One of the prize points of Panama is its flourishing ecoutourism. You can be just 20 minutes out of the city and explore the wildlife of the rainforest. Panama is home to thousands of different species and Isla de Barro Colorado is a well maintained reserve that is home to many of them.

The island was created during the construction of the Panama Canal and is currently used for research by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Access to the island is allowed to a limited number of tourists a day so do make your reservations through a tour agency before going. It’s located in the Gatun Lake less than 30 minutes from the city so if you want to get to know more about the wildlife in Panama be sure to take this walk through nature and don’t miss the “fat tree” lovingly referred to as Barrigon (big belly). You might even catch a glimpse of a howler monkey.

Visit the Smithsonian Research Institute to learn more about making a reservation.

Panama’s culinarly landscape is a reflection of its cultural diversity. You can find most types of food that you are looking for in the city. However hear are just a few recommendations that we will be updating periodically and remember we’re always here to make a reservation or if you have suggestions, let us know!

Local Spots

Niko’s Cafe (Balboa)-$

A traditional Panamanian spot to get a quick, casual, and cheap meal, food is served cafeteria style. The sandwhiches are recommended. A 5min walk from Balboa Inn.

Tamburelli’s (Balboa)-$

A restaurant chain that serves yummy pizza, pasta, and sandwiches…just a 5 min walk from Balboa Inn. They also deliver!

Albrook Mall $

This large mall has two food areas with plenty of options, there is the traditional fast food but you can also get a cheap but delicious traditional Panamanian meal. Try El Asador downstairs by the Carousel.

Downtown

Machu Picchu (El Cangrejo)-$$

A restaurant popular with the in-the-know Panamanians, they serve delicious traditional Peruvian food. Make sure to try the Pisco Sour.

Las Tinajas (Bella Vista)-$$

A very popular restaurant because of its folkloric show offered T-Sat(9pm). Aside from the show the food is delicious, a great place if you’re looking to experience Panamanian food in a fine dining atmosphere. Just a sidenote, the show is $5 and its a $10p/person minimum consumption.

Mercado de Mariscos (Ave de Balboa)-$

A fish market that has a small restaurant upstairs. You won’t find fresher fish in Panama and you don’t have to stay for dinner, just pick-up a delicious serving of ceviche downstairs in the market area.

Amador Causeway/Canal Area

Cafe Barko-$$

This restaurant is located on Isla Flamenco in the Causeway. From there you know you are going to have nice ocean views along with your meal. They serve seafood, sushi, and traditional Panamanian food…this is the place if you’re looking for lobster or fresh and delicious ceviche. The staff is bilingual which could be a plus if you’re spanish is rusty or nonexistent.

Miraflores Restaurant (Miraflores Locks)-$$

This restaurant has the most amazing views as it is located right on the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal. It is a very popular restaurant so reservations are a must, however if you can’t make it to dinner come in the afternoon and have a drink on the terrace and enjoy the views.

 Casco Viejo

Mostaza

This  beautiful island is just a 45min boat ride from Panama City. It is sometimes referred to as the ”Island of Flowers” because of the abundance of orchids, roses, and other variety of flowers that adorn its beautiful walkways.

The island is a perfect day-getaway from the traffic and business of the city. While on the island you can shop, birdwatch, scuba dive or simply spend the day on the beach. One of the more historically interesting sites is a simple church that lies on the island. It was found in 1550 making it the second oldest church in the western hemisphere.

If you do choose stay overnight at Isla Taboga there are a few small B&Bs and hotels. The Hotel Taboga is closed as undergoes renovation into a probable resort however here are some places to stay .

Getting to the Island:

To get to the island you must take a ferry that departs from the Calypso Ferry Dock in the Amador Causeway. The ferry departure times are in the chart below. To make sure about departure/arrival times call            (507) 314-1730           . You need to be there an hour before departure. Ticket prices are $10 adults, $7kids & seniors (roundtrip). Last piece of advice is bring cash because there are not ATMs or banks on the island.

We’re working hard to make the Balboa Inn the finest B&B in town and it seems our clients agree that we’re going in the right direction!  Tripadvisor.com is a popular place where prospective travelers check out accommodation and several of our guests have left great reviews at  Tripadvisor.com.

