information about panama?

Panama City, Panama is only 9 sq miles. There are four major shopping malls so anywhere isn´t that far away. I recommend Marbella 011-507-263-2220. It's in the neighborhood called El Cangrejo which is a buisness district. Lots of good restaurants and casinos with in walking distance and one of the minor shopping malls. It should be around $40 ($38.50)  (marbella@cableonda.net) a night w/breakfast. It's safe, clean, and cozy. Internet available in the lobby free of charge.

Go to http://www.panamaexpertos.com/forum/topic144.html it will give you a break down of the different malls and their classificatons. At http://www.panamaexpertos.com/forum/topic143.html you will get the same information about the different freezone areas in Panama. Panama City is on one side of the isthmus the Pacific side and the major freezone is on the opposite side of the isthmus the Caribbean. The good news is it is only about a two hour trip one way and you'll get to say you saw two different oceans in one day!

Have fun shopping, you can find some amazing deals here.

Heed the advice of others and be very careful in Colon . One wrong turn.. . . not good .

Might I suggest that you go into the jungle and experience the miraculous wonderland of plant and animal life that you'll never see anywhere else . Trees that grow to enormous size, plants that grow on tree limbs and flower at will . Animals that normally only can be seen on National Geographic . BIRDS. . . . well Panama has more species than anywhere else in the world . Brilliant color combinations and songs from the most exotic birds on the planet . Sure, Panama has casinos and malls, but we have that here, so other than free zone amenities, it's not unique . I spent 2 years there. . . . . . and most of the good memories are from the jungle and the coral reefs along the Caribbean . Photos should be a TOP PRIORITY . Try 'monkey meat' on a stick from a street corner vendor . It's GREAT !! You can visit and see most of what I'm referring to on the Atlantic/Colon side of the country . And visit the old Spanish Fort. . . Ft. San Lorenzo . It's near Colon and the Gatun Locks(another site to see) . It sits at the mouth of the Chagres River and the Caribbean Sea .

Well as for the most important mall that's up to you to choose which mall do you find as most important.

In my opinion Multiplaza Pacific Mall is the one that most resembles a typical US mall. However Albrook Mall is certainly the biggest of the malls in Panama.

The Courtyard by Marriott is in Multiplaza Pacific's property, so you're next to the action there. The closests hotels to Albrook Mall are Albrook Inn, and both Country Inns & Suites (there's one in El Dorado and the other one in Amador).

Since you've never been to Panama let me add that the Colon Free Zone is not a mall or a shopping center. It's a Duty Free area within the city of Colon. If we follow the letter of the law, the free zone is only for wholesale operations in excess of 6 items, however there are places that will sell you a single item. The basic rule in the free zone is not to buy large items such as appliances, tv's, etc. Buy something you can carry on, such as a necklace, a watch, apparel, an mp3 player, in essence something that if asked to empty your pockets at the exit you could say you brought it in with you. If you happen to buy something as big as a TV, for example, you will have to hire a transport service to take it to the airport. There it will be kept in a bond until you leave Panama and take it with you on the plane, so plan on being ready if you have to pay overweight.

The other thing about Colon is that it's better if you go with a Panamanian. Colon is not as safe as Panama City, and if you try to guess your way around, chances are you might end up in the wrong place of town. There might be some tours to the free zone, as tourist frequently want to go. Try contacting a tour agency in Panama that might be able to arrange something for you.

There are only 3 hotels I recommend in Colon. The Melia Panama Canal, which is a 5 star hotel that is in the building that housed the former School of the Americas (infimous for the military training of most of Latin America's dictators); the other hotel is Hotel Andros, which is nice and economic; and last is Hotel Washington, very classic right at the seawall.

This web site has a list and contact information of popular Panama Hotels:

http://www.panamalaw.org/panama_popular_hotels.htm...

although willie cruz has given you an excellent answer that leaves no room for me to add anything of relevance... i think you should be aware that he is a big heart breaker.

good luck with your trip.