Panama Trip Report

[Jana]

It's not Tulum but for anyone who's interested here's a report of our trip to Panama :):

Feb 26th – This was our travel day. No direct flights from Toronto to Panama so we flew via Newark (Continental) and arrived around 10pm in Panama City. We were staying in the old city (Casco Viejo) and I’d heard it was hard to find things so I booked a driver through the “hotel” to pick us up. There aren’t many hotels in Casco Viejo but a young American couple has renovated a few apartments that they rent out (www.loscuatrotulipanes.com (http://www.loscuatrotulipanes.com)). The area is quite noisy on weekends so I booked an apt without street views but our inner/courtyard views weren’t bad and the apt was pretty roomy so we didn’t mind at all – plus it was really quiet. We ate the continental breakfast we’d pre-ordered for the next morning and went to bed!

Our apt (there's a little kitchen not shown in this pic):

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483832517_2cWNd-L.jpg

The bedroom was on another level:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483832259_SHj2h-L.jpg

And here's our internal/courtyard view:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483833803_P9Y8n-L.jpg


Feb 27th – I got up before George (as usual) and after many coffees and some reading I had to wake him up – I was really anxious to go explore! Casco Viejo is a beautiful part of the city. Half of the buildings are renovated or being renovated while the other half are crumbling in ruin and the water is never more than a few blocks away. We loved it!

These are all shots around Casco Viejo:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483834326_H78ws-L.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483834408_hCJxE-L.jpg

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http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483847562_tZc8s-L.jpg

There are great views of the downtown area from Casco Viejo too:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483838242_PUC8A-L.jpg

After wandering around all morning we'd worked up an appetite and stopped to check out Manolo Caracol. I'd heard mostly positive things about but some negative so I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a really neat concept - no menu, everyone is served whatever the 7 or 8 tapas sized dishes are that day. It's a very pretty restuarant (could get loud if it was full I suspect) and the food was outstanding. It was mostly seafood when we went and I don't like shellfish but I tried and even ate some of those courses. Everything was so fresh and with fantastic sauces and flavorings.

Manolo Caracol:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483847453_HHvso-L.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483848508_RyiBm-L.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483848908_awAoV-L.jpg


After lunch we decided to go check out the canal so we hopped in a cab to to the Mira Flores Locks Visitor Center. There's great viewing of the ships from multiple viewing terraces plus the film and displays were pretty interesting. After seeing one or two ships go through, I'd seen enough but George had to be dragged out as they were locking the doors behind us! :) An expansion of the canal is currently in the works and scheduled for completion in 2014 (I think).

Ship coming in to the Mira Flores locks:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483849348_zKAtw-L.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483851280_EMaNn-L.jpg

This shot shows the Bridge of the Americas in the distance:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483850445_GLj7F-L.jpg

We left around 6pm and went back to the apt to get ready for dinner. We went to S'cena for dinner and it was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't bad but people raved about it so I was expecting a lot - and it wasn't cheap. Overall a good day though!

[beachreader]

What a cool neighborhood! Did you get the sense that the ruined-type buildings were being fixed up?

I've heard Panama is pretty friendly to Americans buying property (well, I've heard that from HGTV), be cool to buy one of those old buildings and do what that other couple did.

[TnTWalter]

Cool! Thanks for sharing. Love the brick wall in the bedroom and the canal and cool restaurant.

[Jana]

What a cool neighborhood! Did you get the sense that the ruined-type buildings were being fixed up?

I've heard Panama is pretty friendly to Americans buying property (well, I've heard that from HGTV), be cool to buy one of those old buildings and do what that other couple did.

I think some of the really ruined buildings were beyond repair (that's my un-expert opinion!) but there was a ton of construction on the older, not quite as run down ones. I think there will be a lot more renovated buildings in a few years.

Panama makes it really easy for foreigners to buy property and there are some areas (one we went to next) that cater to North Americans. Panama uses the American dollar and, apparently, the infrastructure (hospitals, roads, etc.) is better than other central American countries so add that to the climate and I guess it's pretty attractive.

[Jana]

Feb 28th – We’re leaving the city already (in hindsight, definitely would have booked one more night – our flight times didn’t help either). After breakfast we took a cab to the domestic airport for our flight to David. We rented a car there for the drive to Boquete in the western highlands of Panama near a volcano. This area really caters to North American retirees – some of it nice (individual villas) and some not so nice (gated communities!) – but that’s not why we were here. In addition to being known for its older North Americans, Boquete is also known for its outdoor activities and I had visions of us white water rafting and zip lining… they remained visions!

