Hotels in Panama for an observant stay

Modern tower beside Multicentro on Avenida Balboa (also marketed as Radisson Decapolis; Chabad's listing still links to a Radisson booking page), with double-bed rooms aimed at families and bay views. Around ten minutes' walk to Beit Chabad.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 9 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

Photo: the hotel, via our hotel supplier

Small Jewish-owned suites property in Punta Paitilla set up for Shabbat-observant guests, with kosher kitchens, mechanical room doors and low floors. Chabad lists it as a five-minute walk from its centre.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 4 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

Photo: the hotel, via our hotel supplier

Bayfront high-rise on Avenida Balboa overlooking the Cinta Costera, with 347 rooms. Shevet Ahim in Bella Vista is roughly a 12-minute walk; Paitilla's shuls are about 20 minutes.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 12 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Long-established bayfront hotel in the Miramar towers on Avenida Balboa with a small marina. It is the closest of the big hotels to Shevet Ahim, about seven minutes' walk.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 7 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Luxury waterfront tower in Punta Pacífica (the former Trump Ocean Club building) with large rooms and several pools. Beit Chabad is about a ten-minute walk.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 10 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

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Hotel of the Colombian Las Américas group at Avenida Balboa and Calle 53 in Marbella, with a heated pool and spa. Beit Chabad is about eight minutes' walk.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 8 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

Photo: the hotel, via our hotel supplier

Marriott-brand hotel on Avenida Balboa near the Bella Vista end of the bay. One of the closer chain hotels to Shevet Ahim, under ten minutes on foot.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 9 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Large high-rise hotel attached to the Megapolis Outlets/Multicentro complex at the Paitilla end of Avenida Balboa, with two-bedroom family suites. About ten minutes' walk to Beit Chabad.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 10 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

Photo: the hotel, via our hotel supplier

Boquete's historic inn, open since 1914 and since renovated, with garden suites and a well-known restaurant. Chabad of Boquete is in Bajo Boquete, the same small town.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 15 min walk to Chabad Boquete

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Older, mid-priced tower hotel on Vía Italia in the heart of Punta Paitilla, picked by many observant visitors for location rather than luxury. Beth El is a few minutes' walk away.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 8 min walk to Beth El (Centro Comunitario Beth-El)

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Marriott Renaissance hotel at Vía España and Calle Ricardo Arias in Obarrio, with about 214 rooms. Shevet Ahim is about 15 minutes on foot; the Paitilla shuls are nearly half an hour.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 15 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Marriott's extended-stay hotel in Punta Paitilla, opened in 2020 with 144 suites that have kitchens, which matters for families self-catering kosher. It is a few minutes' walk from Beit Chabad.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 4 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

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Design-led Marriott W hotel in Obarrio, named by Hadassah Magazine among upscale options. About 13 minutes' walk to Shevet Ahim.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 13 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Luxury Hilton-brand hotel at Calle 47 and Calle Uruguay, opened 2013. Shevet Ahim is about a ten-minute walk; Paitilla's shuls about twenty.

• Shabbat-friendly
• 10 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Compact Marriott AC hotel on Calle Ricardo Arias. About 17 minutes' walk to Shevet Ahim.

• 17 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Boutique hotel in a restored 1917 landmark on Plaza Herrera with a jazz club and event hall. Its website is live with rooms and suites listed.

• 45 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Garden cabanas in Palo Alto with 13 rooms, each with a kitchenette, which helps families self-cater kosher in Boquete.

• 37 min walk to Chabad Boquete

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Historic hotel on Casco Viejo's Plaza de la Independencia, dating its history to 1874 and now operating as a restored 135-room property. Not walkable to the Orthodox shuls.

• 47 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Luxury hotel in a restored 17th-century Jesuit complex in Casco Viejo, opened April 2022 as Hyatt's first Unbound Collection property in Panama, with 88 rooms and suites. Like the rest of Casco Viejo it is far from the Orthodox shuls.

• 46 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Big city hotel of the RIU chain on Calle 50 in the banking district. About 18 minutes' walk to either Beit Chabad or Shevet Ahim, along busy streets.

• 18 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

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Hyatt Regency in the Marbella banking area. Roughly 16 minutes' walk to Shevet Ahim and about 24 to Beit Chabad.

• 16 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Sheraton-brand hotel on Vía Israel at Calle 77 in San Francisco, east of Punta Pacífica. Over half an hour on foot to Beit Chabad, so not a walkable Shabbat base.

• 32 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

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Luxury hotel at the tip of Casco Viejo, built on the site of the former Club Unión and opened early 2023 with 159 rooms including 35 suites. About an hour's walk from the Paitilla shuls.

• 50 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Large Autograph Collection hotel with spa and casino in Obarrio. A long walk from the shuls (about 27 minutes), so better for non-Shabbat nights.

• 27 min walk to Chabad of Panama City (Beit Chabad)

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Small boutique luxury hotel on Aquilino de la Guardia in the banking district. About 15 minutes' walk to Shevet Ahim.

• 15 min walk to Shevet Ahim (main synagogue)

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Six-room boutique inn on the Palo Alto River just outside central Boquete, with loft suites.

• 31 min walk to Chabad Boquete

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Large beach resort on the Pacific just across the Bridge of the Americas from the city, with several pools and a private beach. Families have done Shabbat here with meals brought in from Panama City kosher caterers.

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Hyatt-run all-inclusive resort next to the Westin at Playa Bonita, about 20 minutes' drive from Paitilla. The resort's food is not kosher.

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Rainforest resort on the Chagres River at the edge of the canal, with its own aerial tram and river trips. Often visited as a day trip from the city rather than for Shabbat.

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All-inclusive Pacific beach resort near Farallón, about two hours west of the city, with a very large saltwater pool and slides.

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Upscale Marriott Autograph Collection resort inside the gated Buenaventura community, with golf, many pools and a beach.

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Golf-resort hotel in the gated Santa María community beside Costa del Este, opened 2018 with 182 rooms. Not walkable to Paitilla's shuls (about 10 km by road).

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