Las Perlas are the original South Sea islands. Made famous lately by the Survivor TV series, they provide a fantastic way to get away from it all. There are hundreds of islands, most of them uninhabited.
When Balboa discovered the islands due south of Panama he also invented the word the South Sea islands as well as the Pacific ocean. The water here is beautiful and clear and you can almost always find an amazing beach for your self.
Contadora is the most popular island to visit and also the easiest. It has the feel of an exclusive villa estate as everything from roads to beaches are impeccably maintained. Many celebrities from around the world have or have had villas here. Including Christian Dior (his villa is at playa Ejecutiva) and Jimmy Carter.
For more on Panama see my Panama Lens.
Las Perlas Articles
- Focus on Las Perlas
- This is from Panama's tourist guide.
- Buy your own perla
- $1.3 million
- Itchyfeet Online Travel
- Great little article with lots of amazing photos.
- Richard Bangs Adventures in Las Perlas
- As part of his expedition in Panama, Richard Bang explores some of the lesser known Pearl Islands.
Photos from Flickr
Arriving at Saboga
Contadora view
Beach in Saboga
Isla Contadora
Tiny island in Las P...
Hotels and more
- Punta Galeon Hotel and Resort,
- This is probably the best hotel on Contadora island. It is right in front of the airport on a private peninsula with it's own beach. You can walk just about anywhere from it. The rooms are excellent and are absolute bargains compared to the Caribbean. During off season there are several offers available for 2 nights including transport from Panama City. I think a night would at normal rates cost about $120. A similar room in Jamaica or St. Maarten would be at least twice. This is not an all inclusive hotel, but the restaurants are pretty good.
- Hotel Contadora Resort
- This is the other hotel on the island and the only all inclusive one. It is closed when they are shooting one of the Survivor series in which case you must go to Punta Galeon. But you can always hang out with the crew. The beach is nice and I hear that the actual hotel is very nice now after a major refurbishment. It had started to get a bit old.
- Hacienda del Mar
- This is a truly exclusive private island resort on the island San Jose in the southern part of Las Perlas. Supposedly the island is owned by Elizabeth Tayler, but I don't know if that is true.
I've flown over the island and it looks amazing, however I have not stayed there. The hotel looks expensive by Panamanian prices, but is great value for money compared to similar private island resorts in the Caribiean.
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