ISLAS SECAS A remote

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Islas Secas Reserve and Lodge, Panama

THOSE SEEKING TO COMMUNE with nature off the beaten path may want to consider the warm waters of the Gulf of Chiriqui. There, about 32 kilometres off the Pacific coast of Panama, they’ll find the 14-island archipelago of Islas Secas. Once known as Panama’s “Lost Coast,” it’s the perfect place to get truly, deeply, intimately, swooningly lost.

Along with various rays, turtles, dolphins, whales, tropical fish, birds of prey and Rufous-tailed hummingbirds, the archipelago is home to Islas Secas Reserve & Lodge. First founded as a no-frills fishing lodge, the hotel was reinvented and reopened in 2019 as a luxury property with room for just 18 guests in nine thatched-roof casitas.

The reserve is all inclusive, and fortunately, guests don’t need to anywhere else to eat. Terraza restaurant, designed by award-winning Colombian architect Simón Vélez, serves sophisticated sea-to-table cuisine. “Islas Secas provides the chance to cook with the freshest fish from the Eastern Pacific,” says Saul Umaña, chef and culinary director. “I love discovering the local and endemic ingredients like Darian Rice, heart of palm and guandu bean.”

Luxury means off-the-grid, with the eco-conscious and marine-focused traveller in mind. Think solar power, sustainable wood and other materials, reclaimed water and 100 percent food composting. Billionaire conservationist Louis Bacon, the man behind Tordrillo’s Mountain Lodge in Alaska, has set aside 75 percent of Islas Secas for conservation in perpetuity in order to safeguard the diverse marine ecosystem.

How to pass the time when not merely relaxing? Islas Secas offers marine safaris and immersive natural experiences on land and on sea. The best luxury of all: You don’t have to be an expert to try your hand at scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing or whale watching.

Islassecas.com —Marlon Moreno

ADVENTURE IS ON THE HORIZON SANDBOARDING, CERRO NEGRO VOLCANO

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