It never ceases to amaze me of all the articles written by different people in different media about Boquete. Word has definitely gotten out about this place and if you are considering moving here, do it soon before you cannot afford to.
Here is a great article written by Keith Schneider, senior editor of Circle of Blue.
BOQUETE, Panama – A mile high in the western highlands, near the border of Costa Rica and in the shadow of 3,474-meter (11,398-foot) Volcan Baru, a dormant volcano that is Panama’s tallest peak, lies a convergence of water, sun, soil, and altitude that produces superb coffee. The very same union of God-given natural bounty also yields a prodigious display of beautiful flowers and an afternoon banquet of rainbows that arc, mountain range to mountain range, to form half-halos of color above this handsome valley town.
For a generation now, and with the help of a sizable community of ex-pat Americans and Canadians, Boquete (pronounced Bo-ket-ay) has merged its century-old coffee-producing economy with contemporary pursuits like hiking, whitewater rafting, and farm-to-table restaurants. The result is a tourist town set by the fast-flowing Caldera River that resembles Telluride, Colorado, enjoys the sunny weather of Santa Barbara, California, has the authentic and gracious charm of Saint-Malo, France, and the steep and clean wild rivers and challenging cliffs of Banff, British Columbia.
Most of Boquete’s 6,300 residents are said to be intent on preserving these assets as the foundation of a sustainable economy that is thriving. This is no small feat in a mountainous, water-rich region that is a study in fluid mechanics and kinetic energy. Rivers are big and move downhill with authority in western Panama, which is attracting intensive hydro-electric power development.
A friend, Osvaldo Jordan, who is a biologist and political scientist, took me to the other side of the mountains, closer to the Caribbean, to see the tropical river valleys where new dams are proposed — a development that I will report on later this month for Circle of Blue. “There are different definitions for defining modernity,” Osvaldo told me. “The biggest challenge for Panama is to find the right definition.”
A portion of that new definition rests in Boquete. In town there are lovely restaurants like the Art Cafe, which serves exquisite French dinners for a fair price and Punto de Encuentro, where Boquete’s best breakfast is served. Olga, Punto’s owner for 17 years, gives customers a hug and a kiss hello, and a hug and a kiss goodbye.