After reading multiple reviews we decided to book the Balboa Inn for a one night's stay before flying to Bocas Del Toro from Albrook Airport. There was nothing to suspect that the place we were booking was anything out of the ordinary small hotel. However, as our Uber drove through an obvious housing subdivision we wondered what we were in store for! We eventually realised that the ”inn” was half of a duplex house! OK, no problem, it's only for one night after all. We were greeted by William at the front desk - very friendly and showed us to our room. Upstairs with two heavy suitcases wasn't fun, but okay. Our room (I had requested a Queen sized bed) was very plain but clean. We had a queen bed plus a single. The bed was comfortable but dressed only in a bottom and top sheet - the air conditioning sounded like a plane taking off, but it was too hot not to have it on overnight. There is a lovely small pool in the garden area which was refreshing. The room was not particularly sound proof but we slept reasonably well. We walked to a nearby restaurant (more of a bar and grill) for dinner which was delicious (Balboa Food Court). My rating of 3* was more about the facilities and the quality of the premises than anything - good value for the money and good location for ease of access to Albrook Mall and airport but you can do better in town.
The following comments are my opinions and other people may have different perspectives. I booked this hotel since I wanted to stay in Casco Viejo and it seemed adequate for this end. The hotel does not offer breakfast service and the menu is basically to accompany drinks at the bar. The day I arrived I ordered a small lunch and the plates were still on the table where I left them the following day. There is no in house service until after 11 am, according to the general manager. Apparently I was the only guest in the hotel and unfortunately the keypad system of access to my room and to the entrance to the hotel had a problem and I had to use a key, furnished by the hotel manager. Aside from the problem with locking the doors, the doors to the balconies did not fully lock and there were a couple of energy blackouts while I was in the elevator. I changed hotels after staying one night. Although the location of this hotel is good if you want to explore the Casco Viejo region without purchasing a tour, I can not recommend it for the reasons above.