Recommendations On Where to Visit/Live

Hello MizzouFan.

Welcome to Expast Blog!

Hope other members will soon give you some recommendations.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Good afternoon everybody from Italy!

I have quite the same needs of MizzouFan, except for 2 things:

1. I'm looking for a place to buy and open a little guesthouse
2. Near the beach is mandatory

I heard some italians settled in las Lajas, Chiriqui.

Hope you can help even me with some informations

Regards
Anna

Hello Anna, the Housing in Panama section could help. Do not hesitate to post an advert there.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Thank you very much, Aurélie!

Hi Mizzoufan...Annasilvia,

I'll try to address Mizzoufan's situation first, which might also address Annasilvia's. I've been a big fan of Pedasi lately, since I visited and fell in love with the place. As far as security goes, most places outside the city are fine. You don't hear about a lot of crime once you get past the Chorrera/Arraijan area. I think it's because most people in the smaller towns know each other. If someone were to assault or rob someone, everyone would probably know about it. That being said, two cops I met in Pedasi told me they'd been there a full year and there's been only one crime...and it was some sort of domestic dispute.

You'll find high-speed Internet almost everywhere in Panama. For example, in the small town of Aguadulce (which I also love), the entire town center is WiFi ready. You could sit in the gazebo at the center of town and use the Internet. Most people find Aguadulce to be boring. It is very Mayberryesque. Everyone knows everyone else, and you see a lot of waving in the streets. Aguadulce has a beach, but it's a very small beach. There's not a lot going on there. That's what I liked about it. Very peaceful.

Back to Pedasi, you'll definitely find high speed intenet there. In fact, at a gringo bar there called Smiley's, I overheard a customer asking the owner for their WiFi code so he could use his laptop while eating lunch. So again, that won't be a problem.

You both mentioned wanting to be near the beach. Las Tablas is probably the cheapest beachfront living. I met a couple there only paying $600 per month for a fully furnished two-bedroom house. Pedasi is my favorite beach area. Everything there kind of revolves around the beach. Most of the hostels/hotels in town cater to the tourists and surfers that are constantly coming to town. Playa Venao is the only place to hold two World Surfing Championships. Pedasi has three beaches to choose from.

In Pedasi and Las Tablas you should be able to find a rental for less than $1,000. Most people in Pedasi told me they were renting for less than $500. It's finding an available rental that could be a challenge. Dennis and Christie, American realtor friends of mine in Pedasi, could probably tell you what's available there. You can contact Dennis at [email protected]. They're very nice, honest people. The cool thing about Pedasi is you'll find so many foreigners (not just Amreicans) making a go at it. An Australian couple owns a bakery, a Spanish lady runs the local newspaper, and a French lady runs a souvenir shop.

My only concern about Pedasi and most of the areas you mentioned, is the fact that you have young children. I'm not sure what you mean by young. Schooling could be a problem in the smaller areas like Pedasi, Las Tablas... Pedasi has a local school, but it will be all in Spanish. What most people in these areas do, is either homeschool their children, or send them to the Spanish elementary school half the day and teach them at home the other half. Or now there's Internet schooling. Christie (half the team I just mentioned) is working on trying to open a school there for expat children.

Pedasi doesn't have a major supermarket. It does have mini-supers though. Las Tablas is about 30 minutes away and has a larger supermarket called Super Carne. Chitre, which is about 30 minutes from Las Tablas (so an hour from Pedasi), has several major supermarkets, a mall, a four-screen movie theater, and many other stores.

Las Tablas has a small expat community, Pedasi has the best expat community I've seen (they all get together at Smiley's for drinks and stuff, and they're not all American). Coronado also has a lot of expats. The only problem with Coronado is the cost. It's a beautiful place, with modern shopping centers opening up. It's one of the easiest places to move into as it's not so different from many beach towns in the U.S. It's just not very cheap. I doubt you'd find a rental for under $1,000.

I've visited a lot of places in Panama. My wife is Panamanian and prefers the city. If she were to move out of the city she'd want to go to a smaller city, like David. She'd never move to a real chill, beach town like Pedasi. However, if I had my pick, if I were looking for a beach town, I'd go to Pedasi. If I wanted a small, comfortable, friendly town that's like small town Oklahoma, I'd try Aguadulce (I'm warning you though, you might get bored...and hardly anyone speaks English). If it were mountain/hillside living, I might try Cerro Azul (close to the city) or El Valle (never been there, but I've heard it's great).

