Hotel Ronald
112 rooms at the Paso Canoas border, run alongside the Almacén Ronald stores
About this stay
Hotel Ronald provides a comfortable and practical base for families exploring Ciudad Neily. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, making it easy to settle in after a day of travel or local excursions. Guests appreciate the convenience of on-site parking and complimentary Wi-Fi, ensuring a smooth and connected stay. The proximity to Soda Restaurante la Casita del Sabor means that local flavors are just a short stroll away, perfect for casual meals. While the airport is a taxi ride away, the hotel's location within Ciudad Neily offers a good starting point for regional adventures.
- 112 rooms in Paso Canoas, at the Costa Rica–Panama border
- Single, multi-bed and bunk rooms
- Air conditioning or fan, flat-screen TV and private bathroom in every room
- Lounges with sofas and large screens, Wi-Fi throughout
- On-site parking
- 7.8 guest score from 771 reviews
Our take
Hotel Ronald has 112 rooms in Paso Canoas, the main crossing between Costa Rica and Panama, and its website doubles as a showcase for Almacén Ronald 1 and Ronald 2, the brand-name stores of the same name in the border shopping district. Rooms go from singles to multi-bed and bunk rooms, each with air conditioning or a fan, a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom, and the shared lounges have sofas and large screens. There is no pool and no restaurant on the hotel's own list. I would book it for one night before an early crossing or a shopping stop, never as a base for Golfito or the Osa Peninsula. Its 7.8 comes from 771 guest reviews, a large sample.
- ✓Pay Costa Rica's land exit tax online at bancobcr.com with any Visa or Mastercard the evening before: the payment stays valid until you actually leave the country, the PDF receipt arrives by email, and you skip the queue at the BCR branch about 150 m south of the crossing.
- ✓Ask for an air-conditioned room when you book, since the hotel has both air-conditioned and fan rooms and nights in the Paso Canoas lowlands stay hot and humid.
- ✓Stay away on Black Friday weekend and in the weeks before Christmas: duty-free shoppers from both countries fill the stores and the border hotels, and traffic backs up at the crossing.
- ✓If you came to shop, the hotel's own website points to Almacén Ronald 1 and Ronald 2, which it presents as the only Costa Rican-owned stores at the southern border.
Why we love it
- Family-friendly atmosphere
- Free Wi-Fi for all guests
- Convenient on-site parking
- Proximity to local dining
Why guests love itFor a family, Hotel Ronald does one job well: it sleeps everyone in a single room the night before the crossing. Multi-bed and bunk rooms take parents and children together, the hotel has its own parking, and Wi-Fi covers the building, which helps for downloading what Panama asks to see at entry: proof of onward travel out of Panama and a hotel booking beyond the border area, in David for example. What it does not do is keep children busy, with no pool and no garden. The walk between the Costa Rican and Panamanian migration offices takes 5 to 10 minutes on uneven ground without sidewalks, so a baby carrier works better than a stroller.