Our other favorites are BedandBreakfast.com, TravBuddy.com and upcoming BnBFinder.com.

If you were a happy guest at the Balboa Inn (are there any other ??) ,  then please help us spread the word about our B&B so our rankings improve, more people will find us and we can keep delivering quality service and make this the finest B&B in Panama.  The high season is over, so a little extra buzz goes a long way.

To encourage your participation, we are holding a sweepstakes for 2 nights at the Balboa Inn for just $ 29 !  These nights will be given away among the first  10 reviewers.  Please note that this free night is transferable to the person you designate.   So if you can’t come to Panama yourself, make a friend or family member happy!

We leave the content to you as we know you all had a great stay.  The bottom line is to tell others what made the Balbao Inn special to you and why you’d recommend us to others. Of course, you can copy and past the review text between the different websites.

This offer is valid between September 10 and September 24 and the drawing will be on September 30.  So, check out the above sites now and start writing today.  Don’t delay. Get the word out and stay at the Balboa Inn for peanuts! And, thanks for your support!

Saskia Swartz & Thorwald Westmaas
The Balboa Inn

There is an excellent new book on the history of the Panama Canal by British writer Matthew Parker. “Panama Fever”. Subtitled “The epic story of one of the greatest human achievements of all time - the building of the Panama Canal’ I can really recommend this book. Fascinating and pleasant to read.

The other classic, ‘Path between the Seas’ by David McCullough, an American is also excellent reading. While covering the same topic, the different nationalities of the writers do result in a somewhat different perpective and focus. Matthew Parker gives more attention to the experiences of the average worker - mostly blacks from the West Indies - on the project and you’ll read a more critical note here and there about the American power politics which is mostly absent from Mr. McCullough’s book.

These books don’t just talk about the building of the Canal, they also cover the politics behind the ‘creation of Panama’ in depth.  Really fascinating stuff.

Get them at Amazon.com: Panama Fever and Path Between the Seas.

When you look from you (back) room window in the Balboa Inn, you won’t fail to see the imposing ‘Cerro Ancón’. Ancon Hill is a steep 654-foot hill which overlooks Panama City, Panama. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area.

It was under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone for much of the 20th Century, and therefore was never developed like most of the surrounding urbanized parts of the city. The lower slopes contained residences and Gorgas Hospital. Higher up were the residence of the Governor of the Canal Zone, and Quarry Heights, where the U.S. Southern Command was located. Quarry Heights was named for being adjacent to a large rock quarry on one side of the hill, which left a visible cliff face on one side. The hill contains an abandoned undeground bunker once manned by the U.S. Southern Command.

As much of it was undeveloped, it became a kind of an “island” of jungle in an urban area, where wildlife still survived cut off from other jungle areas. It is not uncommon to see sloths, coatimundi, armadillos or deer on Ancon Hill which status is now protected. Its name is used as an acronym by Panama’s environmental group, Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (ANCON) which has its offices here.

It’s a really nice hike up the hill - best in the morning - and ..

Starting today, online booking is now a reality at the Balboa Inn.  Website visitors can check room availability in real  time and get immediate confirmation of their reservations.

This kind of convenience - in multiple languages - is rarely seen in a small Bed & breakfast nor do many hotels in Panama offer this kind of service. 

Although we take pride to reply to your e-mail within 24 hours, nothing beats real-time reservation. 

Of course, you can always write us with your questions and we look forward to helping you make the most out of your stay in Panama.

The Pollera is the most beautiful and admired national costume of the Americas.  There are many tales related about its origin, but the popular opinion is that it was adapted from a gypsy dress worn in Spain at the time of the conquest of Peru and brought to Panama by the servants of the colonial families.  It normally consists of a blouse or shirt and a two-tiered full skirt.
The lavish satins and brocades that made up the dress of society at that time were not suited to the tropical climate and the servants’ garb was appropriated by the mistress and enhanced with lace and embroidery.  It was not worn outside of the home but gradually the ladies added more lace and ribbons, ornaments for the hair (tembleques) and jewelry for the neck and eventually it made its way into the public eye.

