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· Where are the accommodations you offer located?
· What
clothes do I need to bring?
· How
many days do you recommend staying?
· Do
you have airport transfer service?
· In
case of an emergency, what are the medical facilities like?
· Is
there any anti-Americanism?
· How
do I get to Panama City (Airlines)?
· How
to get around in the city?
· What
sort of souvenirs and gifts can I find?
Where
are
the accommodations you offer
located?
"Patty’s Casitas"
are located in
Panama City
(Capital of Panama), next to all the major
tourist attractions and 30 Min's from Panama’s main International Airport Tocumen. The
B&B Suite
is located in a
residential
and exclusive green area in the heart of Panama city, called
Bella
Vista,
where you will find restaurants, bars, night clubs and waterfront
promenade all within few minutes walk. The apartment rentals:
1 bedroom condo in Amador
- is
located in the hottest new destination in Panama city called
Amador,
which has plenty of fun things to do day
or night
- the studio
&
the 1 bedroom Loft
are located in the old colonial area of the city called
Casco Viejo, where
you'll find a lot of restaurants as well as night life and culture.
Please
click
here
for details.
B&B rates include Breakfasts. There are no hidden costs.
We
have a simple, two-stage booking system.
1.
Enquiry: Contact us by phone
(+507) 67137165
or
per e-mail (bienvenidos@pattyscasitas.com),
with your proposed holiday dates. We will confirm whether we have
availability within
a couple
hours (if we are on-line, which is very often, then it will be almost
instantly!)…if you don’t receive a response within
6 hours (we respond to all e-mails) then please re-send the mail as it might have been lost.
2.
Confirmed reservation: Upon acceptation of the reservation, we will then
send you your chosen payment method for you to send us the 30% deposit or
the total amount of your stay - depending on your choice of accommodation
and the proximity of your arrival date. As soon as we receive the
amount required, you will
receive the confirmation of your booking.
3.
Shorts, short sleeve shirts, sundresses and sandals are commonly worn. An extra swimming suit is always useful, as is sunscreen. Insect repellent is recommended for horseback riding, jungle and plantation tours. We suggest bringing sun hats and sunglasses although straw hats and various caps from our local markets make nice souvenirs. In general, for the tropical climate, light colored, loose fitting cotton clothes are the most comfortable. Do bring at least a pair of trousers (for the gentleman), a nice shirt & closed shoes. Panamanians themselves, especially the women of Panama City are beautifully groomed. Panama City is a dress-up city, but as a tourist you’ll be excused from the dress code provided you are dressed neatly (the high-end restaurants are stricter).
The highlands can be cold in the night so a warm sweater or
light jacket is necessary.
How
many days do you recommend staying? Panama is a rather small country (77,381 sq. km. / 29,762 sq. mi.) and the major attractions are all in Panama City and its surroundings. You have beaches, mountains, lakes, tropical rainforests, the Panama Canal, tax free shopping, history, ruins, bird watching, jungle trekking, golfing, deep-sea fishing, diving, snorkeling, marine and biodiversity exhibition centers, excellent restaurants and night life... all at your finger tipsJ
Our
recommendation is to stay at least 5 days (a week would be better as
some of you will need time to get rid of the jet-lag!) in Panama City and
take
day
tours
to the places of your interest. This will save you a lot of time and money
and at the same time will let you enjoy Panama's night life enjoying one
of Amador’s restaurants with the canal view and ocean breeze, the Casco
Viejo's ambiance with great restaurants or in
Bella Vista neighborhood where you will find the widest selection of
restaurants and bars of the city with its casinos and night clubs or just
dance away to the salsa and merengue music;-)
Do
you have airport transfer service?
Yes,
we offer airport transfer service to our guests for
US$30-US$45 depending on
the number of passengers. For details
click
here. We charge the same as the airport taxis...the added plus is that you have someone waiting for you who knows where to take you;-)
For
your convenience, your hosts, Patty & Rudy speak English, Spanish,
German, French and Italian fluently. The native tongue in Panama is
Spanish...the upper Panamanian class speak English fluently however the
taxis & vendors don't so it is useful to have a mini dictionary at hand
In
case of an emergency, what are the medical facilities like?
