Contadora Island

The most developed island is Contadora with its luxurious villas and a handful of hotels and restaurants. In the days of the Spanish conquistadors, the island was used to store and count gold (hence the name which means bookkeeper in Spanish). It remained relatively undisturbed until the 1960s, when construction began on a large resort, and Contadora became the choice getaway spot for wealthy Panamanians and foreigners, including Jimmy Carter, Julio Iglesias and Iran’s exiled Shah Reza Pahlavi.