The experts agree that the ground cloth must be white and the 12 yards of material required can be fine linen, cambric or voile.  The motifs may be formed by birds, flowers, fruit, vines, garlands or native designs.  The height of elegance is achieved when these designs are executed in “talco en sombra” which is hand-sewn appliqué; however, they can be also created in cross stitch or embroidery.  The cost of the gala costumes runs into hundreds and sometimes, thousands of dollars, depending on the hand work involved.

The basic pieces of the pollera are the gown or upper part, the skirt or lower part and the petticoat or underskirt.  The gown or blouse consists of two ruffles, appliquéd or embroidered in favored color and design edged with valencienne lace and gracefully draped from handmade thread lace insertion at the neckline (this blouse is worn off the shoulder.)  Wool is woven in and out of the insertions and two big pom-poms are centered at the chest and back.  The wool must be the same color as the shoes, which are heel-less and made from velvet or satin.

The skirt is two wide pieces ornamented with the chosen motif and joined together with insertion and bordered with insertion and lace.  It is very fully gathered on a waist band.  Four wide ribbons hang from the waist, two in the center front and two in the back–they are called “gallardetes”, meaning “graceful streamers”.  The petticoat is often as elaborate as the skirt but is always pure white and the trimming is hand-made thread lace.

The ornaments, “tembleques”,  for the hair are exquisite.  A large tortoise shell comb embellished with pearls and gold is worn on top of the head and resembles a crown.  This is the key piece and the gold hairpins and tembleques, which are quivering pins and worn in pairs, are placed on the head to give the appearance of a radiant halo.  Two small discs tied to the hair at the temples with black silk thread and large gold filigree earrings with pearls or corals complete the head dress.

The jewelry adorning the neck usually consists of a pearl or coral rosary, a flat gold chain or “cadena chata”, a chain of gold coins and a gold cross on a black velvet ribbon worn as a choker.  The jewelry worn with the pollera in the olden days was indicative of one’s wealth and sometimes as many as a dozen chains were worn, all of pure gold and precious gems.  A large gold and pearl button or rosetta is worn over the wool pom-pom and a purse suspended from the waistline and fastened with two gold brooches is the finishing touch.

Four days before Ash Wednesday are “carnival” days and La Pollera comes into its own.  The streets are filled with merry makers and each Pollera one sees seems to be more beautiful that the last.  La Pollera has to be seen to appreciate the work and imagination that produces this loveliest of dresses.  The grace and enchantment of the Panamanian women is never more in evidence that when she is wearing La Pollera.
 

Conveniently located near The Balboa Inn is Panama’s domestic airport Albrook Airport (aka Aeuropuerto Marcos A. Gelabert). Flights from here will take you to all parts of Panama including David and Bocas del Toro. The two airlines are AirPanama and Aeroperlas.

Getting to the airport is easy as it is just a 5min taxi ride from the inn and right next to the Main Bus Terminal and Albrook Mall. For more information about Albrook Airport call (507) 315-0403  

Depending on where you come from and what you need to buy, you may want to pay a visit to the Albrook Mall, the largest (covered) mall in Central America.  Located just accross the runway from the domestic airport, Albrook mall is great if you need:

• -clothing
• -electronics
• -catch a bus to the country side

The Albrook Mall is attached to the Main Terminal where you can catch a bus into Panama City or even further into the interior of the country. You can even catch a bus to Costa Rica from the terminal.

The terminal aside though, Albrook Mall is a HUGE shopping mall that could take you hours to get through because of everything it has to offer. At first slightly overwhelming this mall can be maze-like but once you get the hang of it you can enjoy the variety of shopping here.

The stores range from affordable department stores like Conway and Titan to more brand name boutiques like Diesel and Converse. It also includes a bowling alley, movie theater, supermarket, and plenty of places to eat. Either way this mall is worth a visit and if you’ll be staying in Panama for a while you will find yourself visiting often whether its to catch a movie at Cinemark or grab groceries at Super 99.

Mall Hours:

• M-Thur 10am-8pm
• Fri & Sat 10am-9pm
• Sun 11am-7pm