I hope I helped some. If you want to read my random articles about Panama, check out my blog at www.thestayathomegringo.blogspot.com

Chris

More towards Annasilvia's situation. Pedasi would work for you too. However, finding a spot right on the beach might be difficult as there's a lot of development going on at the beaches. You can check with Dennis at the email I listed above. He'd know what's available for a guesthouse.

Las Tablas would probably be a less developed area to try and open something like that. Dennis may be able to help you find something there too since it's so close to Pedasi.

I'm not real fond of the caribbean side of Panama (I've only visited Portobelo though), but you might want to check out that side. Portobelo has a lot of dive shops and things of that nature.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Las Lajas. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to help you much. I just don't want to lead you in the wrong direction. Living somewhere is different from wanting to open a business somewhere. Right now there's just so much going on in Panama.

I think getting in on the ground floor in a place like Pedasi or Las Tablas is smart. Both places are still relatively cheap compared to other beach towns (plus they're on the Azuero Peninsula, the southeastern tip, which is considered the driest area in Panama, meaning a lot less rain during the rainy season).

Good luck. Let me know where you open up, so I can stop by sometime.

Hey, Annasilvia, I just came across this property at a real estate website I use a lot. It's kinda pricey. I'm not sure what you're wanting to spend, but the place is turn-key and I think already has a client base. I know you mentioned wanting to open up a guest house. It's not at the beach though. It's in the mountains/highland area of El Valle de Anton:

http://www.insidepanamarealestate.com/p … panama.htm

Thank you very much for all the informations, CMichael!
I've never considered that part of Panama, I think it's worth a visit for sure
Regarding the last estate you sent to me, I'm afraid it's too large! I'm thinking about something smaller (4/5 rooms)because in the beginning I'll have no help to keep the property clean and open to customers.
I'll sure contact your friends to get some more informations about estates on sale.

Regards

Anna

@annasilvia76 - when you get to Panama check out La Pianista restaurant in the hills of Boquete.  The owner, Giovanni Santoro has been in Panama 18 years and runs one of the best restaurants in Panama (and I'm Sicilian so I'm more fussy about good pizza than most!).  Yes there are some Italian's in Las Lajas.  It is a nice beach community.  Boquete is in the hills of Chiriqui province.  It is cooler here which is why we moved here instead of other areas of Panama.

@MizzouFan - Coronado is over priced and no better than other areas of Panama.  Pedasi is growing and is known for its surfing.  It has some of the best in Panama.  Las Tablas has a great community feel and even though I love Boquete that would be my second choice in living in Panama.  We chose Boquete because the weather is just cooler.  The humidity in Panama is amazing at times.  Here, we are at 4000 feet elevation and so it is cooler. 

If you want a recommendation for a reliable realtor who can get you a place to rent let me know.  I think everyone should rent for at least 6 months to a year before they commit to living here.  There are so many empty homes here in Panama because people came, built a home, realized they didn't like it for whatever reason and then left.  So come, rent, work with a reputable realtor (I have two to pick from) and then if you want to buy something you can. 

Let me know if you want more information. 

Best,

Florence

There is a 2 br beach condo for rent in Gorgona, available on Nov. 1st. The rent is $900 a month. High speed Internet included. If you are interested get in touch with me.

@CMichael - Thanks for the thoughtful (and detailed) reply; it's definitely appreciated. Pedasi (and Las Tablas) sound very intriguing. I like the idea of living in a fairly close-knit beach town. The drive from Panama City doesn't sound too great but it looks like I will need to schedule a visit sometime to check them out .

My children are 3 and 1 years old currently. I'm not too concerned about school as we can home school them rather easily. Also, I would like for them to learn Spanish (I'm working on it currently) so I wouldn't be averse to sending them to a local school half a day if necessary.

I'm still a ways out to being able to visit and eventually move but thanks for the realtor recommendation. I will contact them soon just to get a rough idea on going rates so I can budget accordingly.

Also, I've already checked out your blog and I'm sure I'll be combing the archives. Thanks again.


@AuntieFlo - Thanks for the help as well, especially the info on Coronado. It definitely sounds like I should cross that off my list. How do you like Boquete? Are there a lot of activities or things for children to do? Yes, any reliable and honest realtor contacts you may have, please feel free to pass them on (either on here or via instant message). We're still a little ways off to getting to the point of moving but it'd be good to have some idea on prices. Also, thanks for the advice on renting. That is something we definitely are planning on doing for at least 6 months. After that, I figure we'd have a better understanding if we actually wanted to be in Panama long-term and, if so, by then we'd also have a better idea on real estate prices, locations,etc.

