Panamainfo’s Blog

Great New Upscale Holiday Inn in the City of Knowledge, Clayton, former American Canal Zone: Just attended the inauguration of this new hotel- it is a beauty with a contemporary design that blends in with the traditional Zone architecture and amazing birds-eye views of the Panama Canal and the rainforest. The guest rooms are as nice as many a 5 star hotel. With all the business coming related to the Canal expansion, this 128 room hotel is perfectly located and a much needed given the current shortage of Panama City hotels. This Holiday Inn is also home to Central America first hotel school.

Wow- Central America’s First Hotel School- something our burgeoning industry really needed- the facilties are state-of-the art and the international and national staff are first rate. A Panamanian can now for less the $3000.00 a year tuition get training in the major hotel skills from cooking to management and upon graduation is just about guaranteed a job. I was fascinated with the cooking class salon- it looked like the set of a a Cooking Channel show.

Congratulations to Herman Bern and his Bern Hotels group for once again perfect timing and hotel- architectural delight.

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Two weeks ago I took a diving trip to Pedasi. It was my first time diving in Pedasi and I had heard that diving in the Pacific was different from the Atlantic in that there are a lot more fish, but nothing could have prepared me for the variety or abundance of fish that I saw underneath the water.

We only went down to about 40 feet and there were so many different kinds of fish that I quickly lost count. There were giant silver mackerels and some in our group saw monster groupers up to three feet long! One person even spotted a mantaray. At one point during our second dive of the day I suddenly found myself surrounded in a circling school of hundreds of silver fish. I was so swept away that I almost lost my diving buddy, until I looked up and saw them trying to sneak into my spot without scaring the circling fish away. We spotted dozens of rock fish hiding in the corals and in the sand. There were little patches of coral with their own little micro-garden with unique small orange and pink fish, dozens of giant parrot fish and even the occasional blowfish putting along. It is said that Panama means “abundance of fish.” We dove around the area of Isla Iguana, and rested on the gorgeous island’s beach between dives.

I highly recommend this trip to diving enthusiasts. You can drive to Pedasi, just make sure you have good directions as it is easy to get lost in the towns in between, such as Chitre, where the roads can be a little bit confusing. The people there are very helpful though and will help you find the main road. Once you get to Pedasi, there are several small hotels and restaurants to eat at- the pizza at Tiestos is pretty good, get the medium instead of the large which is a little doughy, unless you like that. You can rent equipment from Pedasi Diving and Fishing and they will take care of everything from the transportation to the beach, to the boat to Isla Iguana, and even provide lunch, all for a package deal of under $90, which includes two tanks.

Jennifer
Happy Diving!

See if you can spot the Rockfish.

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In April I did a “personal planning retreat” and then a meeting of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in the beautiful mountain valley town of El Valle, two hours from Panama City. El Valle is my favorite place to retreat from the maddening crowd of the city. For starters, I can truly get away from it all in a place of great beauty and tranqulity, without taking a plane or a long road trip.

In recent years El Valle has developed a hotel and services infrastructure to satisfy the discriminating. But let’s start with the magic of the place itself- what unusual, gorgeous mountain views, the friendly peaceful folk, the both quaint and palatial lovely homes and gardens and the fun handicrafts market. One of the best places to enjoy a world-class view is from a table on the terrace of the upscale restaurant Casa de Lourdes looking right up at The Gaital- world-class is the only way to describe that view. The adjacent Los Mandarinos Hotel, now in the capable management hands of Ann from France, has the right accommodations for some real R & R including a Spa and outdoor jacuzzi with those same mountain views.

For birders and nature lovers, Canopy Lodge is the place. You don’t have to take a long walk to see birds - you will see many on the grounds of the Lodge and the decor, setting and dining are a delight. Mandarinos and Canopy Lodge just got chosen by Fodors as top El Valle hotels.

For dining we also also recommend Pinochio’s Pizza- their “4 cheese pizza” is a family favorite.

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Folks,

This comment by an American woman living in Panama was posted on an expat yahoo chat group this morning. “It says it all”
- Nancy

“I’ve just returned from a week in the US–Philadelphia (which was absolutely gorgeous with everything in bloom, Hillary and Obama, and dozens of museums, concerts, operas, gallery, shows, etc.). Altho I had a wonderful time in the States, I am SO happy to be back home in Panama City!

I came here without expectations and with no intention of buying (or selling) real estate. I rent a lovely apartment in a great area. I’m used to the noise and pollution and the lack of customer service. (Having mentioned that, I went to Union Fenosa today to pay a friend’s electric bill. He’s in the US and this month no bill was under his condo door. It took me 5 minutes, even with my sophomore Spanish, to take care of everything. So customer service can be good….) I can’t begin to describe my US “sticker shock” on this last trip– my first dinner, a small chicken Caesar salad and a beer in a nice (but not fancy) restaurant in downtown Philly was $18. All my “real” dinners, with wine, a main course and salad, were at least $35, but usually closer to $50. (I’ve finally learned not to say, “Do you know what this would have cost in Panama?!”, because the inevitable response is, “Get over it. You’re not in Panama now!”) I have spent $50 on dinner here but that’s extremely rare and usually a very special occasion. Usually dinner out is well under $20.

I originally came here JUST to learn Spanish. I’ve come back for the past 3 winters because, after just 2 weeks in town, I had (and still have) an incredible circle of friends, which continues to grow. I have never lived anywhere (and I’ve lived all over the US) where it’s as easy to make friends as here.

