Delivered
Royal Palm
Gorgona, Pacific Coast
from $161k
- Unit types
- 1
- Smallest unit
- 70 m²
- Bedrooms
- 1
- Status
- Delivered
- Area
- Gorgona
Royal Palm is $161,000 for a finished, furnished, one-bedroom beach apartment you can let by the night without asking anyone's permission. That combination is rare enough in Panama to be worth spelling out.
The price is the lowest entry point in Empresas Bern's whole portfolio and, at roughly $2,300 per square metre, the lowest rate too. The building is complete, so there is no delivery date to slip and no deposit funding somebody's construction. It comes furnished. And because Gorgona sits in the district of Chame in Panamá Oeste rather than the distrito de Panamá, article 21 of Ley 80 de 2012 does not reach it. The 45-day minimum stay that governs Panama City apartments, and the tourist accommodation permit you need to escape it, simply do not apply here.
Two honest qualifications. That legal freedom is real but it is not a competitive advantage over your neighbours, because every other property in Gorgona has it too. It is an advantage over Panama City stock, not over the house next door. And this project appeared in exactly one developer portfolio document in July 2026, described as promotional pricing with limited availability. Confirm the apartment still exists at that price before you plan around it.
Royal Palm prices and floor plans
| Unit | Beds | Baths | Size | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 rec / 1 ba — fully furnished | 1 | 1 | 70 m² | $161k |
Where Royal Palm actually is
Gorgona is on Panama's Pacific coast in the district of Chame, Panamá Oeste, roughly an hour west of Panama City on the Pan-American Highway. It sits within the stretch of coast that includes Coronado a few minutes further west, which is the established expat and weekend-home hub for the area and carries most of the supermarkets, medical services and restaurants that residents actually use.
That proximity is the practical point. Gorgona is quieter and cheaper than Coronado while sharing its infrastructure, which is the usual reason people choose it. Our Coronado guide covers the wider coastal market, prices and title picture, and it is the right context for a purchase here.
The beach itself is the Pacific, with dark volcanic sand along much of this coast rather than the white sand people often expect from Caribbean marketing photography. Tides are substantial. Go and stand on the specific beach at low tide before deciding, because this coastline varies considerably over short distances and the difference between one beach and the next is not visible in a listing photograph.
An hour to the city sounds manageable and is, on a Tuesday. Friday evening outbound and Sunday evening inbound traffic on the Pan-American is a different proposition, which matters if you plan to commute or to use the apartment as a weekend place.
What’s included at Royal Palm
- Delivered fully furnished
- Beachfront location
Who Royal Palm suits — and who it doesn’t
Buyers who want a beach apartment at the lowest possible entry cost and want it working immediately. Finished, furnished and $161,000 means no fit-out, no construction risk and no waiting, which is an unusual combination in a market where most of what is marketed is a rendering.
Short-stay rental investors specifically. Gorgona sits outside the distrito de Panamá, so nightly letting is not restricted by Ley 80 and needs no tourist accommodation permit. For anyone who has looked at Panama City buildings and found the licence question unanswerable, this sidesteps it entirely.
Weekend-home buyers based in Panama City who want somewhere reachable in about an hour, and buyers who want to be near Coronado's shops, medical services and restaurants without paying Coronado prices.
Buyers testing the coast before committing more. At this price the cost of discovering that beach life does not suit you is far lower than at Buenaventura or Playa Caracol.
It suits buyers wanting space poorly, since 70 m² one-bedrooms are what is on offer, and it suits anyone needing a large or growing family home poorly.
We have one data point, from one document, in July 2026. Royal Palm appears in a single Empresas Bern portfolio overview describing promotional pricing and limited availability, with one unit type: a 70 m² one-bedroom at $161,000. We could not corroborate it against a portal listing or a broker page. Everything on this page rests on that. Ask for current availability and a dated price sheet before you plan around the number, because promotional pricing on a completed building is by nature temporary.
The short-let freedom is real and it is not a moat. Ley 80's 45-day restriction applies in the distrito de Panamá and Gorgona is in Chame, so nightly letting here is unrestricted. So is nightly letting at every other property in Gorgona, Coronado and along this coast. You are competing with an unlimited supply of legal competitors rather than operating inside a protected licence. That is the opposite of the Panama City condo-hotel proposition, and it means your returns depend on the beach, the building and your management rather than on scarcity. Two things can still restrict you: your building's reglamento de copropiedad, the registered co-ownership rules, and municipal rules in Chame. Check both.
One bedroom, 70 m², is the entire product as far as we know. No larger layout appears in our source. If you need two bedrooms or space for a family, this building may not have it, and you should ask before getting attached.
No maintenance figure, no rental data, no occupancy evidence. Nothing published tells you what the building costs to run or what these apartments actually earn. On a beach rental an hour from the city, occupancy is seasonal and weekend-weighted, and anyone quoting you an annual yield without occupancy assumptions is guessing. Ask for the co-ownership budget and, if the developer or a manager makes income claims, ask for the last twelve months of actual booking data rather than a projection.
