Planning a trip to Casco Viejo in Panama City, Panama? Well, I am actually en route home from a nice stay in Casco Viejo, and I am laying down as many tips and ideas for you to help you plan your stay. Casco Viejo is filled with charming hotels, small open window restaurants and cafes, and tons of people! Today, I’m going to tell you all about our stay in the coolest Panama City, Panama apartment for rent for vacation in Casco Viejo. It is so charming, I can’t stand it!
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I actually reserved three different properties before I found THE ONE. Initially, I was looking for a hotel as I had heard good things about a few of the hotels in Casco Viejo.
After some thought, I decided to go with a safe bet like a Marriott or a Hilton since we are rewards members to both of those hotel lines, and I figure they are a safe bet in most countries – possibly more so than independent hotels or smaller chains.
But…
Eventually, I stumbled upon AmazINN Places Casco Viejo Relaxing Views and Sounds of the Sea. Wow! Talk about historic charm! I booked this property in a hurry for our four-night stay in Casco Viejo. I saw that this property stays booked regularly. I like the sounds of something that is always booked. It means there is a reason it is always booked.
I’m not kidding…if you are looking for a Panama City, Panama apartment for rent for your vacation…you definitely want to keep reading for all my details!
Getting to AmazINN Places Casco Viejo from the Airport
To get from the Tocumen Airport in Panama City to our vacation rental in Casco Viejo, we opted to use the driver from a private transport company that the manager of the AmazInn Places properties offered. The driver picked us up for $35 from the airport. This turned out to be the best decision. Our driver, Sr. Luiz, was waiting for us with a sign that had my name on it and he was wearing a uniform with a logo – that had been sent to me on WhatsApp that morning by someone from the driving company so I could easily identify him.
He told us all about Panama as he drove us the 30 minutes or so to the apartment. It was nice having someone who knew the exact location of the apartment. He pulled right up and backed into the cramped streets of Casco Viejo and unloaded us as close as he could. He opened the door and helped load our suitcases inside. The charge was $35, and we also tipped him. The Ubers around town were charging $25 for around the same time for the same trip. I felt the extra $10 was worth it, just having him there waiting for us and with his knowledge of the tucked away apartment. The taxi drivers outside Tocumen can be pretty aggressive so it was nice to have everything already taken care of.
For our return trip home, the same driving company picked us up at 5:30 a.m. from our Casco Viejo rental apartment and took us back to Tocumen Airport. Again, the charge was $35 and the tip that we gave him.
We arrived at the property a few hours too early for check in (2:00), but the property manager allowed us to go ahead and put our luggage inside so we cold walk around and explore Casco Viejo.
The Amazing Location of our Casco Viejo Rental Apartment
The pictures can’t even do justice for how cool this historic apartment is! I mean…it is right ACROSS THE STREET from Arco Chato – the old Spanish ruins of Convent of Santo Domingo! Can it get any cooler than that? From our balcony, we had the most amazing view of the ruins. We saw all the tourists coming and going for photos. We saw women dressed in traditional Panamanian polleras coming for a photo shoot. We saw a lot of Casco Viejo activity from that balcony.
What is the Arco Chato in Casco Viejo?
Arco Chato, or Flat Arch, refers to the arch which spans nearly 50 feet across the Convent of Santo Domingo which was was built of lime and stone (like many of the historic Casco Viejo buildings you will see) in 1678. The flat arch with no supports was known to defy gravity. In the 1700s, two separate fires destroyed much of the Convent and some surrounding buildings. Properties were sold over the next couple hundred years until the government passed a bill in 1941 declaring the ruins to be a historic historic monument. In 1981, the ruins were restored.
Attached to the ruins is another building from the time period – a smaller white building which has also been restored over time. It currently serves as the Museum of Colonial Religious Art.
More Panama City, Panama Apartments for Rent in Casco Viejo for Your Vacation
These are some of the other Panama City, Panama apartments for rent in Casco Viejo that I considered. They seem nice and full of historical charm.
