Panama Travel Forum

Narrowing down options for a winter stay in Panama. Agent offering what seems to be a good deal on a house in Gorgona (across the street from Malibu Beach). Any opinions on this area as a base? (last winter we stayed near Quepos in Costa Rica and enjoyed the small town, fewer touristy places than Manual Antonio....is Gorgona a similar area?)
Thanks.

I am a very active middle aged single lady traveling alone to visit friends in Boquete, Panama in the end of July.I will fly into Panama City and then take a puddle jumper to Boquete. I have been to Panama once before on a cruise and toured the Panama canal area so I am not interested in seeing that again. I thought that I would stay in Panama City a day or two before moving on to Boquete. My questions are:

What are must see sites in Panama City?

Is one full day in Panama City enough or should I plan on spending 2 full days?

I am looking for a nice hotel around $100 per night if possible that is in a safe area where I can walk around in the evening after dinner by myself. I want to be where there is some night life. Any suggestions?

We are considering an extended holiday in Panama next winter (Canadian winter) and are doing preliminary research now. Being young-ish retirees, we are not too interested in the party or surf scene, but do want to choose a couple of regions to base ourselves for several weeks at a time and enjoy day trips to explore the natural beauties (we love to hike, beach, explore etc). We usually choose ocean regions if we can. We will be seeking reasonable self catering accommodations, usually apartments or small villas.
So my question to anyone familiar with Panama, which of these areas would you recommend we use as bases: Gorgona /Coronada; Portobelo; Bocas del Toro or are there others which might offer reasonable amenities and access. How much of a factor is weather in the January to March period?
I am also searching VT tips for self catering accommodations but would welcome personal recommendations.
Thanks for any advice.

I will be in PC in August for the marathon.[1st time in Panama]
I am looking for a decent cheap hotel near the start [Multiplaza mall]
"Near"could mean accessible by foot in 10-15 minutes as I'll need to save my energy!

Does anyone know of a good hotel in Panama City, Panama? I'm trying to find something on Av. Balboa. Thanks!

We'll be arriving by cruiseship at Amador. Does anyone know of a tourguide, who can pick us up there and show us the highlights of Panama City? Thanks!

Okay, I have not done any research yet, but thought I would ask this question. I am going on a trip to South America that will give me a 10 hour layover in Panama City. What are the possibilities of going from the Tocumen Int'l Airport to any part of the Canal and then back to the airport? I would just like to take the opportunity to see the Canal since I have such a long layover and will be in the area. I wish it would be longer to take a tour, but know that is highly improbable. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Gracias!

hello all;
going to Bocas del Toro next week, i've heard of difficulty in using credit cards in far off places in Panama. are credit cards accepted widely around Bocas del Toro? hotels, restaurants etc...

Thanks.

Hey,

I am going to be in Panama in a week and am hoping to spend two days in Panama City and then a further week on a beach somewhere else in Panama!

I have heard that the best beaches close to Panama city are in the San Blas province! Is this true? any other suggestions? I wish to stay close to Panama as i fly out of there and into LA after only a week!

Could someone please let me know the best possible way of getting to San Blas from Panama and how much it is likely to cost?

I have read up on the area and it sounds nice! any other info would be greatly appreciated! Also any where good to stay?

Many Thanks for anyones help!

Dominic!

Hi my boyfriend will be in Panama City in late May for work. I want to meet him on the tail end of the trip and then we want to head to Bocas Del Toro for a few days. Can someone recommend a mid-priced accomodation? As it's only a few days, we can spend a little more if necessary. Just looking to enjoy the beach and water: snorkeling, etc. Any specific excursions you would recommend? Thanks so much in advance. We're really excited!!! Looks beautiful!

We have purchased a condo in coronado which does not come with any appliances or furniture. Can anyone advise me on where to start shopping in Panama City?

Hi,

I'll be arriving in Panama City next week the 18th of march. Normally I was planning to stay there for one or two days before heading of to the Carribean coast and most likely Bocas del Toro. However after hearing about the overcrowded coasts and the difficulty of finding accomodation during Semana Santa I'm thinking it might be better to stay in Panama City till after Easter.
Does anyone know if such measures are necessary, or if, perhaps, the accomodation problem would be the same in the city?

I'll appreciate any information on this subject,

Amands.

Hi, I will be in Panama next week!!
I will stay on Plaza Paitilla Hotel, and want to know how much costs a taxi from the hotel to Allbrook Mall?

Thanks in advance!!!

Another question for you guys! Anyone know if you can hire a car to drive you from somewhere on mainland near Isla Colon to Boquete? If so, how long would it take? I know there is supposed to be a flight from Bocas to David, but I can't find it on the Air Panama schedule anywhere... I'm wondering if it was maybe canceled.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I'm wondering if anyone who is familiar can help me with the timing of traveling from Allbrook airport to Tocumen, and how difficult it is to navigate Tocumen once you get there. I am flying in from San Blas landing at Allbrook at 7:25am, and have a departure flight from Tocumen back to the US at 9:35am. I know you are supposed to get there three hours early before flights but to be honest I find that an hour and a half is fine for international flights from airports in the US... Anyone know?

I would like to avoid coming in the day before and spending an additional day in Panama City as I am visiting it earlier in my trip.

Thank you!!

