We spent 2 nights in Mango Beach Club Resort in Bocas del Toro Panama. It is about 6 kilometers from Bocas Town (which is where all the attractions are): far away enough to get away from the noise and the loud music at night but close enough to make daily trips, about a five minute boat ride.

My mom wanted to see the Canal but also wanted a resort vacation in the City, so we booked at InterContinental Playa Bonita Resort.It is not located in the downtown City,it's about 16 kilometers from the Panama City center and seems to be a good fit for anyone who wants to be close to the city, but looking for resort-type atmosphere.

When I was twenty one, I found a job working for a resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where the official dress code of visitors was somewhere between trailer trash and "my god woman, who the fuck told you that would look good?" The resort was roughly the size of a small country offered a complimentary buffet of crab legs on the night of your arrival.

Not wanting to bash Playa Blanca (I haven\'t been there yet), I found the Decameron, Panama, to be excellent. They claim to be 4 Star, but I personally think that this is too low; show be 5+!! From the time we checked in, through NoliTours, everything was fanatastic.

With a plethora of resorts throughout the entire country of Panama, it has come to my attention that there are about four that are la cr�me de la cr�me. Intercontinental Playa Blanca, Gamboa Rainforest Resort, The Royal Decameron, and Playa Bonita all seem to be tourist's top favorites and everyone who has visited, only has good things to say. The best part of resorts is that everything you could ever need is at your fingertips. Whether you want a hearty breakfast, a guided tour for a local attraction, or a relaxing message in a comfortable environment, resorts can usually offer these to you in their very own backyard.

What a trip this place is. In both the fact that its grounds serve as a surrogate zoo for tons of crazy wildlife, and also in the fact that it takes a while to get there--literally a trip.

The name Intercontinental Playa Bonita Resort and Spa is a mouthful and I am always weary of hotels with the word ¨Continental¨ in their title, being that they, like men with nice cars, are usually trying to compensate for some serious downfall. Turns out though, the hotel is alright.

From what I can tell, Hotel Sol Melia in Colon, Panama is the nicest place to stay in town. It's situated nicely on a giant lake and has some great wildlife. The staff is giddy and they're really into making your stay a decent one. The top floor has some special name, and the rooms there are the nicest and biggest. Being a high roller, I slept there. I also nearly hit a toucan on their on-grounds zip line.

In the somewhat specialized world of all-inclusive beach resorts on the Pacific Coast that are within 90 minutes of Panama City, and that have yellow and blue in their company's logo, there are two clear archrivals: Playa Blanca and Royal Decameron Panama. Having visited both a couple of times now, I think I have a decent sense to compare the two. This will be a battle in the most authentic way—a battle with blood and guts and name-calling and crows.