We had great directions from our B&B so the hour drive to Boquete was easy and we enjoyed the scenery (after circling the TINY airport three times to find the “main” road!!). We were staying at the Coffee Estate Inn just outside the town (www.coffeeestateinn.com (http://www.coffeeestateinn.com/)) owned by two former Canadians. They have only three bungalows which are provided with freshly roasted coffee, fruit grown on their property and homemade breads every morning for breakfast – it was wonderful.

Entrance to our bungalow:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483860259_V4wVP-L.jpg

George enjoying breakfast:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483862665_Kkyqg-L.jpg

View from our bungalow:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483853596_JZk4S-L.jpg

Behind our bungalow and the grounds of the Inn:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483854533_YBiqt-L.jpg

Although it was cooler than Panama City because of the elevation it was still really warm when we arrived. After getting settled in, we were hungry and headed to town for some lunch supplies. We went to the supermarket and a fruit and veggie market and came back for a late lunch of salads and breads!

We ate so late (and so much bread) that we were too full to go out for dinner. We stayed in and watched TV. :)

[minniemex]

Really enjoying your report!! I love the sounds of the old city!

[letele]

Wonderful! I can't wait to read the rest! Casco Viejo looks amazing.

[Jana]

Mar 1st – The next morning we went on a coffee tour of the estate after breakfast. It was really interesting with beautiful views and we got to roast coffee at the end!

Bananas growing on the property:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483863053_RL4R9-L.jpg

Coffee berries:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483860437_5RxZd-L.jpg

Views of the property:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488231088_UjXBc-L.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488233751_H5KnR-L.jpg


After the tour we decided to check out the area. Jane and Barry (owners of the B&B) gave us some maps and recommended drives so we were off. We were planning to do a hike while we were out but we got kinda lazy and just enjoyed the scenery from the car.

Scenery along the Baja Mono loop:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483864867_yFfQ4-L.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483865653_nzcZF-L.jpg

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Not the best picture of George but this is outside the cafe that we stopped for lunch:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483867753_fhtki-L.jpg

After lunch we drove another mountain loop but the scenery wasn't as nice as the first. We went home to get ready for dinner. Dinner was at a small Italian restaurant - the food was incredible with huge portions! Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera. We were planning to go back again but they're closed on Mondays.

[Jana]

Mar 2nd – Our laziness was getting to us so we got up early to go for a run. Well, fairly early – we still had to wait for the sun to come up because it had gotten unseasonably cool. As you can probably tell from the pictures, this isn’t flat territory so we weren’t going to be out for long. We ran 15 mins downhill and then turned around and ran back uphill! It was brutal. And we had a huge breakfast to reward ourselves. :D

I really don’t remember what we did the rest of the day but I don’t think we did much – more grocery shopping, snacking, tv watching. We did go out for dinner at a French restaurant. Again the food was very good and the prices here are a lot cheaper than in Panama City.


Mar 3rd – After breakfast and checking out, we were picked up by a driver to take us to Almirante on the other side of the country. There are no flights on Tuesdays between David and Bocas del Toro so we had to drive to Almirante and then take a water taxi to Bocas town. From there we would get picked up by La Loma Jungle Lodge for our next stop. La Loma is on Isla Bastimentos, an island on the caribbean side.

It was a long day that got even longer when we hit a road block half way. The area had been hit hard by the flooding in November and a bridge the area kids use to go to school got washed out and still hadn’t been fixed. The parents were starting to get frustrated (I’m sure the kids didn’t mind!) and started blocking the road until a government official came to address their concerns. Our driver had been through a few days earlier and they’d opened the road at 2pm so he thought it would be about the same today. We had enough time so we tried to enjoy the wait.

Cars lined up in front of us:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488233908_MmAJe-L.jpg

Our driver Daniel had found kids selling fresh coconuts for 15 cents each! The coconut water was amazing.
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488235859_4rPjG-L.jpg

After a few hours, people walking by were saying that the road wouldn't open until 5pm or 6pm! We'd never make our connection and wouldn't even be able to get to La Loma because it would be too dark for the crossing. We got closer to the blockade and our driver found a taxi on the other side who would take us to Almirante - we might just make it. We walked our luggage across the human blockade (luckily without incidence!) and were on our way.

