On Friday we checked out of our all-inclusive resort hotel and made our way inland and upland, to the mountainous town of Boquete in central Panama. This was the resort I had learned about from that WeddingBee post I mentioned, and the part of the trip I was most excited about.
Getting there wasn't exactly an easy trip, either. We had to take a taxi from the resort for that two-hour drive back to Panama City, where we dropped some of our luggage off at our last hotel so that we wouldn't have to pay to check it. The taxi then took us to Panama's domestic airport, which was even smaller than the international one we had flown into. The waiting room was the entire airport, and our luggage was all checked by hand with nary an x-ray machine in sight. After a short wait, we boarded a small prop plane and braced ourselves for the rough hour-long flight into David Airport. At least we had gorgeous views as we flew under the thick cloud cover:
In David we rented a car and Jeff drove out of the city and into the rural area of Boquete (about an hour away). The drive was easy and peaceful, nothing like the crowded city streets we had just left. The road wound up hills and through forests and farms with more and more picturesque views the further we went. Finally we arrived in Boquete, a small and quaint town filled with American, Canadian, and European expats. Our hotel was just outside of the town center, situated up a hill on a dirt road. The hotel we stayed at was The Coffee Estate Inn, a small boutique B&B with only three bungalows on the property. The owners, Jane and Barry, have done an amazing job of making a heaven-on-earth retreat away from it all. We stayed in the most secluded bungalow, the Jewel, at the bottom of the hill:
Don't let the dense vegitation fool you, though: the bungalow itself was comfortable, light, and just modern enough to suit our tastes:
The dining area overlooking the forests
The kitchenette, fully stocked with estate-grown coffee and homemade breads and pastries
A magically self-refilling fruit basket of bananas, oranges, and papaya
Fresh flowers graced the living room and bedroom every day
The view from our bed. No, seriously, how amazing is that?
And the view from the other side of the bedroom
Our private patio/balcony was the perfect place to sip wine in the evening and coffee in the morning while looking out at Volcan Baru and the valley below
Jane gave us a tour of the bungalow and clued us into the layout of the property, then left us to our own devices. We unpacked and settled in, and then decided to walk the property to explore all of its touted Garden-of-Eden qualities for ourselves. We were seriously not disappointed. Some of the highlights of our estate walk included:
Hibiscus greeted us as we stepped out of our front door. I was beyond excited, but these paled in comparison to what was to come
Barry later told us the names of these flowers, but I've forgotten. I do remember that they catch rain water and make a soap-like substance that you can use to wash with. Their name in some way involves the word "shampoo" for that reason.
Just starting out on the trail, crossing a homemade bridge. Check out that crazy-tall bamboo!
Jeff on the trail, overlooking the forests and mountains
Recognize these from our in-room floral arrangement? That's right, all of the flowers are grown on the estate!
A bee (or something) checking out this pretty flower
Jeff taking a break on a log
Hey look, there really were two of us on this trip! Finally found a spot to take a timed photo together.
For some reason I was fascinated by this funny little mushroom colony.
Making our way uphill
Stopping to smell the...um...spiky red flowers?
Jeff looks suspicious. These flowers allegdly contain mini-bananas (that aren't edible!)
Those tree roots are insane!
Okay, nothing remarkable here. I just really love this picture of Jeff. ♥
More flowers on our way back to the bungalow.
Guys, seriously, I took about a thousand more pictures on this walk around the inn, but I was afraid if I posted them all I'd break the internet. Check out the hotel's website for even more amazing floral discoveries! (And no, they're not paying me for this rave review. But if you're reading, Jane and Barry, I'd take some of that delicious coffee you guys make as payment for this ringing endorsement! Just saying.)
At the end of our walk, it started to sprinkle. I've travelled to Costa Rica before, and I know better than to take my chances that it will stay "just a sprinke", so I told Jeff we had to RUN back to the Bungalow. Good thing we did, because halfway there the clouds opened, we were enveloped by fog, and it began to pour down on us. We grabbed each other's hands and sprinted the rest of the way down the hill, laughing as we entered our cozy front door. We stopped in our tracks, however, when we saw Jane setting our table for dinner. We had reserved in advance the fancy "date night" dinner, served privately in our living room, but I had no idea it would look like this:
Even the napkins were blooming!
Jane greeted us, then put the finishing touches on the floral arrangements, lit some candles, and told us Barry would be down in an hour or so with dinner. We opened some wine that we had brought with us (and Jeff had a bottle of imported beer) and settled down to wait.
Jeff kicking back in the living room with his fancy-pants beer
Later, drinking wine on the balcony. Check out that fog!
Before we knew it, Barry walked down the hill carrying the most mouth-watering tray of food I've ever seen. We got the rack of lamb, and let me tell you, it was the BEST meal I've ever had in my life, hands-down.
Nom nom nom!
We relished every bite, and afterwards had a small glass of the estate's home-grown and home-made coffee liqueur which was just insanely tasty and sweet and perfect. We tried to buy some to take home with us, but they were all out. I almost cried, it was seriously THAT good.
mmmm coffee liqueur
I still have no idea how we did it, but we managed to finish every bite of that delicious dinner. When we melted into bed that night, we couldn't stop marvelling over how lucky we were to find this place. When we woke up, we drank (estate-grown, amazingly delicous, sweet and rich) coffee on the balcony while enjoying the view.
And that was just day one in Boquete! Readers, listen, if you're ever travelling in Panama, stay at the Coffee Estate Inn. If you're ever travelling, anywhere at all, make it be to Panama and stay at the Coffee Estate Inn. Even if you don't have the vacation time to spare, quit your job so you can go and stay at this place. It really is that good. Jeff and I already have plans to go back for future anniversaries, and we wouldn't dream of staying anywhere else.
Okay, I'm off my unpaid-advertisement soapbox now. Up next: an unexpected change of plans, and the rest of our time on the mountain!
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