Ok, so you’ve gathered all of your application documents and you obtained all the notarizations, stamps and seals. You’ve chosen dates that align with the kids’ school schedules, and you’ve been careful to avoid any public holidays in Panama when the government offices will be closed. You’ve booked your flights and selected your seats.
Now, you need to figure out where you are going to stay in Panama City. Should you look for a place near The Independent Lawyer offices? Should you try to stay somewhere close to Panama’s Immigration Office, so that you can get to that early-morning appointment?
Figuring out where to stay can feel a bit daunting. Especially if you haven’t already spent some time getting to know the City. This articles summarizes the information that we often share with our clients as they plan their trips to launch their residency application processes.
5 Days in Panama
We generally ask clients to plan to be in Panama for at least 5 business days to submit the residency application. But you won’t be busy that whole time. In most cases, the prep work is already done before you arrive.
Actually, your trip will only require two short meetings: a 45-min meeting at The Independent Lawyer offices in the San Francisco area of Panama City, and another one that usually lasts less than 1 hour at Panama’s Immigration Office in the Tumba Muerto area of Panama City.
Click Here to read about what the typical schedule will look like.
The locations of the 2 meeting for your residency application are on opposite sides of the city, and each of them are about the same distance from coastline on Avenida Balboa. And if you are planning to accomplish other things while you are in Panama City (such as opening a bank account or obtaining your Panama driver’s license) then those appointments are going to be in entirely different areas of the City.
The point is, it probably doesn’t make sense to try to book a hotel or AirBNB in direct proximity to your meetings. And since you are going to have plenty of free time during your stay in Panama City, we suggest choosing a comfortable, interesting location rather than staying right next to your appointments. Look for a walkable area, with shops and restaurants nearby, and easy access to Uber!
Panama City Hotels
Panama has a ton of hotels! We are going to start a list of some of the hotels where many of our clients stay when they are in the City for just a few days. But if there is a Panama City hotel that you would like to see on this list, then please write to us and tell us about what makes it a great place to stay!
Higher-End
First, here are a few higher-end hotels where you are sure to be comfortable. And these are all in great locations right in the heart of the City:
Hilton Panama – on Ave Balboa, likely to have an ocean view. Easy access to restaurants and the Cinta Costera.
Waldorf Astoria – just behind the Hilton, on a bit quieter street without a direct ocean view, but in a very walkable area with a small supermarket and several good restaurants in the immediate vicinity. Also, while this hotel is flagged a Waldorf Astoria, and it is a nice hotel. Although, it is perhaps not as ritzy or as expensive as a Waldorf Astoria in a lot of other cities around the world.
JW Marriott – in Punta Pacifica is very comfortable and with multiple amenities, boutique stores and food and beverage options right there within the complex.
Bristol Hotel – an old-school Panama City classic. This one has been around for a very long time, and it feels a bit more boutique than the ones mentioned so far. It sits just up the road from Calle 50, so count on City views.
Mid-Range
Hotels in Panama are generally not as expensive as they are in a lot of larger cities. But here are a few other options that are in good central locations, but with a bit more mid-range pricing than the ones above. Check them out online to see if any are relevant:
Courtyard by Marriott – very close to the JW Marriott, but without the view and a lower price point. It is also connected to Multiplaza Mall, which is very popular and with lots of shopping, restaurants, and entertainment options.
Sortis Hotel by Marriott – a lot of our clients stay here, as it is a very central area of the city, and they also have several good restaurants on site. I believe pricing is more affordable than the J.W. Marriott, but we haven’t stayed there.
Hotel Las Americas Golden Tower – sits at the end of Ave Balboa between the Paitilla and Marbella neighborhoods. Easy location to grab an Uber and access the key areas around the City.
Decapolis Hotel – another one near Hotel Las Americas Golden Tower.
Megapolis Hotel – another one in the same area as Hotel Las Americas Golden Tower (formerly HardRock hotel).
RIU – right on Calle 50 (main road in the city). It is in the same general area as Hotel Las Americas Golden Tower, Decapolis and Megapolis, but it is in a slightly better location. It should be very easy to grab an Uber here.
Coral Suites – we have not stayed in this one, but we meet a lot of PRT clients who stay here. So, I believe it must be one that is recommended within that network. It is centrally located in the middle of the city. If you look at it on the map it appears very close to Vía Argentina, which is the main street in the El Cangrejo neighborhood.
Be warned: Coral Suites is a few blocks away from Vía Argentina. So, you may be disappointed if you have been checking out videos of the El Cangrejo neighborhood online. In other words, it is in a less aesthetic area, but it may be a good value for money. If you stay there, then let us know your feedback.
Casco Viejo Hotels
If you are here in the City for a few days, you will want to check out Casco Viejo. This is going to be one of the more interesting areas of the City, and there are also several hotels worth checking out in this area.