It was raining when we got to Almirante but not pouring. We hopped in the water taxi and about 30 minutes later we were in Bocas town looking for the restaurant for our next pick up.

This is the view from the Reef Restuarant in Bocas while we waited for the next boat ride:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488235175_gogfP-L.jpg

Two other couples were being picked up at the airport and once everyone was ready we all hopped in the OPEN boat and out on the water it started to pour. We got completely soaked. But the scenery was beautiful so the rain wasn't bothering us - yet.

[TnTWalter]

Such a fun adventure!!

:beerchug:

[Toni]

Wonderful Jana, I love reading trip reports from locales that I have on my wish list. Beautiful scenery and a wonderful report. Looking forward to more. Thanks for posting!

[PhyllisB]

What a neat trip! Thanks for sharing your adventures. Looks like a really neat area!

[lazydog]

Looks so gorgeous. What a great trip! Looking forward to reading more. Two more weeks and I'll get to come back and read the whole thing in one run. Beautiful!!!

[minniemex]

Too cool Jana!! Loving the area!! Say, what was that grey concrete building in your photo at the stream?? Actually this photo ~ I just think it looks really cool!!

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/483867689_6rqjD-L.jpg

That was really nice that your driver found you a cab on the other side. Did he pick up that cab's fare then too?? Did you just switch cabs with someone else??

The view from that restaurant in Bocas was so beautiful. It looks like all the properties are right on the water!!

[Lynnette]

Great report & photos.......what an amazing adventure! :)

[Jana]

Too cool Jana!! Loving the area!! Say, what was that grey concrete building in your photo at the stream?? Actually this photo ~ I just think it looks really cool!!



That was really nice that your driver found you a cab on the other side. Did he pick up that cab's fare then too?? Did you just switch cabs with someone else??

The view from that restaurant in Bocas was so beautiful. It looks like all the properties are right on the water!!






That building was abandoned and we were trying to guess what it was after we saw it - unfortunately we forgot to ask! It was a gorgeous spot.

It's funny, our driver didn't pick up the other cabs fare or reduce the price he charged us! At the time we were just grateful to get out of there but I do think it was a little cheap on his part.

Bocas town would be great to spend a few days in. It has a very funky/laid back feel (it's full of surfers) and everything if built just over the water. It's very pretty.

[Jana]

I just re-read my report so far and I haven’t been very descriptive – hopefully everyone’s just following along with the pictures!

I’ll tell you a little bit about La Loma (http://thejunglelodge.com (http://thejunglelodge.com/)) before I get in to our stay there. It’s on a secluded part of Isla Bastimentos in Bocas del Toro and about half of the island is national park. La Loma has three ranchos built in the style of the local Ngobe Indians – three sides are completely open to the elements! There are canvas curtains for really windy days. There is no electricity in two out of three ranchos (the ones with the best views) but all have private bathrooms with hot water and ample closet space. Because La Loma is so remote all meals are included and most of the food is grown on site and sourced locally – the food was amazing!

So back to our first night, we got to La Loma soaking wet and met Henry (Peruvian via LA) and Margaret (English) at the main rancho and they took us to our ranchos. One is really close to the main lodge and the other two are up a pretty steep hill with many steps! The views are gorgeous and when it’s sunny you definitely need the breeze they’ll get from being above the trees. It was still drizzling and getting dark but there was just enough light that we could tell we had an amazing view. The rooms are simple but very tastefully done. Henry showed us our survival kit with citronella candles, head lamps, binoculars, etc. and let us get unpacked before dinner.

Here are some pics of our room – taken the next morning:
Entering our rancho:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488236224_Dbi8o-M.jpg

View from the bed:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488236693_4j433-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488257089_unw6P-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488243986_y5XaH-M.jpg

Our bathroom:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488258819_QguzZ-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488258748_jAFwi-M.jpg

When we got to the main rancho, the other guests were already there so we ordered a cocktail (something with fresh mango – very yummy!) and started chatting. We knew one couple was from Houston and that the two friends were also from Toronto. It turns out that one of them lives on the same street as us, just a building away! It’s a very small world. Anyway, dinner was amazing (fried plantains, local fish curry and chocolate cinnamon pudding) and we stayed up talking until quite late and then trudged up the hill to bed.

