Fai Quan

The last two days of our Panama vacation was spent at the Westin Playa Bonita.  This resort is located approximately 15 kms southwest of city centre.  It was great place to relax away from the hustle and bustle of city.   With the food and service so absolutely fantastic, we enjoyed ourselves immensely.  With reported sightings of Stingrays, we were not allowed in the water.

Another aspect of the resort is an interesting natural environment that was great to explore.  We could have spent hours collecting  the vast variety of seashells on the beach and exploring the forests.  The small communities of  Panama Pacifico and Veracruz are located within a few kilometres.  With the heat and limited time, we didn’t get to visit these places.

From the beach, we see the resort (foreground) and condos (background).  A thick forested area was great for exploring interesting foliage and wildlife

Main hotel on the left and an “Adults Only” area on the right

From the balcony of our hotel room, the off-season reveals a quiet swimming area.  Looking north into the distance, you can see ships waiting their turn to pass through the Canal (located to the left).

Looking south, we see the next resort, “Dreams”.  Pass “Dreams”, a walkable 3k through the forest would take you to Veracruz.

Watching the setting sun and distant ships

Pool area closed down for the night

Night view of the hotel

Crashing a wedding party at the “Dreams” resort

We came across a large group of hermit crabs on our night walk  on the beach

In the forested area, we find rough lava strewn terrain

Looking back to the hotel

We come across a couple of birds taking refuge in the shallow water

It was difficult navigating our footing on the above ground roots

The beach had many large deposits of seashells

A closer look at the variety