By Holly Rosen Fink, GoGirlfriend Contributor

An undiscovered travel destination and stay at the Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort

If you’re looking for a unique girlfriend’s getaway, I have an idea for you - one that you might not have thought of: Panama.

It’s a Central American country that has been getting a lot of buzz as of late for several reasons. For one thing, it’s very affordable, and the local currency is the U.S. dollar. English is widely spoken. It’s easy to get around, and it’s also easy to fly from America into Tocumen International Airport (PTY). Plus, Panama City is a cosmopolitan capital - the food is exciting, the architecture dazzling, and no one can take away the excitement of the Panama Canal. Sustainability and biodiversity are rampant, with an abundance of rainforests and mountains. There is also an abundance of culture - from an International Film Festival to an annual jazz festival. Panama is genuinely worth another look at when sitting down to book future trips.

But if you’re traveling with a girlfriend or two, you want something particular - relaxation, indulgence, and total luxury. For that, we know the best resort. Look no further than Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, Autograph Collection in the Riviera Pacifica, an 80-minute car journey (depending on traffic) from Panama City. It’s also near beautiful beaches such as Playa Blanca and El Faro. You can go hiking nearby, play tennis, or just lounge around. The hotel is extravagant and genuinely fit for a week or weekend with the girls. We have the low-down for you.

Staying at Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort

Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort has a bit of everything - the beach, a multitude of pools, a spa, onsite restaurants that are sublime, and cocktails every which way you look. You’ll take in luxury as soon as you enter the resort. Reception is an open-air area with Spanish colonial decor, fresh flowers, art, hardwood floors, and an impressive sculpture by Cuban artist Manuel Carbonell. After being greeted with a Welcome signature cocktail prepared by Master Mixologist, Miguel Diaz, you’ll go to your room, one of 109 guestrooms, which is also skillfully decorated with earth tones, natural tiles, and stone floors. All the rooms and villas feature private balconies and plush bedding and bathrooms made of marble. They have an evening turndown service, where they leave lovely chocolates on your pillow, and 24-hour room service. You may not want to leave your room. The linens are lush, the bathtub extravagant, complete with bubble bath products. There is a coffee maker so that you can have coffee in the room. Plus, it is just so lovely sitting on a balcony that overlooks the property with a beautiful view. But the resort beckons, and you will want to be with your friends.

Relax and Luxuriate

Upon leaving your room, you will find ample opportunity to be pampered with the gals. Grab some lounge chairs on El Faro Beach and have coconut cocktails. Be sure to spend time walking the beach and taking a dip in the ocean. For a different sort of pampering, head to the five-room Corotú Spa and try a facial, massage, or facials of body scrubs. Their “ancestral” treatments are out of this world. They have therapeutic tubs, rain showers, jacuzzis, saunas, and steam rooms to relax in when you are done near the beach. The El Faro Club House has a choice of three pools, each with a slew of white loungers and private cabanas, plus multiple swim-up bars. You can take surf lessons with your friends on Playa Rio Mar; just ask for group lessons at the front desk. In nearby El Valle de Anton, you can go hiking to the El Chorro Macho waterfall or explore the town. Or if you want to venture out, head to Panama City to see the Panama canal and have dinner in the old city of Casco Viejo at Salvaje Restaurant, which offers delicious Japanese and Mediterranean fusion cuisine combined with Latin American touches. Or have dinner back on the property at Tai Kai, for delightful sushi and gorgeous cocktails. Back at the hotel, you can work out in the sports resort’s club.

And for Something Different

Be sure to visit the bar to have a cocktail (or two!) prepared by Master Mixologist, Miguel Diaz. His drinks are made of all kinds of Panamanian ingredients and are truly unique. Also, be sure to go to the hotel’s very own hands-on Cacao experience with BOCAO’ Panama and Master

Mixologist, Miguel Diaz. If you and your friends love chocolate, this is the ultimate experience to have. You will learn the cacao process from “bean to bar” with the guidance of BOCAO’s cacao bean farmers and master chocolatier and create a variety of chocolate bars. For lunch, visit the El Faro Beach Club for BBQ and Paellas. Go paddleboarding or kayaking at the beach. Also, dine at Asa’o & Pesca’o Restaurant and experience some of Panama’s great seafood….and more cocktails.

The Verdict

Ready to go? We’re ready to go back. This undiscovered find must be discovered, and you can lead the way. Take your girlfriends, tell your friends. Be sure to research when Panama's rainy season is to make sure you can catch the sun.

Check out their property online at the Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, their reviews on TripAdvisor, their Facebook and Twitter feeds and find the Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort offers here. We always recommend you book early to reserve your next getaway opportunity.

Have you explored Panama’s Riviera Pacifica or stayed the Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort? We'd love to hear about it. Drop a comment below and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: Holly was hosted by the BuenaVentura Golf and Beach Resort to facilitate this review, but all opinions are her own.

About Holly Rosen Fink

Holly Rosen Fink is a Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Branding and Social Media expert and writer based in Larchmont, New York. She is a current contributor to Trekaroo, OffMetro, Family Vacation Critic, and Women and Hollywood.