Boquete area

[Mick]

Traveling to Boquete in mid April to look at area for possible retirement and Have an Opportunity to rent what appears to be a nice apartment for a month in town of Boquete

Question is: are there areas in Boquete that should be avoided. Given it is a relatively small town it doesn't seem likely but you never know. Any input appreciated.

Matt

[Sieg Pedde]

I have been in Boquete many times and have never felt anything less than completely safe. There are numerous good restaurants, including several where ex-pat North Americans often hang out. There are stores that sell most everything you might need. If there is anything specific you are looking for, I'm sure someone in this group will be able to help.

Have fun!

[Lee Zeltzer]

Safety wise Boquete has almost no violent crime. Where to live depends upon what environment you desire since this is an area of microclimates and micro developments. Come, rent and explore.

[Julio Santamaría]

Definitively rent for a long time (if it was me that was retiring I would at least rent for a year) before buying anything (unless it was just an investment, but here as well you have to do your research and that takes time )...

Places to avoid... I don't know if the road from Romero to the Catholic Church on Sundays at 3 a.m. would qualify as a place to avoid at that specific time... crazy fights of drunk men... sad thing...

[PamP]

The questions and considerations new comers don't think of are: water, power, wind, and rain. I would recommend checking on adequate and consistent water supply, hot water source, how frequently the power goes out and time to repair, as well as intensity of the winds and rains. From my perspective it is these "quality of life" issues that drive new comers most crazy!

[Mick]

Thank you Sieg, Julio and for all the comments. I appreciate you folks taking the time to help.

Be there in a couple of weeks and plan on staying for three months. Hopefully that will give me enough time to get a good feel about making a long term decision.

And Pam thank you for bringing up a perspective I had not thought about. Wind, rain and lack of water I can deal with but losing power........ Lived in Galveston area of Texas and went through hurricane last year that caused power to be down for almost 2 weeks. Don't relish the thought of going through that again. Are there certain areas that are more prone to this problem or is it just luck of the draw?

Thanks again folks. Like to buy you a beer when I get there.

Matt

[PamP]

You bet! I am a Houstonian! (My parents still live in Briar Grove Park - beltway and Briar Forest!) And yes, Alto Boquete is famous for high winds and water issues but there is plenty of sun and the temperature is always warmer! If you land there be sure you have a reserve water tank. Alto Lino/Palo Alto loop are infamously wet and cold. But there you will find beautiful flowers and vegetation and never a water issue! I have lived in both areas and I ended up picking the sun.....too much Texas in this girl! During the wind storms we in Alto Boquete did not loose power unlike most of the area. (I believe most of the outages were caused by downed trees.)

[Joy Koopman]

Hi Mick, I agree with Julio about renting before buying and am glad you were able to find a nice apartment in town for a month while you explore/evaluate Boquete area. On water/electricity there are back-up options like water catchment tank and a generator. Friend of mine with wife & 2 kids bought a back-up generator for I think $200-$250 at Do-It Center and he said it provided plenty of power for them during outages. Weather all over the world is unpredictable now so key phrase is 'being prepared'. Just read on world news site about huge snow storms in Colorado and Oklahoma, the horrible flooding in North Dakota so like everywhere we can have bad weather and some places are more prone to water/electricity outages. But at least no hurricanes! :)

[Judy Sacco]

Most of the power outages in Volcancito tend to last no more than 5 minutes. The 5-day outage in February was caused by the wind storm knocking trees into the lines. This is the only time in 5 years we ever had an outage that long. Have a gas stove and on-demand gas water heater, and you still can cook and shower during a power outage. About every 6 months it might go out for 2 - 6 hours. Water stops sometimes, but no more than 1 or 2 days at most. That's what storage tanks are for. All of the Panama promotion sites never mention the 200 plus inches of rain per year, or the 3 months of high winds in the dry season.

[Mick]

Hi Joy....

I haven't found a place yet. However, I've met a very nice and helpful couple who live in Boquete that have offered to take me under their wing and show me around Boquete and Volcan. Hopefully I can find a place in a couple of days. In the meantime I plan to get a hotel in David.

I like the generator idea. Being out of water and the other things doesn't bother me, but being out of power for 2-3 days...no thanks.

Mick

[Julio Santamaría]

I think being without water is a lot worst... things can get nasty...

[Mick]

Julio...

You are correct, things can get a little nasty with no water, and I of course would prefer not to be without. Years ago some "associates" and I traipsed through the jungles of S.E. Asia weeks at a time with little or no water, so I think I could get through a few days. Now I will admit you could probably smell us before you saw us. LOL

Mick

[Howling Success K9 Services]

I have lived in Alto Boquete for almost four months were it has been very dry and have never lost water. I am not sure why, I know people on the other side of the street down a mile that have had water issues. I have very little water pressure but that is due to the construction of the house. I love living in Alto Boquete, even though much dryer than Boquete you are still close to stores and I am just minutes from Boquete and still closer to David.
I have lost power several times but only for minutes and have a battery back up for my computer so I have never lost internet during these outages. One day I did loose power for a couple of hours but so did everyone else. It was not terribly inconvenient. So far so good.
True I am new so I don't know what is planned for the rest of the year, and I will too eventually buy a generator. I lived in Bocas on the end of the electrical line so everytime the power went out which was often it would be out for at least 2 1/2 to six hours. This is miserable when you can't run your fans and the bugs are so bad outside that you either die from the heat or get eaten alive. This is like paradise to me now.