Marriott Hotel and the bar across the street
Hi all, I'm thinking about going back to Panama City sometime this year. I was in Panama in 2016 and we stayed at a Marriott with a open chica bar right across the street. The Marriott was chica friendly with no fee and we were able to bring them back with no issue at all. We also went to the Wyndham Veneto and met girls at the casino there. I understand that the Wyndham Veneto has closed. Does anyone know if the Marriott is still there and chica friendly? Also is the bar across the street (I can't remember the name) still open? TIA.
Hilton Panama with the casino
Does anyone know if the Hilton in Panama City, Panama is chica friendly?
I am arriving there next week and looking at my options?
Thanks in advance.
Panama City, Panama and San Jose Costa Rica. June 8 - 18
I just returned from a trip that started out for 3 nights in Panama City, Panama and then 8 nights in San Jose, Costa Rica. I opted for just 3 nights in Panama City as I had never been there before and there was just not much current information available on the forums. The majority of this report will concentrate on Panama City as there is plenty of San Jose info available.
Panama City.
The City.
Panama is a real city with a significant skyline that rivals many US cities. Streets are clean and I felt relatively safe when walking in the main downtown area. Covid precautions really have a grip on the city. Masks are required everywhere, even walking down the street or sitting alone in a car. If you have a problem with this don't go.
A real curfew, not just driving restrictions begins at 9 pm. This is relatively new as before a surge in cases I believe things were open until midnight. They do give you time to get home. Some convenience and liquor stores are open a little later. I didn't hear about any real after hour activity. I'm sure it exists somewhere but I was only there 3 days and it really didn't matter.
USD is the currency used here for paper money, Panama does mint their own coins for change.
And when the sun is out, it is very hot.
Getting there.
I flew into Panama City on Copa direct from Chicago. I had to take a short flight on American from Columbus OH the night before. I couldn't make it a single flight itinerary as I was using Avianca miles to buy the ticket.
I had a business class seat that had significant recline. The food for Covid times wasn't too bad. Drinks were available but I didn't partake as it was early morning. Overall it was a pleasant 5 1/2 hour flight.
Hotel.
I stayed at the Hotel El Panama. I had a poolside room with a patio. Breakfast was included and with taxes I believe I paid $75 a night. There are cheaper accommodations available in the same area but this hotel has some pretty good current reviews. The El Panama is an older hotel but the rooms (at least mine) seemed to be recently redone. Excellent water pressure and plenty of hot water. You CAN drink the tap water in Panama City though I mainly used bottled. The included breakfast was good.
For the three nights I stayed there, I found the hotel to be guest friendly. I just walked through the lobby with my date for the evening and no one said a word. No registration required. I don't know if this was hotel policy or if the night staff was being lazy and could not be bothered. Be advised YMMV on this.
I was about a five minute walk to the action (see below). Another hotel I might consider that is a bit closer is the AC Marriott if I could get a decent rate and confirm it's guest friendly status.
Nightlife.
Again, I was only here 3 nights so my perspective is going to be a bit narrow. Don Julios bar, formerly Habanos Cafe is freelancer central for the downtown area. The way it is currently working with the 9 pm curfew is that the women are supposed to arrive before 6 pm. If they do, they get in for free. If they are later then they must pay a $10 fee. As a result you will see quite a few women hanging outside the bar.
On the first night I walked by the place at about 5:45. I was pretty much amazed. I saw about 20 women sitting around tables sipping drinks. There might have been four guys there. I had to stop in.
First off, the women were for the most part gorgeous. Only a couple of gorditas and they weren't really fat, just a bit thick. All were dressed very well. From a quality perspective (not quantity) it was really on par with the Cocal pool bar in Jaco Beach.
Unlike the bars everywhere else, the women don't really come up to you. They will cast flirty glances and give you a sexy stare, but they won't intrude on you. But if you motion one over, they are there in a heartbeat.
After talking to one for a while, she let me know that most of the women are visiting / working from another country. In the bar there were quite a few Colombians and Venezuelans. I had the pleasure of the lone Brazilian's company on my first night and a flaca Cubana on my second night. I believe the woman on my final night was Colombian but I really don't know if it even came up in conversation. I met very few real Panamanians in the bar except as waitresses.
They all start asking for $200 for an hour. You can talk them down to a somewhat lower price with extended time but if you are going to go for multiple hours but not do an overnight then you have to start early a she is going to need to leave your place by 10 pm to avoid any real issues with the police.
Drinks here were a bit pricy with a local beer being $5 and most mixed drinks $10. There did not appear to be any surcharge for a drink for a woman but I have heard previous reports indicate there might be. Maybe on the weekend?
There is also a little bar / restaurant around the corner from Don Julios that has some FL traffic sitting in the seats on the patio / terrace. I stopped in there the first night and sat down next to the cute Brazilian that I had previously seen in Don Julios (and ended up going home with). I ordered the same beer that I had in Don Julios and gave the waitress a five. She brought it to me and I was surprised that I got back 3 small local coins change. I told the waitress to keep it. After 3 beers, and tipping after each one, the waitress, a not unattractive Panamanian girl, grabbed my head a kissed me, thanking me for my generosity. I came to find out that beers in this bar were only $2 and those little coins were one Balboa each, the equivalent of a dollar. Oh well, stupid gringo. Lesson learned. And by the way, this place has some excellent and inexpensive food too. The second day, I went here for lunch and got a burger that must have been a half pound, fries and a beer for $7.
San Jose.
Hotels.
I spent a couple of nights at the Sportsmens and a few at the Castillo. Really, from a hotel perspective, nothing new to report. Service and food was excellent in both places.
Bars.
Same old, same old. Closing at 9. Capacity restrictions at the Sportsmens and newly implemented restrictions at the Taormina. I found the Castillo to have the most consistent crowd around 5 - 6 pm. Bar Poas even had a chain up when they got to their capacity of 20.
I had trouble myself getting into the Taormina bar on a couple of nights around 7 pm. They have an overflow bar where you can sit in the old poker room but it is difficult to get a drink there. I talked to a woman that used to work out of there a lot and she said that for them to get a seat at the main bar, they have to arrive around 1 pm or so and then sit and wait for the men to show up, probably starting around 5 pm or so. They are also required to buy drinks as they sit there. Not a great deal for the women.
Summary for Panama City.
I was pleasantly surprised, Nice city, good inexpensive food and very nice accommodations. Good opportunity for nightlife. I would definitely return. My only recommendation is that if you are going to go the freelancer route, start early, as the best looking women are going to get scooped up pretty fast.
