While in Panama I had the pleasure of staying at The Bristol in Panama City. This is a fine hotel that is the best choice in town if you’re looking for the prestige address. (Several of the new James Bond movie actors were checking out as I checked in.) Here’s a video tour of one of the rooms on the top floor:

As you can hopefully tell from this, rooms near the top have an excellent view of the skyline. Here is a photo that captures it more clearly. With construction going up all around, last year’s great view can be tomorrow’s view of a construction site, though this spot in the banking district seems more immune to that than the ones right on the water.

There are two quirks to this hotel that keep it from being ideal for everyone though. It’s small and seemingly understaffed at times, with the two front desk clerks (who double as concierges) constantly disappearing into a back room every time they have to print something out. Also, there’s no swimming pool—in a city that is hot 12 months of the year. If “hop to it” service and lounging in a pool are important to you, check out one of our other luxury Panama Hotel reviews. (Note that there’s no pool at the other luxe boutique hotel either–Hotel DeVille.)

I haven’t posted on this blog for a while because I’ve been on the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Panama Canal aboard the Discovery. This luxurious ship, run by Panama Marine Adventures, offers a truly unique experience.

The ship itself holds a maximum of 24 passengers in 12 cabins, which means plenty of room to stretch out. The photo here is the main deck for lounging, eating, and drinking. You can do plenty of all three since the the rates are all-inclusive. There’s a wall of glass providing panoramic views and decks in several spots for taking it in with fresh air.

Cabins are compact, of course, but well-designed and comfortable, with individual climate controls and a shower with more pressure than my one at home. Cabins are cleaned each day, with turndown service at night.

The itinerary is what really makes this trip special, however. By zodiac launch and kayak we explored the Pearl Islands of the Pacific, went upriver into the Darién Gap to visit the Chocoe Emberá native Americans. After a snorkeling and beach stop in the Pearl Islands again, it was time to transit the Panama Canal. Unlike the hulking cruise ships that go through here though, the Discovery gets to spend the night on Lake Gatun in the middle, anchoring near a Smithsonian research station and then touring the Barra Colorado nature reserve with their guides.

After transiting the other side of the canal, we stayed on the Chagres River (the Caribbean side), spotting lots of herons and a sloth from the motorboats. A few of us paddled along on kayaks and got a closer look, hearing and seeing nothing but nature.

The trip ends up in the bay of Portobelo, a historic town that was once the transit point for most of the gold crossing through the new world and on to Europe.

I’ll post a few more tidbits and photos this week before the full story goes up in our tour feature section. For more info, see the Panama Marine Adventures site.

We just posted a review of the new luxury hotel on Easter Island: Explora Posada de Mike Rapu. It’s also known as Explora en Rapa Nui, which makes more sense. My guess is that most people will just end up calling it Explora Easter Island. (Or “that hotel on Easter Island that doesn’t suck.”)

This is from the same people who opened the Explora hotels in Chile (and the architect also involved in Remota—Germán del Sol) and lead tours in Patagonia. These hotels have set the Chilean standard for mixing local elements with a strong sense of design. Our reviewer says, “It’s stylish but at the same time rough and ready, with thick stone pillars of volcanic rock and unpolished, unpainted wood.”

This remote island has a reputation for terrible food, so it’s encouraging to hear that the cuisine here is top-notch. Rates are priced accordingly, with everything wrapped into an all-inclusive package. But why not splurge? This probably is a true “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Who goes to Easter Island twice?

Unfortunately, Explora hasn’t caught on to the whole global warming and conservation story. There’s a whole lot of waste and not much care about it, again showing us that too many executives think luxury travelers don’t give a damn about the planet. Hopefully those that do will speak up and things will improve on this fragile Rapa Nui island–already wrecked once by short-sighted inhabitants.