Panama is surrounded by beaches, and Panamanians have a variety of weekend getaways to choose from, but Coronado, only about an hour’s drive outside the city, isn’t just any beach. It’s the most turn-key, expat-friendly beach community in Panama.

Coronado is a town where expats gather for drinks, dinner, and dancing at least twice a week. Three international schools are located either in the town or the surrounding Pacific beach areas.

You can also keep the kids (and yourself) busy with an equestrian school, a surfing school, and even golf classes, all available right in town. Panama correspondent Chris Powers describes Coronado as the “furnished home of the tropics.” Whether you are looking for an oceanside retirement retreat, a place to raise your kids, or a weekend getaway, you’ll have no problem adjusting to your new home away from home in Coronado.

The province is famous for its agricultural production, particularly its cattle. The capital, David, a middle-class town built on farming, feels like a down to earth, straightforward kind of a place.

Big tractors for big farming abound here. If your interest in Panama includes any investment agenda, this part of the country should have your attention.

The City of David is 445.4 kilometer from Panama City––about six hours by car or bus. It’s also about a one-hour drive from the Costa Rica border.

If you’re not up to driving or taking the bus, there are daily flights from the Marcos A. Gelabert Airport in Panama City to Enrique Malek Airport in David.

Infrastructure in David is equal to Panama City. Electricity, telephone, water, trash pickup are all here.

In this Panama Special Report, we bring you the expat-friendly city of David, Panama.

David boasts a busy social calendar. Club David is the Chiriquí equivalent of the Club Union in Panama City, “the” place for business and social events with the right people. Each year, Club David hosts many events for the local community and many events for various charities. Most are open to the public.

In March there’s the Feria International de David (International David Fair). Check out the exhibits, eat the food, and don’t miss the Horse Parade.

Like most areas in Panama, David doesn’t have much of an infrastructure for someone with a disability. To get around using a wheelchair would be nearly impossible. However, there is some progress being made in this area. The progress is slow, but it’s well on its way.

In this Panama Special Report, we bring you the thriving metropolis of Panama City, complete with an in-depth comparison of the city’s neighborhoods.

In this Panama City comparison guide, we give you a good idea about where you might want to base yourself, be it permanently or just for a little while. Note that some of the neighborhoods encompass smaller areas within them, while others are amalgamated with adjacent, similar areas. With dozens of subdivisions and even more neighborhoods within those subdivisions, we’ve arranged them in ways that make it easier to analyze and compare.

What we love about Panama is the sheer diversity of lifestyle options the country has to offer… from First-World city living to absolutely off-grid ruggedness, from rustic country living to upscale beach communities… this country has something to suit just about everyone…

Let’s take a tour, starting in the city and moving our way westward to Panama’s wild interior…