For the past decade many Americans, Canadians and Europeans have discovered that Panama is one of the top places to live. If you are looking for a cheap and peaceful place to retire, vacation or invest you may want to consider Panama too. This small Latin American country is often overlooked and over shadowed by the big advertising budgets of Mexico and Costa Rica. Cheaper and safer than both Mexico and Costa Rica, Panama has something to offer people from all over the world. Over the past ten years ex-pats, mainly from the U.S. and Canada, have been discovering Panama to be a great place to live and many consider it the best place to retire.
Spanish is the official language of Panama while English is commonly spoken in major metropolitan areas and is actually the official second language. Many native people of Panama are bilingual with most Panama Hotel employees and many retailers, taxi drivers, police and government officials speaking English. If you don’t feel like rediscovering your high-school Spanish or you’re not very good at charades then you may want on spend a little more time in Panama City where English is most common. However, venturing into the ‘interior’ is one of the most rewarding parts of a Panama Vacation. So, don’t let your lack of Spanish speaking skills hold you back. Just be sure to carry a good Spanish-English dictionary and your patience. The people of Panama are very friendly and gracious. They often go out of their way to be helpful. If you are planning to move to Panama, one of your best investments is a good Spanish program like Rosetta Stone. Learn as much as you can before moving and you’ll find it a lot more comfortable adjusting to your new environment.
Within this peaceful and scenic country there is one ‘hot spot’ which as garnered more attention than the rest of the country – the small mountain village of Boquete. In fact this area has become so popular there are now over 40 Boquete Hotels and Inns one can choose from. For years Boquete attracted bird watchers, hikers and young back packers. Most stayed in the cheap Boquete Hostels but early in the past decade a new type of visitor started coming to Panama. Baby-Boomers looking for a peaceful, laid back, cheap place to retire were attracted to the area by the excellent promotion of Valle Escondido. The ‘Hidden Valley’ is the brain child of Sam Taliaferro. His vision for a luxurious gated retirement community has come to life in Boquete and has brought Boomers by the thousands to this beautiful part of Panama.
Now the Valle Escondido Hotel Boquete is just one of a number of luxury Boquete Hotels who is catering to the Boomers who continue to come to Boquete looking for their piece of the tropics. The Spa and Hotel Panamonte is another luxury option as is the Boutique Hotel, Los Establos. With over 40 Boquete Hotels to choose from you can go from these luxurious places at over $100 per night all the way to down Boquete Hotels for as low as $11 per night. There is a Boquete Hotel, Inn, Bed & Breakfast or Hostel for very budget.
If you’re looking for your own little piece of paradise you may want to check out Panama and be sure to visit Boquete while you are there!