Colon Panama Hotels

Photo credit Destination360 Panama

Built in the wilder days of Colon’s early 20th Century. the New Washington Hotel has seen a lot of history. The property has recently undergone an extensive renovation. and Visitors are once again flocking to this historic treasure.

The historic New Washington Hotel was originally constructed in 1913, following an order by William H. Taft. Taft felt that the fury of activity surrounding the canal justified an upscale hotel. The plan must have worked, the hotel’s first guest was Vincent Astor, a scion of one of the world’s wealthiest families.

The hotel is located in one of Colon’s more desirable areas on the corner at the point where the Panama Canal meets Manzanillo Bay. The property features classic Spanish Colonial architecture blended with design additions spanning nearly a hundred years of service.

The New Washington is one of the area’s more affordable hotels. You’ll find a wide array of excellent restaurants, as well as a casino and disco for fun after dark. The property has been updated with all the modern comforts you have come to expect.

Immerse yourself in Panama’s colorful history with a stay at Colon’s New Washington Hotel.

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

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The Colon Province of Panama is now the fourth most populated province, with a population of just over two hundred thousand souls. Located on the Atlantic Ocean end of the Panama Canal, on the Northern shore of Panama, the seaport city of Colon was located on a spot which history records as Manzanillo Island.

When gold was discovered in California in 1848, it provided the impetus for building a method of fast transportation across the narrow Isthmus of Panama. With plans in progress for the Panama Railroad, Manzanillo Island was linked with the mainland by American entrepreneurs; including William H. Aspinwall. The engineers innovated a drainage plan to allow them to construct the railhead by first drawing off enough water from the swamps on and around the island to be able to build on it and connect it by bridge to the mainland.

The Panama Railroad asked for bids to construct the track from the Atlantic shore to the Pacific shore. The construction contract was awarded to a company headed by George M. Totten and John G. Trautwine, who sent an order to New Orleans to have a small pine board shack built and shipped to him. This was the first permanent structure in what became the town of Aspinwall which was later called Colon.

Due to the tropical diseases malaria and yellow fever; it is estimated that more than 12,000 people died during the construction of the Panama Railroad. The true numbers will never be available, because many of the people keeping records died too, some of them from cholera-contaminated food or water.
The Panama Railroad is the most expensive railroad built in the world. Building the forty seven miles of track that inaugurated the first inter-ocean railroad cost – in addition to the lives of twelve thousand people – eight million dollars and five painstakingly muddy and mosquito tortured years of work. The workers who cleared the land and laid the track were from all over the world, but as they died by the thousands; those who survived stood apart.

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

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Panama has developed the infrastructure to accommodate the nearly 300,000 annual cruise passengers who visit, including two ports in the Panama Canal: one on the Atlantic side of the Canal, Colon 2000; and near the Pacific entrance, Amador Cruise Ship Port.

These two brand new cruise passenger terminals represent an investment of $100 million dollars; and open more opportunities to offer dock services in Panama. It is estimated that during the cruise season 2007-2008, at least 192 cruise ships arrived at dockage in Panama with passengers, who will have graciously left at least 40 million dollars in their wake.

All these investments have resulted in the recognition of Panama as “Best Adventure Destination”. Panama is a wonderful place to visit. So there may be a new group of adventurers, who are cruise passengers landing in Colon or Panama City, doing cross country visits through the Panamanian highlands and beaches; then either join their ship on the other side of her canal transit, or fly home after extending their adventures overland. Read the rest of this entry »

Reconnect with your spirit of adventure at Meliá Panama Canal Hotel. Whether you are looking forward to spending your days venturing out in the tropical outdoors, visiting all of the attractions of Panama, or you are planning your next corporate business event, Meliá Panama Canal offers a lovely venue. Most all of the 258 rooms overlook the shores of Gatun Lake, just 10 minutes from the Free Trade Zone in Colon, and about 90 minutes from the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.

The Meliá Hotel was originally built as a hospital for WWII service people in the 1940’s and then was used as the School of the Americas, a military training facility, until 1984. It then remained empty until the late nineties, when it was renovated into the Melia Hotel. Read the rest of this entry »

This is an non-air conditioned birdwatchers jungle lodge with comfortable accommodations in a private reserve at Panamas tropical rain forest. The small restaurant offers Panamanian cuisine served family style. There are table games, darts, Internet access, and a pool and Jacuzzi.

This eco-lodge offers eight rooms and one suite, which have a rating of two stars. Lodging is available for a year around average rate of $80 (not including tax). A great place for birders, but it’s also a peaceful place for everybody interested in jungle nature adventure or just relaxing in the tropics.

Bird watching historical and cultural tours are available with English speaking specialized guides, who have a passion for birds. Most of them are a real pleasure to be with on the Pipeline Road and Achiote Road birding tours. Read the rest of this entry »

With an investment of more than $12 million dollars in a location beside the Colón Free Trade Zone and the “Colon 2000” cruise ship port, the Radisson Hotel offers 102 stylish rooms. This hotel is part of the Radisson Hotels & Resorts group, which as part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, is committed to ethical and responsible business practices and supports initiatives that build relationships with the communities they serve.