The beach is not the Caribbean. Much of this Pacific coast has dark volcanic sand and a large tidal range. That is not a defect and it does surprise buyers who arrive expecting white sand. Visit at low tide.
And the developer is carrying an arbitration award against it. Details below. It concerns a different project entirely, and construction quality is one of the headings in it, so it belongs on the page of any building this group sells.
Before you buy at Royal Palm
What is on offer, as of 3 July 2026. A 70 m² one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, fully furnished, at $161,000, which is about $2,300 per square metre. The building is completed with immediate delivery. This is described as promotional pricing with limited availability, and it is the lowest entry price and the lowest rate per square metre anywhere in Empresas Bern's portfolio.
Confirm the offer is live before anything else. This project appears in exactly one document from July 2026 and nowhere else we could find, including the portals. Request current availability and a dated price sheet. Promotional pricing on a finished building exists to clear remaining stock, which means it can end without notice and it also means the developer has a reason to deal.
Because the building is complete, the diligence is the easy kind and there is no excuse for skipping it. Ask for the finca number, the parcel's individual entry in the Registro Público. Have an attorney confirm the horizontal property regime is registered, that the specific unit is free of liens and mortgages, and that maintenance is paid up to date, because in Panama unpaid co-ownership arrears attach to the apartment rather than to the seller who ran them up. Our buying process guide walks the steps and titled land and Rights of Possession explains why the tenure question matters more on the coast than in the city.
Ask about the tourism tax exemption, and ask precisely. Article 4 of Ley 80 de 2012 grants tourism lodging located outside the distrito de Panamá, on a minimum investment of B/.250,000, a fifteen-year exemption from impuesto de inmueble on assets inscribed in the Registro Nacional de Turismo. Ley 82 de 2019 closed that inscription window on 31 December 2025, with existing inscriptions keeping their benefits to term. We have not established whether this building is inscribed. Ask for the inscription number and the date it was granted, and have an attorney check it against the Autoridad de Turismo's own record rather than a brochure. If it does not apply, nothing is lost; if it does, it is worth real money over a long hold.
Get in writing: the monthly maintenance fee and the co-ownership budget; exactly what furniture and appliances are included, since "furnished" varies enormously; the co-ownership rules on short-term letting; parking; and, if income is part of your case, twelve months of actual booking history from the building rather than a projection.
One thing to weigh on the developer. On 24 May 2024 an arbitral tribunal seated at the Centro de Conciliación y Arbitraje de Panamá ruled against Grupo Empresas Bern in a dispute with its partners in Town Center Costa del Este. La Prensa reported the award at $77.7 million in damages and costs. La Estrella de Panamá reported $82.6 million and published a breakdown putting $41.3 million on construction deficiencies and $19.8 million on deficient project administration. La Prensa also reported that the tribunal awarded the hotel site and its improvements entirely to the Town Center side, having found the hotel was built without shareholder authorisation, and that Bern's $61.1 million counterclaim was rejected in full.
Bern rejects the award as legally unacceptable, alleges evident defects of nullity, and filed an annulment action with the Supreme Court in July 2024. The Sala Cuarta de Negocios Generales had still not resolved it as of August 2025, and in July 2026 Bern said the judicial process continues with no final decision. Bern also says the entities involved have no legal, administrative, financial or operational relationship to its current business units. Nothing has been finally decided and none of it concerns Royal Palm. On a completed building you are buying something you can inspect, which reduces your exposure considerably compared with a pre-construction purchase from the same group. Confirm which Bern entity signs your contract and what warranty position comes with a finished unit.
Where to start. Tell us whether this is a weekend place, a full-time home or a rental, and we will find out what is actually available at Royal Palm right now, what the maintenance and furnishing actually include, and how it compares against Coronado and the other coastal options at similar money. If an hour on the Pan-American turns out to be the deciding factor, we will say so.
FAQ
What does an apartment at Royal Palm cost?
$161,000 for a 70 m² one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, fully furnished, as of 3 July 2026. That is roughly $2,300 per square metre, and it is both the lowest entry price and the lowest rate per square metre anywhere in Empresas Bern's portfolio.
The building is completed with immediate delivery. The pricing is described as promotional with limited availability, so confirm it is still live before planning around it.
Can I legally rent a Royal Palm apartment on Airbnb?
Yes, and you do not need a permit for it. The rule that catches people out is article 21 of Ley 80 de 2012, which prohibits rentals under 45 days without tourist accommodation authorisation. Its text applies in the distrito de Panamá. Gorgona is in the district of Chame, Panamá Oeste, so it does not reach here.
