Luxury in the Vanishing Rubble of Casco Viejo, Panama City

View from the Casco Viejo area of Panama City, looking toward the huge new skyscrapers 

Where to stay in Panama City? Casco Viejo, the old district, is the edgy, cool area where the creative restaurants, historic squares and native markets convene. Tattered neglect is rapidly giving way to tasteful renovations and vibrant renewal. Think of photos of Havana, Cuba’s crumbling colonial manses of faded glory. Picture heavy stone buildings with missing roofs and woody weeds rising to the sky. In Casco Viejo, trash-strewn shells are being revived with polished wood and buffed ironwork, with sparkling lights, sophisticated foods, music and goods.

Ruined Buildings are Typical...but Disappearing Quickly

Tourist Police are Visible Everywhere in Casco Viejo,
making it comfortable to stay overnight in this rapidly
transforming section of the city

Beautiful Renovations

 We stayed in Casa del Horno, a boutique hotel in a refurbished bakery. An Italian designer couple exposed the brick walls, created apartment suites with balconies and iPod speaker-decked sitting rooms. Breakfast is delivered on a beautiful tray by a smiling gracious concierge. It’s a lovely little place just steps away from historic churches, squares and the Presidential Palace. 

Breakfast brought to your suite

Swimming on top of Latin America in Trump Style

Infinitely Relaxing Pool at the Trump in Panama City

One of the coolest places to stay in Panama City, Panama is the tallest building in Latin America. The Trump Ocean Club International Hotel is the hotel du jour in this city of exploding construction. In my mind, the main attraction is the pool deck.  An infinity pool dares to protrude out to the skyscraper’s edge. It is hard to detect where the pool’s water ends and the Pacific Ocean begins. The lounge chairs’ feet are submerged in a few inches of shallow water, inviting you to wade in to grab a chair. It is completely delightful to saunter out to the pool area after a long hot day of sightseeing or canal-traversing. With an icy drink in hand, you can look across the waters’ edge and take in the Panama City skyline.