Panama! Help me plan!

amother

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 10:29 am

Hi! I finally decided on a destination for a vacation this summer for my husband and I. Please let me know the must-dos, the must restaurants, and the best place to stay!

I know I want to do monkey Island and a ride on the Panama canal and the rainforest.

I am going from Sunday to Thursday. If you can help me with what's close to one another it would help also!

Thanks!

amother

NeonGreen

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 10:52 am

Check go kosher panama. They have all info you'd need. We stayed in the JW Marriott. (We were deciding between that or the Hilton). This was our itinerary

Monday: Shachris @8 Ahavas Sion
Check out kosher grocery- buy pineapple
Brunch at LA Spezia
Panama canal- Miraflores locks 2:30
Supper at Pita plus
Tuesday: Contadora-Pearl island- Flamenco Marina, local fisherman attractions
Supper at Yoss Burger
Wednesday: Breakfast from Jeffrey's
Monkey Jungle & Indians with Alon
Hotel Spa experience
Supper at Aria
Thursday: Breakfast at Jeffrey's
Amador Causway (burkes bikes)
Casco Viejo- Old Town
Lunch at Lula casco

amother

Firebrick

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 11:17 am

summer is rainy season in panama. also I would not eat at jeffrey's, not sure why anyone recommends it. blame kiki is another great restaurant and lula and kava. personally for that amount of time I might not want to be in panama city the whole time. you can fly to boquete or bocas del toro

amother

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 11:20 am

Wow! Thanks so much!! How did you get around? Uber? What's the local fisherman attractions? And the Indians?

amother

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 11:21 am

amother Firebrick wrote:

summer is rainy season in panama. also I would not eat at jeffrey's, not sure why anyone recommends it.

I know it is but this is when I can go. I am hoping weather will be decent when I go....

amother

Firebrick

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 11:33 am

amother OP wrote:

I know it is but this is when I can go. I am hoping weather will be decent when I go....

just bring rain gear and go with a flexible attitude

amother

Wed, Jun 14 2023, 11:37 am

amother Firebrick wrote:

just bring rain gear and go with a flexible attitude

Have you been there in the rainy season? Is it all day rain? I honestly didn't book tickets yet, so can change my destination. Lol

amother

NeonGreen

Thu, Jun 15 2023, 8:47 am

amother Firebrick wrote:

just bring rain gear and go with a flexible attitude

I agree. We went with Ponchos and the first day it poured. We spent the day in the restaurant and at the canal. The rest of our stay it rained each day for an hour. The rain didn't affect us much. The humidity was uncomfortable, however when we were busy it didn't bother. We went last August and really enjoyed.

amother

NeonGreen

Thu, Jun 15 2023, 8:49 am

We went around with Uber. Driving there is wild, plus Uber is very cheap. We only eat CY, and Jeffrey's and LA Spezia offer that.

amother

Thu, Jun 15 2023, 8:50 am

Thanks so much! What attractions are worth it to do with a tour company and any specific company you recommend? I see that they have a few listed on their website.

amother

NeonGreen

Thu, Jun 15 2023, 11:18 am

There are many tours/guides to the monkeys. The earlier you go the more you'll likely see. Some bring the monkeys to the boat, some don't. Some tours have other attractions included. We used Alon and he took us to an indigenous tribe and to the pipeline trail. Neither were too exciting.
To go to pearl island- it's an exhausting long day. However it is beautiful and you can get a private beach. There's Ilene that can meet you at the ferry and take you to whale watch, snorkel, Fish... or (like us) you can drive around the island (with a golf car) we parked at an inn or something, they called local fishermen to the beach and they took us whale watching and fishing. We didn't see any whales though, but we did get a fish. Otherwise we did everything else on our own.

amother

NeonGreen

Mon, Jun 19 2023, 6:13 pm

amother OP wrote:

Is it worth it to take a tour guide to pearl islands if you don't plan on snorkeling?

The only option I saw was with Ilene which is expensive. She wasn't available so I don't know if it's worth it. We took the golf cart around the island- it was an experience in itself. Then we went to a quiet beach where we were alone. Then we went to a hotel (the name was something like Mario). The beach itself was busier (although it was still relatively quiet) and they called the local fishermen to pick us up and take us out for a lot cheaper. They have whale watching, fishing and even the boating was fun.

amother

Midnight

Thu, Feb 08 2024, 2:38 pm

amother NeonGreen wrote:

Did you take a guide to any of these places? Were going in two weeks and wondering if we need a guide or just go around ourselves

doctorima

Thu, Feb 08 2024, 3:15 pm

amother Midnight wrote:

Did you take a guide to any of these places? Were going in two weeks and wondering if we need a guide or just go around ourselves

I'm not that poster, but I've been to Panama fairly recently. For all the restaurants as well as activities in and near Panama City you don't need a guide. Uber there is extremely cheap and easy to get.

But if you want to anything more exotic 2+ hours from town, such as Monkey Island, rainforest zipline, San Blas or Pearl Islands, Embera Village, you do not want to be driving those awful roads yourself! Either hire a private guide or go with an organized tour group.

amother

Cherry

Thu, Feb 08 2024, 3:15 pm

Everything is better with a guide. Our Monkey Adventures guide was bad and didn’t speak English. Hope you get a better one (maybe check TripAdvisor for who is good and request that person).

Ilene was great for the snorkeling. Yes it was an expensive and long day but it was our best day by far.

And I loved Jeffrey’s! I seriously could have eaten there every day. I probably had breakfast there most days, one day lunch and one day an early dinner.