Solo Trip to Panama City

I had 10 days off before I started a new job and was spending the first few in Tampa, Florida. I chose Panama for the remainder of the time before I returned to New York as it was not too far away and had never been. COVID testing was not required to travel there for vaccinated travelers, but you had to present an electronic affidavit. Non-vaccinated travelers had to present a negative COVID test. I originally considered going back to Mexico to Tulum, but the only practical return flight was with Spirit Airlines so…no. I tend to stay at RIU hotels and knew they had locations in Panama. I had previously looked into staying at Hotel Riu Playa Blanca, but realized it was very far away from everything and I am not one to stay at a resort the whole trip. I realized they also had a location in Panama City so that’s what I decided on.

Where I Stayed

I ended up staying at the Riu Plaza Panama Hotel. It’s located in the financial district. There are restaurants and shopping nearby. It is also not too far from Casco Viejo, the old quarter, that has museums, restaurants, nightlife and more. Check-in was seamless and the staff was very helpful and friendly. As you should know by now, I’m a foodie and the big sell after reading the reviews was the breakfast buffet. I used booking.com to book my stay and breakfast was included in the stay. I read reviews that some people had to pay $15 for it so make sure to figure all of that out so there are no surprises. The pool was nice although I wish it was on a roof for some beautiful sunset views. The gym was clean and had majority of what you’d need for a good workout. Overall, the stay was great. It was reasonably priced and cheaper than the hotels in the old quarter which offered less. Ubers are so cheap. You can get around the city easily and very decently priced. Wi-fi connection was terrible, but honestly cell service in Panama was terrible regardless. Even when I disconnected the wi-fi and used my data, I rarely had good connection most places. There is no free on-site COVID testing like there is at the Riu resorts, however the clinic that everyone in the area is sent to is right across the street. You’re charged $28 instead of $35 if you’re a guest of the hotel. I recommend staying here if you’re in Panama City. Next time I’d check out the JW Marriott or W Panama if I’m staying with other people though so I can spend less, but RIU is a solid option for a solo trip.

Day 1: Arrival

Traveling during COVID was honestly a pain, but it never stopped me from doing it. You had to present an electronic affidavit providing vaccination to enter Panama. Whatever I was instructed to do at the airport in the U.S. was not valid once I arrived to Panama. It wasn’t until I had gone through the line at immigration that I was told that I had to get a new barcode. I found an employee who spoke English to talk me through what to do. The wi-fi at the airport was trash so it took way longer than it needed to. I messaged my driver on What’s App and let him know I’d be a little while. He messaged me a picture of him with a sign with my name on it. I had arranged my airport transfer through booking.com since I didn’t know Uber existed there let alone how cheap it is. I recommend just getting an Uber when you arrive instead. After I finally went through immigration everything else was smooth sailing from baggage claim, meeting my driver and heading to the hotel.

Check-in at the hotel was seamless. I arrived after 3 p.m. so my room was ready. I went to the local 24 hour convenience store AM/PM to get a SIM card. I was being cheap and didn’t want to pay the $10 per day to use my phone’s data. I forgot that AT&T phones are locked though so I was unable to use it. Luckily it was only $6 and the woman gave me back $5 since it was already opened. I passed by so many American fast food chains and restaurants with Thai, Japanese, Lebanese, Greek and other cuisines. All I wanted was Panamanian food though. I saw a restaurant named La Cevicheria which had a nice Instagrammable aesthetic, but after going to the famed by the late Anthony Bourdain, La Cevicheria in Cartagena, I didn’t want to compare the two. I looked on Google and found Concolon Street Food which had great reviews and decided to eat there.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The service was great and it was very decently priced. My favorite dishes were the patacones con ropa vieja and the seafood rice, named “One Pot,” on the menu. I also tried Panamanian sugarcane rum, seco. For more details on my meals in Panama check out my Eating Everywhere: Panama City post. I wanted to check out Casco Viejo, but went back to my hotel to drop off leftovers and ended up going to sleep. Your girl can’t hang without anyone to motivate me to go out and I had an early wake up for my excursion the next day.

Day 2: Excursion to Taboga Island

One thing about me, if it’s a beach vacation, I have to get on a boat. I saw a TikTok prior to my trip that showed that you should take a catamaran tour to Taboga Island if you go to Panama City. I booked an All Inclusive Full-Day Taboga Island Catamaran Tour through Viator for $89 from Panamá City catamaran tour by Red Cat Panama Tours. The tour included snacks, lunch, open bar and transportation to the island. Hotel pick up was not included. We had to meet at Balboa Yacht Club before departure. at 9:00 a.m. which gave me enough time to have breakfast at the hotel buffet. The selection was just as vast as it is at the resort. It’s not your typical hotel continental breakfast. I ate outside by the pool. I then called an Uber which was $7. It said that the fare was increased due to demand which I found comical, because I had actually never seen an Uber that cheap before.

