I flew into PC from Bocas del Toro and arrived at the Albrook regional airport. I caught a cab to check out a hotel that I was thinking of staying at but once we got to the general vicinity I told the driver to keep on going as the neighbourhood looked suspect.
Accommodation
I decided to try Hotel California in Bella Vista as I had seen on the TT that some travellers had recommended it. The cabbie told me it was a safer locality, as long as you do not venture to far back down the main street away from the city during the night. For $25, the room was clean, had a firm mattress, cable, A/C and H/W. There is also an ice machine (on 4th floor from memory), internet in the lobby (expensive), wireless internet access, a restaurant/bar downstairs with reasonable prices and food, a gym and a small pool on the roof. It is fairly centrally located and about 10 minutes, if the traffic is good, from downtown. I stayed there for 4 nights and had no issues. The lady on reception was really friendly and had some great sightseeing and other general advice about PC, she is a real sweetie. Too bad the other woman on the late afternoon shift had attitude but even then, at times, she was OK too.
I also checked out a couple of other hotels in the Area including Euro Hotel but in my opinion, they were not as good as good as value as Hotel California.
There are heaps of laundries in the area as well as a post office in Via Espana about 10 minutes walk back away from the city centre.
Internet
As I mentioned, the hotel has internet access but it is pretty expensive so there are two cheaper options, one directly across the street and another around the corner in Calle 44 Este (cheapest).
Dining
I had breakfast at the hotel and it was OK. For cheap lunch near to the hotel, if you go back up Via Espana, away from the city, there are two places on the left that serve plates from the bain marie for a couple of bucks and there are good value for money. Also there is a large supermarket further down Via Espana, way from the city, also on the left.
Caffe Pomodoro – Calle 49 B Oeste downtown – Great pasta here in a nice indoor courtyard area. Good service and highly recommended.
Cafeteria Manolo – Down the street from Caffe Pomodoro – this place appears to be popular with PC’s working girls and has some pretty average food and the service is slow. That said, not a bad place to sit outside and watch PC go by.
Gaucho's Steakhouse - Calle 48 & Calle Uruguay, Bella Vista - This place is billed as the best steakhouse in PC and judging from the expensive cars in the parking lot, it is well patronised by the wealthy. I went there with a Columbian couple and we all had steak, of course. However, the wife’s steak was really under-done (even though she ordered it well-done) and I thought that my steak was just average. The husband was happy with his. That said, the pre-dinner bread and desserts were great.
Calle Uruguay – There are numerous dining options in this bar/restaurant area. I was there mid-week and it was pretty dead.
Entertainment
Even though I had intended to hit the town in PC, I only went out to a couple of casinos and played a bit of blackjack… you guessed it, I lost. That said, I did play for a couple of hours on $20 and got numerous complementary drinks. Veneto Casino, across the street from Cafeteria Manolo, is large and not too bad to spend some time at, either taking in the show or gaming. Crown Casino is smaller and a bit dingy. I believe that there are several other casinos in town as well as the usual assortment of bars and clubs. I did check out a few bars on Calle Uruguay but they were dead as I mentioned above.
Sightseeing/Shopping
During the days, I went shopping and also went to the Miraflores locks to see the Canal.
Panama Canal - the Miraflores locks are about 20 minutes from the city and this engineering masterpiece is a must see. I spent a couple of hours there and watched a couple of ships pass through the locks. There is a decent display on the Canal there also.
Causeway – The 2km causeway is a nice way to get out of the city for a while and you can rent a bike to leisurely cycle out to the four islands that it joins. Good view back to PC and a couple of places to eat and get a coffee. Also a marina with some expensive-looking boats.
Museo del Canal Interoceanico – in Caso Antiguo district – This museum is pretty well laid out and has a lot of displays concerning the Canal, but all in Spanish. There are normally English-speaking guides but none could be found when I was there, my Spanish is not that good yet. It is worth a bit of a walk around in the area surrounding the museum but be wary, I was told to be cautious.
Avenue Central – This shopping street runs more or less from Museo del Canal Interoceanico back toward the city and has lots of cheap clothing, shoe, internet cafes and other shops.
Albrook Mall – This massive shopping complex has it all covered and has both quality goods and cheaper goods on offer. You can easily spend a day here, it sprawls for acres. There are numerous eateries and also smaller buildings housing chain stores surrounding the main complex. A couple of things that I bought that were a lot cheaper in PC than in Australia, my home, are glasses frames (we are really getting ripped of at home) and clothing (non-brand names that is). I am sure that there are other things to be purchased cheaply in PC as well.
I did go to a couple of other malls but they were mostly occupied by brand name stores and tended to be expensive, or at least not that much cheaper than at home, if at all.
Flying out of PC
I flew out of the International Airport that was about a 30-40 minutes (from memory) taxi ride using the freeway. Departure was a breeze and they didn’t ask for that tourist card that I had to purchase when crossing to border from CR. I did produce it, but the guy just shrugged his shoulders and threw it in the bin.