I could not justify having a cleaning person come in even monthly when I lived in Seattle. As I recall that cost more than $160. In Panama I have a wonderful maid who often brings me little presents (and gave me a beautiful shirt for my birthday). I pay her $35 every 2 weeks. My dental cleaning in the US was $165; in Panama it was $35…as are most doctors’ office visits. Lab tests that would have cost $200 in the US cost $30 in Panama.

I’m a former attorney and I haven’t had to use a lawyer in Panama. I don’t trust the legal system in the US and I don’t trust it here. It certainly appears that the system here is even more corrupt than in some US states. However, my goal is to avoid both systems as much as possible. Ditto with contractors and bankers. And that may be partly why my life here has been so incredibly good.

I walk all over el Cangrejo, Punta Paitilla, and Punta Pacifica, day and night, and never have had a single problem. I shop (alone) on Ave. Central, ride the diable rojos and take taxis everywhere. My biggest problem is the occasional taxista who thinks I should have a Panamanian boyfriend. In contrast, I was instructed very carefully where it was safe…and unsafe…to walk in Philadelphia. And 3 blocks from my hotel was about as far as I could safely venture out alone at night.

I wanted to present the “other side” of the negative coin that seems to be circulating about Panama lately….I really like it here and wouldn’t even consider moving back to the US!

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Retreatslive is presenting Raw Panama Adventure Retreats, starting April 20th and going on till May 18th.

You can sign up at their website for anywhere from a weekend to all four weeks. Visit Retreatslive.com. Click here to complete the registration form. Spaces are filling up fast so it is advisable to book early. (more…)

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I have lived and traveled to most countries in Latin America and I always say that in my experience, Panama is one of the safest countries for tourists and that furthermore the Panamanian people are some of the most honest. One of Panama’s top two daily newspapers just did an interesting experiment that proves me right. Panamamerica placed leather wallets with a small amount of cash and ID cards in 15 random places around the city- from schools to churches to the race track. Of the 15 “lost” wallets, 11 were turned in right away to the local guards or respective offices. Almost all were turned in by people of modest means. Bravo Panama!

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The Scoop on New Hotels To Be Built Soon: 1, 906 rooms in the next 3 years:

One of our biggest concerns in the tourism industry is the shortage of hotels in Panama City. Sometimes you cannot get a reservation. For large meetings it is recommended you now reserve 1-3 years in advance.

Fidel Reyes, a top Bern hotel executive, just did some research and came up with this list of all the hotels certain to be built in Panama City and nearby opening for sure from now until 2010.

134 Rooms The Holiday Inn City at Knowledge Opening March 27, 2008

102 Rooms The Radisson Colon 2000 Hotel and Casino Opening April 15th, 2008

134 Rooms The Bristol Buenaventura Opening December, 2008

103 Rooms The Radisson Summit Golf And Resort Opening April 2009

80 Rooms The Panama Marriott (ext.) 376 total Opening late 2009

125 Rooms The LeMeridian Hotel Opening June 2009

128 New Rooms Courtyard by Marriott (ext.) 248 total Opening fall 2009

800 Rooms Megapolis Condo-Apart-Hotel Opening late 2009 FIRST PHASE

300 Rooms Rennaissance Panama Opening late 2010

TOTAL: Aprox. 1,906 New Rooms in 3 years, counting the 800 condo-apart-hotel units, I’m sure some other small properties will open around the Marbella, Obarrio and San Francisco area.

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Panamainfo’s High Google Placement: Panamainfo is comes up on a Google Search of “Panama” # 2 or # 3. out of 130 million sites. It also comes up high under many other keywords. We are the first commercial site, with only wikopedia regularly topping us. Basically, any one doing a search on “Panama” will find us. We are receiving about 1500 unique visitors a month who spend an average of 5 minutes on the site.

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Beating The Crowds To Panama

Panama is one of the key crossroads in the world, the land bridge between North America and South America and the waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific, yet it seems to be perpetually a decade or two behind always-trendy Costa Rica in drawing crowds of tourists. This is true even though Panama has all the elements to qualify as a Central American hotspot: teeming wildlife, sandy beaches, scuba diving, world-class fishing, widespread English proficiency, reliable transportation and a cosmopolitan capital city.

Coasting Along the Pacific

The steamy glamour and air of infinite possibility that lure people to Panama in search of a new life is not exclusive to its capital, Panama City. High-end residential developments up the Pacific coast and on the islands scattered off it promise to deliver the requisite combination of oceanfront setting, high-tech communication systems, stylish architecture and cosmopolitan multiple home-owning neighbours.

Panama’s Hottest Secret

If you’re looking to get ahead of the game, Panama City’s Casco Viejo is as up-and-coming as it gets, says Vicky Baker. Go now before the word is well and truly out.

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In 1999, Newsweek magazine published a graph with the Pinkerton Intelligence Agencies assessment of tourism safety for all the countries in the world. Panama rated the top category for tourism safety- the same as the United States.( I have a copy of the article) Good news- Nothing has changed- Panama is still one of the safest countries in the region for tourists- The American Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee just met with the head of the National Tourism Police and Panama’s rate for tourism crime is .03- about as low as it gets. It is almost all petty theft. FYI, there are some current problems with robberies in hotel rooms when guests have left, which they are working to solve.

I have traveled extensely in Latin America and making comparisons, I did not need these stats to know that Panama is a safe place for tourists. In so many other places you have to be constantly on your guard and robberies of tourists are common place.

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