[Jana]

March 4th – It wasn’t raining when we woke up but started when we were at breakfast. I’ll pause to tell you about our amazing breakfasts. Every morning we had fresh pineapple or papaya, plain yogurt, homemade granola, fresh orange juice, homemade bread and choice of eggs. It was sooooo good! And I almost forgot, Henry would deliver coffee and muffins at 7am if you couldn’t wait for your caffeine fix at breakfast. It’s such a great way to start the day.

After breakfast we started talking about what we’d do. Henry suggested some rain suitable activities and we all agreed to go on the boat tour through the mangroves and hike to some bat caves. Despite our flashy attire, we got soaked. The bat cave was pretty freaky. I didn’t think I’d be squeamish but I couldn’t go in very far because it was narrow and the bottom was a stream – plus there were a million bats attached to the ceiling of the cave! After that we ate our amazing packed lunch and got back in the boats to return to La Loma.

And we're off:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488238377_oehZo-M.jpg

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Finally we got to see the tiny strawberry frogs:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488237568_pPGoU-M.jpg

Is this sexy or what?
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488239322_vKnPG-M.jpg

It was pretty late in the afternoon when we got back so we went back to our rooms for hot showers before dinner. The cocktail of the day was made with a really sour fruit that I don’t remember the name of – I think this was Peruvian night and the fruit was actually Peruvian not Panamanian. I had two. :D Dinner was amazing again but I don’t remember the details – I think the main was chicken with coconut rice and a green, leafy veg I’ve never heard of. Of course, it was delicious.

[beachreader]

Be still my heart, that rancho looks amazing! So cool. OK, Panama is definitely on my list. :)

[letele]

Bummer about the rain, but La Loma looks AMAZING! Absolutely gorgeous!

[Jana]

March 5th – We woke up to sun!!! After re-taking all of our pictures, we headed down to breakfast. The clouds were starting to roll in and we got some short showers but the sky cleared in between and looked quite promising – we might actually have a beach day. The two girls from Toronto were leaving and another couple arrived right after breakfast so six of us went to the nearby beach and the girls decided to go for a hike (they got lost, had to ditch their flip flops and steal rubber boots to get back but that's a much longer story!). Red frog beach was beautiful and it stayed mostly sunny while we were there.

Red frog beach:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488249668_6pYXK-M.jpg

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It's called red frog beach for a reason:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488253770_8sqJ4-M.jpg

We left the beach around 1pm and headed back to La Loma for lunch (fantastic salads with locally smoked chicken and yummy cookies for dessert). After lunch we all decided to get a tour of the on site butterfly farm that Henry and Margaret also run. They sell the butterflies to someone in the UK who is the middle man for museums, parks, etc. It was pretty interesting.

On the way we saw a sloth with her baby!
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488253437_7n6kc-M.jpg

At the butterfly farm (I didn't take any pictures of the caterpillers - they creep me out!):
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488255508_gTbMu-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488255754_6tYdJ-M.jpg

We had another fantastic dinner and called it a night.

[Jana]

March 6th – I was so sure the weather had changed and that we would have another sunny day but it wasn’t meant to be. :( We woke up to rain again.

On the way to breakfast:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488238017_nitK5-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488246016_LrJFg-M.jpg


Breakfast is about to be served:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488247941_vSf2u-M.jpg


More shots of the main rancho:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488247181_6ZxMq-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488265373_5zNgW-M.jpg



We were all kinda lingering after breakfast deciding what to do and Henry suggested that we make our own chocolate (they grow cacoa on site too!). So after the beans were roasted, we shelled them, ground them and formed them in to 100% chocolate balls to take home with us (we bought a few more too).

Shelling the roasted beans (I ate a few):
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488261477_uC6y9-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488263023_orjAW-S.jpg

Grinding the shelled beans (the smell was amazing):
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488265265_p4nt4-M.jpg


Then we formed it in to balls to take home:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488266669_iC7r7-M.jpg


After lunch, I think we just had a lazy afternoon napping and packing – we check out early tomorrow morning. Dinner was amazing again and we went to bed.


I'll add a few more pics of the grounds and our rancho here.

