Panama City is a shoppers dream on many levels. There are 5 large malls in the city and thousands of retail sites spread throughout each neighborhood that sell everything from designer shoes to traditional Panamanian clothes. While the malls provide the comforts of air conditioning and taxis at most exits, I prefer strolling the streets to get a feel for the real Panama.
The Caledonia neighborhood of Panama City is great for someone who wants a market style adventure with all of the fixings from produce to home goods. Caledonia is known for being a rough neighborhood so I recommend only going during the day and staying on the main streets. They have vendors in the area every Read more
Taking a stroll through the Casco Viejo neighborhood of Panama City has the uncanny ability to erase pictures of traffic, glaring casinos, and smoggy buses from your mind. This once severely dilapidated neighborhood in Panama City has been quickly renovated and revived in recent years and has taken on a whole new feel. Among other places to visit, Casco Viejo is known for being the historical center of Panama City. This charming district is reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans in that it is loaded with French Colonial style architecture and charm. The President’s mansion, French Embassy, Museum of Natural History, Canal Museum, cathedral and multiple art galleries, shops and restaurants inhabit Casco. One could easily make Read more
A big appeal when first arriving to Panama was the low price of items such as clothing, shoes, house wares, linens and décor. But after a few experiences of purchasing cheaply priced and made clothing from various department stores in Panama I realized that here you definitely get what you pay for in terms of apparel. Among the masses of similarly styled and manufactured clothing I was able to find a store that appealed to my more eclectic and crafted sense of style.
When entering Via Vai Boutique one is almost immediately hit with warm colorful “good vibrations” as I described to fellow shoppers. The layout of the store has a comfortable boutique feel while remaining organized, well lit, Read more
Novey Hardware in Panama – For Gringos in need for our next DIY project on your condo here — this place is just like a smaller Lowes or Home Depot in the States. Cheaper though.
If you’re like me at all, no doubt you’ve had a number of frustrating experiences with people working on your home or condo in Panama. I have had my fair share of “professionals” come through and try and fix things without really knowing what they were doing. Let me tell you, the experience is highly frustrating.
So much so, in fact, that despite not having all that much time to work on the place myself, I have found it easier to do many projects on Read more
If that font is too small for you, go ahead and click this link. It will take you to the website where the house is listed.
This is an incredible offer – the owners are headed back to Canada and need to sell the house fast! You have the option to purchase it furnished, and they are even selling their car!
Pedasi is a beautiful place to be, and an up and coming tourist destination in Panama. Get in on the bottom floor with your own place. There are even direct flights from Panama City to Pedasi. Read about it here.
The health food craze hasn’t just swept the United States; it has most definitely made its way down to Panama. Organica is proof of that fact.
The only store in Panama that offers completely organic products without chemicals or preservatives, Organica supermarket pretty much has the health food sector of Panama City covered. There is a huge selection of products, the most popular being hormone free chicken and pesticide free vegetables. It is debatable, however, if there is a need to buy organic veggies in Panama, as many of the produce is grown on farms that do not use pesticides. If you buy locally, or at the vegetable markets in town, it is not likelly that you’re vegetables have been Read more
Imported Quality Meats Inc. has been in business since 1984 and offers some of the highest quality, and definitely one of the widest selections of meat products in Panama City. All cuts are of the highest quality and are only taken from plants and industries that comply with USDA requirements. Every cut, be it beef, pork, lamb, or one of their exotic meats (think ostrich, buffalo and frog legs, to name a few) is assured to be the best and highest quality. The storefront name is Meat’s Gourmet, and it is located on Calle 50 in Panama City.
Meats from Imported Quality Meats Inc. are recognized by the entire tourism industry, from hotels to restaurants and cruise ships crossing the Read more
Crystal Cruises is offering great deals on an 11– day Panama Canal cruise during this holiday season. Savings include:
2–for-1 Fares
$1000 per couple in “All-Inclusive. As You Wish.” shipboard spending credits.
The cruise stops in Aruba, Tortola, and Antigua before taking you through the Panama Canal. Cruises embark or disembark in Miami.
If you’re not sure what to give those hard-to-buy-for people on your list, I think the gift of a cruise through the Caribbean would be accepted by all.
To book a cruise call 1–888–698–9605 or click here to request a quote.
You can also visit www.crystalcruises.com for more information on all Crystal Cruises special offers.
In Panama we have the luxury of being able to find many of the same foods that we have back home at a variety of grocery stores, but for me there is just something so American-esque about Price Smart. Perhaps it’s due to the similarities it shares with Costco, an old favorite of mine. Whatever the case may be, Price Smart is bulk shopping done right.
Price Smart has everything you would expect to find at a Costco back home. When you walk in, you’re immediately greeted by the standard electronics department, with big screen TVs, computers, MP3 players, and a whole lot more gadgets and gizmos that I can happily browse through. Prices aren’t always the greatest for electronics Read more
GiGGi Travel has been keeping the Panama Gringo updated on all the great hotel deals going on in Panama right now, and here is another for the month of September:
The Hotel Veneto is offer a special for all of September – $125 + tax for Double occupancy, and that includes breakfast!
If you are planning a romantic trip for two to Panama, you may want to consider booking a room at the Hotel Veneto.
If you are coming to Panama with your family or a group, though, a hotel room may not be the way to go. If you have several children, or just a bigger group of friends, getting enough hotel rooms for the whole lot can be pretty Read more
