Abandoned Contadora Island Resort, Panama
Our trip to Panama continues with a visit to Contadora Island, located in the Pearl Islands archipelago in the Gulf of Panama. It is here that we stumbled upon the abandoned Hotel Contadora Resort.
It was once a luxurious getaway for the rich and famous. Now it sits in ruin. Picked apart and left to rot.
In it’s heyday, the Hotel Contadora Resort boasted over 300 rooms, swimming pools and extravagant restaurants. Many of these guest rooms, as you’ll see in these photos, delivered spectacular beach views of Playa Larga.
Before it became a popular all-inclusive resort in Panama, this hotel was an expensive and exclusive property for the upper class. In the 60’s and 70’s it hosted famous celebrities and high-ranking diplomats. Most notably, it received global attention when the Shah of Iran was exiled to Contadora Island.
Rumors continue to circulate about why Hotel Contadora Resort closed permanently.
The former owner of the hotel, a Colombian entrepreneur by the name of Carlos Arango, died in a mysterious plane crash in 2005. It’s said that he had deep connections with the Columbia drug cartel. Allegedly, the hotel was used to launder money and transport narcotics.
Ironically, the Contadora Island Airstrip is located just a few hundred meters from the hotel property.
After the death of its notorious owner, the resort racked up a lot of debt and got into financial trouble. If the rumors are true, it’s not surprising that the resort tanked when the money laundering stopped. Fake guests don’t pay the bills.
Drug lords. Money laundering. Mysterious plane crash. This wild story has all the makings of a hit Netflix series.
Even though the forgotten beach resort sits on some of the best real estate on Isla Contadora, it was never sold or taken over by new management. I suppose it’s wise to stay away from drug cartel assets that might be under DEA investigation.
In this blog post, we share photos of the abandoned Hotel Contadora Resort and its iconic beached ferry boat.
Watch this short video from the abandoned Hotel Contadora Resort.
The open aired lobby has outstanding beachfront views. It’s easy to visualize this area filled with comfortable chairs and outdoor patio furniture. Times have certainly changed.
Entrance from the lobby to outdoor patio. Notice the beached ferry in distance. More on that below.
Trees and plants are slowing consuming the buildings.
I believe this is the swim-up pool bar at the Contadora beach resort.
Million dollar waterfront views. I wonder if this decaying property will be redeveloped in the future?
The Beach at Contadora Island Resort
Playa Larga is the beach in front of the hotel. We visited multiple times during our time on the island and it was consistently empty. This is the one advantage to the closure of Hotel Contadora Resort.
However, because of the lack of visitors, this beach is in need of a good clean-up. We found lots of garbage and debris on the beach. There are some dangerous pieces of metal, screws and debris near the abandoned ferry boat – see photos below.
The ruins of Hotel Contadora Resort
As I wandered away from the hotel lobby, I came across rows of three-story buildings that were once guest rooms. Every room has been gutted and stripped to the studs.
The old hotel rooms are now crumbling and unsafe. It feels as if the skeleton buildings may collapse at any moment.
I attempted to walk up to the third floor to capture some photos but the stairs and floors are falling apart. I thought it was best to obey the warning signs and stay away.
It appears some residents of Contadora Island have gradually picked apart this hotel. Anything and everything of value has been taken. I suppose it’s a great place to find firewood for a beach campfire.
See videos of Hotel Contadora on our Instagram stories.
Inside the main building at Contadora Island Resort
We did not feel unsafe inside the building, but it’s worth noting that there is signage asking people to stay out.
However, I did not allow our boys to enter the property. They played on the beach instead.
Lots of destruction inside the closed Hotel Contadora Panama.
Ferry Shipwreck on Contadora Island
In front of the abandoned Contadora Hotel is the skeleton of a beached ferry. This private ferry, owned by the Hotel Contadora Resort, once served as the ferry from Panama City to Contadora Island. It was also used to shuttle guests to the other Pearl Islands.
When the hotel shutdown, the boat was also left behind. Nobody claimed the old ferry. Over time, it too was picked apart for anything of value.
This beached ferry, along with the crumbling hotel, have become the most iconic landmarks and tourist attractions on Contadora Island.
Related – 10 Things to do in Panama City for first time visitors
Take a peak inside the shipwrecked ferry on Contadora Island. It’s been stripped and left to rot on the beach.
Hopefully this abandoned ferry will find a new home. It’s an interesting subject for travel photos, but it’s a big eyesore on the beach. And it can’t be good for the environment.
