Every year I celebrate my birthday in another state or country. In fact, I celebrated my birthday in Spain, Colombia, and even Belize for prior birthdays. This year, I went to Panama for six days and split my time between Bocas del Toro and Panama City. Below, I’m sharing recommendations on where to eat, stay, and play (specifically for Bocas del Toro and Panama City).
I started my trip solo spending one day in Panama City before heading to Bocas del Toro for two days. Then met up with one of my friends, and Instagram bestie @wanderingbritt, for three days in Panama City. Brittany and I’ve been IG friends for years, officially met IRL in Ghana, and Panama became our first trip together!
Where to stay
Where to eat
Where to play
La Coralina Island House (Bocas del Toro, Panama)
I haven’t been to Bali (yet), but I feel like this hotel is a nice 👀 preview. Located in Bocas del Toro, La Coralina Island House provides tropical Asian styles, beautiful views, and complete relaxation. Literally, all you hear throughout the day and evening are the sounds of wildlife around you.
In my tour, I learned that La Coralina officially opened in December 2021, but took 7 years to build. So the hotel is relatively untouched and designed and decorated with intention.
Service
I usually don’t dedicate an entire section to discussing the service at accommodations, but it felt necessary for La Coralina. Four days before check-in, their Guest Experience Manager Jessica, reached out via Whatsapp. She asked:
- If I’d like to plan any trips and excursions
- Any allergies or dietary restrictions
- Whether I was celebrating anything special during my stay
- For my arrival time so she could set up my airport transfer to the hotel
I was immediately picked up from the airport by taxi and taken to the hotel. Upon arrival, I received a complimentary drink (juice, coffee, or champagne) and a tour of the property. Throughout my stay, the service was impeccable, the staff was so helpful and friendly, and the attention to detail was unmatched. They took all the guesswork out, so I could actually relax and enjoy my stay.
Activities & amenities
La Coralina has so many activities to choose from, both onsite and outside the hotel. From yoga classes and massages to a chocolate tour and a day trip to Cayos Zapatilla. You can even rent an ATV, electric bike, golf cart, or UTV. La Coralina truly offers everything, I actually stayed on the property my entire stay and was never bored.
Onsite, La Coralina has:
- Four pools (two regular and two dipping/plunge). One regular and one dipping/plunge pool in the front, and the other regular and dipping/plunge pool in the spa area
- A spa area that includes: massage rooms, a sauna, one dipping pool, one regular pool, a gym, showers, etc.
- A yoga deck where they host yoga and workout classes including pilates, meditation, and Yoga Nidra
Spa
I took advantage of their spa and got a 1-hour and 30-minute relaxing massage. But they also offer deep tissue, lymphatic drainage, Thai massages, acupuncture, reiki, man/pedi, waxing and so much more.
Gym services
You can reserve personal training services and classes such as circuit training, physiotherapy, and more.
La Coralina Beach Club
La Coralina also has a beach club within walking distance with front-row views of the Caribbean Sea. The beach club has beach beds, chairs, and a bar/restaurant, and hosts happy hour and special events. For instance, I was invited to their “BBQ”, which was actually a three-course meal being served at the main hotel.
Food
There’s complimentary breakfast at the La Coralina Restaurant and Lounge Bar, but you can also have lunch or dinner here. I ate breakfast and dinner twice during my stay and everything was delicious.
One morning, I tried their traditional Panamanian breakfast which included fried eggs, chicken carimañola, Panamanian cheese, chorizo, and arepas. Another morning I had their french toast, and they were both so good! For dinner, I tried their catch of the day one night and their three-course meal another night. For the three-course meal, the steak was cooked perfectly and the dessert (fried pineapple with ice cream) was so good.
Rooms
Since I was solo for this part of the trip, I decided to go with their Standard Double room. The room included a queen bed, refrigerator, access to a shared terrace, and more. It was more than enough space for me and provided a beautiful view of the ocean.
JW Marriott Panama (Panama City, Panama)
I only stayed here for one night before heading to Bocas del Toro, so I can’t share a full review. However, my one night here was good. I took advantage of their two infinity pools (which are side-by-side), the poolside restaurant called Azul Restaurant, and room service.
The pools were great and offered beautiful views of the Panama City skyline and the Pacific Ocean.
Their food was good and was a mix of Panamanian and American cuisine. For my late lunch/early dinner, I ordered a pisco sour, al pastor tacos, and tostones at Azul Restaurant. For breakfast, I ordered room service through their QR code in the room and got a traditional Panamanian breakfast. This included: eggs, carimañola, your choice of tea or coffee, Panamanian corn tortilla, fresh fruit, and more.