- The Casa Mallet by Wynwood House apartment embodies modern chic at its best! There are one-bedroom and two-bedroom Casco Viejo apartment rentals available.
- This Casco Viejo Panama Loft Apartment offers plenty of room to spread out!
- You can rent the entire 3-bedroom villa at La Concordia – Boutique Hotel in Casco Viejo! What elegance at this place!
- Another AmazINN Places Casco Viejo apartment rental is this 3 bedroom beauty! It overlooks the small pool that we went and swam at in the nearby building (mentioned more below).
- Try this 2 bedroom AmazINN Places with rooftop garden access is so stylish! I mean…gah…I’m just in love with all of these properties!
- And for yet another different style, this 2 bedroom AmazINN Places features a sofa bed in the living room for an additional guest.
This Panama City, Panama Apartment is Close to Everything We Need in Casco Viejo
This Panama City, Panama apartment is within walking distance to just about anything you need – historical buildings, artisan shops, TONS of restaurants of all types (Italian, Argentinian, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream shops, typical Panamanian food, etc.), some museums, and a beach (though I would use that word loosely as it isn’t a swim beach and it really isn’t very pretty).
There is a dollar type store that reminds me of a Dollar Tree in the United States and a few small grocery stores. A little further down in Casco is a larger grocery store.
What I love about staying in Casco Viejo is that you don’t have to call an Uber or a taxi for anything. And the traffic gets so congested there so I would certainly never want to have to deal with parking my own rental car. That seems like a nightmare to me.
I will say there was a lot of foot traffic and nightlife going on after dark. This didn’t bother me too much since the noise seemed to mostly die down by midnight. However, there were still a few outdoor interruptions during the night which woke me from my sleep.
Inside Views of Our Casco Viejo Apartment Rental in Panama City, Panama
Again, I couldn’t give enough justice to the historical vibes of this Panama City, Panama apartment for rent with my phone photography. There is a grand staircase that takes you right up to the second floor. On the second floor, you are met by modern furnishings wrapped in historical charm thanks to an original lime and stone wall, original hardwood floors (I think), and floor to ceiling doors/windows wrapping two walls of the room.
On the opposite side of the open air room is a pool table. Gotta love the unexpected elements of this Casco Viejo apartment for rent in old Panama!
The kitchen looks out on the dining space and is equipped with basic kitchen appliances – toaster, microwave, coffee maker, along with a full-sized stove and a slender refrigerator. There is also a washer and dryer which came in handy for us!
The main bedroom is lofted with an interesting design. Underneath is a large bathroom area and above some wooden stairs is a bedroom with a king size bed, two end tables and a mounted television.
The second bedroom is at the back of the apartment, featuring another loft design. This design features an office space with a desk and a wardrobe rack on top. The beds are on bottom – two twin beds pushed next to each other – to suit children or a couple.
You may not can see them, but our two girls shared the second bedroom. They loved the space!
A small bathroom with a shower is next to the second bedroom. Both bathrooms are a work of art!
Swimming Pool Use for Certain Casco Viejo Apartments
Apparently, the property owners own more apartments around Panama City. We were given access to using a swimming pool connected to a different set of apartments that was just a short walk down the street.
The pool is small but nice. We took our own towels with us to the pool.
In the end, I was so happy I had booked this apartment for our stay rather than a hotel room because it rains a lot in Panama in the June-July months (my typical vacation time frame as a school teacher in the U.S.) as it is the rainy season there. This meant we had more time in the apartment than I had previously thought we would.
When the afternoon rain started, we headed back to our Casco Viejo rental apartment for a little rest. The husband and the kids played pool. I took a nap in our loft bedroom and listened to the rain. It was nice to be able to spread out and have a little space from each other near the end of our 10-day trip.
Whichever Panama City, Panama apartment you choose to rent, I wish you a wonderful Casco Viejo trip!
More Panama Travel Tips
Best Panama City Tours for Your Vacation
A Visit to the Panama City Fish Market
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