Guests will have access to four restaurant menu variations in the six floor hotel: a coffee shop, sushi bar, a full service restaurant with international cuisine, and a lounge. The lobby will also feature a grand casino. Radisson Hotel amenities include: a fitness center with a sauna and spa services, and outdoor pools, and 24 hour room service.

A business person’s preferences at the Radisson can include the use of: free high speed internet, sleep number beds, and a full service business center and the option of staying in a suite, rather than a room. In addition, the Radisson “Colon 2000” Hotel offers meeting halls with capacity for 300 people.

Receiving referrals for reliable tour guides and drivers, from the Radisson Guest Services is a good way to find trustworthy introductions to the Colon attractions. You can see the engineering in a set of the locks that make the Panama Canal one of the six engineering wonders of the world. Celebrating the primitive lifestyles at the Embera Tribal Village is an day trip by canoe in which you’ll be in Panama’s rainforest. Birding near Colon, you can see some of the most unique birds in the world. Or Panama can amaze you with a heart racing ride on a zip line through the canopy of the rainforest in Gamboa.

Beach trips, scuba or snorkel opportunities are within an hour auto trip away. Or you could take long walks down the halls of history in Panama, by way of a visit to the ruins in Portobello and its huge national park. But be prepared, the road is rough going east along the Caribbean. It is on the list to be fixed; as part of the infrastructure updates that are happening all over Panama.

Panama Canal Railway, built in 1885, is located only a half mile away from the hotel, and travels to Panama City every day. And there are two airports nearby. The Paitilla (national) Airport is located 26 miles North, the Tocumen International Airport is located 55 miles South – near Panama City.

The Radisson project general contractor – ESC, used a labor force of 120 workers for this project drawn from the Colon area; where they were trained and gained experience and improved their qualifications, over an eighteen month period. The Radisson is known internationally for their high quality on-the-job training services

The general manager, Edwin Segura, said that the hotel will create 100 new jobs that will be occupied primarily by the Colonense labor market. Radisson Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s leading hotel companies, and offers warm and engaging genuine hospitality to business and leisure travelers. There are nearly 400 Radisson locations in 66 countries.

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

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+507-202-1111 (Panama) | 1-786-539-4731 (USA)

Even though the Radisson is located only 150 meters of the main entrance of the Free Zone, you will want a dependable driver/guide to take you into the Zone. Visitors must show their passports to enter the walled compound, and the rules for purchase vary for many of the worldwide representatives of manufacturers and distributors. Unless you are multi-lingual, a bilingual driver can guide you much more easily through your journey.
Although it is interesting to see the 94 acre (38 hectare) shopping area, it’s mainly for wholesale shoppers.

Many stores do sell merchandise at retail prices, but they will often ask for a minimum purchase or insist on selling in quantity, perhaps a half-dozen items. Some stores will allow visitors to take small purchases with them, but most items must be delivered to the airport or cruise ship, for you to pick up, upon your departure. Be sure to ask the store’s policy and the Free Zone’s rules before buying anything, to avoid a possible problem when leaving the zone. Ah, there’s another good reason for finding a guide with your best interests at heart, some of the drivers have become familiar with the policies of the various companies and can help you with planning where to go.
The most important ingredient to enjoying your visit to the Free Trade Zone, is time. To keep from causing yourself frustration, plan to spend a day and if your driver doesn’t have a map for you, ask for one at the entrance gate.

Remember Panama is only about nine degrees from the equator, and the temperature will be around 90 degrees (30 degrees centigrade) and it will most likely rain before your shopping expedition is completed. There are outside food vendors with a narrow selection of food choices, but there will be no food courts. So if you will expect more, bring it with you. Your choice of light weight clothing, sun screen and comfortable shoes will make a difference, in how much you enjoy your foot travel around this 94 acre (38 hectare) outdoor pedestrian mall.

And remember, tourists can shop wholesale or retail, while complying with the Free Zone rules: Your purchases may be shipped to you by freight, if you bought them at wholesale, with the appropriate customs paperwork. If you bought those products retail, they will be sent to the cruise ship or airport by which you are leaving Panama.

And you must plan to arrive in plenty of time – for your pick-up at the airport or ship package desk – to allow the paperwork to be completed on your purchases. So don’t expect to carry most of your purchases with you when you leave the Free Zone, and do expect to carry them along with you from the ship or airport, on your route home.

Panama hopes to surpass the 1.3 million tourists who chose to visit the country in 2007 and to reach the number of 1.4 million visitors in 2008. This information came from the Panamanian Institute of Turismo (IPAT). The assistant director of the IPAT, Carl-Fredrik Nordström, claims that “the increase is the direct result of the promotions in North America, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe”. The IPAT spent $1.9 million in 2007, on an advertising campaign with the catchphrase “It Remains in You”.

