Hi,
Looks like I’ll be coming to Panama on November 19th. I plan to stay in Panama City for about 10 days to submit my application for the Pensionado Visa.
After that, I hope to have then found some long-term in David, or Boquete – no luck on that so far though.
I won’t be driving in Panama, so I will have to stay somewhere that is close to amenities. There were/ are a couple of apartments up for rental in Volcancito. Does the latter have restaurants, a bank, supermarket. etc?
Many thanks,
David.
Replies
Check with Scott Weaver. He’s a member on this site. They have small, clean, self contained units right downtown with reasonable rents.
Thanks Keith!
It surprises me to hear that so many rental locations are occupied, however your price range does limit you and I doubt if you will find anything in Baja Boquete within your budget. Alto Boquete is a good option as it is less than a $1 taxi ride into town. One thing to keep in mind about Alto Boquete is that it is quite sprawling, stretching from the Tourist Information Center to past Ivan’s, a few kilometers up the Boquete/David road and a good distance either side of the road, and it’s always best to catch a taxi on the main road. You have to like it sticky to live in David and unless you know the town there are undesirable areas which you don’t want to find yourself living in unwittingly. Dolega does cool down at night but doesn’t have the same charm or scenic awe as Boquete.
Thanks Donald,
That's a very informative reply, and all is duly noted. I have now heard how hot David can be from many people - they can't all have got it wrong!
I spent a few weeks in India many years ago - staying in a small hotel in Goa. My room did have a large ceiling fan that was just distributing warm air. No AC made living there practically intolerable. the day time temperature was between 32 and 35C for most days; with an overnight temperature of 27C. Very hard to sleep. There was really no escape from the heat, so there should have been a lesson learned there.
Regards,
David.
Thanks, Jefe. I'll do that.
I LIVED IN VOLCANCITO for 1.1/2 years. Bad water supply and full of slug. Jefe is right.We are very happy in Alto Boquete (Jardines de Boquete). 5 minutes walk to the highway to easily catch a bus or taxi. Contact Eduardo Horna for a place to rent riochiriqui@gmail.com.
He speaks fluent English. We got our rental home in Jardines de Boquete through him.
As to open a bank account, we have a very good experience with Scotiabank. You have to bring your U.K. bank statements of 3 months and a letter from your bank stating that you made proper use of it (adressed to Scotia Bank and not older than 30 days)). Signed with the name of the manager and his phone number. Lease contract of your home in Panama. Your tempory pensionado visa. Refence letters of people you know in Panama. Eduardo Hrona can do that in person with you. He did it for us in 2014.
I live in Volcancito and have a great water supply, consistent and high pressure. Depends where you live. I have seen one slug in 14 years. They are harmless.
Check AirBnB. There are dozens of places in Boquete, all over. Stay in town where all the amenities are. Volcancito is a residential area up on the mountain. No markets or anything else.
Judy is correct, it is a residential area and the water quality depends on where you live.
Other areas that are less expensive to live are in the Dolego district, halfway between David and Boquete. Not as cold as Boquete could get and not as hot/humid as David. It's about a 15 minute trip to either location by bus and the main street has plenty of stores and taxis.
For banking purposes I would choose Boquete Global Bank, I have been a customer for almost 20 years and you can use their ATM card at any other Bank. Not so, I believe, at Scotia. Speak to Carmen at Global.
Best of luck.
Thanks, Patrick!
Thanks, Judy and Robert. I have searched Airbnb in the past, but the prices are way out of my league. I'm looking to spend $400/$450 per month for a furnished place. I did see one in David for £300 pm furnished, but it's undetermined how long the present occupants will remain there. However, there is hope for a couple of apartments in the San Francisco area south of Boquete for around $350 pm furnished. I have to say, I never anticipated having a problem finding a long-term rental in Boquete or David at a reasonable price - how wrong I have been.