La Concordia Boutique Hotel

A 19th century former cigar factory turned into a buttoned-up hideaway with a Peruvian-meets-Asian restaurant and a sceney rooftop bar.

Huge. It’s the definition of “boutique” hotel with a mere 10 rooms.

Like much of the world, this corner of Panama fell on hard times after World War II. But Casco Viejo is now back to its glitterati-coddling roots, since the area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. La Concordia is the place to stay for boundless area exploration because it’s the ultimate post-adventure hideaway; each is fitted with all the luxe accoutrements of a pampering stay, including L’Occitane toiletries, BOSE speakers, and plush slippers and robes for cozying up with a movie on the flatscreen—and 24/hour room service, natch.

You obsess over rooftop bars, frankly, and this one is among the best you’ve ever conjured: on a palm tree-shrouded, triangle shaped patch of roof overlooking 360-degrees of cityscape. (Yes, that’s the Frank Gehry-designed Biodiversity Museum).

You tend to judge a hotel by its breakfast menu, and the one at LOLA Mia is a doozy. This morning, you’re going big to fuel for a day pounding the cobblestones: leek quiches with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce, plus house-made churros in dark chocolate. Viva la vacation!

Tarraco - Creative Mediterranean cuisine

Numen - A wide variety of cocktails, fusion tapas and a select menu of hookahs.