Puerto Armuelles

Responsible stewardship includes gentle use of the home, maintaining friendly relations with neighbors (local Panameños and "gringo" expats), open communication and courteous relations with owner and owner agents and staff, and enjoyment of the benefits and challenges of living in semi-rural Panama. Ability to speak Spanish is a plus, but not essential if you are willing to make an effort to be a friendly gringo. In Panama, you are considered rude if you don't greet everyone you see with a small greeting ("Hola" or a "Buenos").

Enjoy use of the house while living in it; an occupied house will not deteriorate as fast or hard as a vacant home, and the very fact of active occupation will deter opportunistic thievery.
Included in your stay at no additional cost:
- regular staff include a gardener / handyman, and pool and house caretaker who each make periodic visits
- Public (mains) water and trash service
- Utilities (internet , electric, and propane (refills at your expense $6).
Required expenses you will reimburse:
- regular staff maid service, $25 weekly
You will need to water the lawn and gardens when there is insufficient rain (the gardener will also help with this, but your attention to watering the yard is still necessary during a dry spell).

Finally, sea air rots metal and electronics faster than it takes paint to dry, so you are NOT to open the house to sea breezes. Occasional use of air conditioning on 'dry' cycle (such as in the evenings and when going to bed for a few hours) economically strips the damaging humidity out of the house and cools the home. Outside temperatures range consistently between 76-95 F / 25-34 C daily, but that offshore breeze consistently keeps you comfortable, if the pool doesn't! I run the A/C only in the evenings, as I live outside on the terrace during the day.

I have a room available for a worldly active visitor for a short stay; we would share a kitchen and the other public spaces, but you would have your own bathroom. I would be happy to show you some of the local and regional sights, and even introduce you to some in the gringo set to help you network.

The home is Beachfront, which includes refreshing offshore breezes during the day.
3 miles of virtually deserted beach between two rivers. Low tide leaves an extremely wide beach and shallow water for boogie boarding and surfing, as well as swimming at all times. Beach is brown (due to silt from local rivers), and ranges from silty to coarse sand, and gravel in spots, and water is not crystal clear near shore.
The home is about 5 km from the Puerto Armuelles city center, which has daily farmer markets, groceries, banks, and other basic shopping. Longer distance drives give greater shopping and dining opportunities. Local food is generally very inexpensive.

There are no Pets to care for.

Hot spots of Volcan and Boquete, and attendant jungley activities are around 2 hours' drive away; hiking, whitewater rafting, coffee and cacao plantations, waterfalls, etc.!

Stationary bicycle
Indoor and Outdoor kitchen
Whole house generator for power outages keeps lights and refrigeration going.


The beach in front of the home is usually deserted; you'll often have it to yourself. Weekends may see some locals relaxing under the trees in front (beach side) of the home, and on holidays, there will be more people on the beach. However, the beach access blocks motor vehicles, and there is no easy parking, so the crowds flock to the other side of the neighborhood, helping to maintain the tranquility on my end.
Otherwise, the home is in a quiet end of the neighborhood; the loudest thing you'll consistently hear is the surf. Green and black iguanas, and basilisk lizards squinch around and do pushups in the yard, and you can lie back in the pool and stare up at the circling terns, vultures, gulls, pelicans, and other birds.
Puerto Armuelles (Puerto) is a working agricultural and fishing town, with farmer's market produce stands and fish vendors seven days a week (although if you make nice with the family that fishes from in front of the house, they will sell you fresh-caught fish, like pargo / red snapper, mackerel, and occasionally prawns and langostino at prices you wish you could buy it all and ship it back home with you).
Puerto is somewhat sleepy, but has a strong flavor of Carribean design, owing to it being a former company town, built out by United Fruit Company, commonly known as Chiquita Banana. There is a vast inventory of faded 1920s architectural glory, and the houses are eye candy. The company executive housing is popular with expats.

Puerto has a, 80 acre forest reserve we are attempting to reclaim and reforest, with hiking trails, birds (including parrots and toucans), and monkeys.
Down on the Punta Burica peninsula is Mono Feliz (Happy Monkey) reserve, a private park; it's a day trip drive down a rugged road. Along the way, there is sheltered swimming and local beachfront eateries.
2 hours' drive away:
-Boquete and Volcan are hot spots for eco-tourist activities, and coffee and cacao plantations.
-Cangelones de Gualaca is a small slot canyon you can float through and swim in.
-Finca Dracula – Private botanic garden and astounding orchid collection not to be missed!