Panama City: First Impressions
The Real Deal Team Personal Experience
At The Real Deal Tours we take pride in being the Activities Specialists in Latin America. So, when we send a rep out in the field we ask them to share their experiences with the team, and sometimes we decide to share them with you. Below is one of our team’s first impression of Panama City. Everyone has their own experience, but here is ours to help you plan your trip to Panama.
I arrived to Panama City fairly exhausted from an early morning journey out of Bocas del Toro. Not one to ever miss a flight, I showed up an hour and a half early which meant leaving my hotel room at 5:45. Not really necessary as it is only a few minutes taxi to the Bocas Airport and there are really no lines. Next time I will sleep in an extra 30 minutes or so…..lesson learned. Luckily, the airport in Bocas does have WiFi so I was able to knock out work emails and check in with friends and family back home while I waited on the plane to arrive. In Bocas it is all small planes that you walk out on the tarmac to board, but the flight itself was short and sweet at just under an hour with a quick stop in Changuinola and great views of the Caribbean islands since we were not flying so high up. Warning!!! Be sure to bring a sweater or jacket as it is incredibly cold on board. One friend joked that since the Panamanians finally got AC, they are certainly going to use it!
Panama City is breath-taking gorgeous flying into from above. You can see ships lining up to enter the Panama Canal, both the Bridge of the Americas at the entrance of the Panama Canal and the Centennial Bridge a bit further in towards the Culebra Cut. The entire coastline is dotted with impressive sky-scrapers which seems a bit odd coming into a 3rd world country, but impressive and gave me a good energy after the long road trip though Costa Rica. We landed at the Albrook Airport which is just outside of the city and much more convenient and cheaper to get hotel transportation from there. It is a tiny airport too, so they just kind of take your luggage and you holler out which one is yours and they match your baggage claim ticket. There are yellow taxis right outside for about $20, so I grabbed a cab out of the airport and was promptly delivered to the hotel which was about 20 minutes away and very centrally located.
Unfortunately check-in was not until 3 pm, and it was only 9:30 am. FORTUNATELY, shopping in Panama City seems to be a must do activity, so I stored my luggage and took off on foot to the nearest mall, Multi-Centro which is right next to the Hard Rock Hotel. What great prices! I found the same Keen sandals that I brought prior to my trip (knowing that I’d be white water-rafting, a MUST DO in Costa Rica for $89 USD while I’d paid over $100 in the U.S). There are several more malls for all price ranges so definitely leave space in your luggage for shopping in Panama City, you will not regret it! There is the Albrook Mall which is the largest mall in Central America, Multi-Plaza which combines the upper scale stores with a few more affordable options like Forever 21, and the newest addition is the elite of the elite, the Soho Mall. Actually, the taxi driver referred to the Soho Mall as the “Mall Museo” or museum mall since all you can do is window shop since everything is so expensive. After a 7-hour shopping spree, I returned back to the hotel happy and ready to relax for dinner. There is a plethora of delicious restaurants in Panama City from every ethnicity you can imagine, so take a look at this guide for excellent suggestions. After my belly was happily full, I was exhausted and just ready to crash for the night, but there was a festival at the Hilton I was invited to attend, so had to rally for a few more hours.
The Panama Wine & Beer Festival was fun. Our guide had found an offer on OffertaSimple.com, which is Panama’s version of Groupon or Cupocity that has limited time discounts on just about everything in Panama. The event was from 6pm to 10pm 2 nights only and included Artesanal Brewers and Wine Vinyards from all over the world. There were also some regional treats such as chocolates and cheeses to clean your pallet as well as keep a good balance of food and spirits in your stomach. They gave you a wine glass for the tastings, and you also got to take a bottle to go which I left to the guide who had invited me. I am not sure if this is going to be an annual event, but it was a lot of fun and would recommend anyone who is interested in learning a bit about some new vineyards on the market to look it up before you come.
The next day I took a morning walk all along the coastline on the beautiful walking/bike riding trail called the Cinta Costera. It is landscaped extremely well with exercise machines along the way. They even have ADA approved machines, which is a nice touch for those who use wheelchairs. The Cinta Costera in Panama City runs the entire coastline and takes you from the skyscrapers of the centro to the historic district of Casco Viejo. As I reached the end of the walk there is a huge fish market with what I can only imagine is the freshest seafood in the city. Tables and tents are set up outside and had I not already had a large breakfast, I certainly would have sat down to enjoy the local gathering spot, “El Mercado de Mariscos”. Not to worry, you can count on me to go back soon and report on the cuisine found in Panama’s Fish Market.
I continued on and walked across the highway towards Casco Viejo, and immediately felt a change in the air. Entering Casco Viejo, it was as if I was had time traveled into another world, as the architecture changed drastically from modern sky scrapers to old world European architecture spanning from the 1600’s to 1900’s and an obvious French influence due to in part to the large occupation of French during the first attempt at building the Panama Canal. The streets became narrower and there were far less cars and hustle and bustle of Panama City. The houses were beautifully constructed, some recently renovated while others were in clear need of restoration. I saw guards on the corner protecting the palace, and several lovely plazas with outside dining areas and coffee shops. What a treat! I could have sworn that I had been transported to Europe! Just a quick glance back at all the skyscrapers dotting the coastline of Panama City, I knew I was just walking through a well-preserved piece of history. In fact, as of 1997, Casco Viejo is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is only my second day here in Panama City, and while originally I was most excited about seeing the famed Panama Canal, I am certainly going to be spending more time in Casco Viejo! For more info on Casco Viejo, you can refer to our blog written previously by another team member.
