April 23-27, 2025
Once we landed back in Panama City, we were transported to our resort by San Blas Sailing’s shuttle. We arrived early, and unfortunately the hotel wasn’t prepared for us. Our group has had experiences with all-inclusive resorts, and it felt like it’s a relatively new concept in Panama. The check-in process was slow, and they gave each couple conflicting messages about when our rooms would be ready. (We were told 1 hour, others heard 2 hours, and the last couple heard to come back at 1PM). Regardless, most resorts would typically give you the wrist band so you could start enjoying the resort, but this one said we couldn’t get them until 3PM.
We decided to make our way back into town for lunch – Mark and I had found a restaurant with fun drinks and a “crunchwrap,” so naturally we ended up there. Getting around Panama was really easy, Ubers were very affordable!
After lunch, we were all excited to get settled into our rooms and freshen up again. (The catamaran was amazing – but the showers were more like what you imagine in a camper). So we made our way back to the resort.
This time, two of our rooms were ready and we were able to get changed up for the pool. One of the downsides of traveling during shoulder season is that sometimes you run into maintenance that needs to be completed during a less busy time. Basically, one of the main pools was being drained and it meant everyone was forced into the same area of the pools. But it ended up being fine – and it was nice to be at the pool.
The resort also had a rotation on their restaurants, so the first night we ate at their Asian restaurant. The food was all really good and we enjoyed it before heading to karaoke. The rest of the group loves karaoke and they are really good at it. It was also fun to watch other groups sing – there was a good mix of performers in Spanish and English.
The next day we went to the historic district again and our driver gave us an excellent recommendation for Panamanian cuisine – El Nacional – it was SO good. I think it was my favorite meal of the trip!
We did a little shopping after lunch before heading to the Panama Canal. We got lucky because we didn’t research the timing of things ahead of our visit, because there could have been a chance that no ships were coming through the lock systems.
The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It saves ships a huge amount of time, roughly about 8,000 miles by letting them avoid sailing all the way around South America. (Hello Drake Passage!) Instead of taking weeks, the trip through the canal takes about 8 to 10 hours. Ships pass through a system of locks that raise and lower them to move across the canal (and passing through Gatun Lake). It’s one of the most important shortcuts in the world!
We were able to watch a few ships and a sailboat pass through the lock at Miraflores Visitor Center. They also had a wonderful video on the history of the canal narrated by none other than Morgan Freeman that helped us understand the impact the canal had on Panama.
The next day we were set to go out on an eco-adventure that would take us on a tram ride through a forest, to monkey island on a boat ride through Gatun Lake (part of the Panama Canal), and to a sloth sanctuary. The tram ride was a cool way to get to see the forest and the canopy, we didn’t get to see a lot of wildlife when we were on it – but I’m sure on other days you might have better luck. From our vantage point, we could see ships making their way down the Panama Canal.
The next stop was the high-speed boat ride, which took us through the canal and to monkey islands. We got to see quite a few monkeys that would pop down to the boat to get a snack from our guide. I believe we got to see at least three different species – and they ranged in different sizes. They were really cute and I think it was a worthwhile stop!
From there we made our way to the sloth sanctuary. It was really cool to see the animals up close (but not too close – they were on platforms and we weren’t able to get up and hold them unfortunately) – they are so weird. I just love sloths. There were also poison dart frogs there and a butterfly section as well. Overall, it was cool to see some of the native Panamanian species.
Our tour also stopped for us at a convenience store, because I think all of us wanted to get some local snacks. We tried a bunch of different candies and chips – which is one of my favorite things to do when we are abroad!
We rounded out the night at a speakeasy that Mark had found in his research. This was another highlight of the trip and the drinks were superb. They were based on different tarot cards, and each card had both a drink/glass associated with it. I’d highly recommend Arcano to anyone who is visiting Panama City!
Our final full day in Panama was a more relaxing one – Andy and I started our day off with a massage before getting lunch and spending the rest of the day in the pool. We had such a fabulous time with our friends and floating in the pool. We didn’t want to leave, but had a great vacation there!
Up Next:
– Europe cruise (August/September)
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