The dream of opening The Purple House was born in 1989, when the owner, Andrea travelled for 1 1/2 years as a backpacker. After travelling to over 20 countries, she spent quite a bit of time working in Tel Aviv, Israel, at a hostel called "The Purple House." While the Persian Gulf war was underway, the hostel closed down and Andrea returned home to New York City. She settled down and got a "real job" as a Corporate Special Events Planner for a large investment banking firm. About 6 years later, Andrea was bit by the travel bug again, and decided to leave her job to join the Peace Corps, where she served in Panama for 3 years as a small business volunteer. While living in Panama, she really fell in love with the country and began to plan for a long term future there. On March 1, 2002, the dream of opening her own hostel came true when The Purple House (David City, Panama) opened its doors to discerning backpackers from all over the globe. |