These are probably somewhat in order of lowest to highest prices (more or less, and not based on empirical data, by any means) So, let us know if we need to shift the list around):
Hotel San Felipe – a smaller, recently opened hotel, simple with nice Italian finishes. Not on a main plaza, but Casco Viejo is very small.
Hotel Central – a comfortable hotel in a beautiful building on a prime spot overlooking Plaza Catedral. Likely lower rates than most of the others on this list.
Las Clementinas – wow, you’ll love these apartment-hotel rooms. They are spacious and full of character, and you have the ridiculously and consistently good Mahalo restaurant right downstairs. And with incredible views of the modern city skyline from up on the rooftop, Las Clementinas might just be the perfect home base for your 5 days in Panama.
Hotel American Trade – Casco Viejo’s first luxury hotel since the area started being redeveloped over the last 15 years. Sits in a great location right on Plaza Herrera.
Hotel La Compañía (Unbound Collection by Hyatt) – a large complex occupying an entire city block, with numerous little restaurants and bars and interesting corners to explore. Casco Viejo and Panama are very proud of this project. We cannot do it justice in just a few sentences, but you’ll find plenty of content about it online.
Sofitel Legend Hotel – sitting over the water, probably the highest-end, luxury hotel in Casco Viejo. It was developed over many years on the former site of Club Unión, which is Panama City’s This is another one that has gotten a massive amount of attention over the last few years, and you are sure to have a memorable experience here.
Across the Canal
Dreams Playa Bonita – a nice little all-inclusive resort just on the other side of the Bridge of the Americas that crosses over the Panama Canal. While this area is called “Playa Bonita”, there isn’t really much of a beach here. Still, it can be a nice area to hang out for a few days if you don’t care about being right there in City.
Westin Playa Bonita – sitting right next to Dreams Playa Bonita, but offering a bit higher-end hospitality experience. The problem with staying in Playa Bonita when you come to Panama to submit your residency application, is that you are going to have to join the morning rush-hour traffic coming into the City when you go to the immigration office for your early-morning meeting with us. The police actually re-route more traffic lanes in the direction of the city to handle the influx, but you are going to need to budget extra time to catch an Uber and get across the Bridge of the Americas into the City.
Panama City Neighborhoods
Like I said, there are a lot of hotels in Panama City, and WAY more than the few we have referenced here. So, you may prefer to choose a cool neighborhood first, and then to search for a hotel or an AirBNB. If this is your approach, then here are some neighborhoods worth researching for a short stay in Panama City.
By the way, these neighborhoods are all pretty centrally located. So, any of them would serve as a good home base for anything and everything you are getting done in the city:
Casco Viejo (or just “Casco”)
This is Panama’s “Old Town” and a Unesco World Heritage designated neighborhood. Casco has tons of restaurants, bars, shops, and small museums. It is full of content and movement, and it is probably the best area fo the City for wandering and people watching. There are also a bunch of cool apartments and a very active, connected expat population that call Casco Viejo home.
These days, Casco Viejo gets pretty congested with tourists, and getting into the neighborhood can be a little bit exhausting during peak hours. Panama’s presidential palace is also located here, so when there are occasional protests around social issues in Panama the protestors usually end up in Casco Viejo. But since you really don’t have very many appointments, this is unlikely to affect you a great deal during your 5 days in Panama.
So, go enjoy some fresh raw oysters at Bruma, and try to find the secret door to La Barbara (arguably the best cocktail bar in Panama City). Explore the menu at Fonda Lo Que Hay, and spend some time getting lost in the historic streets of Casco. I promise there is more going on here than you will have time to discover over just a week. But you shouldn’t let that stop you!
Full disclosure—Ryan and I lived in Casco Viejo for nearly a decade. We still keep have an apartment there, and we will probably forever consider ourselves “Cascqueños“.
If you want to go down the rabbit hole on Casco Viejo, then friend of ours recently started a blog for anyone trying to get the lay of the land on Casco Viejo. Check it out: Casco Viejo 360.
El Cangrejo
This area was very cool something like 20 years ago, and then sort of lost its luster. But now it is back in fashion after the municipality did a bunch of infrastructure projects a few years ago. Lots of little restaurants, a nice big park for kids and anyone looking to stay active, and a consistently nice buzz with people walking around. This is a real, thriving little neighborhood with a nice mix of high-rise condos and older mid-rise buildings.
All the trees on Vía Argentina a bit cooler than the rest of Panama City, making it a pretty pleasant place to walk around for a few days. Enjoy brunch at Mentiritas Blancas (“Little White Lies”) or Atypico. Enjoy locally made rum at Pedro Mandinga, or local brews at La Rana Dorada. And discover a dance party at El Cangrejo Radio. There’s something for everybody here, and the El Cangrejo neighborhood offers a soft landing in Panama City.
We think this video does a pretty great job of capturing the vibe of El Cangrejo. And, also, this illustration:
San Francisco
This is an area where a lot of expats spend time, so you’ll come across it online when you research areas of Panama City. Some of the best restaurants in Panama City are located in San Francisco, and there are a lot of different types of housing and places to stay. This is also where Panama’s largest city park is located: Parque Omar. And Parque Omar is truly an amazing public space.
