05/09/2026
There is something I love about discovering that a beautiful place has a whole other life hidden beneath the surface.
Today we found ourselves at the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo in Panama City, having a beautifully served drink in what was once one of the most glamorous social institutions in Panama: the old Club Unión.
The building dates back to 1917, and in its heyday it was where Panama’s political, diplomatic and social worlds gathered. Its guest list over the years included Charles Lindbergh, Albert Einstein and Queen Elizabeth II.
Then history intervened.
The building passed into military use, lived through the turbulent years surrounding the 1989 US invasion of Panama, and was eventually abandoned. Decades later, even its atmospheric ruins had a moment on the big screen during the filming of the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.
And now it has been brought back to life as Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo.
I find that transformation fascinating.
Sitting beneath the beautiful beamed ceilings, surrounded by dark timber, brass, flowers and old-world details, with the light pouring in from the Pacific, I suddenly realised that we weren’t simply having a drink in another lovely luxury hotel.
We were sitting inside more than a century of Panamanian history.
Even the gorgeous menu captures the meeting of worlds perfectly: a Panamanian pelican catching a little French croissant in its beak, surrounded by tropical bougainvillea. 🇵🇦🥐🌺
Perhaps that’s one of the things I love most about travelling.
Sometimes you walk into a beautiful room because it catches your eye.
And then you discover the stories in the walls.
Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, Panama City
A little French joie de vivre wrapped inside an extraordinary piece of Panama.