If you are looking for an affordable place to stay during your next vacation in panama, you need look no further. The hotel Casco Antiguo offers the best room rates in the Casco Viejo for a full service hotel. During its preliminary redevelopment phase, the hotel is offering reduced rates to budget travelers.
The hotel Casco Antiguo boasts the oldest, continuously, operatiing hotel in the country! It was built in 1915 and still retains its historical charm from the moorish tiled lobby to the third floor terrace overlooking the bay and the entrance to the Panama Canal. It even has a fully functioning , hand operated, original Otis elevator-one of three still in existence in the city.
The Casco Viejo is a great location for people who enjoy walking to area restaurants, shopping and nearby historical and cultural landmarks and the Hotel Casco Antiguo is centrally located to everything. Day trips can be arranged by the helpful, courteous staff on duty 24/7.
The hotel Casco Antiguo offers a variety of different room types to accommodate most economically minded tourists. Of the 45 original rooms, over half have been renovated to include new flooring, new mattresses, new bed and bath linens, ceiling fans, window shades, etc. We offer free wi-fi in the lobby and first floor common area and a complimentary breakfast each morning.
For extended stays, laundry service is available upon request.
Don’t miss out on the best hotel deal in the Casco Viejo. These prices won’t last long due to the regeneration of the entire Casco Antiguo. To make your stay in Panama a truly memorable one, choose among the various rooms available and make your reservation today!
History of Casco Antiguo Panama
The rich historic district known as Casco Antiguo is located in the southwest of the city on a small peninsula. The neighborhood is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Built around 1673 by the Spanish Garrison, the Catholic Church, and other settlers to relocate the city destroyed by the Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan, who had sacked the original site of Panama City, then known as “Panama Viejo”. The Casco Viejo was surrounded by walls to provide protection from pirates. Some remnants of the Spanish fortifications can still be seen, including Las Bovedas (the Vaults), a sea wall containing dungeons.
Later, the area housed French officials as they undertook the initial construction of the Panama Canal. What they left behind was a unique and culturally diverse neighborhood with an interesting mix of architectural elements of both Spanish Colonial and French Provincial roots that features several notable buildings such as the colonial Catholic cathedral built in 1673, the Presidential Palace, the Golden Altar of the Church of San José (made of pure gold), and the National Theater.
Regaining its vitality recently after decades of slumber, today’s Casco Antiguo is home to intrepid residents, including such well-known persons as Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro and entertainer Ruben Blades, who are proud homeowners of beautifully restored mansions in the old quarter. In this most exciting center of Panama’s history, new attractions (to include the Panama Canal Museum, art galleries, indigenous boutiques, trendy restaurants with world renowned chefs, intimate sidewalk cafes, and popular nightspots) have opened their doors to enhance Panama’s ongoing cultural legacy.