The Independent Lawyer offices are within the San Francisco area, and our family also lives here. So, we obviously like it very much.
That being said, we want to be sure you understand that San Francisco is not really a “neighborhood”. Rather, it is a section of the city called a “corregimiento“, with a bunch of different neighborhoods inside of it. So, while some areas in San Francisco will offer cool shops and restaurants right outside your building, others may require calling an Uber to get to where you want to be.
For restaurants, check out Cantina del Tigre, Tapa de Coco, Intimo, Brutto, and Los Años Locos.
Punta Pacifica
Dominated by skyscrapers, but its one of the nicest and safest areas in the center of the City. It is a pretty popular place for foreign executives to live if they are working in an office building that isn’t located in Costa del Este. This is where Grupo Los Pueblos is developing the signature Ocean Reef Club project, which probably has the highest price per residential m2 in Panama.
Punta Pacifica is pretty sexy, but wouldn’t be our for just a few days in Panama. The area doesn’t exude authenticity or particular character (at least from our perspective). On the other hand, if you are looking for somewhere to be able to eat, sleep and get some work done all in one place and in style, then the JW Marriott checks a lot of boxes right in Punta Pacifica.
Punta Paitilla
Older high rise buildings, but very central part of the city and also extremely safe. It is adjacent to Punta Pacífica, but it feels much more like a neighborhood.
There is also a synagogue right in the neighborhood, and this is where a lot of Panama’s local Jewish community lives. And Shabbat in Punta Paitilla is pretty cool to witness, as you see neighbors walking to and from the synagogue and to one another’s homes to share meals.
The hills and the shaded streets make it kind of a fun area to go for a run, and you have walk-on access to the Cinta Costera. You’ll also find a number of places to grab a bite or a short Uber ride to anywhere down town, so Punta Paitilla is really not a bad home base for a few days.
Parque Urracá
Multiple nice residential towers surrounding a big shady park right in the middle of the city. The park has children’s play equipment, a basketball court and a baseball field, and a stage where there the municipality occasionally hosts events. There is also a Riba Smith supermarket within walking distance, and it is right on Ave Balboa with direct access to the Cinta Costera (another amazing public space asset).
What is great about the buildings around Parque Urracá is that they all sit just off of Ave Balboa. So, you might get the views, but you won’t get the noise from all the traffic. A number of friends with young families have lived in this area over the years, and people seem to love the area. If you are testing the waters for areas where you might want to live, then consider spending some time in this neighborhood.
By the way, Parque Urraca is located within a larger area called Bella Visa, which is another “corregimiento” like San Francisco. Even though Bella Visa actually covers a huge area, often times people will say “Bella Vista” in reference to the few blocks around Parque Urracá.
Marbella
Also right off of Ave Balboa, with walkable tree-lined streets, several good restaurants (check out Market and Azahar restaurants while you are here, and go have a drink and people watch at Les Mecs).
If you are travelling with small children, then you have a couple of small playground areas in Marbella. You are also in direct proximity to Paitilla Hospital and lots of doctor’s offices and clinics. Anything on Ave Balboa will have very nice ocean views, and you also have direct access to Calle 50 to head toward the other side of the City. The Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Hotel Las Americas Golden Tower, Megapolis, Decapolis, and RUI hotels sit right near this neighborhood. So, you have plenty of places to stay.
Another full disclosure—Ryan and lived in Marbella for almost 4 years after we left Casco. The Independent Lawyer also opened its first office in Marbella. We think Marbella checks a lot of boxes for families as it strikes a balance between a residential neighborhood and an urban environment. This is an area worth spending a few days if you are trying to get a feel for what it might be like living in the heart of Panama City.
Costa del Este (“CDE”)
The newest urban part of the city, a mix of shiny new highrises, but also newly developed suburban neighborhoods, lots of restaurants and retail, lots of multinational corporations and expats, and walkable. This is the only area that really isn’t in the city center, as it is just on the other side of a tollway bridge. But CDE kind of has everything in terms of restaurants, stores, etc. So, it is sort of its own city center.
Honestly, our family goes to Costa del Este all the time. And I imagine that if you lived there, you wouldn’t really need to leave that often. If you’ve already spent some time in Panama and you are considering new areas where it might make sense to live, then we would recommend looking into Costa del Este.
Bottom Line?
Panama City really is an amazing City. Actually, every time we drive in from a weekend at the beach, when we are circling around Casco Viejo on the Cinta Costera, Ryan always says our boys, “Hey, look how beautiful our City is!” And you know something? It really is beautiful in a lot of ways.
If you are joining our Panama community, then we want you to see the beauty of Panama City as well. And we’d love to hear your feedback,. Especially about any gems that we have missed. Send us your thoughts by email to: info@theindependentlawyer.com.
