Tropical Dreaming

In a word, our stay in Casco Viejo was delightful! Casco Viejo is wonderfully picturesque - as you'll see in the many photos below...

About Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo, also known as Casco Antiguo, is the historic district of Panama City and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded in 1673 after the destruction of the original Panama City (Panamá Viejo) by pirates, Casco Viejo features a blend of Spanish, French, and American architectural influences. The neighborhood is known for its beautifully restored colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and vibrant cultural scene, including museums, churches, boutique hotels, and some of the city’s best restaurants and nightlife. It’s a popular destination for both tourists and locals looking to experience Panama’s history, art, and cuisine in a picturesque setting.

 

Lastly, the district is known for its lively social scene, with rooftop bars offering stunning views of the Panama City skyline. While Panama is largely religious and conservative, Casco Viejo is LGBTQ+ friendly. Despite its small size, Casco Viejo plays a central role in the city’s culture and history, making it a must-visit for anyone exploring Panama.

With its beautiful plazas, cathedrals, and museums, Casco Viejo is decidedly very touristy — but not, as far as we were concerned, in a negative way.

Gift/souvenir shops were plentiful and Donnie now has a genuine Panama hat! Krista has a new apron, hot mitt, keychain, sarong, necklace, refrigerator magnets, and gifts that we have no idea how to send back to the States! 🤣

Dog Friendly

The plazas, as well as the restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, outdoor dining areas, and even the laundromats were dog-friendly! There’s no ADA in Panama; even seeing eye dogs are treated as “mascotas” (pets) but our babies were not only welcomed - they were celebrated!

Casco Viejo is surrounded on three sides by water. On arrival, we were greeted by this beautiful bird…

Playa Casco Viejo

We didn’t find it until we met a very nice, helpful expat resident named JR, but at the end of the next street over from our inn was a small beach — where TinkerBelle and LoloLu had a wonderful time swimming and (mostly) bounding (the water is quite shallow) around. It’s not exactly picturesque; in fact, there’s a lot of garbage (that collects where the beach meets the buildings of Casco Viejo at high tide). As a result, poor TinkerBelle got a urinary tract infection afterward — but they had a great time and neither of them got eaten by alligators 😱 so it was a good day!

The Food

We had an absolutely exquisite meal at CascoMar - from the fresh-baked bread to the incredible sangria (best we've ever had by a wide margin!) to the amazing fish entrees (I had tuna, Krista had seabass) - all the way to the excellent dessert! We would have eaten there every night if our budget allowed. We also had very good sushi, pasta, pizza, and Lebanese food while we were there. And while we did find some great coffee, everywhere we tried to get pastries disappointed.

Our Lodging

The AmazINN Places Boutique Casa Arias (see our YouTube video for more) did not disappoint. It was comfortable, cozy, and quiet; it oozed charm and we enjoyed our time there.

Lots of wonderful rest and relaxation was had here…

The biggest problem with our lodging was that it had no parking — and parking in Casco Viejo can be difficult to find. Once we managed to get a good parking spot that was close to our inn, we were loathe to move the car so we walked everywhere - to get coffee in the morning, to go eat/pickup takeout, to go to the grocery store to get ice for our cooler (the mini fridge in the room was really small), to go do some laundry, and of course to walk the dogs. I did quite a bit more walking than Krista, and as a result I ended up with a big, nasty blister on my right big toe. Due to my neuropathy, I didn’t feel it until it was pretty bad. Fortunately there’s a really good medical clinic at our next place in Coronado…

General Conclusions - AmazINN Casa Arias

Things We Liked

• Beautiful decor throughout 
• Interior ‘secret garden’ patios/balconies that look down onto the pool
• Lovely rooftop terrace with very nice views
• Shared kitchen area was well-equipped 
• Mini-fridge in the room
• Nice shower with hot water!
• Easy check-in/check-out
• Very reasonably priced 

Things That Could Have Been Better

• Reserved parking spots
• For all our luggage, an elevator would have been really nice
• Where the TV is mounted, one person (watching from the bed) has a bed post blocking the middle of the screen.
• Swimming pool was very shallow (mid-thigh) and the water was cold 🥶 

General Conclusions - Casco Viejo

It’s a beautiful place and I’m really glad to have spent some time there. I think it’s probably the very best part of Panama City and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s visiting Panama. For anyone who, like us, is thinking of coming to Panama to live, I’d suggest you allow Panama City to put its best foot forward by making Casco Viejo your first stay. But it's not the spot for us. Condo/apartment living isn't a good fit for the dogs; we're looking for a single-family home with a swimming pool and a nice beach nearby. Casco Viejo just isn't the place for that kind of a property.