I did not attempt to climb inside. It’s too unstable. The rusty floors may collapse at any moment.
Contadora Island in Panama’s Pacific Ocean
It’s easy to see why Isla Contadora was once the destination for the rich and famous. The white sandy beaches and clear turquoise water are picture perfect.
Contadora Island remains a popular vacation destination in Panama. However, the island and some of it’s hotels have seen better days. Many hotels and buildings are either abandoned or left in poor condition.
It’s clear that this remote tropical island has many secrets, given it’s strategic location and controversial history.
There is a hotel at the north end of Playa Larga. This section of the beach is clean and well maintained.
The beach directly in front of the abandoned Contadora Island Resort has a lot of garbage and debris. It’s not great for bare feet.
We had this beautiful beach all to ourselves.
Sea Las Perlas Ferry Check-in on Contadora Island
The above photo is where you catch the Contadora Island Ferry to Panama City. This is the only surviving building on the old Hotel Contadora property. It’s been converted into a small cafe and waiting area for ferry passengers.
There is no dock on this beach. The Contadora Island ferry anchors about 200 feet from land. Passengers are transported in small boats from the beach to the ferry. It’s not be the most convenient way to board a ferry, but it does encapsulate the unique Contadora experience.
Travel tip – there are two ferry companies that travel from Panama City to Contadora Island: Sea Las Perlas Ferry and Ferry Las Perlas.
The two companies are spelled similar, which can be confusing for first time visitors to Panama. We had to scramble on the morning of our departure from Panama City to Contadora Island because we went to the wrong ferry terminal. It was a close call. We almost missed our ferry and there’s only one sailing per day.
Keep this in mind, as some Contadora Island tours will include these ferries as part of the transportation from the mainland to the Pearl Islands.
Related – What you need to know when taking the Contadora Island Ferry
We traveled from Panama City to Isla Contadora on the white catamaran picture above (on the right). On our return trip back to the mainland, we took the white and blue ferry on the left. This ferry also stops at Saboga Island to pick up passengers before it sails back to Panama City.
If you’re looking for hotel on Contadora Island, read our review of Hotel Mar y Oro.
Read more blog posts from our trip to Panama:
- 50 Photos of Casco Veijo, Panama City’s Old Town
- Our experience visiting the Panama Canal in Panama City
- How to get to San Blas Islands from Panama City
- The Mystery Fever in Panama
- Photos from Hotel Mar y Oro and Contadora Island
- Photos from our visit to Monkey Island Panama
Have you visited Contadora Island in Panama?
Share your travel tips in the comments below. Our readers thank you!
This is perfect destination for the ghost hunting people as well!
Totally! I would have spent more time poking around but the structures seemed quite unstable.
I used to work there as an activity staff. Great times! Is Captain Morgans still there?
Stayed at La Romantica for few days in March 2021 . Nice quite place with a few rooms and great breakfast. Easy walking distance from two of the public beaches. When I went to Playa Larga I was the only person there for hours on end.. next time would like to take a boat to the other islands, with COVID restrictions this was a bit more complicated.
We looked at La Romantica when we were researching hotels. We ended up staying at Mar y Oro, which isn’t that far from your hotel (then again, everything is close on Contadora!). We visited just before the pandemic and the beach was mostly empty back then, so I imagine things are even more quiet now. Interesting island.
What did you think of Contadora Island?
Mar y Oro is the new name for the hotel-restaurant which used to be called Villa Romantica !
The Romantica (the original house) was built by my aunt at the beginning of the 70s; we used to visit it many times during summer. The roof was different and it was a beautiful place to be. There were just few houses and there was no hotels, just a bar named EL Galeon and a small store. The bar had a drink “Contadora Special” a mix of many liquors. When the waiter put the drink on the table he used to said: “Good Luck”. We enjoyed walking at night with my cousins from El Galeon after having dinner with my older cousins, aunt and uncle. There are beautiful caves and the fishes were very colorful. All the water had to be carried from Panama City. The only way to get there was by airplane or by private boats. It is a shame how the hotel and the ferry were left in ruins in such a beautiful island.
Thanks for sharing your story, Lulu! Sounds like you have some special memories from your time on the island many years ago. It is a shame that the ferry and hotel were abandoned and left to decay. Hopefully the government will do something about it, but I doubt that will happen any time soon.
So sad to see it, because I visited this place like 3 or 4 times,and was a beautiful resort. Beautiful beaches too.
