Heading to Panama in March. Would love your advice re: art, architecture, restaurants, nightlife and most importantly BEACHES (hoping to surf for the first time).
No package tourism, seeking nature and relatively rustic is just fine.
TIA

I can connect you with the most wonderful and knowledgable guide in Panana City, if you'd like.

Oasis Surf Camp in Santa Catalina was awesome and great waves for first timers. We took the slow but fun local buses around combined with taxis when needed. Bocas Del Toro is a pretty rad island chain to explore. We saled from their on a hired catamaran to the San Blas Islands (which are cool to see if it’s en route but pricey and out of the way as a destination. The islands are beautiful but after the boat stopped there for an afternoon we decided we had our fill and moved on. The other spots offered nicer accommodations). Panama City is cool (Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo specifically. All the new parts are super Meh cause the malls are Americanized and I’m not into clubbing.) neat country. Tons to explore.

Go to Bocas del Toro please please please!!!! Paradise on
Earth

We're heading there on Friday, so excited! Have a night on either end then heading to Bocas 4 nights on Isla Colon (staying at Sully's), 2 nights on Solarte (Bambuda Lounge), 4 nights Bastimentos (Palmar Lodge and a couple nights on Domicil Yacht which is a splurge for our anniversary but looks so cool), and then 2 nights on another island found on airbnb (floating house). If you're going in March I'd book some things pretty soon, a lot of the above places are booked solid and the flights are limited too (note: you need to use a US IP address to be able to use the Air Panama website from Canada for booking).