The canal is probably the most well-known feature of Panama. In 1904, the US began constructing the Panama Canal. It took 10yrs and 380 million dollars to build the canal. It is a 50 mile-long transit route joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow Isthmus of Panama. A ship coming from the Caribbean must enter the Gatun Locks, a series of stair-like concrete chambers. Electric locomotives called mules (because there once were mules doing this work), located on either side of the locks, guide the ship during this portion of the canal transit. Most people experience the diverse and beautiful isthmus from the deck of a ship or their balconies. Yet, travelers who venture on land will discover a country rich in wildlife and culture.

Some cruise ships that focus on the Caribbean, simply dock at the Colón 2000 port on the Atlantic side, with passengers who visited the Canal locks, took a day tour on the Panama Railway, visiting Portobelo or an Emberá Indian village, and carrying on to their next port of call — without ever entering the Panama Canal.

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

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+507-202-1111 (Panama) | 1-786-539-4731 (USA)

The best hope of jobs for Colon’s unskilled locals may lie in jobs in tourism. There are plans to spruce up local heritage sites and expand the airport. For now tourists ride through the old downtown of Colon in air conditioned cars, with the doors locked; to spend their money someplace else.

If fear of crime persists in keeping tourists from visiting in the city of Colon, then most of the cruise passengers will continue to be routed to the Free Trade Zone and never leave the secured area.

Strategies of hope have been begun by the good hearted, but they haven’t had the financial backing to publicize their plans to the people who need to hear it. Nor do Colon’s social activists have the marketing skills to excite the city residents about the remarkable changes in their lives that can start, by stepping through the schoolroom doors.

The government plan appears to be that economic development and better security will have to go hand-in-hand. However security is not equivalent with safety. Well planned free education with its exciting rewards can be offered to prepare locals for their new opportunities and new self images. And then it will be ‘the people of Colon’ will stop their violent neighbors from threatening the security of their community, and the sun will rise on a new future for Colon.

Otherwise Colon may end up being like the city’s gated communities are now, bristling with weapons; and still not truly safe. The citizens of Colon must be re-enfranchised, and education is an inexpensive price to pay. Hopefully soon Colon will be part of a free zone of dreams coming true (zona libra el sueno hecho realidad) for all people of all income levels; and the only things that die will be fear and anger.

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

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+507-202-1111 (Panama) | 1-786-539-4731 (USA)

Soon a new motorway will link Colón with Panama City. A Spanish-backed consortium wants to build a forty billion dollar energy hub. Other investors plan hotels and shopping centers in Colon. Those projects are in addition to the over five billion dollars, that will be spent to widen the Panama Canal, through 2014. That’s a lot of business enterprises and many potential employment positions.

The Panama International Merchandise Mart (PIMM) is currently under development near Panama’s Colon Free Zone and is Latin America’s first wholesale merchandise mart. Now you can book a showroom, office, a condo or a hotel room. PIMM will be the largest commercial structure in Latin America with 21,572,782 square feet (2 million square meters) of construction, designed in the shape of a butterfly.

Total investment in PIMM will top 1 billion USD over a 3-year period. There are plans to create more that 31,195 jobs by the end of 2009, within the Mart. You’d think that with all those jobs; that the people who need jobs the most would get them. But it isn’t true. They don’t have transportation to work, they don’t have the clothes to work in, and they don’t have second language skills or good work habits to offer to a potential employer. Who will help?

Today Colón Free Trade Zone, the ‘Zona Libra’ is the largest free trade zone in all of the Americas, with 30,000 workers and 2,500 businesses. It is a place where billions of dollars in goods are unloaded, stored and either sold or reshipped free of tariffs, within a 1.8 sq. mi. (468 hectare) compound. But outside of the compound there are people in despair.

Bathing at a hydrant

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

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Colon’s economy has boomed and busted throughout Panama’s history. Each bust led to unemployment that a generation of Colon’s residents did not recover from. There is some work. A couple of the old American bases have become productive, like Manzanillo, which is now a big container port. The Colón Free Zone has developed so that it managed $16 billion in trade last year. But other old bases are derelict. Coco Solo, once a submarine base is overrun with squatters; defined here as families who would like work and a home; but haven’t found their place in this new world…of big business in Panama.

The Manzanillo Port in Colon – facility

is about to get a $210 million dollar upgrade

Surely the squatters too are part of the Panama government’s plans. The Free Trade Zone is an island of materialism in a sea of unemployment; while poverty and crime keep Colon residents longing to be given life jackets of hope. The education they need to compete for employment is not expensive, by comparison to what their lack of options is costing the people, the city and their country. Tourists are spending hundreds of millions in other areas of Panama, but Colon is considered by many to be too dangerous to visit.

Panama’s government hopes to inject new life into the city. With grace, it will be hope that is delivered to Colon instead of just better security options. The world doesn’t need another armed city; it needs communities with solutions. And people who work together, willing to compromise to create those solutions.

For more information about Panama travel, tourism, and locations contact Panama Travel Group today.

i...@panamatravelgroup.com

+507-202-1111 (Panama) | 1-786-539-4731 (USA)