Viceroy is developing a resort with a rainforest spa on the Bocas del Toro peninsula in Panama.

The Viceroy resort and branded residences will form part of a 165-hectare development called CasiCielo, which translates from Spanish to “Almost Heaven”. Design collaborators include Zurcher Arquitectos and Wimberly Interiors.

The whole site will have 700 guestrooms and 700 residential units when it is complete.

The destination is a partnership between VHG, West Resort and Hospitality Investors Group.

The developer, Circular Strategy Group, plans for the site to be off-grid and a self-sustaining community. The design team had to optimise energy performance in the tropical climate. These include using passive solar strategies when placing and orienting the buildings. 

Solar thermal, rainwater collection and natural drainage systems are also incorporated into the infrastructure. Interconnected paths for pedestrians and bikes will also encourage reduced dependence on private vehicles.

The Viceroy Hotel and Residences

The Viceroy Hotel and Residences will be the first built element at the site. We first wrote about this project in 2016, when it had a proposed opening date of 2019.

Alongside 186 guestrooms and residences, the Viceroy will have 42 private overwater villas.

Rainforest spa

GOCO Hospitality consulted on the Viceroy's 1,080sq m spa, which has two treehouse treatment rooms, four single treatment rooms, two double rooms and one spa suite.

It will also have a rainforest outdoor bathing circuit, a beauty salon, a gym, a mind and body studio, as well as a cafe.

The Viceroy resort will also have numerous pools, a fitness centre, meditation rooms and eight on-site restaurants and lounges.

Other features of CasiCielo

A marina village forms the focal point for the community, with a mixture of shops, restaurants, services and entertainment venues – all linked by parks, plazas and boardwalks.

A waterway network runs through the Canal District, offering waterfront lifestyle activities at a variety of secluded islands, community gathering areas and beaches along Almirante Bay.

The Forest District lies beyond the tropical islands and is a forested headland that will be home to resort retreats and villas with access to beaches.