LGBT-friendly, the nine-room Balboa Inn in the former Canal Zone is run by Dutch/British ex-pats. All rooms have European mattresses and both A/C and ceiling fans. In a quiet and safe neighborhood, it is far from the maddening crowd but super convenient to Amador Causeway, Ancón Hill, the Miraflores Visitor Center, Metropolitan Park, the giant Albrook Mall, the national bus station, the domestic airport, the train to Colón, the beaches of Vera Cruz and the jungles around Gamboa. The bars, restaurants and historical attractions of Casco Viejo are a five-minute taxi ride away. You can rent a car nearby and avoid the traffic headaches of the city center.

thebalboainn.com