As
a by-product of its long association with the United States, many
Panamanian doctors are U.S. trained and the standards of the top hospitals
compare favorably to US standards. For medical treatment we recommend the
Hospital
Nacional
in Panama City (Tel: 204-8100) which has a special department for tourists
with a multilingual staff and the
John Hopkins Hospital. They accept most insurance policies. Their
medical staff is mostly US trained and English speaking and the facilities
and service are excellent. There is a new incentive at the moment that entitles you to a 1 month free medical service during your stay...so ask for the card when entering the country.
According
to the prestigious Pinkerton Intelligence Agency, Panama was rated amongst
the top countries for tourist safety.
Panama has no army and uses the U.S. dollar as currency, therefore
political stability and a peaceful place to relax and enjoy your
vacations. More incidents of violent crime occur in cities like Rome,
Paris or Washington D.C in 24 hours than they occur in the whole of Panama
in an entire year!
Panama
is one of the most stable democracies in the Americas. Since 1989, when
dictator Noriega was deposed ( now languishing in a Miami prison),
Panama’s presidents have been democratically elected. The current
president Martin Torrijos began his five year term in September 2004.
Is
there any anti-Americanism?
On
the contrary - Panamanians are some of the most pro-American people. They are proud and relieved to finally have complete sovereignty
over their country but are absolutely delighted to see Americans back as
tourists, investors or living full time (which is a trend!). Due to their long historical association with
the United States, Panamanians understand and appreciate Americans as
few other peoples.
They
say Panama is like Miami "Panama is safer than Miami, more people
speak English in Panama than in Miami, there are no hurricanes in Panama and
Americans are more popular in Panama"!!!
Low cost with: www.spiritair.com departing from: New York, Fort Lauderdale & Atlanta (but check their web site as they might be adding new routes!) There are direct flights to Panama from 7 US cities: New York (www.copaair.com), Newark (www.continental.com), Miami (www.aa.com and www.copaair.com ), Los Angeles (Copa), Houston (Continental), Atlanta (www.delta.com) and Orlando (Copa). Copa, a partner with Continental Airlines is Panama's international airline company. Duration of flight from US cities range 3-5 hours.
Other
airlines serving Panama: www.avianca.com ,
www.cubana.cu ,
www.iberia.com ,
www.labairlines.com ,
www.taca.com , www.mexicana.com ,
www.wca.com.co ,
www.alitalia.it ,
www.britishairways.com ,
www.airfrance.fr ,
www.japanairlines.com ,
www.klm.com ,
www.lufthansa.com ,
www.sabena.com ,
www.sas.com ,
www.varig.com ,
www.airmadrid.com ,
www.lauda.it
How
do we get around in the city? Getting around in the city is easy…just grab a taxiJ The cost is between US$2 and US$7 within the city, depending on distance and the number of passengers.
Traffic and driving is quiet challenging even for a very good driver as
road signs are hardly there to see and many streets are one
way...needless to say that it is not indicated!!!
What
sort of souvenirs and gifts can I find?
Panama
has the greatest variety of indigenous-made souvenirs of any country
outside Mexico. Panamanians have an innate sense of beauty that shows in
their handcrafts. “Molas”, intricate hand-sewn tapestries of the Kuna
Indians are the most popular souvenirs- you can buy little girls dresses,
women’s clothes and handbags decorated with Molas. Native jewelry,
Panama hats (which are not made localy...for the little info!), fine woven baskets
& masks from the rainforest palms and natural
dyes, tropical wood carvings and pre-Colombian and Spanish Colonial style
jewelry are some of the other most popular items.
Meals
in Panama are generally cheap. From a
US$0.50 empanada to a
US$19.00 lobster
dinner (16onz) you will surely find a decent meal to suit your budget. If you want to treat yourself to a nice restaurant the price for a full course meal with wine (without choosing a US$30 bottle!) can range from US$25 to $100.
10% is the norm but if you had excellent service then
please do tip them more;-) Some restaurants include the tips in the bill, so check
it. You don’t have to tip taxi drivers-but
they'll be happy if you do!
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