I am surprised to hear about Coronado.....from what I hear, that's most peoples first choice.  I get it is a bit more expensive but with kids, don't we want a place with more activities for them??  I know I am looking for somewhere with a good international school, not to pricey and a new exciting change for me and my family.
Can anyone reply as to where in Panama that would be.  That is safe as well and close to an airport.

Hi Chris, Do you have David's correct email address for rentals in Pedasi...thanks Krystal

CMichael wrote:

Hi Mizzoufan...Annasilvia,

I'll try to address Mizzoufan's situation first, which might also address Annasilvia's. I've been a big fan of Pedasi lately, since I visited and fell in love with the place. As far as security goes, most places outside the city are fine. You don't hear about a lot of crime once you get past the Chorrera/Arraijan area. I think it's because most people in the smaller towns know each other. If someone were to assault or rob someone, everyone would probably know about it. That being said, two cops I met in Pedasi told me they'd been there a full year and there's been only one crime...and it was some sort of domestic dispute.

You'll find high-speed Internet almost everywhere in Panama. For example, in the small town of Aguadulce (which I also love), the entire town center is WiFi ready. You could sit in the gazebo at the center of town and use the Internet. Most people find Aguadulce to be boring. It is very Mayberryesque. Everyone knows everyone else, and you see a lot of waving in the streets. Aguadulce has a beach, but it's a very small beach. There's not a lot going on there. That's what I liked about it. Very peaceful.

Back to Pedasi, you'll definitely find high speed intenet there. In fact, at a gringo bar there called Smiley's, I overheard a customer asking the owner for their WiFi code so he could use his laptop while eating lunch. So again, that won't be a problem.

You both mentioned wanting to be near the beach. Las Tablas is probably the cheapest beachfront living. I met a couple there only paying $600 per month for a fully furnished two-bedroom house. Pedasi is my favorite beach area. Everything there kind of revolves around the beach. Most of the hostels/hotels in town cater to the tourists and surfers that are constantly coming to town. Playa Venao is the only place to hold two World Surfing Championships. Pedasi has three beaches to choose from.

In Pedasi and Las Tablas you should be able to find a rental for less than $1,000. Most people in Pedasi told me they were renting for less than $500. It's finding an available rental that could be a challenge. Dennis and Christie, American realtor friends of mine in Pedasi, could probably tell you what's available there. You can contact Dennis at [email protected]. They're very nice, honest people. The cool thing about Pedasi is you'll find so many foreigners (not just Amreicans) making a go at it. An Australian couple owns a bakery, a Spanish lady runs the local newspaper, and a French lady runs a souvenir shop.

My only concern about Pedasi and most of the areas you mentioned, is the fact that you have young children. I'm not sure what you mean by young. Schooling could be a problem in the smaller areas like Pedasi, Las Tablas... Pedasi has a local school, but it will be all in Spanish. What most people in these areas do, is either homeschool their children, or send them to the Spanish elementary school half the day and teach them at home the other half. Or now there's Internet schooling. Christie (half the team I just mentioned) is working on trying to open a school there for expat children.

Pedasi doesn't have a major supermarket. It does have mini-supers though. Las Tablas is about 30 minutes away and has a larger supermarket called Super Carne. Chitre, which is about 30 minutes from Las Tablas (so an hour from Pedasi), has several major supermarkets, a mall, a four-screen movie theater, and many other stores.

Las Tablas has a small expat community, Pedasi has the best expat community I've seen (they all get together at Smiley's for drinks and stuff, and they're not all American). Coronado also has a lot of expats. The only problem with Coronado is the cost. It's a beautiful place, with modern shopping centers opening up. It's one of the easiest places to move into as it's not so different from many beach towns in the U.S. It's just not very cheap. I doubt you'd find a rental for under $1,000.

I've visited a lot of places in Panama. My wife is Panamanian and prefers the city. If she were to move out of the city she'd want to go to a smaller city, like David. She'd never move to a real chill, beach town like Pedasi. However, if I had my pick, if I were looking for a beach town, I'd go to Pedasi. If I wanted a small, comfortable, friendly town that's like small town Oklahoma, I'd try Aguadulce (I'm warning you though, you might get bored...and hardly anyone speaks English). If it were mountain/hillside living, I might try Cerro Azul (close to the city) or El Valle (never been there, but I've heard it's great).

I hope I helped some. If you want to read my random articles about Panama, check out my blog at www.thestayathomegringo.blogspot.com

Chris

Hi Krystal,

Dennis' email should work. Try [email protected]

Chris

For some reason the @ sign is not coming out when I write it.

