Going to the US always involves an overnight stay in Panama City, and the Riande is our go to place. https://riandehoteles.com/aeropuerto/ The rooms are comfortable, the grounds are beautiful, the staff is very nice, and there is an on site restaurant. There is a buffet breakfast and an hourly shuttle to the airport. It has everything we need for our stopover time in Panama City.
We fly in the morning in the rainy season, so we had most of the day in the hotel. We got restless and decided to stretch our legs and go walking, and we discovered parts of the hotel we had never seen before.
There is paintball.
There is a tennis court and shop
There is a garden area where they grow the plants that make the grounds beautiful
There is a casino (but we didn’t take a look at it)
The grounds that we usually see are really beautiful. There are many palm trees with orchids in them, and other plants everywhere. There is a lovely pool, and a swim up bar. We have enjoyed dinner and drinks on the dining side of the bar many times in a beautiful evening. You can get food from the restaurant, and sometimes the BBQ place is open for other options. We have found the food delicious, well presented, and affordable. The hotel suffered badly during COVID and showed signs of the struggle, but since then we have seen the place improved, upgraded, and made more comfortable.
One thing that is fun is the cats. The white one lives outside the front door, and the yellow and white one hangs out on the outside patio and bar. We found the black one out back on the way to the paintball fields. We see food and water dishes hidden discretely so we know they are cared for.
It’s funny how you can go to a place many times and not know half of what is going on there! I’m glad we went walking and wandering to find all these new things.
In other news, there isn’t much news which at our age, is a good thing. We have a band date on the 20th at Hops, our favorite place, so we are starting to gear up for that. We are recovered from a wonderful NYC trip (more on that later!) We are getting some rain, so everything is green and growing, and the rains have a welcome cooling effect. I’ve been spending more time on my bike and making a little progress toward building up my distance and endurance. If I ever want to make it back to my favorite routes though, I still have a way to go. But, life is good.
We see the news and the trouble, both natural and man made. Sometimes I feel almost guilty that we are so unaffected by all of it, but we feel for the people who are in the path of various things. Life is really hard for a lot of people. We are so thankful every day for our lives here.
The Panama Adventure 
So glad we are getting your posts again. We loved our time in Panama but the US money exchange is rough for us Canadians. We have been in Mexico since 2019 and have a great circle of friends here. The exchange doesn’t hurt us here. We are patiently waiting for our rainy season so hearing your rain is wonderful 👍❤️🤗
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I’m glad Mexico is working out well for you! I hope the rains come for you soon too. 😊
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I enjoy your posts. Indeed, normal life seems to be altered; many people are struggling with natural or self-contributed problems. Your sharings are welcome glimpses of everyday life. I look forward to reading more… peace and joy! 🙂
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Thank you for your comment. 😊 Peace and joy to you too
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Interesting you bring up the Riande.
I’ve stayed there four times in 12 years and each experience was a disaster.
The rooms were always dank and moldy.
The restaurant food was never 4-star, 2-star at best, and I got food poisoning twice.
Of special note, the restaurant service is so pathetic that with each stay I had to get up to hunt down the server to order or place my dessert order; once I had to find the server in the back area…smoking.
That’s the key to Riande…there is no service.
And, the pool side is often full of drunk, rude patrons, especially Venezuelans.
I have a Panamanian spouse who is a university Magister, like an associate professor in the States and these Venezuelan visitors insult her at the pool as one of the Riande “slaves” to serve them. I complained to the front desk and they said they cannot disturb their guests (who are we then, if we live as citizens of Panama)?
Crown Plaza Panama Airport is much closer to the airport and is a better class, cleaner 4-star hotel.
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Wow, I’m sorry you had such a different experience 😟 We have stayed there many times, including after COVID when things weren’t as good there, but we’ve never had all those problems. Sheesh, I don’t blame you for going elsewhere,
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Panama is one of the most beautiful natural places you can find, with it’s unique fauna, flora and primary forests, with approximately 1,000 species of birds and some of them only exist in Panama.
The city is very modern, with international facilities. The train between Panama and Colon, and the “Casco Viejo” takes you back in history. The people is warm and the country is a unique contrast between cultures
Being such a small country, it offers a lot of diversity. The only thing that needs to be worked a little more is on the tourism infrastructure, raising awareness among the people about the environment and the beauty that is offered; and a positive attitude.
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You are so right! They are working on tourism and environment. I wonder if the people have seen the beauty here all their lives and don’t understand how very special it is.
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Hi Mrs. Cunningham,
Thanks for taking so much time to provide so much information about moving/living in Panama and about your lives there.
I just found your site today, so I apologize if you’ve covered this, but there’s a lot of posts to get through! My wife and I have begun the process of applying for the Pensionado Visa and I’m wondering if you went through that process. If you did, was there any particular “tricky” parts to it for us to watch out for?
I’ve already retained an attorney in Panama to help us through the process and have requested the necessary documents to get certified/apostilled, and we plan on flying to Panama City for a week in October or November to officially meet with our attorney and apply.
We’ve been urban city dwellers in various cities in the USA all of our lives, so our initial plan is to rent a condo in Panama City for at least our first year there, but the area in/around David sounds like it might be a great place that might still offer the types of conveniences we’re likely to want to have nearby.
Thanks again,
Chris
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Hi Chris! Yes, we got the pensionado visa, and I think the trickiest part is getting a good lawyer. From there, your lawyer should be able to walk you through all the steps and get it done. The only other problems others have had is the inability to get good fingerprints that pass the FBI check. We are city people too, but at our age we thought Panama City might be a bit too much. David may not be as “pretty” but it has everything we need, really good people, and IMO the most beautiful province in the country. Good luck in your future plans!
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I would caution your eager pensionado visa colleagues who have grabbed the first lawyer who came along of two things:
I’m sure Kris has hit these issues in various posts, but I think these are the biggest “sticker shock” items. Hope the summary takes you through Kris’ blog in lightning speed.
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This is SO true! A bad lawyer can cause endless time lost, wasted money, and frustration. Ask around and be sure you get someone who has done a good job for others. We went with kraemerlaw.com on the recommendation of other expats who had been through four bad lawyers before they found him. A good lawyer will tell you everything you need so you can come prepared and get the thing done with a minimum of headaches.
Thanks for your comment and the valuable info.
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Oh, I neglected to mention my unassuming immigration lawyer in the dumpy office in a seedy part of Panama City is so good because he used to run the immigration office before one of those presidente changes when everyone gets booted for the new guy’s people.
One of his first batch of clients was the recently retired James Bond and studio crew. You will recall the movie that took place in Panamá?
James Bond and crew needed a no nonsense lawyer to get him and his team through immigration without fanfare.
I recall seeing the photo of him sitting in the office chair that I use when I’m his client.
Now, that’s a trustworthy immigration lawyer…
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