Naos Diary: Breaking Down Amador Myths
Whenever my wife and I mention that we live on Naos Island on the Amador Causeway, we often hear the same question: “How do you live so far out there?”
Let me try to clarify one thing: Naos is on average 12 minutes from Punta Pacifica, 7 minutes from all the restaurants and nightlife of Casco Viejo and about 10 minutes from the Albrook Mall. It is NOT “so far out there,” in the geographic sense of the city. Yes, with traffic those times can change, but we’re still minutes away from the heart of the city.
Being “out there” is the beauty of life on Amador. It’s not a negative. You’re away from all the noise and hustle of the city, living the island life, yet you’re still only minutes away from everything.
We moved to Naos for my work, when I became property manager of Naos Harbour Island Residences, the beautiful waterfront resort. Now, we choose to stay here because Naos offers a lifestyle we love. We found that Naos actually has the ability to change your perception of the day. It might sound funny, but it’s the truth. The peace, freshness and overall tranquility here, I truly believe changes the way you go about your day.
From the minute you wake up and look out over the ocean–the ships, the blue ocean, the broad sky–you feel different. You are “out there.” Making the connection to the city is actually a pleasure.
When you leave the front gate of Naos, your drive into the city is beautiful. The road is smooth and kept extremely clean. All the way down the Causeway, over the Cinta Costera to Avenida Balboa, there are fantastic views of people biking and jogging on the trails, and the ships moving in and out of the Panama Canal. It’s probably the most beautiful drive you can make within city limits. It really sets the tone for your day.
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People seem to have a variety of misconceptions about Amador. I’m always hearing the same questions about life on Naos. The answer is always the same–we manage just fine. Here are a few answers to some of the standards topics:
Traffic: People say to me all the time, “There must be so much traffic!” Here’s my experience. My day starts with a gym session in the Ocean Club building in Punta Pacifica. At 7 a.m., when I leave the house unless there is an accident on the road I am at the gym by 7:15. After my workout, I return to Naos leaving the city at 8:30 a.m. and I hit zero traffic. I’m usually back home within 10 to 15 minutes. My wife usually leaves for her salon in Marbella from 9:30 to 10 a.m. and she usually makes it in 15 minutes. She comes home between 730 and 9 pm. With the recent road changes in front of the Maracana stadium, there is little to no traffic on her return.
Food/Shopping: Times have changed. We used to save full grocery shopping for the weekends. Now we have many options. The go-to choice is the new Riba Smith in Panama Pacifico or the new El Rey in Albrook. It is true that Amador doesn’t have a full supermarket, but what we do have is a Chinese market and a Felipe Motta (gourmet deli), both within walking distance from Naos. I also use a great delivery service that works with Pricesmart (a.k.a. Panama’s Costco) and Riba Smith called Thrive in Panama. They do the shopping for us and deliver weekly for a small fee. They will stop by the vegetable market, fish market, grocery store, health store and just about anywhere else I choose. It’s been a true life enhancer.
Pharmacy: We have a small pharmacy at the entrance to Amador, close to the entrance of the Bridge of the Americas. It is easy to reach and I have not had an issue that I couldn’t solve there.
Laundry: All of the major dry cleaners have delivery services. I use the Clean & Clean place in Punta Pacifica since I spend a lot of my time there during the week. When I can’t pick up myself, I have them deliver. Great service.
Delivery Food: I don’t want to sound lazy, but all the delivery options available in the city are available on Naos. There are a wide variety of websites and services that deliver from some of the best restaurants in Panama City.
Schools: Like most kids in Panama, Declan, our son, takes the bus to school and has since he was 3-years-old. It’s a private door-to-door service (like all school bus services in Panama). For Declan, it’s a no hassle service and it would be the same from anywhere in the city.
While writing this, I realized that people have this terrible misconception of the things that they think make up their lives. Other than these five or six elements, what do you really need closer than 10 minutes?
For us, it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else in this city after Naos. The lifestyle, ease of living and ambiance that Naos provides, outweighs all the other considerations. All the services or things that people talk about are really not “so far away.” And I know more services are coming soon, as the government continues to pour money into Amador. I only feel far away when I am sitting on the patio watching the ocean.
Brian Kelly is PPR’s property manager for the Naos Harbour Island Residences and Marina. He can be contacted at +507 6670-8011.
This is Part Two of Brian’s look at life on Naos. Read Part one here.
