The new InterContinental Playa Bonita Resort & Spa presides over a mile of private beach on the Pacific coast of Panama. Just 40 minutes from the airport outside Panama City, the luxury resort welcomes groups with some of the largest, most up-to-date conference facilities in Panama.

The Royal Palm Ballroom and six more rooms add up to 12,500 square feet of column-free meeting space. With flexibility as the watchword, the resort hosts conferences for 1,000 as easily as board meetings for 10. The ballroom, for instance, transforms into eight breakout rooms at a moment's notice-all with Old World decor under 16-foot ceilings. A hospitality suite and outdoor area complete the choice for venues.

Devoted service plays another large part in the resort's versatility. A coordinator for each group sees to everything from preplanning and private check-in to arranging for audiovisual shows. The coordinators, like the event and culinary teams, take great pride in developing highly personalized occasions of all kinds.

All 300 guest rooms and suites view the ocean and at least one of the three pools. Guests also appreciate such standard amenities as an iron and ironing board, coffeemaker, hair dryer, bathrobes, cable TV, voice mail, and wireless Internet access. Perhaps best of all, the tropical decor sets a Caribbean mood while incorporating Panamanian touches such as hand-carved woodwork and native mola embroidery.

Group members can rely on 24-hour room service or dine at three restaurants: the lobby-side Plantation Cafe for international buffets; Pelican Grill by the pool for seafood, pizza, soups, and salads; and the Lighthouse Bistro, a seven-course fine-dining restaurant focused on Mediterranean cuisine. In addition, the Cascade Bar in the lobby and the Caracol Bar at the main pool serve burgers and other light meals.

An equally wide range of alluring options awaits guests at the Bonita Del Mar Spa, a 10,000-square-foot holistic facility with everything from exercise rooms, Jacuzzis, and saunas to facials, seaweed wraps, and outdoor massage. Guests wishing to combine exercise and exploration can hike the rain-forest trails on-site or paddle ocean kayaks along the coast.

Excursions off-property include cruises on the Panama Canal, aerial tram rides and other face-to-face encounters with the rain forest at Soberania National Park, plus visits to Panama City's historical sites and nightclubs and golf at the course next door. Back home, bamboo-framed beds at the beach promise some of the most memorable experiences of all-especially when paired with views of the western entrance to the Panama Canal.