
Wow, it’s a lot of work getting ready for a six-week vacation! I guess it doesn’t have to be, but I’m such a planning freak, and like to learn as much information as I can before making a decision (that’s both a strength and a weakness).
This week, one of my main focuses has been booking all our accommodations in Panama. But rather than finding a place that looks nice and going for it, for some reason I feel like I need to look at every place out there before I can weigh my pros and cons and make a decision… so it’s taken a lot of time.
We plan on visiting several different towns during our stay. These include:
- Panama City / Taboga Island
- Coronado Beach / El Valle de Anton
- Chitre / Las Tablas
- Volcan / Boquete
- Bocas del Toro
Especially to put my Grandma’s mind at ease, so she can see that we’ll be in safe places :), here are the accommodations we’ve been able to book so far.
![]() Amador Causeway | Balboa InnPanama City Helpful hotel with friendly staff in good location. $80/night Length of stay: 1 week |
![]() | Torres de AlbaPanama City 1 Bedroom apartment with kitchen: $89/night Length of stay: 4 nights |
![]() | Tres TerrazasTaboga Island Private 900 sq ft. house on Taboga island with kitchen: $145/night Length of stay: 2 nights |
![]() Tanager House | Las PlumasVolcan www.las-plumas.com Length of stay: 1 week |
As you can see, there is quite a variety of price and quality differences quality throughout the country. Panama City is one of the most expensive areas. But you can still find great deals, especially if you’re willing to stay at a place for more than a week, or more than a month.
We wondered whether we should just book a hotel for the first couple nights, and wing it from there – since you never really know how nice a place is going to be until you sleep there; pictures can be misleading. And maybe there would be nice spots that you can’t find on-line.
However, with great hotel review sites like www.tripadvisor.com and Panama forums and newsgroups, I was able to get a pretty good idea of what places would be good to stay at. And if it turns out we don’t like a place, we’re not going to be in any single hotel longer than a week, which we should be able to endure. (If not, we’ll just check out and go somewhere else, and cut our losses).
There are still a few cities we need to book places in, and there are a lot of options to choose from. Here are some we’re considering. Which of these are your favorites?
Boquete:
http://www.boquetegardeninn.com
Bocas del Toro
http://playamango.com/index.html
http://www.yellow-jack.com/hostal/yellow-english-hostal.htm
Coronado / El Valle de Anton
http://www.vrbo.com/185985 (in Coronado)
http://antonvalleyhotel.com (El valle)
http://www.vrbo.com/118629 (El valle)
http://cabinsinpanama.com (El valle)
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Raising Entrepreneurs
02 Jun 2019 - Education, Entrepreneurship, Family, Personal
Hmmm…I’m thinking I like the Boquete Garden Inn, La Coralina, Anton Valley Hotel, and vbro#118629. Very nice sweetie! You are so organized and informative. Amazing work you’ve done researching everything! Thank you so much for all your hard work!!!
There are so many fabulous choices. I don’t envy you having to choose.
Hi guys, Bill spent two months in Panama. Whenever Bill and I travel with or without the kids we have stated to rent houses or apartments. The first time we did this it was in Argentina. It is great way to go and can be less expensive. You will live around natives and shop at stores to fix your own meals which is less of the “tourist” experience. In fact we are booking two house right now for Hawaii and CA. Enjoy the experience!
[…] two other places we’ve booked (that aren’t listed in this post) also look very nice, and are much less expensive (they’re also not anywhere near the ocean). […]
@Elaina – Wow, what was Bill in Panama for? Yes, we’re excited to stay in these apartments and houses. They also offer more privacy than hotels. Good luck finding good ones on Hawaii and CA!