Condo rentals in or near Panama City

If you truly want to be in a relaxed area, then consider Pedasi Panama. It is a small village of about 2,000, 2 km off the beach about 4 and one half hours from Panama City, one hour west of Chitre, 30 minutes west of Las Tablas. We have been researching Panama for 3 years, visited Pedasi twice, just 2 weeks ago for the second time and rented a 2 bdrm, 1 bath house, fully furnished down to towels and linens, including all utilities except gas, for $600 a month. Great fishing and beaches, several restaurants, a couple mini markets, a bigger market and they are building an even bigger market with 8 stores just outside of town, plus there is a new 28 bed hospital being built that will be completed in 2014. Venao is just 30 minutes west with excellent surfing. Yes, there are several "expensive" developments that have been trying to get going for a long time, but they are just not happening yet and may never happen. This is a place like Panama use to be and hopefully will stay that way for a while. My 2 cents worth!  Buena Suerta!

Thanks for all the info, I'm little old fir surfing, but I love fishing. I'll check it out for sure.


ola

Don

Is Panama City the closest AP to fly ino?

Yes, at this time it is the only one, although they are building a new airport at Rio Hato.

For you, coming from NC the answer would be yes.  If you were going to explore Bocas than I would suggest the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica (and then a flight on Nature Air from San Jose to Bocas). 

So the nearest airport will be determined by what area of Panama you actually decide to explore.  You can fly into David airport on Air Panama from either San Jose or Albrook Airport (an hour outside of PTY).

How about if I want to go to Pedasi, Panami?

Sorry! I forgot ask I have an international Drivers Lic. Will that be good enough to get a rental car to drive.

They don't take your IDL here in Panama.  They want your driver's license and you will have to sign up for all the insurance coverage here.  It's unfortunately a good thing to have since they will charge you for any little ding, scratch and even for a gouge in the tire.

It's almost a wash as to which airport to come into.  PTY would be easier as far as getting to Pedasi with less remote travel (and the customs coming from Costa Rica to Panama is a riot - they inspect every piece of luggage looking for drugs), even on locals. 

Are you going to have a navigator with you on the trip?  Someone who can read maps and directions?  It will be helpful since there are no street signs in Panama.  Just a suggestion.

Have you researched driving in Panama and what to do if you are in an accident and if you are pulled over by the police who want a little extra cash?  Those items are important to know to protect you.

So what would be the next best alternative to travel there or anywhere for a long distance or short. I think u made my decision not to rent a car. I thought expast were well received in Panama, sounds like I may be getting into something complicated? Can you tell me if there are more or less advantages to moving there as
Compare to stateside living or any country you have been too?

No I will be coming alone. Maybe you can make some suggestions on how to travel around.

Hi Auntyflo,

it is nice to see you are still active and for the most part promoting Panama in a positive way. It is good that you are up front on the issues that newcomers may encounter and hopefully they will benefit from your experience.

i must tell you , now that I am back home I actually miss Panama and in particular Panama City.  There is a lot to see and do there and the weather is just great. We met some people who are now renting a home near Tocumen and loving it. They are from S. Carolina and won't be going back anytime soon.  I found them an inspiration and in so doing discovered that the good points outweigh the bad and also know now that learning Spanish is an absolute MUST to live successfully and comfortably in Panama. 

I wish you and your partner a safe and happy venture wherever your travels take you and it was a pleasure to have met

Todo lo mejor
Mick

Hi, thanks yes I'm very interested. My plan is to visit for several days around the middle of March and
move there in April 2013. Please you can call me at 1-252-723-5028 anytime.

Thank you

Don

Hi Mick,

We will always say that Panama is a beautiful country.  We just want to offer a balanced set of information to counter the fluff everyone sees from those relocation sites. 

@nodyesdog - I'm not sure how you want to live so it's hard to answer your question. 

Expats well received?  The Panamanian people are very nice and friendly.  But they are not your friends.  They will take your money but you aren't going to get a lot closer to them than that.  And if there is a legal issue between an expat and a local, you will lose every time. 

Contracts in Panama come in two languages; English and Spanish and the one in Spanish is the only legal one so if you don't speak Spanish, and you are relying on a Panamanian lawyer you could be asking for trouble.

I have a lot of resources who have lived in Panama for years (my editor has been there 34 years) and I know someone who doesn't purchase land except directly from the government because he's been burned so many times.

So once you know what you want from retirement, where you want to live, get the best resources you can from the best sources and then live your retirement.  But read all the blogs, learn the pros and cons of living in Panama.  There are cons.  I mean if this was paradise why are there so many homes for sale all over the country.  The hills of Boquete are filled with homes left by well meaning expats.  So ask yourself this, why did they leave, then try to find out the answers.  If you still think Panama is the place for you go for it.  It's a beautiful country, it really is.  Come and see for yourself.  Then live here 6 months before you decide to move permanetly.  Don't move bank accounts, don't apply for the pensionado visa, don't move furniture, just move here for 6 months to see if you will really like it.

Hey Nodyesdog,

I quickly glanced over the responses so far, and I think you've probably gotten most of the info you need. I'd just add that if you want to get a feel for what rental prices are right now in any of the areas you might consider visiting, check out the following two sites. I've mentioned this before, so you may have already come across them on other threads. The first is www.compreoalquile.com. Just type the name of the town you're considering into the search field at the top of the page. The site is in Spanish, but you can translate most pages. I like this site because it usually has a lot to offer.

You can also check out http://www.encuentra24.com/panama-en/classifieds. This site is in English.

Here's a quick list of some beach towns you might want to consider checking:

Coronado = most expat friendly

Gorgona (close to Coronado)

Punta Chame or Chame (both close to Coronado)

Santa Clara

Farallon (Santa Clara and Farallon are both resort towns now)

Las Lajas (there are two Las Lajas, one is a beach in Chiriqui, the other is close to Coronado so also close to the beach)

Pedasi (my favorite beach town)

Las Tablas (close to Pedasi, but very local so very cheap but boring for the most part)

Portobello (on the Caribbean side, not my favorite, but full of cool pirate history)

Those are the major ones I can think of off the top of my head. If I'm missing any, I'm sure my other blogging friends will add them. Of course there are others like Contadora (the pearl islands), San Blas, Bocas del Toro, and Isla Grande, but those are mostly just fun places to visit. Renting and living in those places will be much more expensive (they're very turisty) if you can even find anything available. Pedasi can be a difficult place to find rentals sometimes too, but it's a really cool town so definitely worth checking out.

For more info on Panama, check out my blog at www.thestayathomegringo.blogspot.com

Chris