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Life Nomadic: Fifteen Essential Tips for Panama
Only a week remains in my two month stay in Panama, so I thought it would be useful to condense everything I've learned here to make it easier for future travelers.
Panama City is one of my favorite places in the world. It's a perfect blend of "frontier spirit", as Todd calls it, comfortable city life, good prices, and nearby cities and towns to explore. In list form, here are my recommendations for Panama:
1. When in Panama City, check out Casco Viejo before you decide on a place to stay. It's a two dollar cab ride from anything in the city and it feels like a totally different country. Manolo Caracol, located in Casco Viejo, is considered to be the best restaurant in Panama, despite only costing $20 for the prix fixe menu.
2. The best place to go outside of Panama City is Boquete. The weather is cool, there's tons to do, and it's the total opposite of Panama City - perfect for a break.
3. Grocery shopping in Panama City is excellent. El Rey, Super 99, and Riba Smith are the main grocery stores. Riba Smith has the best selection of healthy foods and American and European imports. Organica, located in Paitilla, is an expensive store that has even more health food imports.
4. Don't try to live in Paitilla or Pacifica. These are the the super gringo areas, which sounds like a good thing but isn't. Cangrejo, Marbella, Bella Vista, and Obarrio are the best areas downtown. I personally wouldn't want to stay anywhere farther out, except for Casco Viejo from #1.
5. Don't pick up Taxis in front of hotels or malls. Walk down the street. If you ask the price, they know they can rip you off. If they try to barter the price up front, they're trying to rip you off. Get in the car, and pay $2 for the ride as long as it's within downtown.
6. Try patacones. They're delicious fried plantain chips.
7. The only coffee shop with wifi is NY Bagel near "cabeza de Einstein" on Via Argentina. There are a few internet cafes that have wifi for .50-.75 per hour. The one at Via España and Via Argentina has really fast internet (for Panama).
8. When you arrive at the airport, go upstairs to the departure gate dropoff area. The taxis there will charge you less than the ones downstairs. Shoot for $15, negotiate up front.
9. Rental cars are only around $20 a day, which makes them great for road trips. Thrifty on Via España is a good place to go.
10. Finding good apartments is very difficult. Craigslist and VRBO are good places to start, but they are expensive. I rented a room from Michael (lirpa1966 at yahoo.com). E-mail him and he may have something for you too. Just don't book my room next winter!
11. The hostels in Panama City are pretty bad. I've stayed at a few and wouldn't recommend them. Casa De Carmen is somewhere between a hostel a hotel. Great place, decent location, and decent prices.
12. Bocas Del Toro is probably not worth visiting unless you're really into surfing. If you are into surfing, it's a must do.
13. If you like beaches, go to the San Blas Islands. Any hostel will get you in touch with the right people to make it happen. It's real remote island living with real indians. Highly recommended.
14. If you are a vegetarian, you MUST go to Casa Vegetariana next to Manolos near Casa Veneto. You will eat there every day. For special occasions, check out La Novena across from Happy Copy on Via Argentina. Arturo will take care of you!
15. It is possible to swim in both oceans in one day. We did it in 89.5 minutes, ocean to ocean. Can you beat us?
Panama is one of the first places I'd recommend to anyone. Consider visiting, and use these tips to make your trip even better.
8. When you arrive at the airport, go upstairs to the departure gate dropoff area. The taxis there will charge you less than the ones downstairs. Shoot for $15, negotiate up front.
9. Rental cars are only around $20 a day, which makes them great for road trips. Thrifty on Via España is a good place to go.
10. Finding good apartments is very difficult. Craigslist and VRBO are good places to start, but they are expensive. I rented a room from Michael (lirpa1966 at yahoo.com). E-mail him and he may have something for you too. Just don't book my room next winter!
11. The hostels in Panama City are pretty bad. I've stayed at a few and wouldn't recommend them. Casa De Carmen is somewhere between a hostel a hotel. Great place, decent location, and decent prices.
12. Bocas Del Toro is probably not worth visiting unless you're really into surfing. If you are into surfing, it's a must do.
13. If you like beaches, go to the San Blas Islands. Any hostel will get you in touch with the right people to make it happen. It's real remote island living with real indians. Highly recommended.
14. If you are a vegetarian, you MUST go to Casa Vegetariana next to Manolos near Casa Veneto. You will eat there every day. For special occasions, check out La Novena across from Happy Copy on Via Argentina. Arturo will take care of you!
15. It is possible to swim in both oceans in one day. We did it in 89.5 minutes, ocean to ocean. Can you beat us?
Panama is one of the first places I'd recommend to anyone. Consider visiting, and use these tips to make your trip even better.
Filed under: Panama, Life Nomadic
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
OBY Mar 31st 2009 1:34PM
Man, sounds like an awesome place. I will probably end up going there sometime in my life because of all the cool things I have heard from you.
Dan Mar 31st 2009 2:11PM
Nice, concise tips - well done. I wrote an article on how to get from Panama City to Boquete for first-timers. Your readers can see it here... http://boquetelots.com/Articles.html if they are interested.
Bloggeries Mar 31st 2009 4:50PM
Have you been to Coronado, El Valle or De Cameron?
I like all of them; on the pacific.
