If the really important options you’re seeking are introductions to the Panamanian professionals who can help get what you need done efficiently, you may need to search a little harder.  Connections such as helping to make your banking relationships easier to start up, providing introductions to realtors who will have your best interests at heart and tour planning professional who graciously and honorably fill your needs , then some of the innkeepers in Panama are doing a more wonderful job of welcoming you to Panama, than others.

The most ancient form of marketing for any business is word of mouth.  One individual who has an excellent business exchange, shares that news with his neighbor, who chooses to do business with that company also.  In the hospitality industry now…most organizations have become so large, their employees are no longer in touch with their clients needs and don’t have the connections in their own circle to provide contacts for potential business connections, so that ball is dropped.  That isn’t the case with innkeepers who manage one special niche market…as owners and operators for bed and breakfast lodging in Panama City, Panama.  Let’s introduce you to a few of the bed and breakfast entrepreneurs located in and around the city.

Marbela & 53rd Street, At the World Trade Center

Four Points Sheraton Panama has European décor and is located conveniently in Marbella, one of the trendier spots in Panama City. The rooms are comfortable, the facilities for business trips supportive. It is within walking distance of restaurants and the MultiPlaza Shopping Center.

“Wireless internet access is available in the lobby and bar area. Kind of a pain to have to run downstairs every time you want to warm up your laptop, but it beats paying $14 per day for access,” said one travel commentator.   Some of the amenities offered: 24-hour room service; business center/services, including a conference room, concierge desk; fitness facility; outdoor pool; whirlpool/hot tub laundry service, tennis court; wheelchair accessibility and free parking.

Some find the location, in the new high-rise part of town, a bit stark and there are some traveler reviews that focus on lack of cleanliness, but it is relatively convenient to the Tocumen (PTY) Airport and Casco Viejo for a mid level cost of $190 a night, with a breakfast buffet included in some plans.

So what kind of lodging do you want in Panama City…?  Do you prefer luxury lodging options with 600 thread count sheets and mimosa’s for breakfast?  Or do you want median cost dwellings?  Even economy travel digs in Panama are available with good food and good folks?  They are all accessible!  This site will group many of the Panama City lodging alternatives by cost and amenities.

Well you could rent a fully furnished $12 million dollar castle on Contadora Island or stay in spartan lodgings at a Hostel.  What would you enjoy the most?  Let’s look at the stars of the hospitality industry in Panama City. Until next time…

The first thing you see in Panama City’s skyline is the contrast between the old ‘Panama Viejo’  established in 1519; ‘Casco Viejo’, founded in 1673; and then the new Panama City; represented by a well developed high rise skyline with the addendum of over 250 high rise projects, being built simultaneously.

If you chose to visit a historical site, Casco Viejo can take you way back in time with its narrow streets, fish market and its great colonial architecture. The Panamanian Presidential Palace is located here, away from the noisy hustle and bustle of the busiest international banking district in Latin America. You’ll love peaking at the white cranes strolling around the pond in the President’s garden compound.

It was here the city of Panama was founded in the seventeenth century, and meandering around the neighborhood is definitely like a trip back in time.  One block is renovated to the nines and the next looks like a bomb went off… or rather a round of canon balls hit a few hundred years ago.

So some of your neighbors won’t be trying to borrow your Grey’s Poupon…do remember to be realistically cautious, this is a neighborhood in recovery…and its life signs are strong.  Since we’re talking about Casco Viejo…let’s consider some of the few lodging alternatives available or close by.

The sand on this beach, called Playa La Barquette in
Spanish, is ancient volcanic soil and so is a serene
light gray color, which is beautifully complemented by
the bright colors the developers have painted onto
their builder’s canvas.

Future plans include canal front living, a golf course
designed by J. Michael Poellot, and an equestrian
center.  As the Las Olas Resort features a long term
growth plan, you are a welcome to come to their La
Olas Resort Hotel, to watch as their master plans
become a development.  Barquette Beach is the closest
beach to the city of David, and 25 minutes from the
David International Airport, in the Republic of
Panama.

Travelers who value planning will find historic highlights, health bulletins, guides for travel with children, where to find internet access, and guides to planning wide variety of trips through Panama. Adventurers, who plan for moments rather than days, will find phone and fax numbers for last minute reservations on flights to the shore of the Caribbean for a weekend’s scuba diving or a mountain trip to kayak in class-five rapids.

