other places we visited where it took a while to get food after ordering. My wife enjoyed her conversations with the owners about the area. They have unique souvenirs for purchase which my wife took advantage of.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is a great little place. We only stayed there one night but when we come back we'll definitely make sure we stay a couple more. The staff was outstanding the rooms were nice and clean and the little restaurant downstairs and bar we're pretty good all in all highly recommend this place off the beaten path of well worth it
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Positives: Cleanliness of room and facilities, proximity to beach, peaceful porch and patio areas
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful property, great food and drinks and the hosts were incredibly helpful! Ivan even helped us by bringing our ID's and passports when we got stopped at a checkpoint by police and had unfortunately forgotten them! He talked them into only giving us a ticket instead of towing our rental care away! Fun live music on Friday nights! Would stay here again and again!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a lovely lodge in a very safe area. The food was wonderful and it was so pleasant to sit outside, enjoying the evening with the company of so many cats (the symbol of Manglar).
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good place. Reminds me of the Florida Keys.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Rita

Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Geoffrey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a wonderful boutique lodge. Clean facilities and welcoming staff. Fantastic setting and food on premise was very good. Great value
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022
Response from ivan Manglar lodge on Feb 7, 2022
thanks for staying with is we are glad you enjoyed your stay

10/10 Excellent

Marvin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Oasis by the beach
This is our third stay at Manglar Lodge. The owners have become friends and I’m sure we’ll always stay here. Excellent food and coffee. Good WiFi. Very close to the beach in a very tranquil environment. Gorgeous gardens around the big patio. It’s an oasis.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022
Response from ivan Manglar lodge on Jan 31, 2022
Thanks Marvin we are glad to see you one more time in our place. You have become part of the Manglar Lodge Family

8/10 Good

Andrea

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Accommodations were fantastic. Pedasi is a wonderful town.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021
Response from Ivan Manglar Lodge on Aug 4, 2021
thanks for stying with us

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Both my fiancé and I love Manglar Lodge. It’s a very cute and intimate boutique hotel that just a 2 to 3 minute walk to the beach. The owners Mafi and Alvon are more like family. We enjoy the delicious food dishes that Mafi always surprise us with. We love that the hotel only has 4 rooms which makes it very intimate. If your looking If your looking for a special play to share with that special person, I would definitely put Manglar Lodge on the list.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from ivan Manglar Lodge on Aug 4, 2021
Thanks for staying with us one more time

10/10 Excellent

George Kamana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly people right the beach
Ivan was very helpful with the surf reports and very friendly. I enjoyed my stay right by the ocean.
Stayed 8 nights in May 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice place clean and welcoming. It was like visiting a friends place. They didn’t ask for an Id or credit card. When eating at the restaurant you settle your bill end of stay. Truly like staying with friend and family. The owners were on site often.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2021
Response from ivan Manglar lodge on Jun 17, 2021
thanks for staying in our place. glad you enjoy your stay

10/10 Excellent

Michelle

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021
Response from ivan Manglar lodge on Mar 26, 2021
Thanks we are glad you enjoy your stayed

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021
Response from Manglar Lodge on Mar 26, 2021
thanks we are glad you enjoy your stayed

10/10 Excellent

Trent, Carbondale, IL

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Sorry it took me a year to write this review from my last Manglar Lodge stay. I will be staying their again on January 5, 2021 and wanted to write this one before my next stay. Similar to the first time I stayed their in 2019 I am still extremely happy with my stay their. I always feel like I’m at home when I visit what I call a, “Diamond In The Rough”. I love this cute little 4 room hotel that is a stone through away from the beach. If there was not the additional property across the street in front of Manglar, this property would literally be on the beach. The best part about Manglar is the two owners Mafie and Ivan. They do everything for you from checking you in, making you a delicious cocktail to preparing your meals. The rooms are clean and cozy with air conditioning and cable tv. The showers are hot. The walk to the beach is literally like 6 minutes and if your an Olympic runner it’s 3 minutes. 😂😂😂 What makes this place so lovely is it’s simplicity. It’s just a taxi 🚖 ride to the little town of San Carlos. I can’t wait until my next stay in a week. In closing you must try Mafis delicious Rum Chatta cocktail 🍹 that’s like egg knog on steroids 😂😂😂 I also appreciate that Mafi the owner kept me updated with all the Covid rules via WhatsApp while I was still in America. You can’t beat this type of customer service
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from ivan Manglar lodge on Dec 28, 2020
THANKS Trent hope we can have you back in our place soon

10/10 Excellent

Simone

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2020
Response from Manglar Lodge on Nov 26, 2020
thanks for staying your place we are glad that you enjoy your stay

8/10 Good

Danelia

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2020
Response from Manglar Lodge on Nov 18, 2020
Thanks for staying in our place

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfy room, cold showers
Comfortable and clean. Location was not on the beach as we understood from the listing description. The room was large, with a king bed and private bath. Cold water showers, but good WIFI, and quiet location. Somewhat difficult to find, but the locals will give directions!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice lodge and close to beach
The property is clean and inviting. It is not right on the beach, but it is tucked away and a short walk to el palmar beach. The food is excellent, but a bit pricey and we waited a very long time for breakfast each day. We found other properties for around $60-65 per night, so we were disappointed that this location was close to $100 per night with taxes. We would stay again!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Phyllis

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Close to beach but not beach front. Some issues with water. Nice restaurant and service
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from ivan manglar lodge on Feb 27, 2020
thanks for staying in our place. we are glad you enjoyed your stay. Yes we had a little problem with the water pump but it was fix and replace that same day thanks ivan Manglar Lodge

8/10 Good

Robert

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from ivan manglar lodge on Feb 27, 2020
thanks for staying in our place. we are glad you enjoyed your stay. thanks ivan Manglar Lodge