Great place but it’s a third world country with a fourth world government who have too many hands out to really think of investing.
We’ve heard that about the Panama government. I was surprised to see so many buildings empty or left unfinished throughout Panama. I suppose it’s easy to wash money in construction
Our family stayed at this resort in 1999 and 2000 and have so many great memories. We had a ground floor room facing the ocean and the peacocks would follow us in if we weren’t careful. Remember the pool, golf course and beach fondly and it is sad to see what it has turned into.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. I saw a few photos of the resort when it was still operational. It’s hard to believe it’s the same property.
My family stayed at this resort in 1979 while we were living in Panama. It was beautiful and so fancy for a 9 year old! I know we have pictures, will have to find them.
Oh that would be fantastic! If you find the old photos, please share (if you don’t mind)
Wow – thank you for this reporting. What memories! The US TV reality show Survivor filmed 3 seasons of the show in the Pearl Islands with crew based at the hotel Contadora. I stayed there for about 14 weeks in 2003 and again for another 7 weeks in 2005. While it was still holding together fairly back well, some of the rooms were in terrible shape and were unrentable. (So naturally they put our offices in those rooms.)
We booked the whole resort for our crew of ~200. Off the record, we had some raging parties as you can only imagine. One of the cast even found a kilo of cocaine washed up on the beach! I was sworn to secrecy at the time, but now the story has been publicly told:
https://ew.com/tv/survivor-panama-blood-vs-water-aras-baskauskas-quarantine-questionnaire-cocaine/
It is sad to see it falling apart now, but I appreciate the walk down memory lane.
Jeff Winn
I proposed to my wife February 1995 at the contadora hotel. We had a beautiful room on the third level facing the beach.Meet some great friends and and tons of laughs..Funny enough we were discussing returning there for our 25th anniversary, guess we will have to pick another hotel.
Hi Boon,
I was on Contadora Island in 1995 too, offering sailing trips and then quad rides on Isla del Rey. Do you have pictures from back then? Looking forward to your reply: [email protected]
Best regards,
Hinrich
I went with 2 friends to this resort back in the late 90’s and have several pictures I was comparing to your shots of the ruins. Can vividly remember the pool bar; the lobby and other places. Looking at the pictures it brings back memories and its a shame the status of this once amazing resort. Thank-you for sharing.
When the Resort My wife and I were living on our 42 foot gaff rigged Cutter Balamar and started a new Day Sailing business! Every thing at Contadora was VERY expensive so we charged accordingly! We had a great time but we left to continue our voyage!
We were on the island at least six times from 1995 to 2003 or 2004 (I’ll have check the exact dates). We always flew out of Pearson Airport in Toronto, even though we live state-side. It was our favorite place to go! The staff was so friendly and accommodating. The whole experience was very laid back and unpretentious. I’m shocked by the resort’s present condition, but I now understand why we were prevented from going in 2005.. I’m glad we have memories and many pictures of what used to be.
Stayed ther3 between 2000 and 2003, not sure what year. Remember getting off the plane and walking to the resort, it was that close. I took a group of tourists for a beach walk around the island just for fun, we got about half way around and encountered a massive drop off into the ocean and could not proceed any further. I looked up and saw a rope dangling over the edge. I tested the rope for strength and proceeded to climb up the rope. Everyone followed safely we ended up in someone’s private back yard, someone wealthy by the look of it. The people there were gracious and allowed us to exit using their driveway. Found a route back to the beach and continued on until we came to a beach side restaurant/ B and B. Can’t actually believe we did that and no one was injured.
Kevin, ontario Canada
We stayed at the old Contadora hotel for the first time in ‘79. It was the only property on the island. No cars or places to go except for the marina, and I use that term loosely. Revisited, twice more and loved every second.
Interesting to see what it has become.
> When the hotel shutdown, the boat was also left behind. Nobody claimed the old ferry
Well, not quite true…
Since you mentioned Netflix and all, and crazy stories…
This old ferry was a hovercraft named “Barguzin” and was built in USSR to move passengers over the cold nover lake of Baikal.
Brought to this beach by Catrina hurricane, and also that is what she was not claimed – it was broken. Russian “urban decay” lovers used to make photos of it (gone with Google Picasa sadly) when most of it’s internals were still in place.
Her sister ship was sold back to Baikal as the resort went belly up. But the life hit hard on her too, Baikal is notorious for sudden and fierce storms that even hovercrafts can not always flee from…