Panama Insider Articles Archives

Bocas Town, the capital of Panama’s beautiful Bocas del Toro Province, is one of my favorite places in the world. Yes—the entire world.

Since moving to Panama, my personal experience with healthcare here has been excellent. Without exception, all the doctors I’ve seen have been professional, thorough, and took a lot of time to talk to me and deal with the issues I was having.

“When our beautiful view is the Pacific Ocean and the warm breeze blows through our condo, we hardly feel like we are confined. If we have to stay in for an extended period of time because of Coronavirus restrictions, we are okay with that. We love it here,” says Jo Anne Burrill of her adopted hometown of Coronado.

Swaying palm trees, soft white sands, and warm waters of clearest blue…Panama’s islands epitomize the best of the tropics. Panama has hundreds of islands, but the island destination I visit the most is Contadora—and with good reason.

While we wait for the boat to pull away from the dock, we pose in our orange lifejackets. The breeze is whipping our hair into our faces, and the sun is shining brightly. The ocean varies from intense sapphire to a crystal clear aqua. There’s exuberant greenery along the shore, and the striking city skyline gleams in the background. We all smile wide for the inevitable photo. Soon we’ll be digging our toes into white sands and wading into warm waters.

I’m not about to maroon myself in the wilderness and commune with my inner Walden any time soon. I never go to the movies…but I like knowing there’s a movie theater close at hand if the notion ever takes me to go…

For the last decade, I’ve spoken at International Living’s conferences in Panama City, to an audience of retirees, real estate investors, and entrepreneurs.

Considering taking to the road in Panama? The key is just to drive slowly and take it all in. Once you master it, exploring Panama is a breeze, and there is so much more to find on your own than you’ll get to on local transportation.

Roger and Danielle Eggleston swapped careers in high-end hospitality for their own beach bar in a tropical paradise. “Now, we take a boat to work instead of sitting in traffic,” says Roger.

The Pedasí Love boutique market was launched three years ago in the town of Pedasí, on Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, to showcase locally produced clothing and household decorations. Within a few months, the site began hosting the Fresh Friday food market, further boosting its appeal.