Ciel y Miel

From the Sand to the Jungle at Cacique

The Caribbean coast of Colon province is the half of Panama most itineraries skip, and the stretch around Portobelo is the reason it should not be. Spanish galleons loaded silver here, the fortifications built to protect that silver still stand, and the water in front of them is now a national park. Ciel y Miel occupies a slope at Cacique, a village inside the park boundary, and the property uses the whole height of it: beach at the bottom, rooms stepping up through the trees, jungle above. The build keeps a light footprint, terraces everywhere, and no single block of a building anywhere on the site.

Why It Works

Panama's Caribbean runs largely on guesthouses and dive shops, with the higher end concentrated on islands that need a flight and a boat. This house does something rarer: it puts a serious standard within a couple of hours of the capital by road. The kitchen bakes its own bread and pasta daily and grows a share of what it serves in gardens on the property. There is an infinity pool, a beach club, a sauna and a jacuzzi bar, and six categories of room rather than one repeated twenty times. For a two night break from the city, this is the version of the coast we would book.

Why This Location

Cacique sits a few minutes from Portobelo, the colonial port whose forts and customs house are inscribed on the UNESCO list, and the bay in front is protected as a national park. Diving and snorkelling start at the jetty, with reef and wrecks a short boat ride out, and boats also run east towards Isla Grande and the beaches beyond it. Behind the property the jungle climbs straight into the hills, with trails for walking and for wildlife. Panama City is about two hours by road across the isthmus, which makes this the closest Caribbean water to the capital and an easy extension after the canal.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: Barefoot, green, quietly designed

• Rooms: Six categories, from beach rooms on the water to two ranchos set apart in the trees and a Full Moon suite for families

• Best For: Couples, divers and snorkellers, travellers adding the Caribbean to a canal itinerary

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The bread and the pasta made fresh every day, out of a kitchen garden you walk through on the way to dinner

• Dining: Farm-to-table restaurant with daily baking and its own gardens, a jacuzzi bar, and the beach club for lunch on the sand

• Amenities: Infinity pool, private beach club, sauna and massage, private terraces in every category, kayaks and boat tours

• Attractions: Portobelo and its Spanish fortifications a few minutes along the coast, reef and wreck diving from the jetty, jungle trails from the property, Isla Grande by boat

Beach Rooms, Ranchos and a Full Moon Suite

Six categories cover a lot of ground for a house this size. The beach rooms sit closest to the water and are the ones to take on a short stay. The two ranchos stand apart in the trees, which is the right answer for anyone who came for the quiet. Suites add jacuzzi access and pool views, the cozy rooms keep the footprint small, and the Full Moon suite combines units for a family or a group travelling together. Every category has its own terrace, and because the property climbs rather than spreads, almost all of them look at either the water or the canopy.

Bread, Gardens and an Infinity Pool Over the Bay

The kitchen is the surprise. Bread and pasta are made on site every day, the gardens supply a real share of the vegetables and the herbs, and the menu follows what has come in rather than a fixed card. Lunch moves down to the beach club, dinner stays up at the restaurant, and the jacuzzi bar handles the hour in between. The infinity pool holds the middle of the slope with the bay in front of it, and the sauna and massage rooms sit alongside. Ask about the boats the evening before: the dive and snorkel runs leave early, and the reef is better before the wind gets up.