Go glam by the canal: Panama

Set among the soaring glass and steel skyscrapers of Panama City, the Waldorf Astoria Panama — the luxury brand’s first hotel in Latin America — opened this month on the lively Calle Uruguay.

The 248-room hotel looks suitably glitzy, with interiors by Miami-based Ba-Haus/knf heavy on crystal, glass and metallic materials culminating in the hotel’s gold mosaic tiled outdoor swimming pool. Four restaurants include a brasserie, sushi bar and poolside eating area while the four-treatment-room spa uses the high-end Babor product range.

Twenty minutes away is the famous Panama Canal but barely an hour further from the hustle of Panama City lie pristine beaches and tropical rainforests, with considerably less tourism than neighbouring Central American countries.