Panama
Isla Contadora
A Pearl Island where Iran's exiled Shah took refuge and the 20th century washed ashore.
The twin-prop tilts over turquoise water and touches down on a runway barely longer than the island itself. Within minutes your shoes are off and the Pacific is ankle-deep, warm and clear. Isla Contadora sits in Panama's Pearl Islands archipelago, a place so quietly luxurious that when the Shah of Iran needed somewhere to disappear, this is where he came.
Isla Contadora is the most accessible of Panama's Pearl Islands, a 25-minute flight from Panama City to an island with 11 beaches packed into a 3-kilometre perimeter. The leeward beaches hold calm, sheltered water while the windward side catches Pacific swells. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi lived here from December 1979 to January 1980 after fleeing the Iranian Revolution — his presence on this tiny island triggered the diplomatic crisis that escalated into the Iran hostage situation. The Pearl Islands were among the first islands Columbus sighted on his fourth voyage, and pearls harvested here were sent directly to the Spanish crown. The island's permanent population sits under 200.
Couple
Eleven beaches on a single walkable island mean you can find a cove entirely to yourselves before lunch. The combination of Pacific light, a layered history, and an unhurried island pace makes Contadora a retreat that feels effortless.
Family
The leeward beaches offer calm, shallow water safe for young swimmers, and the island's compact size means nothing is far from the accommodation. A short flight from Panama City makes the logistics simple — the adventure is the destination, not the journey.
- Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the deposed Shah of Iran, lived on Contadora from December 1979 to January 1980 — his presence here triggered the diplomatic crisis that ultimately led to the Iran hostage taking.
- The island has 11 beaches within a 3-kilometre perimeter, with calm water on the leeward side sheltered from Pacific swells.
- The Pearl Islands were among the first Columbus sighted on his fourth voyage; the pearls harvested here were sent directly to the Spanish crown.
- A small airstrip connects to Panama City in 25 minutes; the island has one hotel, several private villas, and a permanent population of under 200.
Freshly caught Pacific fish at beachside restaurants with turquoise shallows behind you.
Lobster and langoustines from local boats, grilled simply with garlic and lime.
Tropical fruit from island garden trees — mangoes, papayas, guanábanas.
Paxos
Greece
Sea caves large enough for a sailboat glow electric blue beneath sheer white limestone cliffs.
Oualidia
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A saltwater lagoon where oyster beds gleam at low tide and flamingos wade.
Lambert's Bay
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Walk a causeway to an island of Cape gannets — the noise overwhelms everything else.
Antiparos
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A cave so vast that the Marquis de Nointel held Christmas Mass inside it in 1673.
Portobelo
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Rusting cannons guard a harbour where Spanish galleons loaded plundered gold for Seville.
El Valle de Antón
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An entire town nestled inside the crater of an extinct volcano.
Punta Patiño
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A Darién nature reserve where harpy eagles — the world's most powerful raptor — nest.
Islas Secas
Panama
Fourteen volcanic islands in the Pacific where whale sharks cruise the underwater drop-off.