Hi there, my girlfriend, 2 friends of ours and I are flying into Panama on the 21st of March. Eastern Weekend, which we didn't realize is such a huge deal in Panama. (This is great and it will be interesting to be a part of the festivities)But it also worries me.
1) Is it going to be hard to get accomodations? We are going to be in Bocas Del Toro for 4 or 5 days over the weekend. Can anyone suggest a place realitively inexpensive as we will be touring around for a couple weeks and aren't rich. Also is there anything we should check out in this region during our stay?
2) We booked a flight from Panama City to Bocas Del Toro with Aeroperlas. Do they now fly out of Albrooks? Is there a cheap way to get there from Tocumen?

Thanks for any help. So excited and just curious about these couple of things so we aren't out of luck when we arrive. Thanks.
Jay

What sim card do I buy for my cell phone while in Panama City and needing to call home?
Thanks

I am planning to get to panama city by the middle of December from London before heading off to Colombia for the new year. Can you anyone shed some light in all the happenings in the city especially panama city. Being a civil engineer I will definitely be going to the canal to watch some of the most amazing sluice gate. I am also hoping to get some well earned rest, can someone please suggest a nice place within panama where a single male in his late twenty can relax without the hassle of being solicited in every street corner.

Many thanks

Hi VTs,
I'll be in Panama City for two nights from this saturday. Does anybody fancy having a beer and talking travel?
Let me know.

Hi there, my girlfriend and I are travelling to Panama for the first time at the end of March. We are flying into Tocumen international airport and then have a flight a few hours later from Panama City to Bocas Del Toro as we are starting our trip up there and working our way back before we flight out... I was wondering what was the easiest way to get from airport to airport, aproxiamte costs and time it would take. Also just found this board and am very curious to find out more to do in Panama as we want to capture as much as we can in our 16 days there. Any help will be greatly appreciaated. Thanks.

I'm trying to find somewhere in the caribean or panama that I can stay for
6 months, it sounds like panama is affordable, but wanted to visit the
Brit virgin islands also, I read on a website you can stay up to 6 months on the BVI. Has anyone else been to either?

We are arriving in Panama in 2 days and need some advice on good accommodation. we are backpacking so need some cheapies. also some advice on the nice coastal towns nearby with cheap hostels or hotels. (we can't find much on the net).

I will be there next week on business and want to stay in fun area that is central for transport. Please recommend an area and a hotel name if possible. After work I really want to go out to hear 'live music' and visit local galleries. Thank you in advance!

We are South Africans taking a cruise up the west coast of S/America-Panama-Mexico and ending in Seattle. Has anyone had experience with "Visa" going into Panama and what are the rules. We have had two opposing views from their offices.Initially they(The SA office) decided "because we were on a cruise with only a few hours ashore"....no visa was necessary. They later contacted their Panama counterparts who claim that a full visa will be necessary !!?? AT THE GOING RATE OF R1200 (SA Rand) each.
Seems a lot of money just for talking an excursion around town !

Any comments...............Or is just because we are south africans ?

Hi people, I'm trying to find a proper bordercrossing from panama to colombia, then up to the the cartegana. Has anyone done that before or has suggestions. My greatest concerns are tranportation and safety issues. Anyone knows the latest conditoions in this region? Thanx, Michael

Does anyone know of a small value hotel or B & B that would be good for families over Easter weekend? What is there to do on Easter?

Hi,

I'm going to Panama next month and I want to know how much does cost a taxi from the Airport to Plaza Paitilla Hotel (Via Italia, Punta Paitilla). Is any other way of getting there than taxi?

Another question is how much it cost a tour to the Channel and where do you suggest to contact it.

Many thanks in advance,

Rafa

Hola,

Estoy viajando a Panamá el mes que viene y quisiera saber cuanto cuesta un taxi desde el Aeropuerto al Hotel Plaza Paitilla (Via Italia, Punta Paitilla). Hay alguna otra forma de llegar que no sea en taxi?

Además, quisiera saber cuanto cuesta un tour al Canal de Panamá y donde recomiendan contratarlo.

Muchas gracias,

Rafa

Hi,
I will be flying into Panama City on 26 Jan in the evening as part of a business trip Because I'm there for work my time is limited but I will have one full day (on Sunday 27) there. I have 2 questions:
1. What are the must see sites bearing in mind I only have a day and I'll still be quite tired and jet-lagged.
2. Do any VT members in Panama fancy meeting up for a meeting of travelling minds.
Looking forward to visiting a new country!

Friends and I will be travelling to Panama City, Boquete, and Bocas del Toro in March...we're wondering if it's really necessary to get Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines? CDC recommends them and keeps saying that these diseases, along with malaria, are endemic in "rural areas of Bocas"...does that mean that the typical tourist areas in Bocas should be fine without vaccines? I'm not looking to get a bunch of expensive shots if it's completely unnecessary...thanks!

Nearly 40 yrs ago I was stationed at Fort Amador and plan to visit again. I heard that one or more hotels have been built on the former Fort Amador - - but I don't know their name(s) or locations. Does anyone know if a hotel was built at the far end of the causeway (formerly the Officers Club Beach)? If so, could you include the name of that hotel too.
Next, if you have taken a tour from Amador to Panama City, Old Panama, etc., could you describe how you liked it. The guide would have to speak good English too.
Thank you.