Julio Mar 31st 2009 5:49PM
Hey, cool blog, nice layout and smooth design. I'm going to include your advice about catching cabs upstairs in the airport at: http://www.hablayapanama.com/faqs/how-to-get-to-boquete.html
And great you mentioned Boquete and I don't know your views on this topic but learning Spanish if you are traveling to any Latin American country certainly makes your experience a lot richer... even if it's only a one week crash course. Check out Habla Ya Panama Spanish School: http://www.hablayapanama.com/
Shirley Apr 1st 2009 10:58PM
I went to Panama in Sept. 2008 with my Mom who was born there. I was amazed at how much has changed in the past 6 years in Panama. So many new buildings in PC. We shopped at to 2 new malls that were bright, clean, and huge! We stayed at the Las Vegas Hotel downtown PC after visiting cousins for a few days in the outskirts of town. The hotel had large rooms....2 beds, another room like a living room, and a kitchen. The only negative was that the horns from cars and buses blew all day and night. Take good earplugs! If you take the new Highway west of PC, there are many beach hotels/condos that are new. Coronado Beach and west past Los Santos have many new construction projects going on with new homes and condos. If you are near Guarare in Sept., they have their "Mejorana"(Festival). You can see the different dress styles that they wear for the festival.
Also, when in Panama, try the corvina fish. It's really good and inexpensive.
I didn't get to the Canal Zone on this trip, but I was told by a Panamainian that they now charge $5 to watch ships pass thru the Mira Flores Lockes. If you have never seen it, I believe it is worth the money. It amazes me to watch how such large ships can get through such a small place. It takes a while for each lock to fill with water so the ship can move forward, but it's still interesting to watch the workers keeping busy to make sure all goes well.
Stuart Apr 6th 2009 1:06PM
Which hostels did you stay at? I'm hoping that you didn't stay at Hostel Mamallena(www.mamallena.com), I'd like to think that we're not that bad!!! The vast majority of backpackers who have stayed with us wouldn't have a problem returning. I seriously doubt that most people have a problem with Lunas Castle either.
Also check out Santa Fe de Veraguas as an alternative to Boquete. It has the same climate as Boquete, there's plenty of nature walks to do, it's much closer to Panama City and it's a real Panamanian town(it doesn't have coffee shops, malls and retired Americans).
Howard B. Apr 15th 2009 2:11PM
Yes on your comments regarding Casa de Carmen. Big no regarding Bocas del Toro. Just went for the second time in two years. Its combination of funk, surfing, sailing, gringoes, locals and more is unmatched in any of the 61 countries I've been to. Head for Ultimo Refugio and you'll be in the best of the best.
William Friar Apr 18th 2009 7:51AM
Nice list, but I have to disagree about a few things.
2. Boquete is great, but I wouldn't say it's the "best place" outside of Panama City. It obviously depends on what you want. Don't know how one would compare, say, the Darien jungle or Azuero Peninsula w/ Boquete to make that judgment.
4. Paitilla and Punta Pacifica aren't "gringo" areas. They're rich areas. Most people who live there are Panamanian. The rest are from all over the world, not just the U.S. Gringos are a distinct minority.
5. This is true, to an extent. Some hotel taxis will try to rip you off. But most are legally allowed to charge more, as they are "tourist taxis" that allegedly offer a more comfortable, air-conditioned ride and guide services. You can tell because they have a license plate starting with "SET." They do tend to hang around hotels and tourist areas, so just walk down the street if you want a cheaper "regular" taxi.
7. Not true. A far better option is Restaurante Boulevard Balboa (Avenida Balboa and Calle 33), which has free wi-fi, a much better ambiance and is a hangout for Panama's power brokers. Comfortable and good people-watching possibilities.
8. True, it is cheaper to get taxis upstairs. But one runs the risk of getting ripped off or worse, as a few of these characters prey on clueless tourists. I recommend paying the extra and going with the licensed, authorized official service downstairs. This service was created a few years ago specifically because of bad incidents with the upstairs guys.
11. Seems a bit of a sweeping statement. Did you try Luna's Castle, for instance?
12. Wow, that's definitely a minority opinion. Some people find Bocas town too touristy, but they just need to get away from that area and see the rest of Bocas, which is spectacular. I love Kuna Yala (i.e., "the San Blas Islands"), its clear waters and its fascinating indigenous culture, but which a couple of notable exceptions the actual beaches are better among the islands of Bocas.
--
William Friar
author, "Moon Guidebooks: Panama" and "Portrait of the Panama Canal"
www.panamaguidebooks.com
serrynaimo Apr 17th 2009 9:12PM
The tips are good and William made them perfect. Although I hang out at NY Bagel every second day. I like the place and their Breakfast Special. It's good food for little money.
Someone told me that the Angel on Via Argentina must be a good restaurant (at least it looks expensive) Any truth?
William Friar Apr 18th 2009 8:02AM
For some reason, I've never gotten around to eating at Angel, even though it's one of Panama City's most famous restaurants. I'm always forgetting to try it. It's an expensive Spanish restaurant that attracts Panama's power brokers. Definitely a Panama institution. If you go, please let me know what you think!
kuna yala May 22nd 2009 6:15PM
Hello dears travellers
Alisha May 3rd 2011 7:59AM
Nice post. Panama City is a awesome place and always attracts the tourist. This city has each and everything for everyone. The hotel of this city are amazing with the wonderful services. Hotel veneto panama is one of the best hotel here and visitor's first choice all the time.
http://www.travelamerica360.com/hotel-veneto-panama.html