A pineapple growing below our rancho!
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488260954_2ELBn-M.jpg


Blue skies (this was the view behind our rancho)!
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488260978_5KnNu-M.jpg

Goose, the dog, on the paths around La Loma:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488262947_WRj3f-M.jpg

Paths away from the main rancho toward the water:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488267915_fHzBW-M.jpg

[beachreader]

Sigh, what a wonderful trip! I've missed your writing, Jana!

What does the raw cacao taste like? I keep seeing cacao nibs at Whole Foods, but they're expensive so I haven't tried them yet.

[Jana]

What does the raw cacao taste like? I keep seeing cacao nibs at Whole Foods, but they're expensive so I haven't tried them yet.

It's really hard to explain - they're bitter but in a good, chocolatey way if that makes sense! We bought those expensive nibs (once) and ate some on their own but they're amazing in granola and probably anything sweet. You definately won't over eat them on their own.

[minniemex]

What a place!! Love love the strawberry tree frog!! What color!! I am really thinking I might really like this place!!

Those raincoats and boots really enhance a relationship don't they??

I can't believe you actually met someone who lives so close to you in the jungle in Panama.... you have to just shake your head!! Are you going to stay in touch??

[Jana]

Who am I kidding; I’m not going to do any work today anyway so I’ll just keep going!


March 7th – We were up early to check out and have breakfast before our transfer to the airport at Bocas. Despite the rain, we had an amazing time at La Loma – it is a really unique experience. I’m usually not the most social person but I really enjoyed hanging out with the group and the after dinner chat (I’m sure the strong drinks didn’t hurt!).

Another note about the weather, the Bocas area has different wet and dry seasons from the rest of Panama and I timed the entire vacation so it would be the dry season there – hah! Supposedly Feb/Mar and Sept/Oct are dry(er) in Bocas but everyone was saying that the amount of rain this year really was unusual. But with weather these days, I don’t think there is a “usual” anymore!

And so we were off to Panama City for our last night. I couldn’t decide between two places in Casco Viejo when I was planning the trip so I booked them both – Los Cuatro Tulipanes on the way in and Canal House (www.canalhousepanama.com) (http://www.canalhousepanama.com)on) on the way out. Apparently the latest James Bond movie was filmed in Panama and Daniel Craig stayed at the Canal House too. :) We arrived pretty early and our room wasn’t ready but we dropped our bags and checked out the common areas of the house. This is a truly stunning renovation.

Canal House common rooms:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488270509_jKMcL-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488270591_X9DhN-M.jpg

The "bar":
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488281782_3wbkX-M.jpg


We decided to go out for another walk around Casco Viejo and have lunch while we waited for our room. Casco Viejo is a tiny area and we really should have gone to another part of the city for the afternoon but we got lazy and it's just so pretty. :)


Here are a few more shots of Casco Viejo:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488271809_De6Aw-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488273687_LKDaw-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488275095_RWZYx-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488277047_7Nxhc-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488277789_3qS7H-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488275807_H7nbw-M.jpg

Lunch was at Rene Cafe which was started by the former chef at Manolo Caracol so I had high expectations - it had gotten better reviews too. Of course, we were disappointed! It wasn't bad it just wasn't half as good as Manolo. But we had great sangria and a ton of food so we were ready for our room.

Because it was only one night, I spurged and booked their largest room - the Mira Flores Suite (there are only three rooms). It was huge and, as gorgeous as it was, not sound proofed enough for me. I'm a freakishly light sleeper and weekends in Casco Viejo are loud. I work up constantly throughout the night and then our alarm went off at 6am. :(

Here are some pictures of our room:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488278977_EWa3H-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488279170_gsaEg-M.jpg

This one's of the study in loft but it's a little blurry - I think from all the sangria at lunch :):
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488280131_aWwRm-M.jpg

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488280576_U6dTe-M.jpg

The view from one of the balconies:
http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488282470_UCEEy-M.jpg

After breakfast we were off for the airport again - this time via Houston - and had an uneventful flight home.

[Toni]

Bwaaaa I don't want it to end! Great report and fantastic pictures. Jana thanks so much, it was great.

[barbj050]

loved your report....and those red frogs......thank u

[minniemex]

Wow Jana! Love your report and love Panama!! What wonderful experiences!!

How expensive was the trip with all those transfers?? I don't need dollars, but was it quite a bit more than a trip to Tulum??

