Playa Veracruz — Attraction in Panamá Oeste

Came here on a Saturday in June 2023, beach was practically empty, which for me was great. The beach itself was on the low tide at the spot I was by. As I sat alone, some drunk man came over and was very persistant I accompany him on drinking which I decline and decided to move from my desolate spot to were there was more movement of people just as a precaution for myself. So I moved closer to the Sunset Restaurant, which was a good move since they had pleasant music but did not over power the natural sounds of the beach, wind and birds. They also had a shower for $1 which was a great plus before heading back into town on the minibus. I was able to flag down a minibus right by the restaurant as well. The water was higher when I moved by the Sunset restaurant. Some have commented that the water is polluted but coming from Corpus Christi, Texas the water was the same as Corpus/ Padre Island without all the jelly fish we got up there. In my view, it was decent. The beach itself, wasn't as dirty as expected. Cleaner by the Sunset restaurant than the previous spot I was at. I forgot my bug spray and paid the price. Came 5 pm the sand flees were out feasting on me, so if you are sensative, don't forget the bugspray. All in all, being that the beach was so empty and not over crowded, I will return. Plus I found some great little treasures in the sand to make...

If you travel to Playa Venado by car, make sure to bring your passport. If you don’t have your passport, the transit police will use fear and intimidation to extort money from you. They threatened to impound my rental vehicle for 5 days knowing I was leaving Panama in 2 days! They also said I get a ticket or “infractione” of $150, I said okay I’ll pay it and get a taxi if you take my vehicle, but when I asked for my ticket they wouldn’t give it to me! A tow truck never came to pick up my vehicle. I was in the sun for over an hour waiting for them to give me a ticket and tow my vehicle. I now have a very bad sunburn. They asked me if there was anything they could do for me. Obviously I said let me go back to my hotel and get my passport. They just said “no” and made me wait in the sun. The kept asking me how they could help me but did absolutely nothing to help me resolve this in a legal and ethical manner. Eventually the transit police told me to pay $100 cash and I could go. After I put $100 in a bag, she pretended to write a ticket. She apologized because she knew what she was doing was wrong, and then told me to please to come back to Panama soon.

Enjoy your stay in Panama and bring your passport with you...

This is the closest beach of Panama city. We've been there from noon to 4pm and what should I say... it is kinda special. Just locals who are enjoying their "thing". The sand is brownish and the water is the same. We didn't go in for a refreshment, it smelled a bit too much fishi. But it was fun to see how the locals enjoying their day at the beach. Meaning - they park the car backwards as much as they can towards the beach/shore and then they open the trunk and show of with their sound systems. The cars are remembering on a super cheap fast and furious chapter. But it was a fun day. #Panama just need to let it go...