Our Awesome Middle-Aged Adventure .... to Panama and Beyond!: Beaching It!! At Playa Santa Clara, Panama

Playa Santa Clara

We'd heard that, of the beaches of the Pacific coast of Panama, Santa Clara is perhaps the finest. So, we decided on Monday morning that the following day would be the ideal day for a trip to la playa. A quick internet search showed that the choices for accommodations were very limited (and not cheap); we opted to reserve a casita at Las Sirenas (The Mermaids), which looked to be the nicest and best value ($130 per night for a casita that sleeps 4, has a fully stocked kitchen - sans food, of course, and has a lovely patio complete with hammock, steps from the beach!).

To reach Santa Clara from our home in El Valle, we took the one of several buses that would get us "down the mountain" to Las Uvas. This is a small village where the El Valle road meets the Pan-American Highway. We disembarked at Las Uvas, and waited on the northwest corner for a bus going anyplace near Santa Clara. Within minutes, a bus headed for the town of Penonome appeared, and knowing that it would pass Santa Clara, we hopped on. It only took about 10 minutes before we arrived in Santa Clara, where we hailed a taxi to take us to the beach, and Las Sirenas.

Total cost for buses and taxis from El Valle to Las Sirenas: $7. Time to get there: 40 minutes (normally, it would have been a shorter trip, but our bus down the mountain had a soft tire and the driver had to stop several times to use a can of "Fix-A-Flat").

Upon arrival at Las Sirenas, we were greeted by Senor Ines, who explained everything we would need to know, and accepted our credit card payment. (We only absorbed a fraction of what was said, as Senor has no English and our Spanish, is um, under construction!). A quick inspection assured as that our casita more than met our needs, and within moments we were swimsuit-clad and headed to the beach.

Room tip!! Try to book casita number 11, which is steps from the beach. Numbers 6 -10 are also close to the beach, but a little further inland. The hillside casitas (1-5) have amazing views of the ocean, if that's what you prefer, but it's a bit of a walk uphill when you come back from the beach, all tired and sunburnt.

On this glorious Tuesday, the sands were blissfully uncrowded and the quiet was interrupted only occasionally by the sounds of gulls, laughing children, and the roar of speedboats and ATVs. The water temperature was about 75 degrees, which tempted us to stay in longer than we should have (if you and/or your companions are fair-skinned, like Tom is, slather on the 70 SPF!). Las Sirenas has several covered bohios - the shade lets in some sun, but filters much of it - where we retreated for a siesta. (The hammocks at Las Sirenas are world-class siesta locations, a fact to which I can personally attest!)

A word about the undertow at Playa Santa Clara -- it is very strong! Don't swim out too far unless you are practicing for the Olympics.

Just down the beach from Las Sirenas are la playa's only dining and drinking options. Santa Clara Beach Bar and Grill is owned by Jennifer and Warren, 2 charming Canadians, and the bar is well-tended by Tennessee-born Curtis. Desayuno (breakfast) is served all day here, so you can enjoy your veggie omelet or a yummy meat-based dish with a cold Atlas beer if you're so inclined! They also serve chicken, hamburgers and my favorite - corvina in garlic. The bar area is set up with tables for dining, or you can sit out on the patio - it's all open to the sea and air; just a perfect place to wile away the hours. For those who are day-tripping, the bar rents "rancheros" (little bohios) with 2 hammocks for $10!

It is said that the entire country of Panama is "just a small town," where, sooner or later, a person will run into someone they know. We found evidence of this when we had our evening meal at Santa Clara Beach Bar and ran into 3 people we knew from El Valle, as well as vacationing Maine inn owners Terri and Kevin (whom we had met while they were passing through El Valle). [Terri and Kevin, if you read this, please let us know how you enjoyed the rest of your trip!]

Further down the beach is Las Veranderas hotel and its restaurant. We haven't heard anything about the hotel, so we can't recommend it, but the dogs sleeping in the sand outside seemed pretty content! The restaurant is spacious, and surrounded by palm covered shade structures, making this a great spot for escaping that strong Panamanian sun. The breakfast is basic and satisfying; my omelet with a side of fried yucca, and Tom's bistec pichada, were an excellent start to our Wednesday morning.

Although we were sorely tempted to stay at Las Sirenas for another night, we had planned to meet friends in Coronado so we had to depart from this little paradise. Senor Ines gave us a ride to the bus stop, and we were on our way! Our trip to the beach was wonderful, and it won't be our last by any means. But coming back to El Valle, with the coolness, abundance of flowers and "green-ness," made us glad that we have chosen this little town as "home."

We hope you enjoy these photos of Las Sirenas and Playa Santa Clara!