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Questions about Gamboa Rainforest Resort

R

riverside

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
449
Reaction score
1
Location
Indian River Michigan
We're going to Gamboa resort in a week and have some questions. Have you taken the airport transportation offered by the resort? I wondered how much it was and how you arranged it. I emailed them several days ago but got no response. I wondered how much a taxi was as compared to the resort's transportation.

Approximately how much are meals there? I know they have a buffet available and also a more expensive restaurant for dinner. Do they still give RCI members a discount as they did a few years ago (as noted in the reviews)?

Was language an issue there? I have emailed both the transportation person and the reservations person (to make sure they got our confirmation from RCI as RCI neglected to send us one). No one responds to me. I wondered if it was a language issue or they are just disorganized and/or just don't care about their timeshare guests.

Any help you can give would be appreciated. According to RCI we have unit H130, if they really give us the unit we were told.
 
We stayed there in October, 2006 and is a beautiful place in a wonderful location. Language is no problem as everyone working there speaks very good English, there are a lot of ecological oriented conferences and business meetings there thus many foriegn visitors. We did arrange tranfers through the resort by calling them rather than using e-mail. Gamboa is quite a way from the airport and the taxi would have been more expensive, but I can't remember how much we paid. We also booked tours at the tour desk in the lobby when we arrived. There are a lot of good options; we went to the locks at the canal and then to Panama City for historical sites, a boat trip with a naturalist, a day long trip to historical sites on the other side of Panama which started with a train ride then were picked up by our driver for the rest of the tour, and an evening trip to Panama City for dinner and folkloric show. The restaurant at Gamboa is buffet at breakfast and some evenings the rest of the time it has a regular menu, there is some type of upscale restaurant as well which seems to be open sporatically and the bar has a limited lite menu. We did get the RCI discount.There really are no other options for dining in the area.

You should be able to print a copy of your RCI confirmation from the RCI website. At least I've done that previously.

I'm sure you will enjoy your stay!!!!!
 
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Thanks for the helpful info. I did print the confirmation off the computer so hopefully it will work if the official one doesn't come.

Do you remember if you booked both ways seperately for transportation? Or was it a round trip cost? My thought is that by the time I pay a long distance call to arrange transportation it might cost the same as a taxi.

We're excited about the trip. We wanted to go to Barro Colorado to the Smithsonian Research Center but they are already booked. I'm sure we'll find other things to do.
 
We booked round trip. I don't know what your arrival time will be, but we got in about 9:00 PM and weren't sure we could get a taxi to take us that far when there would be no possiblity of the driver getting a return fare.
 
We stayed there for a few days as part of a longer trip so I can't speak for the transportation. All our transportation and tours were arranged through Ancon Expeditions and they were wonderful. Make sure to visit the Embura Drua village while there!

As far as food, it was expensive and fairly repetitive. The more expensive restaurant's menu was not much more interesting that the regular menu. The main restaurant offers the buffet and menu options. One night they had a buffet outside which would have been nice except that we were eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Most of my family also got sick after the first meal there. (It was the outdoor buffet.)

If possible, arrange to bring snacks or stop at a store in route to the resort. Once you are there, you won't have the option and even a can of soda is outrageous. I was glad to have some yogurt after everyone got sick.

ETA: While there is laundry, they charge for that by the piece. I remember thinking I wasn't paying $3 for them to wash a pair of underwear. Bring enough clothes to last all week or prepare to hand wash and hammock dry your things.

Deb
 
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Thanks for all the great info. Deb, what time of year were you there that you had problems with mosquitoes? Or is that a problem year around?
Do you remember if they had an all-inclusive option for meals? Thanks for the heads-up on how expensive everything is. We definitely will pack snacks.

We arrive at 1:00 p.m. so we could probably get a taxi if we choose to go that route.
 
We were there right after New Years last year. It is a rain forest so I suspect the mosquitoes are a problem year round. I don't remember any info about an all-inclusive plan.

More about activities... definitely get up early and take the Pipeline Road tour to see the birds and monkeys. The guides were very knowledgeable and we would never had spotted anything without them. Bring your binoculars!

Do not pay for a tour of the butterfly farm, etc. You can walk there. It is down the road a bit, open all day and free.

The aerial tram is also pretty lame. You will not see any wildlife unless you take it at the crack of dawn.

Monkey Island - you don't actually get off the boat. It's not a bad boat trip but at the islands, the monkeys will come down to the boats. Sit in the front seats if you want to see them up front and have a chance to feed them. I'd take a late morning trip and end up with lunch at the boat dock restaurant.

Looking at their website, I don't see a tour for the Embera but you can arrange it with Ancon Expeditions. They are far more professional and knowledgeable than the Gamboa people. This was a wonderful day for us. After visiting the Embera, we were taken to a waterfall for a swim. Book in advance at: http://www.anconexpeditions.com/ Look under day tours. They will pick you up at Gamboa.

If you want to see our pictures: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=15221309&uid=1270087

Deb
 
What a lot of great information. Your pictures are wonderful, Deb. We'll be sure to check out the tours and possibly book the Indian village in advance. I'm having a hard time with that concept because it feels to me like they are exploiting their children. Hopefully that's not how you feel when you actually take the tour. I'm glad to know about the tram and monkey island. Obviously we have to find something to do while we're there or we'll be bored!

I did find out that there is a toll free number to call the resort and the transportation is $26.00 pp each way and you book the return trip separately. Only a few more days. We're excited!
 
No... I don't think the children are being exploited. Most of the entertainment is the adults. They show you their way of life, native dances, cooking, etc. and sell crafts. We found the children interesting but they were not "on display". The Embera Drua people do consider tourism the job now. It is a way that they can continue to support their people and remain independent.

$26pp each way sounds like robbery! There's still time to contact Ancon Expeditions. They are a number of steps above the Gamboa tour people.

Deb
 
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