Mural in the hallway? Check. Artistic graffiti in the staircase? Check. Art installation behind the bar? Check. And that's just in the public spaces at Tántalo, Panama City's newest boutique accommodations. Located in the UNESCO-protected Casco Viejo district, the hotel adds 'hip and happening' to the area's 'historical' with its urban awareness of art and design – each of the 13 rooms have, after all, served as a life-sized canvas for a local artist. Bringing a gust of fresh wind to its old-world surrounds, Tántalo also houses a number of regional 'firsts', like Casca Viejo's first rooftop bar and Panama's first interior living wall.

On the outside, Tántalo is just another nicely restored Panamanian building, but on the inside it's a playground for trend-seeking travellers. A ground-floor lounge, with its UV-filtered atrium and two-storey green wall, is the hub of activity, where suitcases get a second life as coffee tables and the art collection never stays the same. One room over in The Kitchen, guests can grab a spot at long communal tables (made of harvested wood from the Panama Canal) to enjoy the culinary experiments of Chef Pierre DeJanon, who blends native local ingredients with the flavours of far-off lands in Europe, Asia and North America. Balmy evenings are meant to be spent on top of the hotel at Encima, a lofty bar and lounge that gives visitors full-on panoramic views of the Panama City skyline backed by a soundtrack of live music.

Also hot on the heels of what's hot right now is the Tántalo dedication to eco-friendly practices, which reach from the furnishings (repurposed materials in floors and decor) to the flusher (water-conserving dual flush). Rooms have key card-activated electricity and are insulated with recycled phone books and newspapers. Even the living wall is fed rainwater that collects in the skylight.  

Earth-kind and art-minded, we're glad to see some digs with personality (and principles) popping up in Panama, which, equipped with stunning beaches, tropical rainforests and first-world infrastructure, is one of the new it-places to say you've seen.

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