One Night on Contadora
Date: 02/05/2004
Dear International Living Reader,
By sundown, a steady breeze had settled in that kept us cool all night. We met for dinner in the open-air dining room and repositioned our table so each of us had a view of the sea. Then we settled in to enjoy the food, the rum, the fresh air, and the sound of the water rising and receding against the sand a few feet from where we sat.
When the need for sleep overcame the pleasure of the evening, we climbed the hill to our little Villa. We turned off the air-conditioner in the bedroom and fell asleep listening to the waves.
The sun woke us at 6, and we wandered back down the hill to the beach to walk barefoot in the powder-fine white sand before breakfast. Ours were the first footprints of the day.
Hard to believe that two weeks ago this place was overrun with production staff and camera crews, here to film the second of the two "Survivor: Pearl Island" series.
Contadora is the most developed of the dozens of isletas in this archipelago just a 15-minute plane ride off the coast of Panama City. Fifteen minutes from a major international destination and banking center...but completely unknown until the producers of "Survivor" scouted it a year ago.
Since the "Survivor" crew descended on the island, filling every available hotel room and rental for months, the place has never looked better. It's been painted and freshened up...but remains pristine and private. Clean and safe. Idyllic. The real world is far away indeed. You can understand why, a few hundred years ago, pirates chose this as the place to count their booty ("Contadora" means "counting house") before shipping it back home to Spain.
Our Panama Office reporats a steady and growing stream of inquiries for rentals on Contadora...and a woeful lack of supply. The Galeon resort charges $160 a night for a small, unremarkable room. You could easily charge $300 a night for a small rental home on the beach here.
The second "Survivor: Pearl Islands" began airing last week. Again, all America's attention will be drawn to this tiny, sandy outpost of palm trees and sunshine. The first series has resulted in a spurt of building and renovation on the island...new houses going up, old ones getting face-lifts.
We predict: More construction will follow. Prices for Panama real estate will continue up. The rental market will continue to expand.
Our Local Office staff can help you position yourself to participate in all the activity: panama@internationalliving.com.
Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living
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