These photos of the garden were taken in June 2020. We have bananas, passion fruit and lemons growing in our yard, and they are all excellent. The bananas are a type the locals call “guineo de manzana,” which have a slight tang to them. We have one mango tree that produces huge fruit in summer. There is a huge water apple tree, a tall papaya tree, and a guava tree that produces fruit though it is blocked from the sun by larger trees, so the guavas are not totally sweet.
There are also pineapples, berries and chili peppers, not to mention a huge profusion of tropical flowers of all kinds.
If you find yourself thinking that this place looks like a little slice of heaven, you’re right! 馃檪
I recently came across the website of the El Valle Bread Club. One of my few personal complaints in El Valle was the lack of high quality bread. Now that need has apparently been filled.
The El Valle Bread Club describes their Vermont sourdough classic as follows: “Classic sourdough bread made of wheat flour. In France and Germany it is regarded as a solid country bread. In the US it is known as Vermont Sourdough Bread. According to our German tradition we refine it with a pinch of ground caraway and coriander seeds.”
The following is an excerpt from a Vancouver Sun travel piece titled, “Panama is much more than sunny beaches”, by Matt Finden:
“A volcanic crater?” I queried, my eyebrow raised with obvious interest. “With a town inside it!?” I considered this for a moment, still not quite sure if I had heard correctly.
Though I was lying prone on a beach chair, pi帽a colada in hand, the earnest young man holding the brochure for his tour company now had my full attention. My wife Fionna who had initiated the conversation was standing beside him, having just returned from a swim in the azure blue ocean stretched before me. Our two children, Maya, 8 and Liam, 6, were of course oblivious to our conversation and were engaged in a boisterous, laughter-filled body surfing contest in the gentle waves washing up on our sandy beach.
“Yes boss. The second largest inhabited dormant crater in the world”, came the reply from Manuel.
“It’s called the Anton Valley, no more than a 45-minute drive from here.”
Now, I think full disclosure is warranted here: our reason for coming to Panama was of singular purpose … to enjoy the sun, sand and surf at a beach resort in a beautiful tropical setting. And as I lay sipping my cold beverage on the first day of our trip under a scorching sun with the temperature in the mid-30s, my initial thought was mission accomplished.
As we would learn over the course of the week though, Panama had much more to offer – and we were under no illusion that we were doing more than scratching the surface in our relatively brief stay.
The Anton Valley was indeed a great half-day excursion into the jungle. The crater is about six kilometres in diameter and had been formed roughly 300,000 years ago. Today, it is a lush, verdant rainforest complete with the small town of El Valle situated within. We went swimming at the base of a waterfall, though I must come clean … I’ve seen bigger waterfalls along the side of the Sea to Sky Highway. However, it did empty into a beautiful clear, green natural pool that we all delightfully jumped into for a refreshing dip.
While we certainly received our fill of sunshine, heat and beach bars, it’s the Panama we discovered off the resort that will continue to resonate in our minds long after our tans fade.
Here are some new photos of the house taken this year. This fall we’ll be repainting the exterior of the house, and doing ongoing beautification work in the garden.
Looking from the front gate to the property across the street.
The front door. This front room is a screened-in patio, open to the breeze and the birdsong.
The front gate, and the house in the distance.
The driveway through the yard. It looks like a dirt path, but it is gravel underneath.
The kitchen. Lots of counter space!
The path to the laundry room behind the house. The house comes with a washer and dryer that were just purchased in 2012.
The master bedroom.
Paved path on the side of the yard. It goes past mango trees and eucalyptus trees.
The side of the yard, and the garden shed in the distance.
The sitting room. This room is always cool, even on hot days, because of the high ceilings and open windows.
El Valle is a parade town. The locals love to put on parades for every possible occasion: 聽Christmas, independence, various saints’ days, and more. These parades are big events, sometimes with half the town participating, marching, playing music, and riding custom-built wagons pulled by oxen. In between parades the youth practice, and the sound of distant rhythmic drumming can often be heard in the days preceding any parade.
Be aware that parades never start on time. They are always scheduled for an early time like 9am, but don’t actually get started until 10 or 11. That’s the Panama way, ha ha.
The parades are one the many things I love about life in El Valle.
A Baltimore oriole was recently sighted in El Valle, Panama
A resident of El Valle de Anton (Panama) recently reported seeing a Baltimore Oriole in his yard, and suggested keeping an eye out for this brilliant orange and black colored bird.
The Baltimore oriole’s habitat ranges from the Eastern half of the United States all the way down to Venezuela, so in Panama we’re at the southern end of its range.
It’s head, throat, mantle, wings, and tail are all black. The underparts, shoulders, tip and edges of tail, and rump are orange to yellow orange. The orange on the chest deepens to almost a sunset orange. There is a single white wingbar; the orange shoulder makes a second wingbar. The bill is pointed and silvery.
Panama has 972 species of birds. Because of its unique location as a connector of Central and South America, Panama gets visits from migratory birds from the entire range of the Americas.
El Valle is a birder’s paradise, and in fact there are hotels devoted specifically to birders. Every morning in El Valle one wakes up to bird song. It’s quite lovely.
Number Three: Coronado, Panama, just 35 minutes away from El Valle.
Yahoo Finance just published a slideshow titled, “8 Great Places to Retire You’ve Never Heard Of.” One of them is Coronado, Panama, which is just down the hill from El Valle de Anton, only 35 minutes away. Coronado is where El Valle residents go for larger grocery trips, or to have a Subway sandwich, or (if you know someone) to hang out at the beach.
