Travel + Leisure_March 2019

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FIRST LOOK
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ADVENTURE IN PANAMA
\Continued from page 38)
the jungle, stumbling upon freakishly
shaped fungi and a giant termites'
nest. Most exciting of all, we hiked to a
cliff-top lookout where we watched the
ocean booming through a blowhole
some so feet below, just as an apricot
sun slipped under the horizon.
Like many properties of its kind,
the current version oflslas Secas
owes its existence to one man. A few
years ago, an American hedge fund
manager and philanthropist named
Louis Bacon fell for the archipelago
while on a sailing trip around the Gulf
of Chiriqui. Learning that the islands
were up for sale, Bacon added them to
a portfolio of conservation projects
that runs from Alaska to the Bahamas.
His dream was to create a place
where guests could enjoy exclusive
access to the extraordinary natural
riches of the region. And they are
pretty extraordinary. The Pacific
waters teem with giant manta and
eagle rays, sea turtles, sharks, and
schools of kaleidoscopic tropical fish.
Pods of humpback whales pass on
their annual migration north in late
summer and return in winter.
Conservation is a crucial part of
the project. Under an agreement with
the Panamanian government, only
a quarter of the archipelago has been
developed-the rest will remain
untouched. Every element of the lodge
is low-impact, from the soaring
bamboo structures that house the
lobby and restaurant to th.e reclaimed
wood used to build the elegant guest
rooms. All water is recycled after
being run through the island's
filtration system, while energy
is generated by a 1,000-foot
phalanx of solar panels lined up
along the airstrip.
Though Bacon's principles
were no doubt lost on Leo and
Stella, the untamed world he
has created at Islas Secas was
not. David and I had worried
about how they would manage
with no playground visits and
no iPads, forgetting that these
things are stand -ins for real
adventure-for chasing a
GETTING THERE
Copa Airlines (copooir.com)
flies nonstop to Panama City
from major U.S. hubs. Spend the
night in the capital's Casco Viejo
neighborhood at the stylish
American Trade Hotel
(americantradehotel.cam;
doubles from $329). Early the
next day, take the hour-long
Copa flight to the city of David
in western Panama. The hourlong
boat transfer to Islas Secas
leaves from a river mooring
an hour outside David.
ISLAS SECAS
The lodge has nine chic,
understated casitas arranged
around four sites, each with
a deck area with ocean views
and a private plunge pool.
Amenities include an on-site
masseuse and yoga instructor,
access to barges and
sportfishing vessels, and an
education center where guests
can learn about local wildlife.
Recreation manager Rob
Jameson can schedule such
activities as scuba diving and
marlin-fishing trips. islassecas.
com; doubles from $2,000,
all-inclusive, three-night
minimum.
hummingbird around a tree,
collecting tiny shells along a beach, or
stalking fluorescent-green iguanas
through the undergrowth. After three
nights on the island, our kids were the
happiest we'd seen them, and so, as a
consequence, were we.
On our last day at the lodge, we
noticed black clouds gathering as we
returned by boat from an excursion
around the islands. Fat drops of
rain pelted the jetty as I grabbed Leo
and we all ran, shrieking in our
swimsuits, back up the steep forest
path to our villa. From our private
deck with its 180-degree views of the
other islands, we watched the storm
roll through. Around us were no
lights, no man-made structures; it
felt like we were the last four people
left in the world. And sometimes, in
certain places, that's the very best
feeling you can have. x
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