talk to me about Panama

[CloudBee]

DH wants to go to the InterContinental in Playa Bonita.  Our kiddo will be turning 1yr the week we go.  (March, FWIW.)

It's not even 30 mins south of Panama City, and maybe 10-15 mins south of the Panama Canal.

We want to stay fairly close to Panama City so we have easy access to the airport.  Although I know there are some amazing beaches further away, we don't want to drag the kid along too far to get to the resort. 

It looks like there isn't anything in Playa Bonita other than the InterContinental and the Westin.  Is anyone familiar with this area?  Are there places we could get to by foot?  And shopping areas or other restaurants?

What's ground transportation like?  DH isn't crazy about walking around the city with our baby, but I imagine we would want to make at least a short visit into the city to look around.  What would be the best way to go about this from our hotel without renting a car?

Any suggestions on drivers or private tours?  We've done this in Ireland - had a driver for the day, and it was the BEST experience.  I'm not sure where to start looking for Panama.

DH has a love for InterContintals, Hyatts, Hiltons, and similar when we're abroad.  He likely wouldn't want to stay at a hotel this time around that he's not already familiar with.  (Mainly because we will have DS and he wants to know certain standards are being met.)

Insight appreciated.  Thanks!

[sarahsas]

We went to Panama last May/June. It was amazing! We stayed in Panama City, Boquete and Bocas. I can't give you insight on your resort but here's a few tips otherwise...

- Taxis are easy and cheap - IF you know how to do it. Do you speak Spanish? If so, advantage. There are no meters - ask before you get in how much to go to a certain place. It's very cheap but some drivers take advantage of tourists, especially if they don't speak Spanish.
- I highly recommend Rudy from www.rudystours.com/ We rented an apartment from him and his wife in PC and he arranged for all of our transfers. He and his drivers were prompt, professional, and fairly priced. He speaks great English too. It was so nice having his driver there for us when we arrived in PC (late), knowing exactly where to take us, and then he picked us up at 5am for our return flight without problems and a few other transfers.
- The PC airport was the worst I've been in in recent memory in terms of flying back to the US. Get there at least 3 hrs in advance. We got there 2.5hr in advance and almost missed our flights due to inefficiencies by staff there. They screen you multiple times for security too... screened us to get to the gate area and then also before we got on the plane did individual, very detailed security screenings. We flew Delta (part of the problem was their staff I think).

If you have other questions about PC let me know!

[CloudBee]

This is all helpful. Thanks!

We've decided to spend a few days in the city to start now, and then go down to the beach resort for the 2nd half of the week.

I'm so excited!

Did anyone get Hep A or Typhoid vaccines before going? What about anti-malarial pills? I've emailed our pediatrician to see if our 12 month old should be getting any of these.

[sarahsas]

I've had both of those shots so didn't even think about it. My h hasn't and he didn't. No it the anti malarial too. We were in the remote, deep jungle and sprayed with a lot of big spray- no issues.

[dbsk8dance]

We're thinking about going in July. I'd be interested in your experience when you go!

[CloudBee]

Jan 20, 2014 0:01:18 GMT -5 sarahsas said:

I've had both of those shots so didn't even think about it. My h hasn't and he didn't. No it the anti malarial too. We were in the remote, deep jungle and sprayed with a lot of big spray- no issues.

How long is the typhoid shot good for? Any idea?

[CloudBee]

Jan 20, 2014 0:07:30 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

We're thinking about going in July. I'd be interested in your experience when you go!

I will keep you posted.

I think we are set on spending the first half of the trip at the InterContinental in Panama City, then going down to the InterContinental in Playa Bonita. We had a great experience at the IC in Tahiti a few years ago.

Another contender in the city are the new Trump and Wyndham resorts. The Wyndham is very family friendly - lots of reasonably prices suites, and many with bunk beds for the kids.

[CloudBee]

Jan 20, 2014 0:07:30 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

We're thinking about going in July. I'd be interested in your experience when you go!

Are you getting Hep A or Typhoid vaccinations for you or your kids if you go?

[neonpink]

I was in Panama last June.

I did not get any shots. I've known a lot of people that have done work there any they never got any shots. So I didn't.
FYI if you area mosquito magnet (I am) bring a type or two of repellent. They loved me and flocked to me. Everyone else in my group was fine. :/

We rented a car. If you are not used to crazy traffic and no rules, go by taxi or a car service. Driving was an adventure in itself.

We stayed in the Gamboa Rainforest resort for the first few days of our trip. It had a great pool and all the rooms have hammocks hanging on the porches. It was a fun place to start our trip and was a short drive to the Canal. The hotel is on the lake the feeds the Panama Canal.

We drove past the Intercontinental and the resorts on our way out of Panama City towards David. The cities are very small in that area so you would really be reliant on the resort and the food they offer. I would make sure that they have great reviews if you are going to stay out that way.

We went to Bocas del Toro so we weren't on the Atlantic side for much of our trip. I loved the people in Panama, they were very friendly and nice. The seafood also can not be beat. I think I fished myself out by eating so much fresh seafood.

[sarahsas]

Typhoid shot protocol has changed since I got it... it used to be a series of 3 shots and now it's one or an oral dose. So I have no idea how long mine was effective for but it's past due I'm sure. I didn't get a booster!

CloudBee, we stayed at the Trump at the tail end of our trip, before flying home. It was just ok. Would definitely not stay there with kids unless in a suite or separate rooms. The bathroom is basically part of the room, very little to no privacy for the shower. The pool area was pretty nice, though very little sun during the day due to skyscrapers. The poolside restaurant was decent. In an area that you wouldn't want to walk around. We stayed in Casco Viejo on the front end of our trip and it is definitely the area of PC I'd recommend if you want to be in a vibrant area.

[Nonny]

Jan 19, 2014 23:03:45 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Did anyone get Hep A or Typhoid vaccines before going? What about anti-malarial pills? I've emailed our pediatrician to see if our 12 month old should be getting any of these.

We did a cruise through the Panama Canal last April, and we did get Hep A/B and Typhoid vaccines as well as anti-malarial pills.  We're all a bunch of over cautious engineer types with easy access to a travel clinic, and I'm a huge mosquito magnet.  We also used copious amounts of DEET (and I wore permetherin treated travel pants)

That said, even in the mangrove swamp tour in Colombia and the jungles of Costa Rica, we never saw a single mosquito and none of us got bit.  I'm guessing we got lucky and it was because it wasn't the rainy season when we went.

I figure the Hep A/B (TwinRix I think it was called) was a good idea to get up-to-date on anyway, and I'd rather be safe than sorry regarding Typhoid and Malaria.  At the time the Typhoid vaccine was out of stock everyone in our region though, and we ended up all having to do the oral vaccine route.  It was a bigger pain than a shot (you have to take the pills over a course of several days), but it lasts longer, so that's an acceptable trade off to me.

[dbsk8dance]

CloudBee

We would be going without the kids, so no extra vaccines for them. We will get typhoid and Hep A for sure. I'm still deciding about the anti-malarials because I may still be breastfeeding.

[CloudBee]

Thanks. I have an appointment with the "travel specialist" at our pedi's office. They can't get us in for a few weeks, which is annoying. They want us to come in for a discussion, so I can't just make an appointment with a nurse for the vaccines. Stupid. So I also have a call into our city health department. I'm waiting for the nurse to call me back to confirm - but we might be able to get DS vaccinated as early as tomorrow.