Well, it came out that time. [email protected]

Ok thanks I will try again

I will be following this thread closely, as we also have two small children (1 and 2.5 currently) and are planning on moving to Panama (or possibly Nicaragua? but learning far more towards Panama right now) soon- in 6-9 months.
Pedasi sounds, from what I've read, like just the place for us. Near the beach, not too Americanized (if I wanted to live like we were in the US, I would stay here), and not too expensive to live there.
I would love the numbers or emails for some good, honest realtors in the area. We're looking to spend (ideally) under $1000. I'm willing to sacrifice in some areas, but we couldn't live without internet. I'd love to pay only $5-700 for rent! That would allow for more travelling around Panama with my children.
Also, schools aren't a concern really for us- we plan to homeschool, but I'd also love to send them to a local school for part of the day. I'm hoping my children would become bilingual.

I love El Valle-absolutely beautiful, great, friendly, involved small expat community, cooler temps, and safe. But only come here if you don't need much nightlife and you value people over things because shopping here is limited.

Probably the best expat community in Panama for respect of local people. It has a peaceful spirit, so check your gringo mentality at the door please.

My name is Gene and my wife and I are in similar situation with 3 kids and looking to live in Panama as your post reads from last year. Can you share how it went and helps us?

Thanks,

Gene

Jonoyakker... Your post hit home run for me. We are a family of 5 , 3 of which are kids night life not important as shopping for the sake of shopping is not either. We really are trying to line up the move for January or June at the latest. I am flying over in October. Can you give me some more insight on El Valle and the expat community. We absolutely do not want to hide behind gates or try to find a small america there but would prefer to be involved in the community  and learn it's ways. I would appreciate it and if you could or would possibly even meet you and you show me the town while I am there would be just awesome to have that kind of help.

Thanks,
Gene

I see that you talked with Jon.  I meet him online about a year ago.  Send me your email address and we will send you the updates on our move. We left Reno, NV to Atlanta to PC to El Valle de Anton.  We will be here 2 weeks on Thursday.  [email protected]

Gayle and Glenn Baxley

kerley5 wrote:

My name is Gene and my wife and I are in similar situation with 3 kids and looking to live in Panama as your post reads from last year. Can you share how it went and helps us?

Thanks,

Gene

Well, I recently returned from a visit to Panama (you can read my entire trip report here) but we haven't made any firm decisions yet. I did enjoy El Valle as well as Pedasi and Boquete. If you haven't visited yet I would highly recommend you do before making a decision to move.

Hi my name is Dawn. I just joined the expat-blog and have the same questions as you did. Pretty similar situation and almost the same conditions that I am looking for? Did you move to panama yet and have you gotten any answers to these questions? Need help also in narrowing down the right place and schooling for our 3 kids. Any help would be much appreciated.

Oops, I just noticed that my husband already asked you the same.

Those are the same three place we thought we would like the best!!, decided on Boquete !! Love the weather and flowers and being in the mountains.  When we want the beach it is only a hour drive!!

[Moderated: off topic]

Puerto Armuelles should be on your list of places to explore.  On the beach, great medical care nearby ( a hospital in town/ David less than an hour away). Good shopping: grocery stores, hardware stores & again David AND the trade - free zone at the Costa Rican Border Paso Canoas 20 minutes up the road.  Affordable still, and very safe.  As we are near the border the police are careful and visible.  Everything is here including excellent fishing and a welcoming community!  Come and visit!  You will be pleasantly surprised, especially with the homes in the area.  Chiquita Banana/ United Fruit Company built nice neighborhoods and a good infrastructure.

I've been here in Las Tablas for almost 2 years now. In general, the Azuero is the safest place in Panama. Violent crime just doesn't happen here.

I have the same limitations you do re: internet -- gotta have it to do my work. That pretty much means living in a town. Las Tablas has its own hospital, and Chitre's larger facility is 30 min. up the road. Between here and Chitre you can find most of the shopping you need for everything from groceries to home furnishings to hardware. . .

As to finding a rental on that budget, you can do much better. While rents have crept up a bit since we arrived, you could rent a 3 br house in upscale Mirador del Bosque, which has its own community pool and social area, for 400-600. Just make sure you understand the going rates and don't overpay or you'll be responsible for inflation! As to finding a house to rent, the only way to do it here is word of mouth once you're physically here. See http://futureexpats.com/readers-ask-how … las-panama

Susanna