Hello I'm off to santa catalina panama with 3 friends in two weeks. going to be there from march 31st to april 18th. were thinking on renting a car since we found one available for 25$ a day and that divided by 3 is practically nothing.. heard you can't really use the car in santa catalina since the main break is infront of the hotel and the others breaks are walking distance/not drivable? is this true? should we rent the car or not? any other tips appreciated thanks.
This is a good example of a logical travel inquiry! I rented but was only there for a short trip. Remember in Central America they get you for an extra ~$14 bucks/day for insurance that even credit cards can't cover. Roads are pretty good, so Panama was easy to get around (where we ventured). Definitely don't NEED a car if you plan to post up at Santa Catalina the whole time. True that the nearby spots you cannot access by car. Enjoy, it's a classic destination. Stay with Itolo if you haven't decided on a place yet. He's the man, and his place is basic, but clean and safe with good food. I'll update if I can remember the name. Watch out for the rocks at low tide, and dangerous surfers otherwise...
Looks like it's now called Surfer's Paradise and is run by someone different. Same killer view and access though.
Yeah man the left was pretty consistent. Not the prime choice obviously but I went left more than I thought I would.
Stayed at Surfers Paradise 4-5 years ago, great location, right in front of the reef break and up the hill from the beach break. They had a ton of rentals boards in great condition, food was good, and the place is cheap. Can't go wrong. Bring reef booties...
I would rent a car if its that cheap and your planning on traveling from panama city to santa catalina. Everything in that town is within walking distance- or most of the ppl ride horses lol make sure your filled up on gas.
thanks everyone.. those pics look killer! im staying at hotel santa catalina, friend stayed there and said it was the best hotel staying at the suite with kitchen/cofee maker etc its only 100$ and its 3 of us so its fairly cheap. so pretty much if im staying at catalina the whole time the car is unnecessary, any other spots worth checking not too far away?
Check with the local fishermen - pay them and they can take you to some good spots - just make sure they understand to give you a ride back too... And not to leave you. Maybe you should just book a trip to Belmar , NJ instead- waves are wayyyy better then Central America..
thanks everyone.. im still not sure if I should rent the car or not.. heard morrillos is an epic beachbreak, heard its 4 hour car drive or 1 hour boat ride, guess boat ride wins here..
been thinking on renting the car, spend a week or 10 days in santa catalina and drive off to somewhere else... maybe pavones if its doing its thing? its only a 5 hour ride..
