URGENT!! Panama Recommendations for Fodor's Travel Journalist

Hi, my wife and I stayed at Tropical Suites in Boca del Toro, last year. Check out their web site. We wanted a water-front room, but had to settle for a street-front. It, still, was fine. The rooms are like jr. suites, with mini kitchens, sitting area. The staff was great. If you stay there, book a waterfront room. There are multiple other places "in town" (small, but fun place) and multiple places to stay on the numerous islands around the area. We liked the idea of staying in the town area, and feel, still, that it was the best choice. We hired a boat for a day of touring, beaching, snorkling, etc., and that, too, was great. Boca del Toro is like Florida (where our families are from for several generations) 75 years ago. We're planning on returning and staying at the Tropical Suites. Only bad experience, at the airport at Boca, when we left, you had to give the baggage handlers you carry-ons -- we had a digital camera stolen from a bag. P.S. avoid, at all costs, Panama City rush-hour traffic, it simple is the worst I've experienced.

Thank you for the helpful tips.

I haven't been yet but am researching for a future trip. Could you try to include information about the Spanish school options? There are several in Boquete and in Bocas del Toro. Good luck and thanks!

www.bocastesoroescondido.com

my fav...

If you have not already done it, I recommend you read the trip reports posted here.

Well, if Marlise wouldn't mind my piggybacking on the same discussion ... I'm doing two chapters in the same book: Eastern Panama (San Blas/Kuna Yala and Darien) and Central Panama (everything east of Veraguas and the Azuero peninsula, but not including those, and not including Panama City).

I do look at these forums regularly, but if you know of something new that I should check out and review for inclusion in the book, thank you. And thank you, Marlise.

I have lived in Panama for the past 12 years and have been involved in the tourist industry for most of that time - even was quoted in the last guide (never did receive my free copy!!)

Anyway - here as local resource if you need it - have contacts throughout Panama that I can put you in touch with. You can contact me through my email that's is displayed. Make sure you put Fodor's in the subject so I can make sure you don't get dumped into my spam folder.

Look forward to talking to either or both of you.

Cheers,
Andrew

Thank you, Andrew. I'll drop you an E-mail in the next couple of days.

Thank you qwovadis, cmcfong (yes, I have read all the reports, just looking for moree), and Andrew for your help.
Andrew, I will contact you in a couple days for your assistance (really appreciate it).

Thanks again.

Greetings Jeff,
glad to hear we are both working on this assignment. If there is any information I come across that may be of benefit to you, I will be sure to send it your way. Happy travels! Marlise

Igualmente, Marlise.

Thank you for this information. Panamonte and Seagull Cove were highly recommended in the Fodor's book, so I'll be stopping by both locations for site inspections during my visit. Your property near Dominical sounds amazing. I'm actually flying out of Costa Rica and was looking to spend a few days in that area prior to my departure. How long have you been in business? If you are fairly new, I could probably get you featured in a few publications. For more info about my work, please see www.marlisekast.com . Thanks again for your feedback.

Excellent. I've sent you a bit more information through your website. Feel free to contact me via email. Thanks!

Hello Marlise,
I've spent some time in Panama with my family & loved it! WE've only explored a little bit & can't wait to see more. In the area u r covering we stayed at Boutique Hotel Cala Mia on Isla Boca Brava......very cool!!!!
I think I have "somewhat" of a trip report here, not certain if I ever actually completed it though.
Faith

Thanks for your advice. I'll be stopping Hotel Cala Mia for sure -- it received Fodor's Choice Award in our current edition. Feel free to send any other great finds my way!

I just wanted to top this, as we're headed to Panama next month. I'm working on our last minute (love that) itinerary now. Any more recommendations, anyone? Jeff - are you the same Jeff as at CR Surf?? If so, you were a great help on our CR trip last year!

No, that wasn't me. I don't surf. Sorry.

LOL... CR Surf is a travel agency out of Florida that I found online. They book rental cars with great deals, all insurance included, with terrific service and arrangements out of Liberia. Oh... and he does know the surf market and locations also!

In Bocas check out Al Natural Resort - a very unique place on Isla Bastimentos...

Thanks! Al Natural Resort is actually featured in the book so I'll be stopping for a site inspection. Thanks for your feedback.

