Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama Review: Worth It or Skip It?

We spent the second half of a week-long Panama vacation at the The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama, a Marriott Autograph Collection property. We choose this property because we wanted to relax after what was a busy few days in Panama City, complete with day trips. We considered Bocas del Toro or Boquete but opted for The Buenaventura solely due to ease of travel (it is only two hour, highway drive from Panama City). This post reviews our stay at The Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort Panama.

The actually postcard perfect beach at The Buenaventura.

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1 Day in Panama City: The Perfect Food Tour Itinerary (Casco Antiguo)

Panama City, Panama is wonderful destinations in Central America, particularly for foodies. With its mix of historic charm, modern skyline, and diverse culinary influences, it’s a city where you can eat incredibly well—if you know where to look. We spent a week in Panama City last year, and while it’s more modern (and pricier) than many of its neighbors, it isn’t the easiest place to navigate as a first-time visitor. That’s exactly why starting with a food tour turned out to be the perfect introduction.

Dan in Casco Antiguo, ready to eat our way around town.

On our first full day, we explored Casco Antiguo—the city’s colorful historic district—on a walking food tour that combined Panamanian history with some of the best dishes we sampled all week. From a traditional breakfast with hojaldra and steak, to fresh tropical juices, market eats, ceviche at the most famous seafood market, and world-renowned Geisha coffee, this experience gave us a true taste of Panama City. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything we ate, where to find it, and how to recreate this exact Panama City food tour itinerary on your own—perfect if you only have one day in the city or want to explore Panama City beyond the Panama Canal.

A street in colorful Casco Antiguo, Panama City.

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Is Bermuda Worth It? Our Honest Review from NYC

Bermuda is one of the easiest island getaways from NYC—just a 2-hour flight—but is it actually worth it? After a long weekend of beaches, food tours, and a few travel mishaps, here’s my honest take.

At A Glance

  • 📍 Location: Bermuda
  • ✈️ Flight Time from NYC: ~2 hours
  • 📅 Trip Length: 4 days / 3 nights
  • 💰 Cost Level: $$$
  • 🚗 Getting Around: Taxi + Hitch app
  • 🏨 Where We Stayed: Coco Reef Resort (not recommended)
  • Highlights: Food tour, Crystal Caves, St. George’s
  • ⚠️ Watch Out For: Expensive taxis, inconsistent hotel quality

Bermuda! There was a solid British (kind of Irish) theme) present throughout the island due to it being a British outpost for years. This was pretty interesting.

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Bermuda last Labor Day weekend. It was our first visit and the simple reason – it is only 2 hours from the NYC area and there was a relatively reasonably priced flight that fit our schedule. We had a very nice time, but we have certainly been to nicer islands (in our opinion). I think I need to go back (and we will, I have my eye on the St. Regis!) for longer and stay elsewhere for a different experience on the island. This post details what we ate, where we stayed, and what we did during our weekend getaway to Bermuda so that you can recreate our trip on your own!

Bermuda is very pretty.

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East Bermuda 1 Day Itinerary (No Car Needed): Caves, Food & St. George’s Guide

When planning my Bermuda Labor Day getaway, I struggled with planning an itinerary. The island is rather spread out, and we did not rent a car. We spent one afternoon and evening in the Eastern part of Bermuda (Georgetown, near the airport) and our itinerary worked well for those visiting the East for a day or half day.

A very cool tree between The Swizzle Inn and Crystal and Fantasy Caves.

First up, have an early lunch at what is possibly Bermuda’s most famous establishment, the Swizzle Inn! With its catch phrase “Swizzle In, Swizzle Out” and its infamous drink, the Rum Swizzle, the Swizzle Inn is incredibly popular, fun, and unmissable. It calls itself Bermuda’s oldest pub (like The Hog Penny in Hamilton…) and claims to be the creator of Bermuda’s national drink, the Rum Swizzle.

The Swizzle Inn, Bermuda.

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The Naxos Apothecary: A Portara View Restaurant in Chora, Naxos

For those familiar with the Greek beauty and skin care brand Korres, you may have heard of its owners’ upscale beauty and skin care brand, The Naxos Apothecary. Inspired by Greece’s oldest homeopathic pharmacy, The Naxos Apothecary brand makes lovely beauty products, skin care, and scents. The brand is somewhat difficult to find outside of Greece, so I definitely recommend picking some up when there. In any case, The Naxos Apothecary also has a restaurant and store combination located right in Chora, Naxos. This post reviews my lovely dinner at The Naxos Apothecary in July 2025.

The Naxos Apothecary Restaurant.

First off, The Naxos Apothecary is located at the far end of Chora port’s restaurant row, very close to the entry way to the Portara. It can be a bit difficult to find unless you are walking to the Portara. The establishment itself is both a restaurant/wine bar/tea cafe and a shop selling some of the brand’s most famous products (although the selection was not that great in my opinion). We did not make a reservation and were able to snag an outdoor table just after sunset on a Friday evening, which was pretty lucky. I suggest making a reservation. The restaurant is small and also offers, at least from the outside tables, a slight glimpse of the Portara and an excellent sunset view.

View from our table.

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