Note: Offer valid August, September, and October. Because everyone coming into Casco Viejo is deserving of a proper arrival, we've started offering airport shuttles with our favorite Panama City driver Blas! Stay with us here at Los Cuatro Tulipanes for 3 nights or more and let Blas personally transfer you to our little piece of paradise. Over the years, Blas has made friends out of so many of our guests that it's hard to count. From his hilarious English efforts to his insightful information tid-bits, Blas is also available, should you need him, to cart you around the City during your stay. Mention this when inquiring to claim your free transfer from the airport on arrival, a $45 value.

In a foreign city, the opportunity to wander down a dark alley occupied by a group of local hoodlums might freak out a large number of tourists. But in Casco Viejo, a growing number of visitors are requesting to do just that when they visit us here at Los Cuatro Tulipanes, shunning the comfortably but oh-so-predictable experience of travel in an overly-globalized world. More often than not, opening their eyes to Casco Viejo’s socioeconomic and cultural diversity is a highlight of the trip as a whole.

“This here is where the gang from Fourth Street relocated to when their house fell down,” I told some guests from Manhattan who fell in love with what they called the pre-Soho feel of Casco Viejo. “And over there, under those pilings, there’s this little community of like three or four crackheads. They’re all real characters. Want to go check them out?”

The answer was, of course, a resounding yes. Those guests, among just about everyone else who comes out and walks the streets with us, were not only surprised but somehow enlightened by what they discovered in Casco Viejo. To realize that Panama City is not just high-rises and flashy lifestyles – a bit of grime and edge beyond the window of a tour bus – is to stumble upon the true miracle of travel.

There is perhaps no better medley of Panama than exists in the ten-or-so blocks surrounding Los Cuatro Tulipanes. Come for a walk with us during your stay. You’ll see beauty, age, colors, and textures, traditions, tourists, the wealthy and the impoverished. Such tours offer a rare eye-level look at how people in Panama live, which, according to us, is much more responsible than not looking at all.

Here at Los Cuatro Tulipanes, we do not consider it our responsibility – or heck, even our right – to attempt to sell people on Casco Viejo. There are people who are attracted to it as a travel/investment destination and there are people who are not. This list is intended to avoid major disappointment in that latter group, and to clarify -- or perhaps commend -- those guests of ours who actually do get the most out of their visit. Some reasons that, before visiting, you should consider:

1. Lack of English: From its museums to restaurants to locals on the street, Casco Viejo – not unlike Panama as a whole – does not stress English. If you’re a traveler or investor who only feels comfortable in surroundings where English is spoken primarily, and who fears surpassing language barriers, Casco Viejo may not be for you. Alternate option: London.

2. Lack of brand names: If you are someone who enjoys traveling abroad but likes to consume mainly brand names which you’ve become accustomed with at home, Casco Viejo may not be for you. There are very few international chains in Casco Viejo, the majority of its businesses either boutique or mom-and-pop style establishments. Alternate option: Cancun.

3. Little direction/guidance: If, when traveling or investing, you are someone who looks primarily to tour groups, tour guides, and organized events for activities, Casco Viejo may not be for you. Because its tourism industry is so nascent, Casco Viejo has only a small handful of tour opportunities, most of which are unreliable and/or not in English. There do exist regimented escorted tours but these generally are based with tourism companies outside of Casco Viejo Unless you are comfortable with exploring on your own, asking locals for suggestions, and making your own sleeping/dining arrangements, Casco Viejo may not be for you. Alternate option: Costa Rica.

4. Few events staged for tourists: Whereas downtown Panama offers a number of tourist-designed Panamanian dining and leisure activities, Casco Viejo has very few organized events period, not to mention even fewer meant specifically for tourists. If you’re idea of the perfect Panama vacation is to eat large platters of “native food” and see “traditional dance” in a comfortable and controlled environment, Casco Viejo may not be for you. Alternate option: Mexico.

5. Potential risk factors: Because it is still an emerging neighborhood with crime issues, Casco Viejo does pose a potential threat to foreigners and locals alike. Since the crime statistics have decreased significantly over the past ten years, the calculated risk of visiting is small (especially when compared to other popular neighborhoods in Panama City and the United States). That being said, residents in Casco do deal with the occasional gun shots, burglaries, and gang activities. If even the slightest hint of this sort of risk worries you or your family, Casco Viejo may not be right for you. Alternate option: Denmark.

6. Strays: If stray dogs, stray cats, or stray individuals searching through garbage cans make you uneasy, Casco Viejo may not be for you. Alternate option: Multi-Plaza Mall.

7. Minor inconveniences: Are you the type of regimented traveler or investor who is put off by minor infrastructure inconveniences such as parking difficulties, uneven sidewalks, potholes, lack of light on side streets, dirt/grime…etc. Casco Viejo may not be for you. Alternate option: Costa del Este.

This is all to say that, those with strict and dependable requirements for travel (be it on vacation or for investment) are oftentimes put off by Casco Viejo, and rightly so. We often find that guests at Los Cuatro Tulipanes who need large-hotel-amenities like room service, pool, buffets...etc are better suited to stay downtown at a Marriott-like hotel. This alternative is often best for both the guest and for us. There is often too the flip side: guests at the Marriott-like hotel that visits Casco Viejo and embraces its pulse, who then cancel their downtown reservation in favor of a night with us!!!