R U heading out to Isla Secas....? We didn't stay there(pricey), but we visited the islands. FANTASTIC.
Incredible place.....

Tragic story, while we were there the owner(Michael Klein)& his daughter, friend & pilot went down in their plane in bad weather while taking pics off Volcan Baru, only the little friend survived.

Andrew--just saw that you never received your guide you said. Can you drop me an email at forums@fodors.com so I can right the situation? =)

Spent 6 weeks in Boquete & departed 4/9/09. Recommend you visit Habla Ya Language Center for a tour-great Spanish language school where I attended 4 weeks of classes. Our favorite restaurants: A Mi Modo-very modest but has the best pizza and fresh salad with decent prices. Also, Artes Cafe has an excellent menu and attentive service. Had a fabulous meal at a new Chinese restaurant approximately 1 mile south of the visitors' center. Can't recall the name, but it's the same name as the center it's located in. Five of us ate for less than $20. Good luck!

Bellaboo,

Thanks for the info on Isla Secas. Actually, yes it is on the agenda. Sounds like an incredible place. So sorry to hear of the tragic story. When were you there?

Linda -- great suggestions. I'll be sure to check out the restaurants and language school while I'm there. One day until the big adventure!

Katie - I have Andrew's personal email so I will forward your message there. Thanks!

Marlise. I manage Isla Paridita in the Chriqui National Park. We are the only accomodations in the National Park open to the public. We are just now starting up and would love to invite you out for a couple of nights. Please view our under construction website at www.expeditionpanama.com for more information. My E-mail is info@expeditionpanama.com

Hey!
I was at Isla Paridita!!!
We didn't stay, just ate a picnic on the beach.
We did Isla Bolanos, Paridita on one excursion....Isla Secas on another excursion.
Both were exceptional, incredible expeirence, incredible beauty.
I truly hope it doesn't get too "discovered", that would be a shame.
We were there 1.5 ago. Absolutely loved it.

bellaboo. We only have four pre-Columbian style palapas on our island with no plans of expansion. We can only have a maximum of 8 persons at any one time. Our commitment to the national park and its ecology comes first. Glad you enjoyed your time here. Hope you return.

We LOVED it, Thank You.

I'm happy there are no plans for mass development(which would be rather difficult in that location potentially)

I saw the palapas on Private Islands perhaps...? I believe we'd love to come & stay with you. Isla Secas was amazing, but the lodging itself was way, way out of our price range.

We loved Cala Mia, but being closer to snorkeling would be a huge bonus....we visited a few islands within the park, the last one we swam at was one with a funny little "dublin" sign, very tiny....but with crystal clear water.

I'm going to down load the brochure now. Thank You!!

Just read Carl Deal's blog & looked at his photos....amazing!(Isla Paradita)

Isla Paradita,

We're traveling there at the end of July. I just tried to download the brochure, but got an error. Do you have a website, photos, etc? We're a family of five, so I'm not sure you'll be able to accomodate us.

Mom23rugrats

Hi there,
Although you will not be in Panama province itself, may I suggest an update to the Taboga Island text. Especially the text on Cool Hostal (it has been long closed), and Cerrito Tropical is incorrect as it rents mostly as a B&B Inn and has 4 apts. with 7 rooms total.
Feel free to contact me offline.

Maybe Jeff will be in Taboga Island? If so I can make some suggestions on that. Please drop me a line. blythex at hotmail

Taboga Island is in my territory for the book. I just sent you an E-mail. Thank you, Elizabeth.

Mom23rugrats Our Web site is under construction please e-mail me with your specific questions, ages of kids etc.. We will try and be as accomodating as possible. My e-mail is info@expeditionpanama.com. To view a short youtube video of our accomodations go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kocwy_e9fk

I sent u an email as well re accom. Isla Paridita.....

Elizabeth pei, I'm from PEI as well. I believe my brother and sister in law know you, you run a B & B on Isla Taboga?

Hi, Isla Paridita!

Our children are 11, 13 and 15. They're great travelers and have see the world from a rustic trip to Costa Rica to Western Europe to Greece.

Thank you so much for the youtube link. It really helped seeing it. We're a little chicken of sleeping outside. I have an (admittedly) unreasonable fear of Chagas after finding an assassin bug on the curtain in our CR bedroom that was NOT adobe or thatched.