Two honest qualifications. First, this is not an advantage over your neighbours, because every other property in Gorgona and along this coast has exactly the same freedom. It is an advantage over Panama City apartments, where the licence question is genuinely difficult. Second, two things can still restrict you: your building's reglamento de copropiedad, the registered co-ownership rules, and municipal rules in Chame. Check both before you underwrite rental income.
Why is Royal Palm so much cheaper than Bern's other projects?
Three reasons, and none of them is hidden.
It is a completed building selling remaining stock at promotional pricing, which is the standard way developers clear the last units. It is on the Pacific coast an hour from Panama City rather than in the capital, where land is a fraction of the price. And it is a small one-bedroom, the cheapest format there is.
For comparison inside the same portfolio: Pino Alto in Boquete runs $3,747 to $4,700 per m², Nogal in Costa del Este $3,908 to $4,000, and the Westin at Playa Bonita $5,600. Royal Palm at $2,300 is genuinely the cheapest square metre the group sells.
Is the offer still available?
You need to check, and we would treat that as the first question rather than a formality.
Royal Palm appears in exactly one Empresas Bern portfolio document from July 2026 and nowhere else we could find, including the property portals. It is described as promotional pricing with limited availability. We could not corroborate the price against any second source.
So ask for current availability and a dated price sheet before you plan around $161,000. The upside of promotional pricing on a finished building is that the developer wants the remaining stock gone, which gives you something to work with in a negotiation.
What is the beach like at Gorgona?
Pacific coast, and along much of this stretch that means dark volcanic sand rather than the white sand people often picture, with a substantial tidal range.
That is not a defect, it is simply what this coastline is, and it surprises buyers who arrive with Caribbean photography in mind. Beaches also vary considerably over short distances here, so the beach in front of one development can be quite different from one a few minutes away.
Go and stand on the specific beach at low tide before you decide. It is the single most useful hour you can spend on a coastal purchase, and no listing photograph substitutes for it.
How far is Gorgona from Panama City?
About an hour west on the Pan-American Highway, with Coronado a few minutes further along. Coronado carries most of the supermarkets, medical services and restaurants that residents in this stretch actually use, which is why Gorgona works as a quieter, cheaper address sharing that infrastructure.
The hour is honest for an ordinary weekday. Friday evening heading out of the city and Sunday evening coming back are considerably worse, which matters a great deal if you intend to commute and rather less if this is a weekend place. Our Coronado guide covers the wider coastal market.
Could Royal Palm carry a tourism tax exemption?
Possibly, and it is worth asking precisely rather than generally. Article 4 of Ley 80 de 2012 grants tourism lodging located outside the distrito de Panamá, on a minimum investment of B/.250,000, a fifteen-year exemption from impuesto de inmueble on land and improvements inscribed in the Registro Nacional de Turismo.
The catch is timing. Ley 82 de 2019 rewrote article 25 so the inscription window for companies outside the capital district closed on 31 December 2025, with inscriptions already in place keeping their benefits to term.
We have not established whether this building is inscribed. Ask for the inscription number and the date it was granted, and have an attorney verify it against the Autoridad de Turismo's record rather than accepting a brochure claim.
Who is the developer, and is there anything I should know?
Empresas Bern, a Panamanian group building since 1978, also behind Nogal, Aurum and Generation Tower in Costa del Este, Selvática, Uptown and Seaside in the city, Pino Alto in Boquete and The Westin Residences at Playa Bonita, all covered on this site.
One matter belongs on the page. On 24 May 2024 an arbitral tribunal seated at the Centro de Conciliación y Arbitraje de Panamá ruled against Grupo Empresas Bern over Town Center Costa del Este. La Prensa reported the award at $77.7 million in damages and costs; La Estrella de Panamá reported $82.6 million, itemising $41.3 million for construction deficiencies and $19.8 million for deficient project administration. La Prensa also reported the tribunal awarded the hotel site and its improvements to the Town Center side after finding the hotel was built without shareholder authorisation, and rejected Bern's $61.1 million counterclaim.
Bern rejects the award, filed an annulment action with the Supreme Court in July 2024, and said in July 2026 that the process continues with no final decision. It also says the entities involved are separate from its current operations. Nothing is finally decided and none of it concerns Royal Palm.
One practical note in your favour: this is a finished building, so you can inspect what you are buying. That is a materially smaller exposure to a developer's construction record than a pre-construction purchase from the same group.
Is Royal Palm titled property?
We have not verified it and have not pulled a finca number for the building.
The useful thing about a completed building is that you can check properly. Individual finca numbers, the parcel entries in the Registro Público, exist once the horizontal property regime is registered, so have an attorney confirm the regime is in place, that your specific unit is free of liens, and that maintenance is paid up to date.
Title deserves more attention on the coast than in the city generally, because Rights of Possession and untitled land are a genuine feature of Panamanian coastal property in a way they are not in Panama City. Our guide to titled land and Rights of Possession explains what to look for.