Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá

By MJ Mondaca -

Mon. April 8, 2019 - Thurs., April 11, 2019 

Ahh! Our first experience in Panama. Up to this point I (MJ) had been many times to the airport, but had never been out of it. Anthony found these great flight deals, only catch was they were out of Miami. Well, we decided we’d make the drive from Orlando to Miami (about 4 hrs) and park our car down there. We found a Groupon for an offsite parking, and let’s just say, we said a little prayer as we left our car.

It’s such a cool feeling landing somewhere new for the two of us. We had some ideas of things we wanted to do but focused on this being a relaxing trip. Here is the breakdown:

Day 1 - Monday, April 8th:

I walked into my very first Centurion Lounge. A monster was created in that one instance. Having traveled most of my life to that point I couldn’t believe I had been missing out on this luxury of traveling. Anthony had been holding out on me! To get in you have to have a certain American Express card. Let’s just say you walk in and it’s all kinds of food and drinks (for FREE) and a nice, chill, quiet place to wait until boarding begins. Ahhh a new travel milestone for MJ thanks to Anthony. 


The flight was super quick. When we landed we opted to take an Uber to what is now our favorite hotel (at least so far :) ). The Waldorf Astoria is absolutely amazing there. From the staff, the service, the food, the views and decor - it is all wonderful. We were greeted with some tasty desserts in our room. 

Right away we decided to begin our exploration. We visited a local mall, yep one of those that are advertise all over Copa Airlines flights. There was also a casino down the Main Street that of course we had to check out. For dinner we found the local Hard Rock Cafe. Anthony has always enjoyed visiting various Hard Rocks, and now it has become a tradition for the two of us. 

                                                 


Day 2 - Tuesday, April 9th: 

We started our day with a gorgeous spread for breakfast at the hotel and then began our day. We chose to focus on San Felipe, otherwise known as the Casco Viejo. The heart of the city. We did our own walking tour focusing on the various points of interest we saw along the way, including the Arco Chato and Compañía de Jesus. After checking out most of city centre we took an Uber to explore Panama Viejo. It was neat to check out the ruins of what used to be the capital of Panama. 


Later that day we made our way to the Panama Canal. That took another Uber, but we found the prices to be very reasonable, inexpensive even. The Panama Canal was a highlight for Anthony. He was mesmerized watching a ship cross through while we were there. We ended day two with a yummy dinner at the hotel. 


Day 3 - Wednesday, April 10th:

We did so much on day two, that we decided to take it a little easier on this day. We walked the Cinta Costanera where we took pictures with one of the Panama signs, and sweat it out - it was soooo hot! We took refuge in another big mall: Multiplaza Panama, where we had McDonalds. For dinner we opted for an Argentinian restaurant near the hotel. 


Day 4 - Thursday, April 11th:

Travel back home day! We added two different lounges that day: Copa Club and The Lounge. One of our credit cards includes Priority Pass which offers us access to quite a large network of lounges. 

This was such a chill trip. We enjoyed everything Panama had to offer and at that moment decided this would not be our last trip to Ciudad de Panama. 

Google List: Panama 





Location: Panama City, Panama

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