Panama´s Riviera: Pacific Coast Beaches Near Panama City
Miles of lovely, uncrowded beaches, beach resorts, retirement and vacation communities, three golf courses, surfing and wind surfing, kayaking and side trips to the picturesque mountain town El Valle de Anton.
How To Get There
By car or bus on a beautiful four lane highway from Panama City. You can rent a car or take a bus from Albrook Terminal for a couple of bucks. The taxi ride will cost you about $70 one way. The major resorts have transportation services from the international airport in Panama City.
Where To Stay
There are now six major resorts on beaches close to Panama City: Just over the bridge from Panama City is Playa Bonita Intercontinental Resort. An hour plus further there are three all inclusive resorts: Royal Decameron, Playa Blanca Resort and Breezes. The Buenaventura Bristol is the areas most upscale resort . Coronado Hotel and Golf Resort has a Tom Fazio golf coure. Excellent small hotel options include Las Sirenas featuring individual cabins right on the beach.
Where To Eat
Gourmet Dining: Vista Mar Resort community has a seaside gourmet restaurant run by one of Panama's best French chefs, with elegant decor and beautiful views of the ocean. Local Seafood is a specialty.
Great Views and Seafood: Las Pipas Restaurant and Bar on Playa Blanca is right on the beach near the the Decameron Resort. See their ad on the sidebar.
Los Camisones, near Santa Clara is a Panamanian favorite with an extensive seafood and Panamanian menu. Popular dishes are Galician octopus and jumbo prawns.
What To Do
Highlights
Miles of lovely, uncrowded beaches, beach resorts, retirement and vacation communities, three golf courses, surfing and wind surfing, kayaking and side trips to the picturesque mountain town El Valle de Anton.
Beaches
One of your first pleasant surprises will be how warm the water is- all Panama's Pacific coasts have warm water year round. For day trips from Santa Clara and and Palmar have facilities for for day trippers including restaurants with bathrooms and changing and beach equipment for rent. El Palmar Surf School on Palmar beach offers surf lessons with a certified instructor for a reasonable price. Tel:240.8004
Surfing
Rio Mar, el Palmar, Teta and Malibu are the most popular surf beaches. Check the swell chart before you leave or it might be flat when you get there. The best waves are from May-September. Punta Chame is good for windsurfing certain months of the year, particularly the dry season, and there is a cable park there for wake-boarding.
Retirement and Vacation Communities
An increasing number of American families and retirees are choosing to buy a second home and live in this area. The attractions: uncrowded beautiful beaches, competitive housing prices, proximity to metropolitan Panama City, two English language schools and an active community of foreign residents.
This area was featured in Business Week July 2009 in an article Panama-the Next Florida. Residents interviewed loved the peace and the fact that they could surf everyday.
Panama's Riviera has all the important services need for a comfortable life- cable TV, internet, two American-style supermarkets where you can find just about everything you can find in a US supermarket, restaurants, home supply stores and services and a medical clinic- the San Fernando Clinic which is an extension of one of Panama's major hospitals.
Another attraction of the Pacific Coast beaches are their proximity to the cool picturesque mountain communities like El Valle de Anton and Los Altos de Maria, just half an hour away.