Contadora Island is one of the principal destinations for tourism within the Pearl Islands archipelago, about 30 miles off the coast of Panama in the Pacific Ocean.
The longest stretch of beach on the island, known as Playa Larga, is where visitors are dropped off via ferry. While disembarking, it’s hard to miss a slew of decrepit buildings that loom a stone’s throw away in what’s mostly been reclaimed by nature.
Contadora Resort & Casino
The Contadora Resort was once a luxurious hotel with 354 rooms, an open-air bar, pool, casino, and rentable equipment to enhance your beachgoing experience. In 2005, the owner, Alberto Arango Duque, died in a plane crash. The hotel got tied up in legal battles and finally closed permanently on January 15, 2009.
On that day, operations ground to a halt. The buildings, of which there are at least 10, were quickly ransacked and left barren of anything remotely valuable.
Fast forward to 2022. The drywall and stairs have crumbled, and graffiti artists have left their mark on what’s left. But the buildings still stand, abandoned, on the most attractive part of the island. This prime real esate, once a booming hub for visitors, sits quiet and empty.
Much of the area is covered in brush and debris. Bats have made their home in many of the guest rooms, and it’s common to see a deer or two traipsing through the grounds.
The place is much creepier at night. Howling gusts of wind rip through the building’s halls and broken windows, sounding like distant screams.
The New Restaurant
One of the former resort’s buildings has been turned into something new. The building pictured above has been repurposed for a small restaurant. Guests eat outside, but the food is prepared inside the old structure, which I presume was guest rooms.
It’s hard to believe that all these other buildings on the property would simply go to waste the way that they have.
The Abandoned Ferry
The Contadora Resort had their own ferry used for shuttling guests to and from nearby Panama City. It was forgotten as quickly as the rest of the hotel in 2009.
It still sits on the beach today, as a twisted homage to the glory days of what was the Contadora Resort. Suffering the same fate as the rest of the property, it’s been mostly gutted and completely covered in grafitti. It, too, remains easily browsable.
While most visitors are content to pose in front of the boat for an Instagram shot, the more adventerous can climb up the stern of the ferry to get a closer look. You’ll have to go up the ladder to the bridge, then can go downstairs to the passenger area.