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Ivan manglar Lodge on Feb 10, 2020
Hi we are sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at fullness but it will be helpfull if you can gave us more detail. We work hard to gave our guest the best possible didn't The last reservation without review the person paid the reservation for some workers how stayed in out place Thanks Manglar lodge

10/10 Excellent

Whitewashsurfer, Seattle

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Amazing Panamanian craft beer selection. Great hospitality from the hosts. Lovely dining areas and clean facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Ivan manglar Lodge on Feb 10, 2020
Thanks for staying with us. We are glad that you enjoyed your stayed and our selection of craft beer from panama

10/10 Excellent

Denis, Thunder Bay

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Inn is conveniently located by the beach. The owners are very helpful and welcoming. Made is an excellent cook, her burgers are delicious. We enjoyed our stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Ivan Manglar Lodge on Jan 26, 2020
Thanks we are glad you enjoyed your stay and the food

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful property with extremely friendly and helpful staff
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from ivan manglar lodge on Jan 21, 2020
Thanks, we are glad that you enjoy our stay in our Place Thanks Ivan M Manglar Lodge

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from manglar lodge on Jan 12, 2020
Hi we are sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at fullness but it will be helpfull if you can gave us more detail. We work hard to gave our guest the best possible didn't Thanks Manglar lodge

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location and property by the beach! Very friendly owner and staff to service customer. Highly recommend families or anyone to this property. The food at restaurant was outstanding. The room was very cozy and clean. Well done!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Manglar Lodge on Jan 5, 2020
Thanks for your nice words . We are glad you enjoy your stayed in our place

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Peaceful setting, only wish it had an ocean view, but for the price, very good value.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location! Very close to the beach & activities such as surfing.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The property was clean and cozy. It was only a short walk to the beach and restaurants. They didn’t have coffee in the rooms and the restaurant didn’t open till 8:30 am. We had dinner at the lodge, the food was not what you would expect for the price. The music from another place was loud and playing till 2 am. It was good for a one night stay but I would eat and drink somewhere else.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Simple room. Staff was kind and helpful. Dinner was good.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

6/10 Okay

Pancho

Business traveler, Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities
The lodge is just a basic room with a bed, 2 thin bath towels, no hand or wash towels, rusty shower head and an split unit AC that did not have a remote to control. The menu was basic, the access is remote. So in other words, nothing to write home about, which makes me feel that the $88 a night plus tax is too much. We will not return.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I want to first start off by saying that if you are anywhere near San Carlos, you MUST put Manglar Lodge on your To Do list of places to stay. Both my fiance and I had an amazing time at this lovely 4 room hotel that sits just off the beautiful beach. We first arrived on Friday, December 28, 2018 and was greeted by the lovely Mafe who is one of the two owners. Our check in went very smoothly. Mafe took the time to tell us all about the San Carlos area that surrounds the beach then she gave us our key and showed us where our room was which was room #1. We were very pleased with the layout of the room and the balcony with the bench on it was a nice plus. Later that evening we had the pleasure to meet Mafe's husband Ivan. One amazing thing about the Manglar Lodge is that both Mafe and Ivan do pretty much everything at the lodge so you feel like your actually staying at their house instead. The front desk, bar, and dining room are all in the main building so you definitely won't get loss...He he. If you want an amazing drink, you must either ask Ivan to make you one of his amazing Pina Coladas or ask Mafe to serve you one of her delicious rum flavored Puncha Crema's that reminded me of my grandmothers Eggnog with a lot of rum added to it. One word of caution is to drink them very slow. I did not follow that, "drink slow rule"and woke up the next day with a major headache...He he he. I consider Mafe and Ivan friends and look forward to the next visit.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It is very small and personal ; food was also good.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Bev, Panama

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Nice little hotel. Food is beyond excellent. Best fish tacos and wonderful margaritas.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

8/10 Good

Mikkel

Nice quiet place near beach
Nice place to stay near beach. Have been there many times for business and pleasure, though this time there was no hot water for shower. Good restaurant but not open until 8:30am for breakfast or checkout.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Valerie, Austin, Texas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely quiet inn, not on the beach, but just a short walk. The innkeepers are friendly and helpful, the food is basic but good, and there is a well-stocked bar. It’s not a luxury joint, but clean, comfortable, and a good value. The grounds are lush, and there are cats roaming around. We enjoyed our two night stay and would definitely return.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service

10/10 Excellent

R, Washington, DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Small and quiet hotel, 2 minute walk to beach
Clean, quiet. Good water pressure, new air conditioners.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2018

8/10 Good

Nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good for short stay
Close to beach- walk to beach- food was good
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Whitney, Calgary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Owners are great
This is a great hotel and very close to the beach. The owners are wonderful and made our stay very comfortable. The night we were there they had live music and happy hour drink specials, they said they do this every couple of weeks normally. This was the highlight of our trip to Panama.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Jan, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful owner!
Quiet and quaint. Out of the way. Great food and the staff was awesome
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

Tony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lush tropical setting. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Good food at the restaurant at a reasonable price. Good cable and internet connections. Close walk to the beach.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Bev, Pedasi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice Little Getaway Spot
This small hostel is a lovely little getaway spot. We arrived early before check in time and were treated to some local craft beers in the lounge. Our room was extremely spacious and very clean with a beautiful king size bed. We had dinner in the lounge and enjoyed a generous serving of fish and chips. The menu has great variety and look forward to going back someday to try out the rest of it.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
We had stayed here before over the last four years and really enjoyed our stays. It's been a couple of years since we stayed here last and we saw a big change. There isn't a refrigerator or coffee maker in the rooms any more. The internet was very slow and there was a bee hive on the balcony of the first room we were given. They moved us to a different room, which we were glad about. The place is still clean but just not well taken care of.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017