The Somers/Siegel family from Penn Valley (two adults and two young adult children ages 20 and 17) traveled to Panama over winter break.  The trip began in Panama City, then into the rainforest and ended up at a beach.  In Panama City, they stayed at the at the Hard Rock Panam Megapolis.  They didn’t love its Vegas vibe or slow elevators.  But the rooms were very nice and breakfast was good.  They absolutely loved the Casa Viejo section of the city which they toured with our private guide, Tony. On their first full day they went to the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal and on a tour of the city.  They thought the guide was super informative and also took good care of them.  The only thing they missed was going inside the Biomuseuo designed by Frank Gehry as it was closed when they were there.   They ate in great restaurants in the Old Yown and loved seeing all the people out and about.   Next up was the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.  They described the rainforest as cool and very “out of Africa” like. Their junior suite at the resort was large and comfortable with a loft ideal for sleeping children. They did a ton of trips from the resort’s excursion desk including day and night boat trips, kayaking, trams, wildlife tours, information sessions at their animal refuge and also sat by the pool.  The wildlife was abundant including sloths, crocodiles, monkeys, lots of birds and iguanas. The resort’s meal plan made it easy for dining at this remote location.  At the beach, the family stayed at the Westin Playa Bonita on the club level.  The said that the resort was beautiful and that being on the club level was awesome!  The free water, wine, beer and breakfast was well appreciated.  The rooms were lovely with amazing views of the ocean. The resort pools and open spaces were just lovely. They didn’t have to fight for lounge chairs – there were plenty!  Dining reservations were a little tricky, but the club level concierge was able to arrange dining for them both off and on property.  Overall the trip was a success.  The family explained that Panama is very different – very “Central American” with little English spoken. The locals also bend rules, make new rules and forget rules that they made moments before!  It was very sunny, very hot and the people were awesome!  The family felt safe and welcomed everywhere.