¡BIENVENIDA, SEÑORA!” The doorman welcomes me, effortlessly helping me with my bags, while spinning the door open and simultaneously producing a refreshing welcome bevvie. I step in, smile, take a sip, and then happily stake a place in the airy lobby.
A doorman in crisp white uniform and Panama hat welcomes guests to Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, setting the tone for a stylish stay in Panama City’s historic district. Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
I’m at the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo Panama City, and I’ve also seemingly stepped back in time. I’m sitting on a circle-shaped settee, the kind you might find in a century-old lady’s drawing room, waiting to be checked in. The staff are dressed in perfectly pressed whites and Panama hats; the lobby’s nautical themes – a vintage lemon-yellow ship’s engine order telegraph perched atop the couch creates a cheery focal point – are offset by the stuffed vases of green and white blooms reaching out of their glass confines toward the sparkling crystal chandelier and into the air. Intricately patterned tiles are everywhere: joyously lining the floor, the bar’s front and as a Colonial-era mural mosaic of a map, which shows off Panama’s most famous piece of human ingenuity, the Panama Canal in Panama City. Black-and white historical prints smattered along the walls are throwbacks to a time when this house was a seat of government.
The lobby at Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo features a mural detailing the original route of the Panama Canal, explaining how the locks function and showing the nautical miles from Panama to cities across the Atlantic and Pacific. Surrounded by a collection of historic artworks, visitors can appreciate the history of the Canal’s construction up to the present day. Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
My corner suite comes complete with wraparound black-iron railed balcony. It gives me a view of the square that the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo sits on in Panama City’s UNESCO historic district, all white-washed walls, ornate balconies and terracotta-tiled roofs; as well as Panama Bay and the core’s modern skyscrapers beyond. The riot of decorated tiles continues in my room, cream and navy playing nicely with the deep blue claw-foot bathtub. A four poster bed (without the canopy) in a warm wood reflective of the herringbone hardwood floors feels suitably modern and of the era.
Corner suite with a wraparound black-iron balcony overlooking the square in Panama City’s UNESCO-listed Casco Viejo district. Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
Now to get my bearings. How better than at the Casco Viejo rooftop bar in Panama City? Ammi Sky Bar also overlooks the bay, and the DJ has already pumped the crowd up this early evening. It’s threatening rain, but umbrellas pop open to the rhythm of the Champagne corks the bartenders are releasing, and everyone’s at ease.
Ammi Sky Bar interior with lush hanging plants creating natural privacy between tables, inspiring the jungle-print uniforms worn by staff. Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
The designers have brought the outdoors in, with lush green live plants hanging from the ceiling, acting as privacy barriers between tables and as inspiration for the jungle print uniforms our servers are sporting. Night falls, and the lights of the buildings and bridges on the bay begin to twinkle in the distance. Tacos and tequila (they mix an excellent spicy Margarita) are the order and, since we are in Central America, we finish with a classic velvety flan.
Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
I thought to nightcap there, but a wander wouldn’t hurt. Along a corridor, I encounter a random dark wood bookshelf, set in the wall just so. Turns out it swings open and reveals Casco Viejo’s hidden speakeasy in Panama City. Tonight the mixologists are hosting fellow cocktail gurus from around the city to create their own one-night-only sip. Okay, twist my arm, but just one.
Morning brings birdsong. Apparently, I’m sharing my balcony’s Casco Viejo town view with a kind of black bird, its tail long and paddle-like. He doesn’t seem fussed that I’d like to take my coffee at my little table. He sings and watches me warily out of the corner of his eye. He flaps off just as I’m finishing my caffeine fix, taking flight as if to say, go on, time for you to get out and explore.
View from a black-iron railed balcony overlooking the square where Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo sits in Panama City’s UNESCO historic district. Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
There’s an informative historic city tour with an expert local guide, a Panama Hat fitting (fun fact: the toppers are originally from Ecuador) and some excellent meals in quirky establishments (try Cantina de Tigre for lunch – plantains and zingy ceviche, anyone?). And don’t be surprised if you see people ordering Dim Sum. It’s a bit of an obsession with Panamanians at the moment.
A colourful and zesty plantain ceviche from Cantina de Tigre, a vibrant taste of Panama City’s culinary scene. Photo: @cantinadeltigre
But it’s the monument to human ingenuity that has me the most excited. There are football stadium-sized bleachers that run along one side of a point at the Panama Canal in Panama City from where you can watch the canal fill up, sink, and fill up again while moving almost every kind of floating vessel, from yacht-style sailboats to cargo ships. They come from halfway around the world – to make their way to the other half. This marvel also moves cruise ships, many of which make Panama City a port of call, allowing a sailing that starts in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, to then head westward and then into the waters of the Pacific.
A Panama hat fitting highlights these iconic toppers, originally crafted in Ecuador despite their famous Panamanian name. Courtesy of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo
You’re close enough to wave to crews while they make their way past, and some of the gargantuan cargo ships can take hours to cross. But it’s a pin-dot in comparison to having to navigate all the way down and around South America’s Cape Horn.
Back at the Casco Viejo, I’m greeted by a snack-time spread my butler has left for me, along with fresh-pressed juice. I swing open the doors to the balcony to see if my blackbird friend might be there. Alas, the railing is clear. But as I lean out, there’s a different kind of romantic rendezvous. A bride and her groom are embracing on the stone overlook by the water’s edge, just the two of them with a photographer capturing the moment with the heritage buildings as the backdrop. I hear a flutter; the black bird had been there all along and had quietly taken wing, as light as a lover’s kiss, floating into the air. sofitel-legend-panama.com
SET SAIL WITH: Cunard, MSC Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn. To book with BOLD’s trusted partners: RSSC.com; or msccruises.ca
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