Hidden luxuries
Discrete entrances are often a sign of sophisticated luxury beyond unassuming walls – at least that’s what my years in Southern Europe taught me. Swaying across a washboard road just outside of Pedasí on Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, I finally arrived to what my printed instructions described as “the terracotta red exterior wall of the Villa.” (The “Villa” being Hotel Villa Camilla) The next paragraph read: “Ring the large cast iron bell.” Not seeing anything, I harkened back to my days of wandering the medieval streets of Toledo, Spain and pondered where I might discover this bell. Bells are usually housed in a church’s steeple, so I looked up. When I caught a glimpse of the helmet-size bell, I drew my eyes downward and discovered a small hole in the wall with a tan wooden handle nestled inside.
Pulling the handle, the clapper lurched against the bell’s body…creeeaaak…
In the daytime, you can see the Pacific from this spot, a five minute drive from the hotel…all unimaginable from the outside.