The check-in and check-out process was seamless. They did offer airport transportation, but I decided to take an Uber since it was cheap.
Amazinn Places (Panama City, Panama)
If you decide to stay in an Airbnb in Panama City, chances are you’ll be booking one of Mauritius’ listings. One of the founders of Amazinn Places, Mauritius hosts 45+ Airbnb listings in Panama City.
This listing is located in Casco Viejo (Old Town) and was close to literally everything. Most of the popular restaurants, souvenir shops, convenience stores, and more, were within walking distance. The Airbnb also provided a rooftop pool, and multiple balconies within the apartment, with beautiful views.
All of these suggestions below are for Panama City, as I didn’t eat outside of the restaurant at La Coralina.
La Pulpería
A tapas bar and restaurant, La Pulpería sells delicious food and cocktails. We ordered their chicken lollipops, empanadas, and “the crispy” which was like a poutine dish. All the food was tasty, and I ordered their passion fruit sangria which was so yummy!
Everything came out quickly and the service was great. In fact, our waiter was so funny and even gave us complimentary shots. I’d HIGHLY recommend visiting La Pulpería during your stay in Panama City.
Tantalo Hotel Kitchen Rooftop
Tantalo was only a few blocks from our Airbnb, so we decided to give it a try for dinner. The service was great but the food was okay, nothing we ordered was extremely memorable. I did like the ambiance here though, and they allowed live entertainers to come in and perform.
El Caribe Restaurant
A Black-Panamanian-owned restaurant, El Caribe makes Caribbean food like oxtails, rice and peas, plantains, seafood, curry chicken, and more. The decor in the restaurant is nothing special, but the food is delicious.
I’d also note that the service was initially a little slow, but it got better.
Mahalo Cocina y Jardin
Located in the heart of Casco Viejo, Mahalo Cocina y Jardin was only a 6-minute walk from our Airbnb. We went here for brunch and the decor is absolutely beautiful. You have the option to dine indoors, or in their outdoor garden, you can’t go wrong with either option.
The service here was great, we were seated immediately and the food and drinks came out fast. All the food was delicious, and they even had vegan and vegetarian options.
CasaCasco
Everyone should visit this CasaCasco during their time in Panama City, it is only a 2-minute walk from our Airbnb. CasaCasco has five floors — three restaurants, a club/disco, and a rooftop with beautiful views of the city).
We experienced one of their restaurants, club/disco, and rooftop. We went to their restaurant on the first floor as we waited for the rain to subside. The food and drinks were good and the service was amazing. In fact, once our server realized it was my birthday, he asked my best friend what dessert I’d like. He came out with a delicious dessert (unfortunately I don’t remember the name) and sparklers.
The rooftop was nice, but we only stayed for an hour or so because the rain picked up. After, we went to their club/disco for a few.
San Blas Islands
An archipelago with roughly 365 islands and cays. Only 49 are inhabited by the Kuna/Guna people, which are the indigenous people of Panama and Colombia. The Guna people have maintained political autonomy from the mainland, and because of this, control tourism on their terms. Our entire tour was operated by the Guna people, which was nice knowing our money went directly to their community.
We booked a day trip through Trips Panama and everything was seamless, I’d highly recommend booking through them. Yes, the tour is pricey and long (especially if you do a day trip), but definitely worth it. You get to experience the Guna culture, white sand beaches, clear waters, starfish, and natural pools.
When researching how to get to San Blas Islands, I was actually discouraged by other bloggers, Facebook travel groups, etc. Some people said a day trip wasn’t worth it because:
- The drive from Panama City to the boats, and vice versa, is too long/took all day.
- A portion of the drive includes a road with potholes and winding roads that are unbearable.
- You’d get completely soaked while on the boat.
(1) The drive is ~2.5 hours both ways, and you make a stop at a gas station both ways. I’ve had longer, or similar, drive times in Peru, Colombia, Thailand, etc.
(2) The bumpy roads last for ~1-hour of the 2.5-hour drive, and I personally didn’t think it was that bad. But, I’ve also been driven to an observatory in the Canary Islands which was 7,840 ft. above sea level. And the roads became narrower the higher we went.
(3) Try to avoid sitting at the back of the boat as you’ll get splashed during the ride.
Museo Afroantillano de Panamá
Also known as the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama. Here’s where you can learn about the Afro-Antillean culture and its contribution to Panamanian history and culture. It also covers the true history of how the Panama Canal was built. As well as the discrimination Afro-Caribbeans faced. It’s a small museum, but it really does pack a lot of history.
