{"id":14269,"date":"2017-09-17T11:18:21","date_gmt":"2017-09-17T15:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/?p=14269"},"modified":"2017-10-20T16:41:15","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T20:41:15","slug":"hats-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Hats Off to Casco Viejo"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the southwestern tip of Panama City, adjacent to the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, sits the city\u2019s picturesque old quarter, Casco Viejo, a historic district that is getting its groove back, thanks to significant injections of restoration money. Casco Viejo also happens to boast UNESCO World Heritage status, which has made it the coolest part of town, and the neighbourhood to watch.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s watching has likely become Panama City\u2019s \u2014 and Casco Viejo\u2019s \u2014 largest influence. The city is making the lists of fashionable travel destinations. Publications such as Cond<\/em>\u00e9 <\/em>Nast Traveler, W Magazine, Travel and Leisure <\/em>and the Huffington Post, <\/em>have all waxed poetic about Casco Viejo as a must-visit, attracting investors and trend seekers, plus creative types who are always looking for the next big thing \u2014 the dusty gem to buff and polish.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"The Frank Gehry-designed Biomuseo offers stark architectural contrast to the historic old quarter.<\/a><\/div>\n

Dating from 1673 \u2014 a couple of years after pirates destroyed the original city \u2014 Casco Viejo, whose literal translation is \u201cold helmet,\u201d exudes an air of contrasts, revealing a relaxed vibe, yet sexy and thrilling. It possesses a Havana-like feel in its ramshackle 200-year-old properties with trees growing out of the rooftops, nestled beside restored architectural treasures. Visitors who may be thrown off by the views of unsightly scaffolding will see that it will eventually be discarded to reveal a glorious reconditioned Spanish colonial\u2013style apartment or vacation retreat or perhaps a retail complex, painted in pastels with wrap-around balconies and a plethora of windows.<\/p>\n

And unlike the downtown concrete jungle where you could walk for blocks before finding a cold drink, Casco Viejo offers an actual caf\u00e9 society and is pleasantly walkable. Everyone from all over town comes here to play, relax and dine. Out-of-country visitors are well advised to follow suit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Casual dining at the American Trade Hotel<\/a><\/div>\n
\n

Hot Spots in Casco Viejo<\/h2>\n

STAY<\/strong> While brand-name lodging in Panama is plentiful, your best bet for real, honest luxury is in one of Casco Viejo\u2019s stylish smaller hotels.<\/p>\n

The American Trade Hotel & Hall, built in 1917, was restored in 2007 \u2014 a team effort by Atelier Ace (of Ace Hotel fame), Panama\u2019s Con-servatorio and the design-savvy L.A.-based Commune Design. This stunning 50-room hotel stays true to its roots \u2014 vaulted ceilings, crisp white walls, dark reclaimed wood, coloni-al-style furnishings and an original limestone staircase. Its front lounge looks out onto Plaza Tom\u00e1s Herrera, a charming lush public square ideal for people-watching. And be sure to book a night-in \u2014 the hotel houses Danilo\u2019s Jazz Club, its roster of international and local talent presided over by Grammy-winning Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Perez.<\/p>\n

Just down the street, on the east side of Plaza de la Catedral, is Central Hotel Panam\u00e1, the very first hotel in the country. Built in 1874 it reopened last year after a major facelift restored its 135 rooms to their former splendour. Renovations stayed true to the original French-influenced design, yielding a full five-star experience \u2014 the meticulously preserved fa\u00e7ade, high ceilings, gabled rooftops and all. Creature comforts include a day spa replete with expansive views of the old city, and the enchanting 9 Reinas, an offshoot of one of Barcelona\u2019s best Argentinian restaurants.<\/p>\n

T\u00e1ntalo Hotel has a mere 10 rooms, each with its own unique design concept, but the shining star of the property is the rooftop bar. This is where the local in crowd, the expats and the tourists gather to prop up the long bar, particularly on the weekend, when the whole scene comes alive. The kitchen on the main floor delivers tapas bursting with international and local flavours, served in a colourfully lit room filled with local art and a verdant living wall anchoring one end.<\/p>\n

The stylish 31-room Hotel Casa Panam\u00e1 boasts the main-floor Restaurante Santa Rita, which fuses Spanish tapas with Argentinian barbecue, but it\u2019s the hotel\u2019s rooftop Lazotea restaurant and bar (often featuring a live band) that draws nighttime revellers who clamour for the frothy cocktails poolside.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"A taste of chef Jos\u00e9 O. Carles's culinary repertoire at Donde Jos\u00e9 restaurant. <\/a><\/div>\n
\n

EAT <\/strong>The newest and most elegant local culinary scene is at CasaCasco \u2014 a five-storey restored colonial building complex with a rooftop lounge, a nightclub and three concept restaurants proffering eclectic African-Caribbean, Asian fusion and Panamanian dishes. The roof bar \u2014 perfect for sunset cocktails and taking in the dazzling panoramic views of the city and Panama Bay \u2014 features sleek all-white seating and marvellous 3-D optical-illusion floor tiles, as well as black-clad, Panama hat\u2013wearing waiters setting up ice buckets on glossy wooden tabletops.<\/p>\n