Before boarding the boat, officers check your passport. The boat was very clean and had tables and seats which I have never seen on any of the catamaran I’ve been on. They had bread, fruit, and breakfast pastries and soon after we set sail they started serving drinks. I met several other solo travelers, a woman from Trinidad, a fellow Haitian from New Jersey, a guy from Peru and guy from Toronto. Also, met a Canadian couple and another fellow Haitian from New York who was traveling with his friend. There were also groups of other people. Everybody was friendly and having a good time. We stopped to go swimming before we went to the island.

We arrived at Taboga Island. It’s a small island. There is not much to do. We got off the boat and walked around. We took touristy pictures and passed by a old church then went swimming. After we went back on the boat and were served chicken, rice, macaroni and potato salad and salad. We then went back to the marina and I got a ride back to my hotel from one of my new travel friends who was staying in the same area, but an Uber probably would have been $5.

When I got back to my hotel, I relaxed for awhile by the pool. I wanted to stay in and rest since I had to be up early the next day, but also wanted to check out Casco Viejo. I took a $5 Uber to Selina Casco Viejo, a hotel/hostel with a rooftop bar and restaurant. The restaurant has daily drink specials. The view from the rooftop is beautiful. It was super busy that night and the service wasn’t great. It took me forever to get the bartender’s attention and even after I ordered, I still didn’t get the drink for awhile. Apparently they had run out of the glass that the drink special was served in, which I couldn’t care less about. I finally got a drink then left. After I left I heard singing and went over to Buena Vaina Social Club where people were singing karaoke. I had to order 2 drinks to get a table so I did that then left. After, I walked around the area a little bit, but once I passed the bars it seemed a bit sketchy so I ordered an Uber and went back to my hotel so I could be up early for the next day’s activity.

Day 3: Excursion to San Blas Islands

When doing my research before traveling, it was said everywhere that a visit to the San Blas islands is crucial. The islands are an independent indigenous territory also known as Guna Yala or Kuna Yala, land of the Guna/Kuna, which the name of the indigenous people who own and live on the land. Both Guna and Kuna are used interchangeably. It is recommended to stay the night since it’s such a long day, but I wasn’t interested in doing that since my trip was so short already. I also had connected with a tour guide who had the option of doing a special tour where you can visit the indigenous Kuna village. Instead, I ended up booking the San Blas Islands Day Tour through Viator for $155 and an additional $25 paid in cash for the port fees. One of the people I had met the day before booked it through there too so I knew we would be together. We started the day early by getting picked up at 5 a.m. There were two people in the car and then we picked up my other friend from his hotel. We drove for about an hour and a half and then stopped at a gas station convenience store for a bathroom break and to grab snacks. I got a chicken empanada which was pretty good. The rest of the ride was extremely bumpy. We were told in advance that this was the case, but it was really bad. The roads are very underdeveloped. Luckily, I slept through most of the ride.

We arrived at the marina around 7 a.m. We met our tour guide and put in our lunch order. I chose fried fish with rice. We got on a boat and continued making stops picking more people up by water taxi. Finally we arrived at our first island stop, Isla Perro Grande (Big Dog Island). We went for a swim, were serve fresh fruit and relaxed and talk until we went back on the boat to go to the second stop. We swam in a natural swimming pool then headed to the next island.

The third stop was Isla Perro Chico (Small Dog Island) where were were served lunch. I had fried fish with coconut rice. My friend ordered fried chicken with rice too. The other options were a whole fish and the other sides were tostones or french fries. The rice was a little dry, but the fish was good and I tried some of the chicken. it was delicious; seasoned to perfection. The views were gorgeous. It was really relaxing. After that was our fourth and final stop.

Our last stop was Isla Diablo (Devil Island). We mostly swam and we talked to our fellow car ride passengers who were co-workers traveling together from the Netherlands. This island had the cabins that people who book an overnight stay sleep in. It was a no for me . As beautiful as the island was, no electricity or internet connection and barely any running water…not my vibe, but I get how it is a cool experience. I would consider it if I wasn’t traveling alone and if my trip was longer. We took photos and enjoyed the rest of our time before we headed back to the city.

