We love Boquete. We have visited multiple times and have just completed a stay. I wanted to share what I feel is a bit of an unrealistic expectation for first time visitors. An interesting conversation with a fellow traveler we met this trip spurs me to write this review.

All of the beauty and kindness that is reported regarding Boquete, and Panama in general, is fair and true. The geography can be breathtaking. The climate is yours for the choosing (unless you want to snow ski!) and the relaxation and eco-possibilities are endless. Panamanian food is, by and large, very reasonable in price. Boquete itself can run about $3.00 per person for a wonderful, typical breakfast and/or lunch (don’t expect ooooh’s and ahhhhh’s since the food is generally very good but a bit bland by most comps); $10 for a very good dinner and if you wanted to eat at one of the finest (Panamonte Inn) in town, a dinner for 4 will run about $100 total, including a nice glass of wine each.

Accommodations are varied and can run from hostel rates up to $300 a night. We personally love the Boquete Garden Inn and it’s name speaks its reality.

Here is where I need to sound a bit negative but i do not mean it that way at all. The town of Boquete, the downtown central business district, is NOT Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills! It is NOT the thriving, fast paced, hotbed of love, music, food and life that is Panama City. It is NOT House Hunters International snips of lush, pristine, manicured lawns. The town itself, the town center, is NOT a quaint Italian Tuscan village. It is NOT a Spanish park. It is NOT a little Alpine village of Switzerland. It is, quite simply, the town of Boquete. It is a small village town. It has poverty. It has a very mixed pot of small shops, stores, real estate offices, a church and construction, along with some actual homes in the middle of it all. The traffic is pretty congested for a small town. The buses all spew diesel fumes. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. People walk where they want to walk. They park where they want to park. Once in a while a child will potty where they need to potty. The crazy thing is, it all works. There is not threat or unsafe feelings. Quite contrary. It is a walking town. The people go about their business….locals, the native Panamanian “Indian” families, tourists and animals alike! I love it. That was my expectation on my first trip. We have been blessed to travel in 1st, 2nd and 3rd world countries and kind of knew that House Hunters was a TV show. Oh, don’t get me wrong…..beautiful homes exist in the Boquete area fit for the wealthy. There are some that are being worked on. There are some that need work. Get the picture?

In closing, our fellow traveler said “When I first arrived in town my heart sank. I wondered what in the heck made this hole in the wall rank in the Top 10 International Living places to retire and live in. Then after a week, I stared to see. I changed my expectations and now I see where this grows on you every day.” With that, I leave you with a wish that you have the opportunity to visit this slice of beauty on earth and experience the fine folks of Panama in general. I bet you can’t just go once…………

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We had just been in Bocas del Toro and stayed at the Swan’s Cay Hotel there. When the fellow who was touring us around learned were off to Boquete next he made a call to an associate. He was trying to get us into Isla Verde a spot he thought was the nicest place to stay in the Boquete Highlands. Unfortunately they were all booked up as a matter of fact so was everything else in town. So, we ended up at the Fundadores Hotel.

The Fundadores was a little tired but so were we after another days journey! So, we took the boys for a walk and found some delicious ice cream at a place called Annas Sweets and then turned in for an early night.

By morning we hadn’t seen much of Boquete and although the air was cool and comfortable and the mountain jungles absolutely gorgeous we didn’t think much of the town. Of course we had yet to discover Valle Escondido or the Panamonte Hotel or any of the other hidden gems Boquete has tucked away around the next corner or lush green mountainside.

I remember meeting Sam, the developer of Valle Escondido and his comment that he had never seen a mosquito in Boquete. Well that night it seems our young son managed to experience the only mosquitoes  in Boquete and they were right there in our room at the Fundadores! But all said it really wasn’t too bad an experience. I think we paid around $40 for our family of four. The large room had a double bed and two singles. The old place had a certain charm or maybe better said, ‘character’ and you could tell it was a pretty interesting hotel in it’s day. The unique feature of a small river (probably the source of the mosquitoes) running thorough the restaurant is quite charming. Now Boquete has changed dramatically and there are a lot more Boquete Hotels to choose from so I’m not sure very many people still stay at he Fundadores Hotel in Boquete but it still retains memories for me!

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Casa Ruiz keeps records of research and development activities as a method for increasing understanding among all the groups of people working in thiis coffee organization. This allows locals to understand better what is known about coffee at all stages, and how the final product is evaluated in the hands of a knowledgeable and serious coffee connoisseur. In-house training process and passing-on practical experience is an ever-present activity. The quality standards are strictly enforced. This philosophy of business instills in the personnel a sense of pride in their work, especially when that “job well done” is recognized by national and international visitors.

There is always something new within the many activities in the coffee industry. National and international practitioners and experts recognize the quality of the local effort, as well as the knowledge and expertise. They also recognize how an organization offers a structure of development and personal progress for those who show initiative and interest on moving ahead on their own path. International micro-roasters, roasters, baristas, and chefs receive training in Casa Ruiz about the capacity and potential of coffees grown in Boquete. Casa Ruiz, S.A. proudly represents a Boquete coffee tradition at the highest quality level possible.