Linton Bay Marina is quite small, having only 2 main pontoons but it has seemingly reliable electricity and water at all berths. The washrooms have limited capacity but are air conditioned, clean, functional and have warm water. There is an onsite laundry service, which isn't overly expensive, diesel and unleaded are available at the Terpel gas station and you can get gas, either propane in large bottles, or Luis refills camping gas bottles.
The boat yard at Linton is a reasonable size and they have a hoist that can lift pretty big boats. If you want to lift out for hurricane season, book early to avoid disappointment. However, note that this area is renowned for lightning strikes. Boca del Toro, 200 miles west, is a safer option. There are plenty of services available in the yard, from steelwork and welding, to fibreglass repairs and construction, boat cleaning and polishing, project management etc. The office can supply a list of contractors. The work is supposed to be of a good standard but you may need to push to get a quote and a start date.
Alex and Annabelle, from Spain, run the marine supply shop, Sudinapa, which is located in the main marina building, on the ground floor. Annabelle speaks excellent English and Alex is pretty good too. The shop has a good supply of marine consumables and spares but more specialist items or expensive items may need to be ordered and imported from the US or Europe. We were unable to buy an 8mm gypsy for our windlass or 8mm chain, without a significant wait (3 months for a Lewmar gypsy). Alex is a certified supplier and installer of Victron products, including lithium batteries and we have engaged him to supply and install for us. He is extremely knowledgeable. Prices in the shop are high, due to the import costs.
Customs and immigration are located in a small, white building, close to the marina gates. The customs guy will also act as agent to obtain your Panama cruising permit. The cost of the permit is $185 per year and the agent's fee is a further $65, cash. If you want to save the $65, you can sail (30 miles) or catch the bus to Colon (2 hours and take your ear plugs). UK and European citizens can stay in Panama for 90 days without a visa; US and Canadian citizens can stay 180 days. Apparently, if you overstay, you can pay an overstay fee in Panama City before you leave but I don't know any more than that. There is an air conditioned ATM just in front of the customs and immigration building. You will need this, as most outlets in the marina only accept cash. The exceptions are Terpel, Sudinapa and the marina itself.
There are a number of small stores within the marina grounds. The Terpel shop sells beer, soft drinks, nibbles and mobile top-up cards and has outdoor, undercover seating, with electricity power points. Beer is around $1 for a 330ml can and it's nicely chilled. Charlie, who has a container towards the rear, accessed via a wooden bridge over the drainage ditch, sells frozen meat and fish, cooked meats, cheeses, dairy products, fruit juice, soft drinks, cereals, fruit, vegetables, tinned and bottled products. He has almost everything you need to cook on board but it's at a price. Charlie is also willing to pick up other items for you, e.g. kitchen rolls, on his way in. Charlie is from Nicaragua and is Spanish speaking but he speaks some English. On the east side of the marina, there's another white container which houses Gold Coast Supplies. They sell beers, wines and spirits but are more expensive than Terpel. The wine there is very good value though, $6 for a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the veggie van calls and sets up stall on the west side of the marina, in front of Nancy's. He usually arrives around 11am and stays for a couple of hours. The produce is excellent and stays fresh for many days. You can purchase salad, fruit, vegetables and camerones (prawns, gambas, crevettes ). Fresh baked bread can be obtained from Polish, also known as Captain Blu but needs to be ordered when he says he is going to bake on his boat, out on his mooring. He will usually announce his intentions on the Linton Bay WhatsApp group, which you can join by scanning the barcodes on the notice boards around the marina. In the small town of Puerto Lindo, there is a Chinese supermarket, which sells everything from food and beverages to car and basic boat spares. From the marina, it's about a 7 or 8 minute walk, turning right from the marina gates. Alternatively, you can take your dinghy to the small dock in the bay but make sure you lock it up.
