Rooftop Parties, Island Hopping & Fresh Seafood - WHERE AM I?
Country #26 was the first time I traveled with a group of people where I didn’t know most of them. This country offered rooftop parties, island hopping and fresh seafood…Where am I?
PANAMA
Air Tea:
We went in October and planned to stay for 4 nights/5 days, but ended up staying for 3 nights/4 days (see below for Story time). You know I am good for a story. Most of us fly Copa Airlines. I flew from Miami to Panama City for $270 Roundtrip. Super cheap right?? That cheap flight came at a cost. I didn’t get to fly Copa from Miami to Panama, but I did fly Copa back to Miami and upgraded to Business Class. It was an older plane, but the seats were huge and reclined back further than other airlines. The food was tasty. The movie selection wasn’t good and they had no Wi-Fi. I wouldn’t fly Copa again, but the Business Class seats are in my top 5 most comfortable Business Class seats. One cool thing about Copa is that offer a free stopover in Panama to experience the culture. Check it out at Stopover in Panama
Story time: I checked in 2 hours before my flight and the agent tells me my seat had been moved from a window seat to middle seat although I paid for a premium window seat. He also informed me that there were no window or aisle seats available and the only thing he could offer me is to put me on a flight that left 30 minutes after my original flight. I thought “Arriving 30 minutes later and I don’t have to sit in the middle- That’s fine with me”. I went to the Turkish Airlines VIP Lounge since I had a few hours until my flight. The lounge was amazing. I will do reel on my IG, Lala_Gilly, about the lounge. Back to the story- All of the passengers board the flight and we are speeding down the runway to take off and all of a sudden the plane breaks HARD AS HELL. The pilot and the flight attendants are screaming something in Spanish over and over and over again. My heart is pounding out of my chest as I don’t understand Spanish that well and most of the passengers on the plane are talking loudly in Spanish. I knew something was wrong. I ask the lady next to me and she says they are screaming for everyone to stay seated. Keep in mind, we are seconds from takeoff, so we are all seated. After 2-3 minutes of screaming, a flight attendant states that we are going back to the gate. After waiting to deplane for a hour, we found out that the engine was smoking right before takeoff. I was TERRIFED on that plane y’all. Once we are off, we had to get our bags and stand in line to get rebooked. There were no available flights leaving that night on Copa so they put us all on American Airlines leaving out the next day. 24 hours of my trip was gone. Copa did pay for a night at the Sheraton and gave his $75 worth of food vouchers. I met a lovely couple on the flight with the smoking engine who told me the SAME THING happened the day before and this was their 2nd time trying to get from Miami to Panama. The husband was Panamanian, and the wife was Black so he would translate everything for me to English. I was so lucky to have them. Needless to say, I am grateful this did not happen once we got in the air, but I will never fly COPA again.
Accommodations Tea:
Panama has soo many hotel options. My hotel options were the W or the JW Marriott and opted for the W because of their views from the room. We got to visit the JW as well during our trip. Since I have status at Marriott, I was upgraded to the Marvelous suite which is one of the W’s most popular suites. The suite was about 900 feet, floor to ceiling windows around the entire room, 3 TVs, 4 mirrors, a big seating area, a bathtub in the room with panoramic views of the city and a huge bathroom. This suite would cost approx. $260 a night.
Please look at my Panama Highlights on my Instagram, Lala_Gilly, to see the Marvelous suite.
Other good hotel options per my research are:
JW Marriott
RIU
Sortis Hotel
Transportation Tea:
We took Uber EVERYWHERE! The Ubers were so cheap. We didn’t pay more than $8 to get anywhere in Panama. In total, I spent a little over $30 for Ubers for my entire trip.
Enjoyable Tea
Here is my entire Panama Itinerary.
Day 1:
-Food Tour – The food tour was pretty cool. It came with 2 beers, a cocktail and 2 tastings at 2 local restaurants.
- Dinner at El Caribe – This restaurant is owned by a Howard alum named Martiza. If you go, tell her Lauren from Hampton U sent you. The food and drinks were good.
- Party at Tantalo Rooftop – This rooftop had great views of the city. The drinks were pricey and the music was a mix of Spanish and 2000s Rap.
Day 2:
- All- Inclusive Full Day Tobago Island Catamaran Tour – This tour was about $99 and I loved it. The boat staff was super friendly. The boat was clean and the people were a good vibe. We stay at Tobago Island for 2 hours. We went on a Banana boat and that was crazy. We nearly fell off a few times. The tour served food which I enjoyed, and it was all you can drink cocktails and pop.
- Dinner at CasaBlanca Panama – Dinner was underwhelming for us all. Not one person in my group liked it. The service was subpar. The restaurant is really pretty and clean, but I wouldn’t recommend this place if you are looking for good food.
- Party at Casa Casco Bar – This rooftop has the best city view out of the 3 we visited. We ordered a bottle of Rum which was $75 and came with a section(couches). We had a great time until it starting raining. We went inside to their Club which was okay, but not as pretty as the rooftop.
Day 3:
- Brunch at the W Hotel – Have you ever been to a brunch at the W?? If so, you know it’s a HIT. It was a luxury brunch with all you can drink mimosas and sangrias and a great selection of food. They also had a DJ who was jamming. The brunch cost $42+ tax and you need a reservation. This is a must. The W also has a cool pool party on Sundays, but it was not going on while we were there.
- Private Tour of Panama – After brunch we went on a 5-hour tour. We saw the Panama Canal, the Panama sign, San Felipe to see the ruins and templates and drove around Casa Viejo. The tour comes with a walking tour around Casa Viejo(Old Town,) but we opted to drive through as we all were tired. This tour was $67 a person.
- Dinner at the Fish Market – After the tour, the guide dropped us off at the fish market. We wanted to see the live fish, but the market was closed. We eat at one of the stands at the market. The fish market is outside and there are about 5-6 different stands. We all had a different seafood dish and agreed this was by far the best meal of the trip and the cheapest. This place was packed with locals eating which tells you it must be good.
- Party at Lazotea Rooftop – This was my favorite rooftop. It was packed so we sat at the bar to have drinks. The bartenders and servers were awesome. The drinks were good and priced well. The vibe and the ambience was a 10/10. I would definitely recommend this place.
Day 4:
- JW Marriott Infinity Pool – The JW is the tallest building in Panama and the only hotel with an infinity pool. It is a sight to see.
- Soho City Center Mall – The Soho mall use to house all of the luxury stores, but after the pandemic a lot of stores left. If you are looking to purchase a luxury item, Soho or Multiplex will be your best options.
Other places that we wanted to visit, but didn’t have time are:
Restaurants
El Tripiache
Primitivo Steakhouse & Club
Nightlife
Rush Nightclub
Mahala Tiki Bar
Lost Urban Beach Club(Reopening in Feb 2023)
All the Tea You Need:
I did not use WhatsApp this trip as most international phone plans includes calls, texts and data in Panama
Panama uses USD as their currency
Ubers were super cheap
The seafood was so fresh
The rainy season is from June-November. It was predicted to rain everyday, but it only rained for one night for a few hours
Most people know a little English
Visit a rooftop
Visit one of the islands- Tobago or San Blas Islands
Explore Casca Viejo(Old Town)
Be prepared to go through Security at the airport at your gate which means no liquids.
Well, that’s your Travel Tea on Panama
If you have any questions, feel free to DM on Instagram @Lala_Gilly. And don't forgot to subscribe to my YouTube channel, Travel Tea.
