While nearby Costa Rica could also be beloved for its forests and jungles, snake-like Panama — bordered on each side by vast expanses of water — is all concerning the sea.
Fronting each the Pacific and Atlantic, Panama abounds in isolated archipelagos dotted with lush islands featuring among the most exquisite bijoux resorts in Latin America.
Listed here are five of one of the best.
Boat G.O.A.T
Pearl Island Panama is a 25-minute hop by prop-plane within the beloved archipelago of the identical name.
Although major luxury leaders including One and Only, Six Senses and Ritz-Carlton Reserve resorts will eventually open on the island, a handful of spacious private villas are already available for rent here, many with private pools, and all with easy accessibility to the island’s dozen beaches, sleek beach-front pool and deluxe full-service marina.
The latter — one of the best within the region — has turn into particularly useful because the archipelago emerges as a favourite for yachter and anglers (the black marlins and mahi-mahi are resoundingly epic).
Private pleasures
An analogous set-up to Pearl Island may be found at Islas Secas — which is situated in its own archipelago about 90 minutes up the coast.
The property began life because the private hideaway of its environmentalist owner — billionaire hedge-funder Louis Bacon — who opted to share his vision of low-impact luxury with the world.
Bacon tapped Latest York-based architect Tom Scheerer to plot seven oversized airy pavilions on the island, all run by solar energy.
There’s no TV, but plenty of kayaking, canoeing, diving and — in fact — fishing across the resort’s still untouched island neighbors.
Recover from it
Although Panama’s private-island motion is generally centered on its Pacific coast, there’s ample reason to make for the crystal-clear waters along the isthmus nation’s Caribbean coastline.
Here, the latest — and swankiest — stay needs to be Nayara Bocas del Toro, a game-changing newcomer from the bijoux Costa Rica Nayara brand.
Recently opened with Maldives-style over-water villas that do double-duty as your personal spa, the property is a secluded hour-long prop flight from Panama City and a world away from its cosmopolitan hubbub.
Count your blessings
If Villa Caprichosa looks like an Italian palazzo marooned off the coast of Panama City, that’s since it is. Set on the island of Taboga — about 25 mins by boat from the capital — the property is owned by the elegantly eccentric American Diane Burns who was married to an Italian count for many years before moving to Panama.
Perched just above the island’s tiny port town, the neoclassical villa is about against the plush hillside with prime views of the canal traffic passing day and night.
Each of its six suites is large and airy, decked out in European and Central American textiles and include plenty of outside spaces.
The grand Casa La Choza, meanwhile, is a stand-alone idyll large enough for 4, while the onsite restaurant, La Vista, lures foodie fans from Panama City with its roster of European and Latin favorites.
Au naturel
Isla Gobernadora, an under-the-radar Pacific Ocean island within the tiny Montijo Gulf, is crammed with fishermen who sustain themselves from the ocean. Spread over 40 forest-like acres, Artlodge Panama pairs the island’s low-key rustic vibe with a worldwide give attention to art, education and spiritual enrichment.
There are a complete of 4 bungalows, some private — others shared — with verdant gardens, soothing hammocks and thatched roofs. Despite its modest size, the island over-delivers within the art department.
Together with a wide selection of site-specific land art, the island offers ample opportunities to create ceramics, woodcarvings, and textile weaving — the latter featuring natural dyes and fibers harvested from the island itself (from $65 an evening).
