Visiting The San Blas Islands as a Day Trip from Panama City, Panama

15/06/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe 2 Comments

Are you considering visiting Panama’s San Blas Islands, possibly as a day trip from Panama City? This article explains the details of a day vist to the San Blas Islands, provides tips for visiting the San Blas Islands, and why I probably wouldn’t do it again, ha. We also visited the Panama Canal from Panama City. And, by way of background, Dan and I visited the San Blas Islands as a day trip from our nearly week-long stay in Panama City, Panama in early April. I selected the San Blas Islands over other popular island destinations, such as Bocas del Toro due to the fact that you can drive from Panama City.

A Panama beer at the San Blas Islands.

The San Blas Islands

And what are the San Blas Islands you may ask? The San Blas Islands are a group of approximately 300 autonomous Panamanian islands off the northern coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea. Panama’s indigenous Guna (a/k/a Kuna) population reside in the San Blas Islands, which are famous for their Mola fabrics. Today, the Guna people earn nearly all of their money from tourism and selling handicrafts.

The San Blas Islands undoubtedly have some beautiful areas.

The San Blas Islands are currently popular with tourists for their crystal clear blue waters, as well as ecotourism. We found the San Blas Islands to be quite pretty, but pretty rustic and not easy to navigate for a typical tourist without some sort of guide. Indeed, you can’t even access them without taking a boat from the mainland. The Guna people have their own language and heritage, which is really interesting if you have time to read up on them. There is also a (free!) Mola Museum in Panama City that provides a solid background before visiting.

Guna mola fabric on display at the Mola Museum in Panama City, Panama

Mola fabric from the Mola Museum in Panama City.

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Executive Lounge Review: JW Marriott Panama City (Panama)

04/06/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

M Club Lounge. JW Marriott Panama City, Panama.

I spent five days at the JW Marriott Panama City in April 2025. This post reviews the JW Marriott’s M Club Lounge. Before getting into the M Club Lounge review, the JW Marriott Panama City is a nice hotel located in a high rise building, with most (if not all) rooms having views of the Pacific Ocean. The hotel also has a beautiful pool area, complete with two infinity pools and a heated regular pool. Like many JW Marriotts, this one boasts a M Club Lounge for visitors with certain Marriott status and those staying in certain room categories. I have Platinum Status with Marriott, so I received access to the Club M Lounge for me and one guest during my stay. This post reviews the M Club Lounge at the JW Marriott in Panama City. The same status likely got us a suite upgrade at The Buenaventura, a Marriott Autograph Collection resort, later that week.

Ocean and city views from a guest room at the JW Marriott Panama City

Room views from the JW Marriott Panama City.

The M Club Lounge

As you likely know if you are reading this article, M Club Lounges are lounges at certain Marriott properties that certain guests can access, including those with certain status and others staying in certain room categories. While club lounges vary widely in terms of quality and offerings, Marriott club lounges often feature complimentary food, complimentary drinks (sometimes including alcohol during limited hours), and a quite place to spend time away from your room. I generally enjoy a club lounge and find such lounges to be a nice perk at hotels.

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Restaurant Review: The Floridian, St. Augustine, Florida

16/05/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe 1 Comment

I spent 24 hours in St. Augustine a couple weeks ago, in April 2025, after attend a family wedding in the area. I wrote a post about St. Augustine as a whole here. While touristy, St. Augustine offers some decent places to eat, and I really enjoyed my lunch at The Floridian – a true Florida restaurant owned by Floridians and using local ingredients. This post details my lunch at the Floridian, which I very much recommend visiting if in St. Augustine.

The old-Florida sign outside The Floridian restaurant in historic St. Augustine

Welcome to the Floridian! A adorable old-Florida sign.

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Itinerary: 24 Hours in the USA’s Oldest City, St. Augustine, Florida

14/05/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe 2 Comments

Oak Canopy. St. Augustine, Florida, USA.

St. Augustine is a small city on Florida’s northeast Atlantic Coast. Founded in 1565 (yes, a whopping 200 years before the USA was founded!), St. Augustine’s claims to be the United States’ oldest city and is loaded with early American history. Today, the town is quite charming, offering visitors a walkable old town, gorgeous Spanish Architecture, including a castle(!), and tranquil beaches. St. Augustine makes a fun weekend getaway or a stop on a longer Florida itinerary. One could easily spend several days in and around St. Augustine, but if you only have 24 hours, this itinerary is for you! Based off my recent weekend in St. Augustine, this post explains how you can make the most of St. Augustine in 24 hours!

The group in the Dining Hall at Flagler College in St. Augustine

The group at Flagler College’s Dining Hall during our 24 hours in St. Augustine. And that is, indeed, Tiffany stained glass behind us!

WALKING ST. AUGUSTINE’S OLD STREETS

Begin your time in St. Augustine on Aviles Street, aka the city’s oldest street, preferably in the morning to avoid the crowds of tourists and get the best pictures (without said tourists). There is nothing you really must “do” on Aviles except walk and take in the old timey sites (Aviles Street really leans into its status as “oldest street”). When you reach Plaza de la Constitución, what I would describe as one of St. Augustine’s main squares, walk up to the water to view the Medici Lion Marble Statutes (copies of the real Italian ones) guarding the draw bridge and then circle back to Plaza de la Constitución to view its gorgeous Oak Trees with Spanish Moss and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, which is a very beautiful and old Catholic Church. It still holds mass every Sunday if you are interested.

St. Augustine, Florida, billed as the oldest city in the United States

St. Augustine – the oldest city in the USA.

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Airport Lounge Review: Casa del Ron, Guatemala La Aurora International

16/02/202504/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

The full service bar at the Casa del Ron lounge, Guatemala La Aurora International Airport

When flying out of Guatemala City in July 2024, we visited on of the best Priority Pass airport lounges that we have visited in a while – Casa del Ron! This post reviews our, albeit brief, experience at Casa del Ron.

Casa del Ron at Guatemala La Auror International Airport. I’m certain its sponsored by Zacapa rum.

Casa del Ron

Casa del Ron is a store/bar chain in Guatemala specializing in Guatemalan liquors, particularly rum. In fact, Casa del Ron is a great place to buy hard-to-find bottles of Zacapa rum (possibly Guatemala’s best rum) and other Guatemalan specialities. Dan and I visited the Casa del Ron in Antigua for drinks and they were high quality. Unknown to us on our visit to Casa del Ron in Antigua, there is also an outpost at the Guatemala La Aurora International airport (i.e., the Guatemala City airport), and its on Priority Pass. We obviously visited.