Coming to Panama, suggestions please

Pedasi, on the Azuero peninsula has several nice swimming beaches and Isla Iguana just a short boat ride from Playa Arenal has great snorkeling. Playa Arenal, Playa La Garita and even Playa Vanao, a great surfing beach is good for swimming. In addition there are other smaller beach for swimming between Chitre and Canas.

Hi Komatta,

Boquete has a good landscape and the place that goes more accordingly t what you describe, besides you can see there a lot of retirees and foreigners that have chosen to move to Panama in a fresh area, it is full of mountains and nature. If you want to snorkel you can go to Portobelo, and I recommend a visit to San Blas, beautiful islands in the Atlantic, you can research in google. For living I would recommend then Boquete if you want something fresh and peaceful, 6 hours driving from the city.

We have good medical care, you can try making an appointment in San Fernando or Punta Pacífica, it will depend on how complicated is the treatment.

If you decide to live in Panama there are also good options for your residency. Currently you can obtain a Permanent Residency, with Panamanian ID and even Work permit in approx. 3 months.

If you need any additional advice let me know.

Janice

As Mikkel said, there are some really nice places to swim/snorkel around Pedasi. I live in David and would recommend Boca Chica in this area, though I have never snorkeled there so don't know what there is to see. The Carribbean side has some wonderful snorkeling and in this small country, it's not that hard to visit from wherever you end up.

Going north from David, Los Algarrobas is the next town up and there is a lot of new housing being built. It's affordable and quieter than David but still close enough that it's easy to get in for work, shopping, etc. North of that, the next town is Dolega. It's a bit higher and cooler, has great views of the mountains, and is big enough to have a few convience stores and other options for daily needs. From what you said, this might be a place to consider. It's also not that far from David if you need something in town. Beyond that there is Potrerillos west of the main road, hardly a town, more rural living but really pretty area. There isn't much on the main road from there until you get to Alto Boquete which is just before the town of Boquete.

If you like cooler mountain living, you might visit Volcan. It's on the other side of the mountains from Boquete, really beautiful area, small town but big enough to have a supermarket, some stores, etc. It's not convenient for frequent trips to the beach though. If you do go that far, go a bit more and see Cerro Punta. It's my favorite mountain area and just seeing all the produce growing on the sides of the mountains is interesting.

I love our dentist in David. Dr Alfredo Spiegel, 775-2683  I heard he's leaving the area in September though.

I'm sure there are many other good places. I'm just more familiar with our area and love it here, so that's what I tend to talk about

Kris