You arrive in Panama City and relax at your hotel. After a swim, a meal, and a good night’s sleep, you wake for breakfast and get ready to head out for a rainforest adventure (optional). Less than one hour from Panama City…

A boat ride on the Panama Canal.
A visit to meet howlers, capuchins, and tamarins at Monkey Island.
A heart-warming encounter at the Sloth Sanctuary.
All located less that one hour outside of Panama City!

You return to the hotel for a swim, pool-side meet and greet with the rest of the group, dinner, and another good night’s sleep with visions of monkeys and sloths dancing in the childrens’ heads. (Early arrival, staying Thursday night and Friday’s day trip to Gamboa Rainforest Reserve is an optional add-on.)

We love the idea of an adventure, but also want to know what to expect…

Imagine…

And next morning, you and your family are off to find ultimate freedom and relaxation at Playa Venao on the Pacific coast. Arriving in the afternoon, it’s the perfect time to shake off the trip by hitting the surf, jumping in the waves, and watching the kids run unabated up and down the open black-sand beach.

Surfers, families, beach dogs, bonfires. The sounds of waves and laughter.
No high rises. No pounding parties. No jet skis or parasailers or vendors trying to sell you stuff nonstop.

You do you and everyone else… well, they’ll do their thing.

Post-first-surf glow, 2023. I arrived at 1:30 pm and took the 2:00 pm lesson.
Water is so warm!

Imagine…

You wake up with the sun - the way your body is meant to, naturally. Your family is still sleeping - they needed more hours of sleep than usual after a day of travel and hours of play and adventure outdoors.

Outside your room, the sun is just starting to peek through the clouds. The air is warm and humid, carrying within it the scent of salt water and the gentle sound of waves crashing on the shore. A few surfers are already finding their way to the line up with a family of scarlet macaws flying noisily over the break.

You walk across the grass, past the pool, to the restaurant where hot coffee is waiting for you on the bar. It’s early. The coffee is ready? Is this heaven on earth?
Serve yourself, and take a moment to yourself. This is what living can be.

You sit down close the water and take some mindful breaths, reveling in the salt air, smell of fresh Panamanian coffee, and restfulness you feel in this place at this time. A natural meditation arises for you, maybe for the first time ever.

Imagine…

Your partner arrives with their salty bedhead and first cup of coffee, releasing you to set out on your first surf lesson of the day with some of the other parents, while they and the kiddos grab breakfast together.

The little one goes for the blueberry pancakes, the older one – having surfed the waves on a surfboard and boogie board all day yesterday – goes for the bacon, egg and cheese with French fries. For breakfast! You savor the French toast and local fruits, making sure to enjoy a different amazing breakfast each day you are there.

Oh yes I did have this for breakfast! Surfing burns a ton of calories and the restaurant is excellent.
Bon appetit! Buen provecho!

After breakfast and your surf session is yoga. You did this class on your own, so you invite your kids to join you. Everyone could use some mindful movement to start the day out right and stretch out from the activity the day before. You come away from the class feeling centered, connected, and energized for the day ahead.

You’re pinching yourself: you get to share this experience with your children. 

Later, your kids have surf lessons with some of their new friends with whom they have been playing in the pool, running on the grass, playing soccer on the beach, and generally just enjoying. You popped by the grocery store across the street to get some supplies and whipped up a triple batch of pasta in the communal kitchen so they can enjoy an eat-at-home style lunch before the next adventures. You’ll all participate in an excursion to paddle the mangrove forest, and tonight is Kids’ Night In/Parents’ Night Out!

You’re going to try a restaurant just up the road with your partner and spend some quality time together while your kids do crafts, have a pizza party, and watch a movie together until sleep sets in. There aren’t a lot of places to “go out” – that’s part of the beauty of this place! You’re excited for time and space to connect with your partner, knowing that your kids are in good hands and they’re creating their own memories and friendships!

After 5.5 fun-filled days and 6 well-slept nights at Playa Venao, we head back toward Panama City to wrap up our trip. There’s the option to add on another night or two in Panama City to explore the Canal and historic town (we will provide recommendations) or head home and recover over the weekend before school and work next week.