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 :)

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).

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!

When we arrived the staff were really friendly and helpful. However, we paid for washing and some items were lost (the room where the washing is done is a mess so I'm not surprised). When we contacted the hostel to help find them they refused to help. In the end we had to ask a friend to look for us. We think this was the owner, but all of the other staff during the stay were great. Generally was clean but bed sheets had some dirt and hair on them. Otherwise good hostel with a nice atmosphere.

Very nice place at the centre of the city, staffs are super nice and available for 24 hours, clean nice price but surprisingly at this price with breakfast!

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.

It’s a nice hostel, you easily meet new people and the staff is very helpful with all your questions. They offer a laundry service & a Tour to San Blas Islands.

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.

I think this place is pretty good. I think the staff is kind and helpful it is in a very nice area with a nice Spirit of Shops nearby. I really like the pool area Which was nice specially after warm day in the City. One of The problems was that I didn't have lockers for your luggage only small lockers for valuebles and you have to bring your own padlock.

CONS: 1. I was moved to a bedroom upstairs and for two nights around 1:00-1:30am someone would smoke cigarettes in the room beside mine and it would wake me out of my sleep. 2. Wi-Fi is horrible. (I had to do my work at McDonalds a few times) 3. At times noisy during the day so I wasn’t able to do online meetings as easily. PROS: 1. Clean rooms! (Spotless) 2. Washer Available 3. Dryer Available 4. Pancakes, coffee, and bananas for breakfast. 5. Across the street from a grocery store 6. Clean Kitchen 7. Billiards /Pool 🎱 Table 8. Beer and Coca-Cola Available 9. Swimming Pool 10. Nice staff 11. Upscale area 13. Bathrooms are spotless 14. Nothing of mine was stolen or “went missing” like at the Panama Experience Hostal . 15. Friendly cats 16. Cute and cozy atmosphere 17. Bottom bunks are raised off of the ground as they should be, unlike at the Panama Experience where people where literally sleeping on the floor. 18. Big showers 19. Book collection/ Library 20. Air conditioning is on more than just a few hours in the night. 21. Restaurants in walking distance 22. In walking distance to Cinta Costera 23. Designated work area 24. Comfortable mattresses (I would give more stars,but the bad internet connection is a huge inconvenience, far worse than the person smoking in the room next to me waking me from my slumber )

Always have a good time at Casa Areka - third time staying here (private room) and it’s clear they put some more money into the place. Newly updated bathrooms and fresh paint. Can’t beat location for groceries and restaurants. Tidy, good folks around, cheap beers, the pool is a great addition. Sweet hostel if you aren’t look for the lux of a Selinas hostel. Wifi kinda sucks but w/e. Love it here.

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

Affordable, and amazing location. The best hostal in the city. The staff is nice and you get to meet other travellers at the same time! :)

Such a welcoming place with attentive staff and clean facilities! Character and charm ooze off the walls, we couldn't have found a better place to stay in Panama City.

Quaint, friendly spot in a decent location. Got a private room/bathroom for a great price. Mingled with other travelers. Pet the cat. Quick visit: successful.

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.

The manager seems to be annoyed any times I talked to him .. I always been nice but whatever just moody … swimming pool is nice . It is next to a road very noisy cause of constant car honking . Pool table is nice but at 11pm .. light is off no choice to stop .. all révélant thing I would say

Good location (safe neighbourhood) and super friendly helpful staff. Only thing I didn’t like was that the rooms were quite dirty (sheets were washed but seemed very old).

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!

Great hostell, cheap, fantastic owners and a great location

This place was fantastic! The staff are super welcoming and very kind.

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.

Nice chilled hostel. We had a private room and it was massive which was good to help sort out belongings after San Blas. We got a huge bag of laundry done for $5 and it came back the same day, all very clean (not always the case!) Breakfast was pancakes, a nice change from eggs. Kitchen was well stocked but quite small so a bit of a squeeze if more than 2 people wanted to cook and the fridge needs to be bigger. It's on a busy junction so you pretty much hear constant car horn road rage. It's $3-4 to get an Uber to the Old Town in the evening or a nice walk during the day along the malecon. Just don't make the mistake we did and walk to Albrook to buy a bus ticket as it is through a dangerous area.

Amazing staff, a cute cat, and it's in the middle of the city.

Very clean, very comfortable. easy to rest when tired, and easy to make good new friends!

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.

Cancelled my booking two weeks out from my trip because they double booked the room (even though they confirmed the booking when I sent the booking request)

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 :)

They suddenly cancelled our booking we made a month ago, when I asked for an explanation, they just closed the conversation.

Nice place to stay, safe, good location very friendly staff :)

Beautiful private room, host was amazing, told me everything I needed to see and I didn’t have cash, he was ok with me getting it later.

Excellent attention, very comfortable place, very good location. Thanks to Matías for the reception and kindness.

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!

Pros: - location in a very nice neighbourhood - price - common areas (pool, swimming pool) - Jesus attention Cons: - very few bathrooms!!

Maria and Hassos are amazing hosts and helped us with everything. The place is cozy and beautiful. highly recommend

Air conditioning too low (it is written 23 on the air conditioner but the temperature D is at least 17 degrees and put too long, they should cut it between 2am and 20h in the evening. Air conditioning too cold and too long is bad because it's dry the air and make people sick, it's scientifically proven .

Really cool hostel !! Perrfect to meet new peoples and the room have ac a swimming pool everything is cool and peoples are all friendly and also I'm able to sleep well because peoples here are respectful because we all know each other it's not a big hostel so better ! I spend a week and i will come back thanks