Our Travel Guide to Playa Venao, Panama — ALONG DUSTY ROADS

Where to Stay in Playa Venao

Hotels & Hostels

Dos Mares Venao Village | This relatively new option is one of our favourites in Playa Venao (if you don’t mind not being on the beach). They offer a handful of really beautiful wooden bungalows, in a contemporary aesthetic with considered touches and details, all scattered around a gorgeous pool area. One of the highest-rated accommodations in town too.

El Sitio de Playa Venao | The location of one of Venao’s most popular dinner and drinks spots, El Sitio is also a hotel with a barefoot luxury sort of vibe. The rooms are large, comfortable, and tastefully decorated with a considered rustic aesthetic – think a natural palette with lots of wood. There’s also a guest pool and lots of lounging areas. It’s a super popular choice for good reason!

Wao Beach Venao | The real selling point of this accommodation is its beachfront position and gorgeous pool area, which has quite an exclusive feel to it. The hotel itself is a storage container set-up though, which definitely won’t appeal to everyone given that the rooms themselves can be a little on the cramped size – especially considering the prices are pretty high.

Beach Break Surf Camp | We ummed and ahhhed about staying here, and still think it’s a fantastic option in Playa Venao – both for those looking to surf and people, like us, just seeking a spot to chill. The rooms are simple but comfortable – they’ve got privates and dorms – and the accommodation is beachfront. They have an on-site restaurant which was very popular and offer surf lessons and rental.

Nao Hostel | Where we stayed. We ended up here because we didn’t want to pay the high prices associated with staying on the beachfront. The contemporary shipping container set-up is okay for a night or two, but the rooms were too cramped for a longer stay and can jar a bit. Doubles share locked bathrooms with another room, and there’s a guest kitchen. Around a 10-minute walk from beach.

Wao Jungle Venao is also on the same site and offers slightly larger, nicer options.

Eco Venao Lodge | Set back from the beach, in a re-forested area, they offer eco lodges for a back-to-nature experience. Staying here would offer a very different experience of Venao to the above, and will be well-suited to some travel styles (but not all).

Apartments & Villas

Blue Venao | A gated beachfront residential complex made up of privately owned villas, apartments, and penthouses, many of which are rented out on Airbnb. Rather than feeling like a single hotel, it reads more like a small, well-designed neighbourhood, with landscaped grounds, direct beach access, and a layout that keeps most properties just a short walk from the sand.

Guests staying here benefit from shared amenities including a beachfront pool area, a beach club and restaurant, and on-site security, which makes it particularly appealing for longer stays or anyone wanting a more self-contained base in Playa Venao. It’s a good option if you like the idea of having space and facilities on hand, while still being close to the surf and the rest of the bay.

It feels like almost all the properties on Airbnb in town are actually in Blue Venao, so this isn’t exhaustive, but here are some of our top picks:

One Bedroom / Mermade Suite, Couple’s Getaway,

Two Bedroom / Luxury Apartment, Beach Bliss Retreat, Beachside Oasis, Stunning Oceanview Condo

Three Bedroom / Nearly Oceanfront, Vila Sueño Azul

Playa Laska | Travelling to Playa Venao with family or friends? You need to take a look at this stunning beachfront villa. Set across two floors, it offers three large double bedrooms and ample communal space – all exquisitely furnished.

Beachfront Home is a good shout if you need somewhere with a fourth bedroom.

A note about the two Selinas // This is the spot that the Selina hostel chain began, and they previously had two properties – Selina Playa and Selina River. As mentioned, the company failed in 2024 but these two hostels remain open.

We wouldn’t recommend staying in either of them though.

The one by the river has that typical tired Selina vibe (although the restaurant is decent and in a nice setting). The other beachfront one could be nicer but the fact that any Tom, Dick or Harry can use the pool – seemingly without a fee – means it gets overrun with locals on the weekend. Given the high prices of the rooms, we’d be furious if we couldn’t enjoy the benefits of the signature pool area just because someone bought a cocktail.