Please feel free to give me your thoughts on this! I could be persuaded...

We've had our fairshare of "wildlife" in our rooms....whether we were in more luxe enclosed rooms, or more open air affairs.

From cockroaches, toads, scorpions & crabs, to tarantulas & mice....each with a great story, lol!!!

I don't have any recommendations since its been a few years since my visit. But, if you will permit a request: I would be very interested in more information about the San Blas islands.

On second thought, my recommendation would be more informationon STRI, but I'm sure you cover that in detail.

Hi Mom23rugrats!!

It sounds like your kids are of an age that they would really like the island. I have to say that it is a tropical island and there are critters roaming about. We have no poisonous snakes. Your most likely encounter will be with the crabs or iguanas (harmless of course) We do have some bugs but that's why the cabins have mosquito nets. The cabins are open air but because of the roof and walls it doesn't feel "that" wide open. We also have heavy tarps that we can drop if the rain or winds pick up. I have to say the thing I love the most about the open air cabins is listening to the waves at night and sitting up in bed in the morning and looking out over the ocean. It wouldn't be the same behind a pane of glass.

Did u recieve my email Isla P.?

Check out the Balboa Inn in the canal zone area, they're slightly new (less than a year), I live in Santiago and whenever I make a stop in the city I stay at their Inn. It's a great spot and definitely feels like home!

The Balboa Inn would fall in the Panama City chapter, which neither Marlise nor I are doing. I'll pass on the suggestion to the editor and he can forward it to that writer. Thank you for the tip, panamama.

Marlise and Jeff,

I've never taken malaria pills for ANY trip I've ever taken, but I'm reading that they are necessary for trips to BDT.

Really? Have you guys ever taken them? Would you take them for BDT? I still have a month, so it's not too late...

Mom

That's a tough call, mom23. The CDC website says that malaria meds should be taken for "rural areas" of BDT. I bet if you surveyed people here, me included, most would tell you they had never taken anything for a trip to Bocas. Does that mean we were right? It's hard to say.

I did call our pediatrician, out of a rabid maternal obligation to protect my young. She said, "the CDC recommends it, so what's the harm in taking ONE PILL a week?" Yeah, she emphasized those words... so the kids will be taking the malaria meds. However, I can't even get my hubby to take an aspirin, so it's pretty unlikely that he or I will take them.

Thanks for your thoughts, with which I agree in principle!

Hi,

I am in the air charter business here in Panama and developing the country's only private air medical transport service. Deep knowledge about whom to contact and where to stay is an email away.

Wife grew up in Guarare and we will be in Pedasi later this week.

Jeff, I lived in CR for 7 months before moving here 5 years ago.

Enjoy your respective trips.

Regards,

Hunter

I'll be at Seagull Cove in Chiriqui this weekend. It'll be my third time in Boca Chica and the stunning Gulf of Chiriqui. Maybe I'll see Andrew there.
my husband and I are visiting the site of our new eco-resort, which will be built just past Cala Mia on Isla Palenque. Andrew, you should definitely boat by Isla Palenque and take a look at it. In a couple of years we'll be asking you to come stay and review us!
Marlise, would you forward to Andrew's email?

Does anyone know of a place to have authentic Panamanian cooking near Boca Chica/Seagull Cove in Chiriqui?

Wow......that's a pretty big resort.

Which resort? Isla Palenque? Not so big. In 2 years or so we'll have about 35 rooms and a few homes. If the area keeps growing, we'll have more. Totally low-density, no high-rise hotel, we're only building on 5% of the island, tops. The interior will be practically untouched.
Bellaboo, are you the one from PEI? I've always wanted to go there!

From PEI, but do not live there anymore.

I'm happy to hear you will attempt to keep your endeavor small. You'll provide jobs for locals, which is a positive. Hopefully the area is just a "little" too much effort to get to so that it doesn't become another Manuel Antonio, lol.

I just came back from Panama. Had a nice lunch at Cala Mia and met the new manager/partner there. Stayed at Seagull cove, with terrific food and a nice, quiet atmosphere. Had one dinner at Gone Fishing with their new chef. The food was fine, but what was better was the chance to chat with the local expats who hang out there.

Check out Bluff Beach Retreat www.bluffbeachretreat.com on Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro and the new Pecado - used to be on the main street - now near Saigon