faqs about santa catalina panama

some of the most common faqs about santa catalina panama are :are there shops to buy groceries in santa catalina?
also people want to know if there are fruits and vegetables in santa catalina to take on our trip to coiba or should we stock up in santiago?

These are all valid questions of practical,well traveled people that know that when traveling to remote places you have to be prepared ahead of time.And Santa Catalina was know as a place with few places to eat and seldom those few kept very unreliable opening times.
So if you are coming soon to Santa Catalina and wonder about food options let me tell you about the present situation:
The days of not finding a restaurant are over.as the village develops and new rooms and cabins have been built with more comforts,so does the village now counts with about a dozen restaurants,between the ones that stand on their own or the ones at several hotels(we at Sol y Mar Hotel included) and surfcamps that are also open to the general public.These restaurants serve a variety of food,from panamanian,italian,argentinian,portuguese,fish,seafood.Of this,a few are located in the village and others on the way to estero beach,so no matter where you are staying you will always have a few within short distance.That sorts the issue of eating out.
what about those that want to cook their own meals?
At Sol y Mar there are a couple of small basic kitchens shared by 6 rooms.Guests can use it at no extra charge.Each room also has a mini-fridge so you can keep some food.
Stocking up on food is a diferent matter.There are three tiny groceries that hold only a few basics,mostly canned altough they will also have things like eggs,cheese ham,maybe some frozen chicken.ocasionally one of the stores will have a few vegetables and fruits.But the best way to buy fruits and vegetables is to look or ask for the whereabouts of the fruit trucks that nowadays and especially in the dry season come on a regular basis to santa catalina.They travel at low speed,will stop if you wave them to along the main road and estero road and anounce their presence trough a loud speaker,telling you every kind of fruit and vegetable they carry on the back of the pick-up
for fish,the cantina at the entrance of town keeps fish packed in ice at the back or if you have the time speak to locals at santa catalina beach in the morning,find out who is out fishing what and wait patiently sometime around the time they are expected hoping to get the fresh catch of the day.thats what i do many times.
as for meat,our restaurant and several others in catalina serve fine meats but you cant buy it in catalina,only option Santiago,two hours away.In Santiago you have several big supermarkets where you find almost anything you may need.This is a good place to buy anything you think you might need on your way to santa catalina and its actually the place where all the restaurants and many locals go do their supermarket.
always good to know about the food,right?good surf,diving or dishing are not that good on an empty stomach.hope this helps