My family and I landed in Panama last night, and it felt like coming to a completely new place…
The new airport terminal has been completed since I was here last (only partially operational a few years ago), and it was all so sleek and new I didn’t recognize a bit of the airport I came to know so well a decade ago.
The road from the airport to the highway into the city is also fairly new. I had used it a few times before, but now it’s fully signposted, lit, landscaped, and looks a lot more like a North American road than it used to.
Arriving at our hotel, the Waymore, formerly the seedy and notorious Veneto, it was like entering a parallel universe—I had known the Veneto, a popular gambling and late-night spot from my 20s—and this was definitely the Veneto, or at least the bones of it.
But on top of those bones is an all-new look. Modern and trendy, the difference from the overly ornate, heavily carpeted, dark, and smoky Veneto, more casino than hotel in the end, was shocking.
Then to immigration the next day… my vague memories of trips to the immigration office when I first arrived in Panama in 2011 were of a completely different building. The Tribunal Electoral, where we were directed by our lawyer, is a large complex with lots of different sections for various administrative duties.
We were pointed to the office where we could renew our cédulas, ID cards and proof of residency in Panama, and were in and out within the hour. The longest part of the process was getting cash (no cards accepted). The ATM was out of money, so we had to go to another farther away.
I won’t wax poetic about the office itself—it’s a government office like any other. But it was quite a far cry from the un-air conditioned, overcrowded, and chaotic building we used to go to. Clean, cool, and apparently efficient, the renewal process was as much a pleasure as any bureaucratic task could be.
I will say, I don’t know how easy the whole thing would have been without the help of our lawyer. She had already taken care of one step of the process for us the week before, had made us an appointment, met us there, took care of all the back and forth with the staff, and kept my baby quiet while my picture was being taken.
It pays to pay for help sometimes…
The point is, Panama is ever on the up, its capital more than anywhere else.
Things are only improving here, in the city dubbed the “Miami of Central America” by Vogue, and will continue to do so.
Panama City is a thriving metropolis with a strong expat community and first-class service in everything from entertainment to transport to health care. CNN has called it one of the “Up-And-Coming Cities For The Rich.”
Tourism is on a tear, with international visitors already up 13% over last year’s numbers.
As short as a 3-hour flight from the United States, it’s easy to access, on the same time zone as the U.S. East Coast, and represents a massive opportunity for nearly anyone, whether you’re looking to retire, to work abroad, to raise a family, to invest, or just to backpack through the jungle.
For just about the same rent I pay for a 100-square-meter apartment in Paris’ city center, we used to have a 180-square-meter, oceanfront apartment in a luxury building (plus a balcony of about 15 square meters). I pointed out the building to our daughter as we passed it in a taxi this morning.
Our view was unparalleled, made the focal point of the living room with walls of floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the bay, the fish market, the old city, and the entire Cinta Costera, the bayfront park.
From the back bedrooms, one of which was reserved for guests, the other my yoga room, we could see the mountains.
We never paid for gym memberships because we had one in our building… as well as two pools and a hot tub.
Every morning I woke up with the sun at 6:15, played fetch with my dog in the giant coastal park right outside our front door, worked out, took a swim, made a smoothie of fresh fruits and coconut water, and got to work by 8:30.
We used to spend our evenings on our balcony, grilling up dinner, playing cards, and watching rain clouds roll in over the water, or electrical storms play out over the bay, some of the most special memories of my life.
I say this not to brag, but I’m feeling nostalgic for our lives here and want to illustrate the kind of high-end lifestyle that can be so easily and affordably attained in Panama…
If this sounds like the kind of life you’d like, you should consider Panama. No better time to do just that then during our next Live And Invest in Panama Conference in January.
We’ve already checked a few items off our Panama must-do list—indulged in our favorite sushi, have had a few fresh juice batidos and lemonades, and enjoyed the pool and sun for a couple of hours… and I’m looking forward to rum-o’clock this evening.
Hasta luego…
Happy trails,
Kat Kalashian
Editor, LIOS Confidential