Book early to claim your spot at the exquisite 16-seat Donde Jos\u00e9, where chef Jos\u00e9 O. Carles infuses Panamanian traditions and cooking techniques into his tasting menu. A mirror over the prep table allows guests to watch the proceedings. It\u2019s like dinner theatre, with each dish telling a different story of Panama \u2014 tastes from the past, such as Grandma\u2019s sancocho <\/em>(chicken stew), alongside homages to the country\u2019s diverse cultural identities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Wrought-iron balconies and grillwork adorn the fa\u00e7ade of a Casco Viejo building.<\/a><\/div>\n

MUST DO<\/strong><\/p>\n

For a change of pace, tie on your walk-ing shoes and take a morning hike up Ancon Hill, a nature reserve in the middle of Panama. The walk, which takes about 90 minutes for a round trip, delivers Instagram-worthy 360- degree views of the city once you reach the top. If you want a glimpse of the park\u2019s resident wild-life \u2014 39 species of birds and 15 species of mammals, including sloths and monkeys \u2014 go either very early in the morning or later in the day.<\/p>\n

Ecotourists can head directly to the Frank Gehry\u2013designed Biomuseo on the Amador Causeway, with its eight galleries focused on Panama\u2019s unique biodiversity and geological history. After your visit, rent a tandem four-wheeled bike nearby and carry on out to the end of the causeway for a look around the three is-lands. Alternatively, pop into the Punta Culebra Nature Center, an arm of the ecologically committed Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and get schooled on local tropical biodiversity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

By Doug Wallace – *This article originally appeared in INSIGHT: The Art of Living | Fall 2017<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Photos by: <\/span>American Trade Hotel, Donde Jos\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the southwestern tip of Panama City, adjacent to the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, sits the city\u2019s picturesque old quarter, Casco Viejo, a historic district that is getting its groove back, thanks to significant injections of restoration money. Casco Viejo also happens to boast UNESCO World Heritage status, which has made it the coolest part of town, and the neighbourhood to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":14280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[394],"tags":[423,483,540,584,585,586,409],"class_list":["post-14269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insight-magazine","tag-insight","tag-insight-the-art-of-living","tag-insight-fall-2017","tag-panama","tag-panama-city","tag-casco-viejo","tag-insight-magazine"],"yoast_head":"\nHATS OFF TO CASCO VIEJO | INSIGHT: The Art of Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Panama City\u2019s vibrant Old Town bustles with high style, from the elegantly rejuvenated hotels to the chic rooftop restaurants.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HATS OFF TO CASCO VIEJO | INSIGHT: The Art of Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Panama City\u2019s vibrant Old Town bustles with high style, from the elegantly rejuvenated hotels to the chic rooftop restaurants.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sotheby's International Realty Canada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-17T15:18:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-10-20T20:41:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/insightfall17_panama01-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"546\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SIRC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SIRC\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"HATS OFF TO CASCO VIEJO | INSIGHT: The Art of Living","description":"Panama City\u2019s vibrant Old Town bustles with high style, from the elegantly rejuvenated hotels to the chic rooftop restaurants.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"HATS OFF TO CASCO VIEJO | INSIGHT: The Art of Living","og_description":"Panama City\u2019s vibrant Old Town bustles with high style, from the elegantly rejuvenated hotels to the chic rooftop restaurants.","og_url":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269","og_site_name":"Sotheby's International Realty Canada","article_published_time":"2017-09-17T15:18:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-10-20T20:41:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":546,"url":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/insightfall17_panama01-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SIRC","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SIRC","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/"},"author":{"name":"SIRC","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/23efd124483948cf5ddb8b3ca55812a2"},"headline":"Hats Off to Casco Viejo","datePublished":"2017-09-17T15:18:21+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-20T20:41:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/"},"wordCount":1006,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/insightfall17_panama01-2.jpg","keywords":["INSIGHT","Insight: The Art of Living","insight fall 2017","panama","panama city","casco viejo","Insight Magazine"],"articleSection":["Insight Magazine"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/","url":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/","name":"HATS OFF TO CASCO VIEJO | INSIGHT: The Art of Living","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/insightfall17_panama01-2.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-17T15:18:21+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-20T20:41:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/23efd124483948cf5ddb8b3ca55812a2"},"description":"Panama City\u2019s vibrant Old Town bustles with high style, from the elegantly rejuvenated hotels to the chic rooftop restaurants.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":[["https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/"]]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/insightfall17_panama01-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/insightfall17_panama01-2.jpg","width":1440,"height":546,"caption":"Tourist attractions and destination scenics. View of Casco Antiguo in Panama City"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/2017\/09\/17\/hats-off\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hats Off to Casco Viejo"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/","name":"Sotheby's International Realty Canada","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/23efd124483948cf5ddb8b3ca55812a2","name":"SIRC","url":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/author\/sirc\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14269"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14337,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14269\/revisions\/14337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sothebysrealty.ca\/insightblog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}