The summer months in Panama mean a relief from the rain, and in Pedasí, at the bottom of the Azuero Peninsula, the sun brings with it fish, festivities and that most valued commodity: tourism. The dry season, as it’s also known, runs from December to April, overlapping perfectly with the coldest winter months in North America, whose shivering residents are only too happy to venture south and revel in Panama’s finest season.
Clear temperate Pacific waters, deserted sandy beaches, the charm of rural life and no end of marine life to admire from behind a snorkel mask or hoist up proudly at the end of a fishing line – these are Pedasí finest offerings in the dry season, and the perfect counterpoint to gloomy and snowy winter days.
“There’s no doubt that this mirroring of seasons is a big reason why we felt Panama was the right place for our project,” said Daniel Rudasevski of Dekel Panama, the force behind Andromeda Ocean Estates. Set just outside the town of Pedasí, Andromeda Ocean Estates is a beachfront vacation community, with exquisitely-crafted villas overlooking two wide, sandy beaches, and the stunning Isla Iguana just offshore.
“This makes Pedasi the perfect snowbird escape, for those who want to escape the winter up north; Panama is so easily accessible, safe, affordable, and inviting,” adds Mr Rudasevski. “Andromeda Ocean Estates is designed to provide the best of both worlds – modern designs and infrastructure, every first-class amenity, but in a setting that is breathtakingly beautiful, and forever warm.”
The Azuero Peninsula is already one of Panama’s driest regions, a spit of land that is home to the country’s only swath of dry tropical forest; and when the torrential rains of September and October give way, the landscape shines emerald green under clear-washed blue skies.
Very little rain falls after January, and the landscape slowly turns golden through the dry sunny days, with strong winds stirring up the ocean currents and bringing new gamefish to the offshore waters. Big schools of yellowfin tuna, roosterfish, amberjack, mahi-mahi and wahoo ply the cooler coastal waters at this time of year, as well as a variety of snapper snapper, rainbow runner, snowy grouper, cubera snapper and bluefin trevally, to name just a few.
Reliably clear weather makes Pedasi’s summer the ideal time for outdoor festivities, and there is no shortage of celebration throughout the region. The most famous and extravagant of these fiestas is the Carnival (carnaval), and every town on the Azuero Peninsula bursts into a frenzy of color, music, costumes and parades. The center of activity is no doubt Las Tablas, about an hour up the coast from Pedasi, famed for its elaborate carnival that runs a full five days in February.
“We’ve found that most of our homeowners don’t just want to escape, they are interested in the local culture, in taking part in this way of life,” pointed out Mr Rudasevski. “The people of Pedasi are so incredibly friendly, and the culture is so rich here, it’s truly fascinating. You can’t help but be drawn in.
“This is what makes Pedasi the whole package – at any time of year.”
