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1917
Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo - Panama City
Panama City, Panama
Calle Primera Oeste, Panama City, Panama, 0843
Original Property Opened in 1917
Historic Hotels Worldwide member since 2022
- 2023 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Annual Awards of Excellence Winners
- 2022 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Awards of Excellence Nominee Finalists
- The 2025 Top 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Most Historic Bars and Lounges List Is Announced
- The 2023 Top 25 Historic Hotels Worldwide® Holiday Traditions and Spectacular Displays List
Located in the middle of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the Casco Viejo district), Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo is an iconic waterfront hotel offering an unmatched luxury experience to cultural heritage travelers and business clientele alike. Formerly the site of the Union Club of Panama, the hotel stands apart as a celebration of Panamanian culture, heritage, and history. The stately address includes 159 beautifully appointed guestrooms and suites, luxurious wellness facilities, and spectacular food and beverage venues, including a rooftop bar and lounge.
Discover
- Discover the gorgeous Neoclassical façade of Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo. Hailed as an engineering masterpiece, the building was designed by American architect James C. Wright. A graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, James C. Wright had originally arrived in Panama City at the behest of Panamanian President Belisario Porras in 1911. President Porras had specifically recruited Wright to help establish a sprawling public works program for the whole city.
- Enjoy the breathtaking ocean views from the ballroom. An iconic part of the hotel, the ballroom once hosted a banquet held in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Edinburgh when they arrived in Panama in November 1953. Following a formal greeting at the Presidential Palace, President José A. Remón escorted the Royal couple to the Union Club, where the official banquet took place. The main course of the dinner was a corvina. During the banquet, a stamp of Panama was presented, and a young Yila Arosemena, mounted on a donkey and dressed in a beautiful skirt, presented the national costume to the queen. After dinner in the ballroom, the queen danced with President Remón and Mr. Luis Vallarino (Luisón), president of the Club, and Prince Philip brought the first lady, Cecilia Pinel, out on the dance floor. More recently, the ballroom's terrace was featured in the 2008 James Bond film “Quantum of Solace.”
- Experience the glamorous charm of old-world Casco Viejo at this historic hotel. Brought back from the brink of desolation, the former Union Club, today known as Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, transports guests back in time to the club’s glory days when Panama’s wealthy and influential gathered to connect, discuss, and celebrate.
Explore
- Explore Casco Viejo, Panama City’s historic district and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Commissioned by Antonio Fernández de Córdoba in 1673, Casco Viejo was built after the destruction of Panama City in 1671 at the hands of infamous pirate captain, Henry Morgan. Today, the district is home to not only the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, but also numerous other historic landmarks including the National Theatre of Panama, the Church of San Jose, and the Old Panama Cathedral.
- Take a bike ride along the Calzada de Amador, also known as the Amador Causeway. Built in 1913 with rocks and soil left from the construction of the Panama Canal, the Amador Causeway links Panama City with four islands: Naos, Perico, Culebra and Flamenco. The Amador Causeway is also home to one of Panama’s best museums, the Biomuseum. Dedicated to Panama’s spectacular biodiversity, the museum features eight exhibits exploring the country’s geology, natural history, and more.
- Visit The Panama Canal, a 48-mile-wide ship canal that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific. Opening for the first time on August 15, 1913 after taking some 10 years to complete, The Panama Canal played a large, important role in assisting world trade and making the United States a world leader and power. The canal enabled ships to pass through the America’s without having to brave the long trip around Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America. Visit the Canal Museum nearby the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo for more details about this historic innovation in engineering. Photos, site plans, and interesting artifacts from the construction are all on display.
Experience
- Experience the natural beauty of Gatun Lake, home to the popular game fish, the Peacock Bass. Constructed in 1913, Gatun Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. It was created by the damming of the Chagres River, and a crucial part of the creation of the Panama Canal as its waters operate the Panama Canal locks each time a ship passes through. It spans some 470 square kilometers (or 180 square miles) and known for its preservation and beauty. Today, they are some of the last remaining untouched regions of in the world where native animal and plant species can flourish unscathed. The lake is also home to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
- Interact with the various species of monkeys on a tour of Panama’s famous Monkey Island. Located on Lake Gatun, Monkey Island offers visitors an up-close experience with Panama’s diverse wildlife. The area is home to sloths, iguanas, crocodiles, and four species of monkeys: the Mantled Howler Monkey, the White-Faced Capuchin, Geoffroy’s Tamarin Monkey, and the Lemurine Owl Monkey.
- Head downtown to experience Panama City’s numerous soaring skyscrapers which have become iconic features of the city skyline. Beginning in the early 2000s, Panama City experienced a large construction boom, with architectural marvels rising up throughout the city. One of the most striking is the F&F Tower in the city’s financial district, which resembles a giant screw.
Taste
- Enjoy a delicious array of fresh seafood at Caleta, the hotel’s signature restaurant. Seafood options are plentiful in Panama due to the fact that its coastline stretches along both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, the very name Panama is thought by many to have come from an indigenous word for “abundance of fish.”
- Taste deliciously fresh ceviche at Ammi, the hotel’s Skybar. With 2,857 km of coastline, Panama is heaven for seafood lovers. At the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, the waterfront views add to Ammi’s atmosphere making it the perfect place to enjoy this refreshing seafood cocktail. Ceviche is often served with ‘soditas’, traditional salty crackers, and is frequently made with corvina fish in Panama.
- Indulge in Panama’s heartwarming national dish, sancocho de gallina. This delicious soup is made with slowly cooked chicken, corn, and root vegetables such as ñame, yuca, and otoe. The secret ingredient, popular in many dishes in Panama, is culantro. This herb is similar in flavor to cilantro, but derives from a separate native plant. Sancocho is traditionally from the Azuero region of Panama and is normally served with white rice.
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Featured Offer
Best Available Rate
Book the Best Available Rate at this property on HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com and receive a complimentary one-year family membership (a $30 value) to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, a member of the International National Trusts Organisation.
