Panamainfo’s Blog

Panama’s Top Places for a Beach Romantic Getaway

Note: Our idea of a Romantic Getaway: Romance for us is to get totally away from it all   surrounded by pristine , beautiful nature, yet to have good food and attentive service for all our needs. If the same appeals to you, then read on.

 In no special order:

Coral Lodge: Coral Lodge on the Atlantic coast near the San Blas Islands-  in the middle of nowhere, yet the facilities are fine and  well appointed. We love the “water villas”- over- the-water villas- each with  a Jacuzzi in the bedroom and a private deck with a chaise lounge and chairs. You hear the waves lapping all day and you can jump in the ocean from the deck of your villa for a swim or just stay there all day feeling close to and embraced by nature. You don’t have to leave your villa and  be very happy. The dining room is beautifully done and  you can breakfast on an outside terrace with 365 ocean views. The food is another attraction-mostly famous Peruvian cuisine and excellent.

Start out with a picnic on an island to yourselves: We highly recommend you choose their “San Blas Island  picnic arrival”- after flying in to San Blas , you are taken by  boat to a beautiful tropical island you have to yourselves for a gourmet picnic lunch for two and snorkeling gear to explore. What a way to begin your vacation- It doesn’t get better than this!

www.corallodge.com

Hacienda del Mar- The Pearl Islands

Many regard the Pearl Islands as the most beautiful islands in Panama and Hacienda Del Mar is a private island resort perched on a bluff on one of these spectacular islands. The sands are white, the sea is a deep indescribable blue and area home to world class fishing and some great diving destinations.

We love their Club House on the bluff with its large common areas including the dining terrace with wide open ocean and jungle views. Each meal a tucan comes down from a tree and perches nearby or even jump on our table for some crumbs- to see and experience these gorgeous exotic birds close up is priceless. The pool below is picture perfect. The cabins are tastefully appointed, each with its own view deck  and made of bamboo so you feel comfortable yet close to nature

www.haciendadelmar.net

Calamia Boutique Hotel- Boca Chica, Chiriqui

Conveniently located in Chiriqui province, Calamia is a great beach escape for those who are also exploring the Chiriqui Highlands. In Boca Chica on the Chiriqui coast, 40 minutes from the airport and another 20 minutesby water taxi,  Calamia is a pristine paradise island with privatetwo beaches and nature all around. We loved the large bungalows – all of them have ocean views  and a good size  private terrace for private relaxing.  You can hear the ocean and also from time to time howler monkeys in the jungle nearby. The décor is rustic chique. The dining pavillion has almost 365 views and the food is good with fresh and natural ingredients. The owners live nearby on the island- some greens come from their organic garden. Spa and massage services are also part of the Calamia experience.

www.boutiquehotelcalamia.com

Punta Caracol- Bocas del Toro

Punta Caracol is on Boca’s main island situated in a place where you see no other sign of man. The view of their over-the-water cabins  set in the sea are so beautiful they were featured on the cover of  Travel and Leisure. The cabins look simple on the outside, but inside they are as luxurious as an eco-friendly lodging can be, with delightful design details and two stories.  From the deck, all you can see is ocean, mangroves and  mountains in the far distance. The snorkeling is good right from the cabins. The food is good and the dining is also in a outside terrace over the sea with 100% natural views.

Being in Bocas, you there are plenty of activities- you can boat over to take various excursions like diving and dolphin watching or for some  night life  and shopping in the fun, laid back  town of Bocas.

www.puntacaracol.com

 What are your favorites?

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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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