Manglar Lodge

Very reasonably priced. Breakfast was great. A bit of a hostel/lodge wrapped up in one!

Nice place
I’d go back

This part of San Carlos is a low-budget surf camp style area. It's rustic and bohemian. You should make your evaluations in that context. Manglar Lodge is old and a little dark but competent for a night or two. Breakfast was efficient and above average.

The staff were extremely helpful and friendly. From check in to the restaurant they were great. Our group is older so the steps to the second floor were challenging but I would stay here again.

Stayed for a couple days and check in and out was a breeze. The restaurant is very good inside the hotel. Very close to the beach and river. Would stay again!

Two steep stairs to apt like dark hall to rooms, only 3 or 4.
Open door and smelled a foul odor. Beds hard and bumpy
And pillows the same. Sheets with holes. Air conditioner is loud above your head.
Was given a menu for food but no staff until 9am. So no early coffee
Only craft beer, Coors and Stella. No panama beer that would be reasonably
priced and delicious. The yard looks nothing like the the pictures. The ocean is around the corner,
All rocks and black sand some trash. You are advised not to bring your own beer outside in yard to
Drink, they would rather you buy their craft beer. No friendly atmosphere of beach feeling. Cats are everywhere wining at night. One cat drank the shower water after I washed my feet it was so thirsty.
When I asked for manager, the one girl there said he was off. Booked 5 days stayed one night, no refund or response from manager. But was very friendly when telling you how to book room on there web-sight and pre charging total payment. Lesson Learned. Most places in Panama are not like this.

Ivan and his wife were gracious hosts. The property is well maintained and we loved the location. Breakfast is wonderful. The cheeseburger is the best I've ever had. Food is high quality. The beach is beautiful. Quiet, with few people. Make sure to ask Ivan where to go in the area. He will send you to some great places. Nicco's is a must. Thanks for a great stay!

Wonderful place and Wonderful people.

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

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.

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

Positives: Cleanliness of room and facilities, proximity to beach, peaceful porch and patio areas

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!

Cute little place in sleepy beach community walking distance to the beach. I imagine is fin when the waves are good as there is a point break right there. The bar and restaurant looked nice, we didn't eat there only because we were gone all day exploring the area, but we would stay here again, the staff was very friendly and the place was clean. I recommend over other places we saw in San Carlos.

We love the Lodge, as well as Ivan and Mafe, the owners. We've stayed there three times over the years. The rooms are very comfortable and very clean. We love sitting on the patio downstairs having a meal and/or beverages. We always meet nice, fun travelers staying there and have kept in touch with several. It's a great place. Highly recommend.

We stayed here for 1 night so we could catch our flight the next day from Panama. Our room was on the first floor meaning that it was warm and humid. So, the airconditioning needed to cool it down to be able to sleep comfortably. There comes the point why I call this nearly perfect; The airco unit is placed in such a way that it blows the cold air on your head, not very comfortable. We had to change the bed so to sleep with our feet at the heads-end. The second reason to call it nearly, is that there was a mistake on the bill. We were charged with 3 times a breakfast, while we were with 2. I'm not saying it was done deliberate. It was removed from the bill without discussion anyway.
Still 4 stars, which would have been 5 without these 2 minor issues, because the staff and owners were very friendly and gave us some good tips for the remainder of our trip. Sleep quality was good and the bathroom big enough with a good shower.

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).

Nice little hotel and bar by the beach. We were there during the off season so it was really quiet, but it was still good. Huge room, comfortable bed, good AC. A shame the bar hours were only 9a-8:30p but we understood, it’s quiet. But when open the staff were great and the beer good :) they even put the Formula 1 on for us!

Good place. Reminds me of the Florida Keys.

This is a wonderful boutique lodge. Clean facilities and welcoming staff. Fantastic setting and food on premise was very good. Great value