The main restaurant and bar, the Black Pearl, is upstairs in the main building. It is generally open from 11am in the morning but you can sit and use the power points and Wi-Fi there at any time. The Wi-Fi has a reasonable reach about halfway up the pontoons in the marina. The service here is lamentable and the food isn't the greatest. The menu never changes and quite often half of it is unavailable. Do not have the ribeye steak; it's cut too thin and is therefore overcooked and tough. The beef bourginan comes with pasta; sacrilege, especially given the 'chef' is French. However, it is reasonably tasty. Pete loves the pulpo (octopus) Thai style. I love the chocolate mousse!
Breakfast and lunch are great at Karla's Fruit, which is situated just in front of Charlie's, to the left side of the main access road, when walking out of the marina. It's outdoors but has a small amount of undercover seating. I recommend applying insect repellent before going here. The smoothies are varied, tasty and cheap, as is all of the food offered. It's mainly fruit, salad bowls, toasties and empanadas. The service is excellent and the staff are very well turned out and take care with cleanliness.
Right at the back of the marina, behind the west end of the boat yard, you will find Nancy's, also known as the Blue House. This is a Colombian restaurant, also outdoors but with undercover tables and chairs. We haven't eaten there yet but the food looks good and it's always busy around lunchtime. The coffee and drinks are cheap and Nancy is very friendly.
So, in a nutshell, Linton Bay has just about everything that you need.
From Linton Bay, you can visit Panamarina, a small marina in the next bay to the west. There are no pontoons here, just trots (moorings for the bow and stern). It's extremely sheltered here, hidden in a small bay, protected by an island and several reefs. From Linton, you can take the dinghy through the mangrove tunnel, you can walk, take the bus or a taxi, or hitch a lift with someone who has a car. It takes an hour to walk at a good pace, longer if you are sauntering or stopping to look at the wildlife along the way. Turn right out of the marina and pass through Puerto Lindo, over the hill until you come to Sammy's, another Chinese supermarket. Take the steps down here and turn right onto the dirt road. Don't go if there's been a lot of heavy rain! Follow the road, passing a couple of bars and a French eco hotel. We saw toucans, a woodpecker, hummingbirds, a cat stuck up a tree, horses and cows and numerous species of butterfly on our walk. You will find the gates to the marina on your right. If the gate is closed, just unhook it. You will walk by the boat yard and find a small bar / restaurant and marine supply shop on your right. There is no hoist here. They use a tractor unit to lift boats, which limits the size of boat they can haul out. The marine shop sells basic supplies only. The reason for coming to Panamarina is the restaurant. It's French owned and the food is cheap, plentiful and absolutely delicious. It way outshines the Black Pearl in Linton. Breakfast is served 8 to 10am, lunch 12 - 2pm and dinner from 5 - 9pm, with last food orders 30 minutes before closing. Drinks can often be obtained outside of these hours. If the weather is clement, you will usually bump into a lot of people from Linton here. That also means your chance of a lift back is pretty good.
To get to Panamarina by dinghy, you need to motor across the bay and locate a small gap in the mangroves. The gap isn't visible until you get quite close but you can often spot other boats coming or going. You need to be watching carefully for the reefs. It's great if you can follow or watch where the local boats go. Whatever, take it slowly and have someone looking over the front and side of the dinghy for the coral heads. Once you're inside, keep to the left, where the water is deep. Part way along, there is a turn on the right side which leads to crystal clear water, lovely for a dip but look out for the reef down the middle of the main channel. You can usually spot the tree branches sticking up out of the water. This is a dead end, so you must retrace your route back out and around the reef before turning west again for Panarmarina. The route through the mangroves narrows and becomes a tunnel. There is plenty of depth all the way through. You will see various wading birds along here. When you exit the tunnel, you will see the trots at the marina. Keep the security cabin (on stilts), on your port side and proceed slowly to the dinghy dock, keeping a look out for sunken mooring buoys and shallows. The restaurant is up the track. We saw spider monkeys here. Enjoy! Once you have eaten here, you will definitely want to come back. Do have the ribeye steak here. It's fat, juicy and fabulous.