We arrived back at the gas station/convenience store at 5:30 p.m. and figured we would be back in the city by 7 p.m. and could go out to dinner for my friend’s last night. We ran into another friend that we were with the day before. Unfortunately, what was already a long day only became even longer when the roads were closed for a reason we never found out. We had to take the backroads directed by locals. We drove through water; luckily we were in a 4X4 truck. We finally got back around 9 p.m. I ended up going to bed when I got back to the hotel. Even though the day was relaxing, it ended up being exhausting, but it was an amazing experience.

Day 4: Panama Canal & Casco Viejo

My last full day in Panama City, I wanted to be able to do as much as I could do. I started the day going to the gym then went to have breakfast. I originally wanted to do a food tour, but didn’t schedule it in time so I booked Sightseeing: Legends of Casco Viejo through Viator for $45. After breakfast, I went to the clinic across the street from the hotel to get my COVID test done.

I knew I couldn’t leave Panama without going to the Panama Canal. Instead of booking a tour, I took another $5 Uber to the Miraflores Visitor Center. The ticket to enter was $10. I went up to the observation deck and watched the boats passed. I stayed for a little while and then had to go to Casco Viejo for the walking tour. Of course after having great weather the whole trip so far, albeit some cloudiness, it started pouring rain right before the walking tour.

The tour guide, Alex, greeted me with an umbrella at Plaza Tomas Herrera. The tour began at the American Trade Hotel, which is where I originally wanted to stay, but it was sold out. Casco Viejo is also known as Casco Antiguo or San Felipe. We walked around the area and visited Iglesias Santa Ana, a church that had been destroyed by fire in 1854 and is still under renovation. It was cool, but I definitely was wishing it was the food tour.

We passed by the oldest restaurant in Panama, Cafe Coca Cola. Then we walked through the street known as “Salsipuedes” which means “leave if you can.” This ironically was the area I was in the other night and felt unsafe. During the day, it was less sketchy, albeit very crowded with several vendors selling traditional Panamanian hats, dresses and souvenirs. The coolest part are the graffiti murals.

It finally stopped raining and the sun came out a little. We went to or walked by the following places: Iglesia de la Merced, Panama Canal Museum, Independence Square, Plaza Bolivar, Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, and Paseo de las Bovedas, that has views of the Panama City skyline and indigenous women selling Panamanian handmade items and souvenirs. Our last stop was Plaza Francia before we went back to where the tour began.

After the tour, I stopped at Tantalo Hotel and Kitchen for dinner. I had a mango margarita, ceviche and sushi which was pretty good. After that I went to their popular rooftop and took in the views. I found a staircase that led all the way to the top. The view was amazing. Unfortunately, it was cloudy that day, otherwise there would have been a gorgeous sunset. After that I went to Selina Casco Viejo to the rooftop and ordered another drink and birria and chorizo tacos from Tacos la Neta.

My final tour I booked was the Panamá Barcrawl in Old Town Casco Viejo through Viator for $27. I figured it was a good way to go out safely in the old city with other people. The meeting point was Selina so I just headed downstairs to meet the group. We went to La Catrina, a Mexican restaurant/bar where we had tequila shots, then went back to Buena Vaina Social Club where we had the option to have a beer and a shot or rum and coke. I went with the latter. After we went back to Selina rooftop where I had a cocktail and we ended the night at nightclub, Casa Jaguar, where locals party. It was a fun night and a good end to the trip.

Day 5: Departing Panama City

I had an early flight and headed to the airport in the morning. I had booked an Uber in advance and arrived with an hour and a half until boarding. I had to go through security and then put my bag through security again at the gate again which was different, but that concludes my trip to Panama. I had a layover in Atlanta and then arrived back in New York City around 1 a.m.

Tips for travel to Panama City:

• Get around via Uber. They are readily available and super cheap.
• Account for traffic during rush hour during the week and leave early since it’s a city where people are commuting to and from work.
• Go to San Blas islands towards the end of your trip. It will be the highlight of your trip and all the other beaches you go to won’t compare.
• Add some time to visit Bocas del Toro as well.
• If you have extra time and don’t mind roughing it a little, spend the night in San Blas and sleep on the beach so you don’t have to do the full trip in a day. It’s 8 hours of travel.
• Buy a SIM card with unlimited data. Make sure your phone is unlocked first (learn from my mistakes).
• If you like big breakfast buffets, stay at the Riu Plaza Panama.
• Go to the rooftop pools and watch the sunset at the JW Marriott, W Panama or Hard Rock Hotel in Panama City or Tantalo, Selina Casco Viejo, Lazotea or Salvaje in Casco Viejo.
• Go on a food tour to explore the Old City instead of a regular walking tour as you’ll see historical parts of the city while also trying Panamanian food and drinks.