HIDDEN LUXURY TAKES ON A NEW FRONTIER

PANAMA unveils UNDISCOVERED wonders.

- ELÉONORE MARCHAND

Panama—internationally known for its canal, an artificial 82-kilometer waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America—has drawn endless numbers of trade travellers over time with an average of 14,000 ships crossing the channel every year. But today Panama is attracting a new kind of traveller: luxury voyagers seeking the next undiscovered destination, perhaps as an alternative to Costa Rica, its desirable neighbour, recognised as a top destination for sustainable tourism and explored over the years by the more adventurous travellers often on a quest for the perfect surf wave.

Upon landing in the small airport of Bocas del Toro, on the southern tip of Isla Colon, after a 50-minute flight from Panama City, brightly painted wooden houses appear, composing an idyllic Caribbean picture. As the evening settles, lively music streams from various bars around Bocas town, the main hub of the region. With 9 islands, 51 keys and more than 200 islets, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago is comparable to a mini Caribbean off Panama’s western coast with countless spots to be discovered.

A water taxi ride swiftly transports its passengers into serene tranquility, gliding through calm waters and arriving 20 minutes later at Nayara Bocas del Toro, an adult-only resort set on a private 9-acre island owned by tech exec-turned-hotelier Dan Behm, who purchased the island in 2017. Eighteen thatched-roof overwater villas float atop engulfing shades of blue surrounded by luscious mangroves. The Balinese-style lodges with wood finishes and floor-to-ceiling windows overlook crystal waters. A few houses have their own plunge pools facing the sea, while others have a glass floor inlay to view the marine life that swims beneath.