Central America's Most Luxurious Waterfront Enclave Has Skyscrapers And Man-Made Islands Like Dubai

By the glittering reflections of skyscrapers in the water, you might be tempted to think you are looking at Dubai, the sparkling city of the United Arab Emirates. Known for its towering buildings and lavish luxury resorts, like Atlantis The Royal, on the water, Dubai has inspired cities to reach new heights. 

This is Punta Pacifica, a luxury enclave in Panama hoping to become the Dubai of Central America, especially given its strategic position next to the iconic Panama Canal. An estimated $270 billion worth of cargo passes through the Panama Canal. When the United States transferred ownership of the canal to Panama's government in 1999, it opened the door to a real estate boom. That included the sculpting of Punta Pacifica in the 1990s from reclaimed land — similar to Dubai's architectural story.  Unlike Dubai, however, Panama still has one of the lowest costs of living in the world.

Perhaps no other place in Panama represents the country's ambitions as much as Punta Pacifica. It can already claim to have the tallest building in the region, the JW Marriott Panama. Its arcing sail shape dominates the Panama Bay skyline and houses a casino, hotel, residences, and restaurants. It's not the only high-rise with lofty ambitions. Punta Pacifica aims to be the premier neighborhood for luxury-seekers who want to be near the iconic Panama Canal. Ostentatious condos and high-end shopping malls have sprouted across the waterfront, drawing visitors intrigued by this extravagance.

The heart of Punta Pacifica is the JW Marriott Panama. This 70-story building was unveiled in 2011 and was originally part of the Trump real estate empire, called the Trump Ocean Club. Its goal was to become the luxury destination in Panama, offering a beach club, condos, restaurants, and a casino. Though the project delivered on its goal of providing residents and visitors with luxury experiences, Trump Ocean Club became mired in controversy, including allegations of money laundering. It was taken over by JW Marriott in 2018 and renamed, though it maintains its opulent reputation. Visitors never have to leave the building to dine in a restaurant, play in a casino, bask in a spa, or swim in one of its two infinity pools.

Drawn by the rapid development of the area, other businesses have quickly followed. Though nothing on the scale of Dubai's shopping malls, like Ski Dubai in the Mall of the Emirates, which is large enough to house a winter wonderland with penguins, the MultiPlaza shopping center does have a "Luxury Avenue" of high-end shops, from Gucci to Cartier. The Pacífica Salud Hospital Punta Pacífica offers world-class healthcare, consulting with the prestigious Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The most ambitious project, however, is the Ocean Reef Marina and Yacht Club. Built on an island of reclaimed land, the Ocean Reef is a tailor-made place for luxury yachts to stop while crossing the Panama Canal. It's goal is to offer residents and boat owners their own private island experience within easy reach of Panama City.  

Visiting Punta Pacifica means flying to Tocumen International Airport and then a 20-minute drive.  Alternatively, the airport also has a metro stop connecting to Punta Pacifica in about an hour. Travelers have found this to be a convenient way to get around if your hotel is near a metro stop. If you want to sample Punta Pacifica's hotel luxury, the JW Marriott Panama rooms are several hundred dollars per night. That will give you easy access to the Ocean Breeze Med Spa and the massive Ocean Sun Casino, spread over three levels of the building.

If you want to go to the artificial island that is the Ocean Reef Marina and Yacht Club, you'll have to hire a boat. It's a private marina for residents or boat owners only. It is possible to rent a sailboat or yacht, with prices ranging from the high hundreds to low thousands per night. The advantage of hiring a boat, of course, is being able to swing by the engineering marvel that is the Panama Canal. 

On the flip side, you can steer away from the excess of Punta Pacifica and head to a simple era along Panama's undeveloped coasts. The Guna Yala region allows visitors to paddle from island to island to visit the indigenous community and see what Panama was like before the luxury condos arrived.