Even more important as you actually venture into a foreign venue, are Lonely Planet’s well constructed maps and solid recommendations for clean hotels and good food, in Panama’s renowned destinations. The editors offer their favorites in both lodging and meals for each region, giving insights that can be very significant in a country in which food-borne and mosquito-borne illnesses do exist.

The amount of relevant data included by Lonely Planet Panama’s well-traveled team is extensive. The travel guide chooses regional destinations in each of the provinces, and then discusses local lodging and restaurant alternatives that are offered. The options for each area are categorized as: budget, mid-range and top end; which simplifies deciding where you want to go, by highlighting the differences in amenities that your dollar buys.

One chapter of the Lonely Planet Panamanian travel guide is advice by a physician, on vaccinations recommended before traveling in Panama. The doctor included a variety of health care information, even a contents checklist for a good tropical first aid kit.

Surprisingly, the cultural diversity that Panama offers has had few proponents in travel literature.  The Lonely Planet editors have provided the latest information about trips to see the celebrated 940 bird species and 125 animal species found nowhere else in the world and have offered special destinations for ornithologists and biologists.

The Lonely Planet policy of accepting and incorporating helpful hints, useful advice and meaningful anecdotes from fellow travelers, have enriched and grounded this edition, whether it’s stories of how to swim in a riptide, or hints about where the horseback riding is really good.

You can hike through cloud forests and swim in two oceans, climb mountains, or even be a delighted conservationist and delight in the four species of sea turtle nesting on this country’s unmatched seashore, and Lonely Planet Panama will help you travel wisely.  Check it out.

Let’s review the lodging choices for extended stays in Panama City, Panama since it’s the point of entry to Panama, Central America for most tourists. Then we’ll travel the country and review long term lodging in some of the more popular destinations.

Long term accommodations include hotel suites with kitchenettes, furnished apartment rentals, home trading or staying in a bed and breakfast; in addition to the many median lodging options available in hotels with meals provided by restaurants and room service.

“Villa Romantica is a mix of high class service and food, yet secluded and romantic,” shared one Villa guest.  Originally, Villa Romantica was a private home on Isla Contadora, now it has been converted into a six room hotel and restaurant with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and the lovely Cacique Beach.

The traveler’s review compliments are significant:  “Villa Romantica is an excellent choice for lodging if you are staying on Isla Contadora. The entire staff is extremely friendly, and the owner, Charlie, will do everything to make you feel welcome.” Villa Romantica offers six optimal rooms with an incredible ocean front view for a price per night varying from $80 -$160, depending on the season and number of guests in your party.

To plan your stay at the well designed and comfortable Villa Romantica, book a year in advance for a time around Christmas; but for the midsummer, around July, you might be able to show up and have just the lodging that you want…without long term planning.

Villa Romántica, (507) 250-4067, www.contadora-villa-romantica.com, to make reservations please write to ursula@panamatravelgroup.com

“The rooms at the Punta Galeon are small, simple and whitewashed, with built-in beds and bedside tables and cozy balconies attached. The bathrooms showers are attractive and clean, and the water takes only minutes (rather than days) to warm up. This is a hotel best suited to adults; since there are good places to read, and not many places to run around,” travelers have recorded.

The two restaurants at the Punta Galeon are à la carte, one outside for lunch, and one indoors and open only in the evenings. A lunch costs about $20 for sandwiches, salads, and such, while dinner, which could include sea bass, as well as lobster and shrimp, could run as high as $50 to $60 per person, including wine. Lodging at Hotel Punta Galeon for a couple will range from $85 – $130 per night, plus the 10% tourist tax.

Hotel Punta Galeon, (507) 214-3719, fax (507) 214-3721

Extended stay lodging is a narrow niche of the hospitality market in Panama – but is one that can be advantageous to you, if you’re planning to stay in an area for more than a few nights. We’ll start looking for a ‘paradise dream destination’ in Bocas Del Toro province, next to the Costa Rican border.  There you can surf some of the most explosive waves on the Caribbean, or snorkel over magnificent coral reefs of The Marine National Park on Isla Bastimentos.  (More later on sports and fishing destinations).

Lounging  on pristine white beaches is encouraged, but perhaps you’ll chose to explore a picturesque tropical reserve on the mainland, the huge International Park La Amistad. The park is home to 90 recorded mammals and more than 300 species of birds.

Whichever activity is your choice; there is a Bocas Del Toro innkeeper ready to fill your needs and take pictures of you, with a big relaxed grin, in your tropical paradise. So take your pick – ordinary tropical paradise or extraordinary tropical paradise.