Las Olas Beach Resort has the longest beach in Panama

Las Olas Beach Resort is located in Playa La Barqueta just 25 minutes from the city of David, capital of the province of Chiriqui. This 11 miles (18 kilometers) beach is the longest in the Pacific Ocean of Panama. Its sand is gray volcanic color on which beautiful sunsets fall. Reserve your stay in Booking.

Travel Leisure magazine named them the most economical beach resort in the world. It is truly a very complete resort.

Farm to table

The food was at the Las Olas Beach Resort restaurant was amazingly good. I ask if they had a famous chef and they said no. They just have local people working in the kitchen. A few years ago they had a Mexican chef who taught the staff recipes and they have adapted them.

I spoke with Juan Arauz, the owner of the resort, and he told me that his son was on the same page as me trying to eat healthy. They got tired of buying from external suppliers and decided to raise and sow a large part of what they offer in the restaurant. They have plantations of bananas, lemons, oranges and other tropical fruits.

In the restaurant of Las Olas Beach Resort you can try the beef, pork, lamb and goats of the farm. Before they had ducks and chickens for their meat and eggs but at the moment they are not reproducing them. In the future they want to have a small plant to pasteurize milk and make cheeses for residents and visitors. They are waiting for the houses and towers, that are part of the residential project, to be completed to have more people.

A traditional livestock farm

This farm is located in the district of Alanje de Chiriquí and has been agricultural since the 1600s. Antonio Anguizola De La Lastra, Juan’s great-grandfather, filled with cattle his property of more than 800 hectares. He decided to call it La Barqueta, since in those times people traveled by boat around the wetlands, flooding the riverbanks.

In 1915, just after the inauguration of the Panama Canal, Antonio junior builds a dock on the farm to take the cattle to Panama City and then export it to North and South America. His daughter ventures into the planting of rice which is traditional in the area. In 2001, Juan builds Las Olas Beach Resort.

As part of the agro-tourism activities you can visit the calves that are in cradles. Children can give them milk in bottles. In the mornings, between 7:30-8 a.m. you can see the mechanized milking process while feeding the animals. Milking is done later than usual since it is low land on the seashore. They milk between 40 to 50 cows and if customers wish they can do it manually.

He was telling me that he wanted to make a tabulation hatchery for fattening but since the cost of meat went down, he decided not to do so and I told him better. He feeds the cattle with grass which is what the cattle need and many people would be willing to pay more for the quality. They do not use hormones.

Activities at Las Olas Beach Resort

The mornings are ideal for swimming on the beach since it is calmer than in the evenings when there are always waves. It is a beach known for surfers who come to find its sand break. You can take a ride on the beach or through one of the trails of the farm. They have very good horses for those, like me, who like to ride. If you are not a good rider, it is better to warn them to get a gentle horse.

At night they make campfires on the beach and during the day you can play volleyball. They also have bicycles. Those who prefer to exercise inside can use the gym equipped with dressing rooms and sauna, but it really does not merit with so many outdoor options.

They have three professional tennis courts that like the rest of the facilities are included for those who stay or spend the day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Children have their own playground. Facing the sea they have a beautiful pool with chairs, bar service and food.

From June to the end of October you can see the whales and all year round there are birds, especially in the summer when the migrants arrive. The ‘Estero de los Baúles’ allows you to go up to nine kilometers in kayak among the mangroves. It is advisable to go with the tide, when the current rises it enters and when it goes down, it comes out.

Las Olas Beach Resort has 48 rooms, including two master suites and six suites. It also has a convention center called ‘Bella Donna’ after Juan’s American wife who he met when he was in college. It has capacity for 400 people in three rooms and is the largest in David. They rent it for weddings, corporate and family events. At the end of the night you can try your karaoke talent at Bar Azul.