Look long and hard, and seriously consider renting from someone who made the mistake of buying.
My partner and I spent three years looking for beach property and we’re still looking.
Seems like there are always problems of one kind or another, but one nice thing is that in Panama you are never far from the ocean!
We stayed in a very nice condo in Coronado for a month. Too crowded and WAY too expensive. Loved being able to walk out to the waterline, flag down a fishing boat, and buy really fresh fish. The beach was very pretty, clean, safe and well maintained. We just don’t like the crowds, especially on weekends.
Stayed for a month in a beautiful mansion in Playa Rincón Estates, Boca Chica. We actually made an Impulsive offer on a house but the counter-offer was so peculiar we got nervous.
We looked again several months later and the entire roof had been replaced, at what must have been tremendous cost on this 5000 sq foot house.
LESSON: Inspect roofs carefully. If poorly constructed, as many are, there will be constant problems with leaks. Also we found that many are not insulated! This is absolutely unacceptable in this climate.
Playa Rincón Estates appears to be a failing development. The beach is not nice, access road is horrible and sometimes impassable, closest place for shopping is David, about an hour away. Lots of big, fancy houses for sale in half-million dollar range, probably cheaper now.
Electric service is unreliable as is cell phone signal.
The developer had big plans and sold large lots for $300,000 or more. There was supposed to be a luxury hotel, restaurants, shops, etc. It hasn’t happened yet... and I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it.
Favorite place, almost bought a house there: Las Lajas. We have stayed at the hotel several times and go for weekends often. Beautiful clean coral sand beach miles long, mostly undeveloped and uncrowded. Nice hotel, the Las Lajas Beach Resort (about $50/nt) with an excellent restaurant. It’s about 40 miles from David and not much for groceries in between. BUT: the little village there is pretty shabby and the expat development of about a dozen nice houses has major problems. Developers maintain control but not the access road or other things and if you complain they will cut off your water and electricity. Most of the properties are for sale or rent, lots of lots for sale too and nobody buying.
La Barqueta: there is a successful expat development there, a hotel (nothing to brag on) and a really nice restaurant. We stayed there for a few days several times. BUT: the beach....kind of sucks. Black lava sand, blistering hot during daylight hours, I mean take the hide off your feets hot.
Steep drop off with really nasty undertows and rip tides. People drown there fairly regularly.
MOSQUITOS when the air is calm. And millions of bats to feast on them.
There’s a high rise condo (bad idea) and another 3 storey condo with units for sale or rent. Gated residential community, quite secure, lots of nice houses for sale or rent.
Once again there are no grocery stores but David is quite close, maybe 20 minutes if traffic isn’t bad.
Puerto Armuelles: we stayed there for two weeks once, a few days other times. NASTY little town, and sea port for big oil tankers. Criminal activity common. Excellent fishing, fair beaches (often dirty) and weather can be violent. Close to the Costa Rica border so be very careful about buying property: foreigners are not allowed to own anything too close to the border.
Boca del Toros: We stayed in a hotel there for two weeks (Bocastown) and are not likely to go back. This is on the Caribbean side so the beaches are very different.
Lots of crime. Lots of drugs. Popular with euro backpackers, people who are looking for nightlife and willing to risk getting robbed or killed.
There are hundreds of islands and we only visited a few. I have heard that there are places that appeal to retired people but we didn’t see any. It definitely appeals to drug smugglers and is a major depot on the Colombia to US cocaine pipeline.
Meanwhile we have found Alto Boquete to be a pleasant place to live and if we want to go to the beach for a few days we go to Las Lajas.
My partner and I spent three years looking for beach property and we’re still looking.
Seems like there are always problems of one kind or another, but one nice thing is that in Panama you are never far from the ocean!
We stayed in a very nice condo in Coronado for a month. Too crowded and WAY too expensive. Loved being able to walk out to the waterline, flag down a fishing boat, and buy really fresh fish. The beach was very pretty, clean, safe and well maintained. We just don’t like the crowds, especially on weekends.
Stayed for a month in a beautiful mansion in Playa Rincón Estates, Boca Chica. We actually made an Impulsive offer on a house but the counter-offer was so peculiar we got nervous.
We looked again several months later and the entire roof had been replaced, at what must have been tremendous cost on this 5000 sq foot house.
LESSON: Inspect roofs carefully. If poorly constructed, as many are, there will be constant problems with leaks. Also we found that many are not insulated! This is absolutely unacceptable in this climate.
Playa Rincón Estates appears to be a failing development. The beach is not nice, access road is horrible and sometimes impassable, closest place for shopping is David, about an hour away. Lots of big, fancy houses for sale in half-million dollar range, probably cheaper now.
Electric service is unreliable as is cell phone signal.
The developer had big plans and sold large lots for $300,000 or more. There was supposed to be a luxury hotel, restaurants, shops, etc. It hasn’t happened yet... and I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it.
Favorite place, almost bought a house there: Las Lajas. We have stayed at the hotel several times and go for weekends often. Beautiful clean coral sand beach miles long, mostly undeveloped and uncrowded. Nice hotel, the Las Lajas Beach Resort (about $50/nt) with an excellent restaurant. It’s about 40 miles from David and not much for groceries in between. BUT: the little village there is pretty shabby and the expat development of about a dozen nice houses has major problems. Developers maintain control but not the access road or other things and if you complain they will cut off your water and electricity. Most of the properties are for sale or rent, lots of lots for sale too and nobody buying.
La Barqueta: there is a successful expat development there, a hotel (nothing to brag on) and a really nice restaurant. We stayed there for a few days several times. BUT: the beach....kind of sucks. Black lava sand, blistering hot during daylight hours, I mean take the hide off your feets hot.
Steep drop off with really nasty undertows and rip tides. People drown there fairly regularly.
MOSQUITOS when the air is calm. And millions of bats to feast on them.
There’s a high rise condo (bad idea) and another 3 storey condo with units for sale or rent. Gated residential community, quite secure, lots of nice houses for sale or rent.
Once again there are no grocery stores but David is quite close, maybe 20 minutes if traffic isn’t bad.
Puerto Armuelles: we stayed there for two weeks once, a few days other times. NASTY little town, and sea port for big oil tankers. Criminal activity common. Excellent fishing, fair beaches (often dirty) and weather can be violent. Close to the Costa Rica border so be very careful about buying property: foreigners are not allowed to own anything too close to the border.
Boca del Toros: We stayed in a hotel there for two weeks (Bocastown) and are not likely to go back. This is on the Caribbean side so the beaches are very different.
Lots of crime. Lots of drugs. Popular with euro backpackers, people who are looking for nightlife and willing to risk getting robbed or killed.
There are hundreds of islands and we only visited a few. I have heard that there are places that appeal to retired people but we didn’t see any. It definitely appeals to drug smugglers and is a major depot on the Colombia to US cocaine pipeline.
Meanwhile we have found Alto Boquete to be a pleasant place to live and if we want to go to the beach for a few days we go to Las Lajas.
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