My beautiful house in El Valle is for sale. Not only do you get to live in one of the loveliest places in the world, you’re only 40 minutes away from the Pacific beaches, and only 90 minutes out of the capital city.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOUSE, LOT, FEATURES, RENT AND SALE PRICE
El Valle is surrounded by beautiful, forested mountains
You have to see this room to really appreciate its size.
Pot sellers at the gate.
My daughter grew up in this house. Many happy memories reside here.
Our cats loved this house.
This iguana is often spotted on the berry bushes or other trees in the yard. Photo of iguana climbing a berry bush in the front yard.
Cerro Gaital is one of the many beautiful mountains surrounding El Valle.
For sale in聽El Valle de Ant贸n, Panama: a large, modern, fully furnished house
I am offering my furnished house for sale in聽El Valle de Ant贸n, Panama. For those who don’t know, El Valle is a lovely town of about 7,000 people, 90 minutes outside of Panama City, the capital of Panama. El Valle sits at 600 meters elevation in the bed of an ancient volcano, and has a pleasant, cool climate.
El Valle is a resort town and a popular weekend destination, and as a result it has many nice restaurants and a thriving crafts market. It’s also a place of amazing natural beauty, with a hot springs, waterfalls, and surrounded by misty, forested mountains. There is an established expat community in El Valle and many interesting activities such as classes in cooking, paper making, glass staining, and yoga.
The lot is 1,500 m2 (16,145 square feet) with beautiful mature trees of all kinds, including papaya, eucalyptus, bananas (the banana trees produce a small, uniquely flavored banana called “guineo de manzana”), and various berry bushes.
The house is 260 m2 (approximately 2,800 square feet) with three bedrooms and three baths. The house was designed by a Panamanian couple in which he was an engineer, and she was an interior decorator. Their expertise shows both in the practical elements of the design, and the many decorative flourishes. Some of the house’s features:
Convenient location two blocks off the main road and close to the center of town. Everything is within walking distance.
House has a raised foundation to prevent flooding in the rainy season.
The yard has a system of french drains beneath the surface to carry away excess rainwater.
Plenty of windows providing lots of light. Panamanian-style homes tend to be dark inside. Not so with this house. Also, many of the windows afford wonderful views of the surrounding mountains.
Ceiling and wall lamps everywhere, both inside and outside the house. Many of the lamps take the form of birds such as chickens and owls.
Split AC’s and ceiling fans in each bedroom. (A split AC is a type of high-end air conditioner that聽works by splitting the hot side from the cold side of the air conditioner. The cold is inside, while the hot is outside, with the two connected by a narrow duct through the wall. Since the compressor is outside, the AC unit is quieter and much more pleasing to the eye. It’s also more efficient and will really cool the room fast). Anyway, you won’t need the ACs most of the time because of El Valle’s pleasant climate, but on the hot days they can keep you comfortable if you choose.
New washer and dryer just installed in 2012.
New hot water heater installed in 2012.
Almost every room in the house has ceiling fans with lamps, including the bedrooms, bathrooms, living room and foyer.
Stone flooring and teak cabinets in the bathrooms.
A huge kitchen with a large island and plenty of counter space. Refrigerator and microwave were purchased last year.
Large living room built in a unique “patio style” that allows the breeze to pass through, and with very high ceilings; this room is cool year round. There is also a loft above the living room that can be used for storage.
A barbeque in the living room and an exhaust fan to take away the smoke.
Plenty of closet and storage space.
High speed internet connection via MobilNet. All you have to do is change the service to your name.
Telephone line. Many people rely on mobile phones, and El Valle has a mobile phone store, so it’s your option to activate the landline or not.
Furniture includes rustic-style couch and chairs, built-in tables and seating, rocking chair, hammock, kitchen stools, two beds plus sheets and pillows, nightstands, television cabinet, large television and DVD player, small desk and leather office chair, three UPS devices and several surge protectors, lamps, Vornado floor fans, quality cookware and silverware from the U.S., garden shed equipped with tools, and more. It’s turnkey. You could move right in with the clothes on your back.
The house is currently rented to an American expat. She is an excellent tenant and takes good care of the property.
An excellent maid and gardener help to care for the house, keeping it maintained and clean. They have worked in this house for several years and know it very well. They are both honest and hard working. You are not required to employ them of course, but if you do then you will not find better employees anywhere.
By the way, Rosa (the maid) would be happy to cook for you as well if you like. She has really branched out her cooking skills over the years and can prepare very nice Panamanian food, Chinese stir fry, Italian, salads and even vegetarian. When I’m staying in the house I give her money in the morning and she goes to the local open-air market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and cook them up the same day.
The side door has a small pet door built in, with a latch to keep other animals out at night.
The sale price is $300,000.
If you are interested please contact me via the form on the contact page, and I can make arrangements for you to see the house.
Here is a gallery of photos of the yard, the street in front of the house, the shed, the laundry, etc. Basically all the outdoor structures. Click on the thumbnails to see larger photos.
The front gate and the house in the distance. As you can see, the lot is quite large.
The yard is lush with flowers of all kinds
Trash basket and the quiet, grassy street in front of the house.
Pathway along the side of the house.
One of the berry bushes in the yard. Organic too!
Flowers in the yard.
View from the kitchen window.
The side door to the kitchen.
The door to the open living room.
The lot across the street.
The front gate. At night, with the lamps on, it's a welcoming sight.
Pineapples are coming up now.
Our doorbell.
The carport easily fits two cars or SUVs.
Though grass-covered, the driveway is paved in gravel and does not flood.
The structure straight ahead is the tool shed.
These owls light up at night. There many nice touches like that all around the house.
The laundry room behind the house.
Part of the footpath through the yard.
The pathway curves through the yard. You can also see the compost pile, where the gardener recycles yard waste.