I certainly agree with your perception of the weather lately!!
But with weather these days, I don’t think there is a “usual” anymore!


Oh, and I forgot to mention before ~ I love this picture with the tree, looks like some sort of "sea monster".

http://janaturner.smugmug.com/photos/488249668_6pYXK-M.jpg


Thanks again for taking the time to share your trip with us!!

[minniemex]

Whoops, thought of another question. What was their "sangria" like?? Was it red wine with fruit in it?? Or was it like the sangria we get in Tulum??

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k83/Minniemex/Avitars/sangria.jpg

[Jana]

How expensive was the trip with all those transfers?? I don't need dollars, but was it quite a bit more than a trip to Tulum??

It was definately more expensive - we moved around a lot and so we were there longer too. The food in Panama City wasn't cheap - better value than the equivalent $ in Toronto but not cheap (probably what Tulum will seem to us now that our dollar has dropped so much!). Outside Panama City food was cheap. Although the internal flights are relatively cheap - $70/person each way - they do add up. It's definately more than a weekly car rental!

Hotels weren't bad. The first apt in Panama City was $175, the Coffee Estate Inn was $145, La Loma was $208 including all meals (all in US$). I found lots of great places across Panama in the $150 - 200 range but nothing that really grabbed me below that. I was planning this trip after Bali where I found tons of cute places for $75 so there was some initial sticker shock!

But it's a different type of vacation than Tulum. I think I need one of each every year now! As much as I like moving around and seeing different parts of the country after two vacations like that since our last to Tulum, I really, really want a "lazy, lay on the beach, maybe do a day trip or two" kinda vacation. :)

[Jana]

Whoops, thought of another question. What was their "sangria" like?? Was it red wine with fruit in it?? Or was it like the sangria we get in Tulum??

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k83/Minniemex/Avitars/sangria.jpg

Red wine with fruit in it. :)

One we had was fantastic (really fruity flavour) and the other was just decent.

[minniemex]

Thanks for the info!!

At La Loma did that just include food or the drinks too??

[letele]

I'm so sad it's over - I really enjoyed reading about your adventures!!!

[Jana]

At La Loma did that just include food or the drinks too??

Non-alcoholic drinks were included but alcoholic ones were extra. I always got a mixed cocktail and they were $4 but "simpler" mixed drinks were about $2.50. Beer would probably be less than that but I have no idea how much the wine would be - probably a range.

[Thor Henning]

Very interesting! Great report and pictures!
:)

[Margoinmexico]

:wave:wow, thank you Thor for bumping this up, somehow, I missed it before!

jana, incredible trip and trip report....I have a facination with Panama, even had a job offer there at a place called La Orchidia, but couldn't leave Tulum......I would love to visit and see what it is like, thanks for showing me so much! Fabulous pictures. Also, I noticed the dates of the trip and the date of the trip report....you get an A+ with extra points for getting your report done on time!

[Jana]

Awww, seeing this again makes me miss Panama. Glad you guys enjoyed it! Margo - I think you'd really like Panama. We're definitely going to go back one of these days (George is convinced we're going to retire there!).

[FITZ]

I asked my friends, who live on Isla Mujeres, where their fav vacation spot is and they said Panama.
Great report!

[beachreader]

Thor always finds the best reports and bumps them up--thanks for that!

Jana, I've always heard that Panama is a great place to retire, and they actively solicit American retirees with tax breaks, cheap healthcare, that kind of thing. I saw an article on it in Money (or one of those financial) Magazine.

I need to get down there one of these days. Just wish they had a Tulum-style beach there!

[Jana]

Jana, I've always heard that Panama is a great place to retire, and they actively solicit American retirees with tax breaks, cheap healthcare, that kind of thing. I saw an article on it in Money (or one of those financial) Magazine.

I think that's definitely true. There are tons of Canadians and Americans in the Boquete area (mountain, no beaches) and there seemed to be new developments along the Pacific coast targeted to "us" as well. I've also read that, compared to Costa Rica, the healthcare, roads and other infrastructure are much better. Maybe in a few years I'll be able to tell you about it first hand. ;)

[beachreader]

Right with you there! Wanna share a two-bedroom? :D

[pepper]

Wow! I missed this the first time around too.
What an amazing trip!! I would love to take my kids there.