Panama Vacation Quarters

The Canal Zone --- that outpost of US jurisdiction, that peculiar way of life --- is over. Most of the old buildings remain, but people looking to relive the old days would be disappointed by many of the changes.

In a lifestyle and architectural sense, however, there are places where the changes have been for the better, and in which former residents coming back to the isthmus can enjoy the quiet life in well maintained settings that was part of the Zonian way of life. One of these areas is Quarry Heights, some of whose buildings are now being fixed up to lodge visitors. Uphill is a national park, downhill but hidden by the trees is the bustling center of Panama City, and there is enough height and distance to be close to all of the city's attractions without all the noise and air pollution.

To be sure, Quarry Heights was the headquarters of the US Southern Command, so a lot of Canal Zone civilians never saw the place when they lived here. This would be a good opportunity to see it for the first time, and Panama Vacation Quarters is betting that a lot of people who stay at the former officers' quarters they have renovated will want to continue coming, by buying a time share and taking advantage of the cooks, housekeepers and shoppers that allow them to spend their time in Panama having fun rather than running mundane errands.

After a lot of renovation and improvement work, Panama Vacation Quarters recently opened for business and the company is now working on a similar project in Gamboa. Basically they sell one-week time shares that last for 20 years, with prices varying by the time of year (more expensive in peak tourism season, cheaper if you prefer to visit when most other tourists don't).

Yeah, yeah, yeah --- we've all heard tales of woe about time shares. However, the concept has worked well for all concerned when honorable sellers and buyers who want a regular vacation spot in a specific place come together.

Panama Vacation Quarters was founded by a couple of Zonians who intend to maintain their ties to Panama over the long term and know the area and its attractions --- they're neither fly-by-night American hustlers nor Panamanian practitioners of juega vivo, and this project is their long-term hope to live and work in the place they love. The customers they seek are sometimes new to Panama but usually not, so they can afford to be subtle and straightforward in their appeals. Outlandish claims will be recognized as such and fine print jive won't fly either. The tangible attractions here are the location and the quality of the lodgings, things that former Canal Zone residents will immediately recognize.

Some of the big beach developments in the Interior are marketing time shares, but this project is within the capital's city limits and largely marketed toward a different breed of visitors, one much like a big part of The Panama News the readership --- people with historic ties to Panama who now live outside the country but maintain their interest and frequently visit here. It will be fascinating to see how well this concept fares in Panama's booming and multifaceted tourism industry.

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Another niche market in Panama's tourist industry