litepacker

Hi, we are planning a trip over the week of Christmas to some place warm with our teenage daughters. They want to do an all inclusive kid of beach resort and my husband and I want to do some activities too rather than just laze around the whole 8 days ��. We are considering playa Bonita or playa Blanca for the all inclusive. Are there others we should consider?
We want visit the locks, canal and the rainforest..but are there other places we should consider too?
Is it better for us to make the beach a home base and do the day trips or move from one area to the other. Would love to get your inputs. As a reference we are a fairly active family and can do some strenuous activities ...
Thanks in anticipation...

Craig

You might consider Boquete, which you would best fly to from Panama City. It is in the mountains, coffee country but quite different from the areas you are considering. It is a popular area for ex-pats. We did horseback riding, shopping, hiking (lots of birds) and tour of coffee plantation. In Panama City, the Miraflores Locks (and by association the Canal) are a must, of course. The Gatun locks are also interesting and less crowded - reachable by a tourist train.

gb_williams

Playa Blanca is one of the worst choices you can make for AIs in Panama. The ocean water is very polluted there. During low tide, life guards finally show up to keep people out of the water due to the number of sting rays. Since Playa Bonita is on the other side of the Canal from Panama City, you will have to deal with traffic jams and delays going across the Bridge of the Americas. Because of this, taxis only come to Playa Bonita when they are dropping someone off. That means you will pay a high premium whenever you go to or leave Playa Bonita. Unfortunately, nearly everything you will want to see in the area -- from Miraflores to Amador to Casco Viejo to the Rain Forest Discovery Center -- are all on the other side of the Canal. Due to the high crime in the area, guards patrol both hotel grounds not to keep people out, but to keep guests in, for their protection. There are no restaurants in the area other than those at the hotels. 'Nuff said?

Playa Blanca is in a much safer area, but it is far away from nearly anything you would want to see in Panama. It is a two hour drive to Panama City, Miraflores, etc. But, if you're looking for an AI with a lot of other North Americans, this could be right for you.

My preference would be to stay in the El Cangrejo district in Panama City, and/or at Blue Bay Coronado Golf and Beach Resort at Playa Coronado -- which is only one hour from the city. There are a number of moderately priced hotels in El Cangrejo such as Hotel Milan, Toscana Inn and Torres de Alba. El Cangrejo is an area that is safe to walk around, and it has a very good variety of restaurants within walking distance. It's very easy to get a taxi (unless it's raining), and you won't get ripped off on the fares (as long as you don't get a taxi in front of a hotel).

Panama City makes a great home base for about four days. You can see Miraflores, Casco Viejo, Panamá Viejo, the Rain Forest Discovery Center, maybe a day-trip via rental car to Gatún, Fort San Lorenzo and Portobelo on the Caribbean side. Within the city in the evenings there are dinner/shows at Tinajas and club/restaurants in Casco Viejo.

Personally, I can stand the city for about two or three days at a time, then I have to get out. I've mentioned Playa Coronado and the previous poster commented on Bocas del Toro and Boquete. Bocas might appeal to your daughters. There are beaches, water sports and in Bocas Town, some good restaurants. To me, Boquete is a place where gringos go who don't want to experience the real Panama. It's full of expats, shops and restaurants where everyone speaks English, and caters totally to North American interests -- tours, whitewater rafting, ziplines and golf. If you want to see the highlands -- which are beautiful and much cooler (temp) than elsewhere -- go to Volcán and Cerro Punta on the other side of Volcán Barú.

Enjoy Panamá.

gb_williams

Whoops! I meant "Playa Bonita is one of the worst choices you can make for AIs in Panama."

RAC

If you're looking for something resortish but also offering jungle experience, consider the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. It's on the Panama Canal/Chagres River instead of the beach, but there's a very nice pool there, and an all-inclusive option. Plenty of activities including canal boat tours as well as wildlife right on the grounds.

You can easily pair it with somewhere in the city proper to see the canal locks and other city sights.

We loved the Cerro Punta area when we visited, there's a place there called Los Quetzales where you can rent cabins inside either the national volcano park Baru or in the international park La Amistad--the cabin sites were grandfathered in since the owner bought them before the parks were established. But, you're domestic flight and fairly long car drive from there.

Other beach locations we've heard mentioned (never been ourselves) include San Blas and Boca Chica--though realistically Panama's beaches have never been a main attraction compared to the ecotourism and historical features.