One of the some 200 islands in the archipelago just off the Pacific coast, Contadora is the best known of the Pearl Islands because of its resorts and luxury weekend homes. It offers dazzling, often deserted, beaches and shady lanes. August to October, humpback whales and their young can be spotted in the surrounding waters. Whale-watching tours leave from the island and Panama City. Sometimes whales can even be seen from the beach. It is only a 20-minute flight or a 90-minute ferry ride from the bustle of the capital.