Locas for Bocas

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Overview

Red Frog Beach Photo - Bocas del Toro, Panama

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The Bocas del Toro archipelago consists of forests and beaches and is home to Panama’s indigenous tribes. Sixty-eight islands and several keys are surrounded by reefs and turquoise waters. The main islands are Isla Colon, Isla Bastimentos and Isla Carinero. Isla Colon, also referred to as Bocas, is the largest and is the main town of Bocas del Toro. We spent four days in Colon and three in Bastimentos after the mountains of <a href=http://www.igougo.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=50184>Boquete</a> before we flew back to Panama City.In Isla Colon, we booked a room at La Veranda, a short walk from the main street. Each day, we hired a van or a boat to take us to the sur...Read More

The Bocas del Toro archipelago consists of forests and beaches and is home to Panama’s indigenous tribes. Sixty-eight islands and several keys are surrounded by reefs and turquoise waters. The main islands are Isla Colon, Isla Bastimentos and Isla Carinero. Isla Colon, also referred to as Bocas, is the largest and is the main town of Bocas del Toro. We spent four days in Colon and three in Bastimentos after the mountains of <a href=http://www.igougo.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=50184>Boquete</a> before we flew back to Panama City.

In Isla Colon, we booked a room at La Veranda, a short walk from the main street. Each day, we hired a van or a boat to take us to the surrounding beaches. We celebrated New Year’s Eve at Al Natural in Isla Bastimentos before we actually spent our last three nights there. La Veranda is like any other accommodation, and although clean and well-maintained, it was at Al Natural where we actually felt like we were enjoying Panama the way it should be enjoyed.

Quick Tips:

We were in Bocas the week before the New Year, and most of the restaurants were closed, but out of those we tried, we liked El Pecado and Om Cafe. There's also a booth in the plaza that sells fried chicken if you just want to satisfy a midnight craving. You won't miss the old man pushing the barbeque cart around town either.

Best Way To Get Around:

It takes about twenty-five minutes to fly from Chiriqui Province to Bocas via Aeroperlas (http://www.aeroperlas.com/indexeng.html). From the small airport, La Veranda was only a couple of blocks away but a kid harassed us into carrying our backpacks and taking a cab.

During our stay, we walked all over the small town of Colon whenever we had to eat, call home, get a massage or find a ride to the beaches. There are cabs everywhere for about a ride if you're feeling lazy. Boat rides vary from to , depending on which beach you’re going to and if they have to pick you up later in the day or stay with you on the island in order to save gas.

We actually ended up befriending the kid from the airport. Every morning, he would pick us up at La Veranda and have transportation ready for us to take us to an excursion. We found out from him that if a beach is accessible by car, it was cheaper than renting a boat. He carried our bags and rented snorkels and talked to his "friends" to make sure we were taken care of. We tipped him about - a day. He was a good kid and even though we could have done most things on our own, we supported his small "business."

Al Natural is tucked away in Isla Bastimentos so we were basically stuck there. We hired their boats to go to the surrounding keys but we had no choice but to eat on the premises when our meals were served. I’m not complaining because we ate some of our best meals in all of Panama at Al Natural. Read Less

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Veranda Hotel

Hotel | "La Veranda Hotel"

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We booked a room with private bathroom at La Veranda more than a month in advance because December is the beginning of the busy season for Bocas del Toro. I had to wire the entire amount of our 3-night stay via Western Union if I wanted to book the room. I’ve never wired money via Western Union before, and it seemed like an annoyance to go through hoops to reserve the room, but our stay at La Veranda was hassle-free when we finally made it to Bocas del Toro. Named after the airy common room right outside the rooms, La Veranda is located in a quiet street in the town of Isla Colon. It’s a nice walk from the main street, far enough from the buzz of the town when you want to sleep...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 2, 2006

Veranda Hotel
Isla Colon
Bocas del Toro, Panama
+507 757 9211

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Al Natural Resort

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Hotel | "Al Natural"

Looking out from our bungalow Photo - Al Natural Resort, Bocas del Toro, Panama

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I can't recommend Al Natural enough if you're visiting Bocas del Toro. Our three-night stay was a splurge, but we truly felt like we were in Panama while we were there. (Check out the photos attached!)Owned by New Yorkers originally from Belgium, Al Natural has open bungalows with uninterrupted views of the sea. Each Natural House has a terrace, a private bathroom with shower and a Queen-sized bed with a custom-made mosquito net. There's also a heavy burlap curtain if you prefer to close-up the bungalow when you sleep. There are larger Deluxe rooms with a King-sized bed; some are built for a family or bigger groups. The entire site is solar-powered and hot water is usually available but beca...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 2, 2006

Al Natural Resort
Old Point, Isla Bastimentos
Bocas del Toro, Panama
507-757-9004

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Yarisnori Restaurant

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Restaurant

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We found refuge at Yarisnori after a few hours under the sun while at Boca del Drago. I ordered the fried red snapper and the boy ordered the mackerel. This was the only place in Panama we visited that actually had mackerel on the menu. It was definitely a welcome change from all the roasted chicken and fried sea bass. They had some very tasty maracuya juice, freshly-squeezed passion fruit.

If visiting with a big group, it's recommended that you call ahead to order so that the food is ready when you all get in. But for the two of us, we left our things on the beach, walked over, grabbed an empty table and enjoyed our lunch like the rest of the tourists on the island.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 2, 2006

Yarisnori Restaurant
Boca Del Drago Beach, Isla Colon
Bocas del Toro

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Isla Colon Beaches

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Hotel | "Playa Flat Rock"

Playa Flat Rock Photo - Isla Colon Beaches, Bocas del Toro, Panama

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The first beach we wanted to visit in Bocas was Playa Bluff. We were told that the water is rough and that it is frequented by surfers. Our boat guy dropped us off at Flat Rock without telling us that Playa Bluff was actually a few miles away.We set down our blankets and read our books and napped. We got hungry after a couple of hours, so we started walking towards the end of the island, where there were small houses, hoping that one of them sell food and drinks.About a mile or so later, passing by a vulture-filled landfill, we were still hungry and thirsty. The island seemed deserted, and we had no clue where everyone was. We walked back and just waited for our boat to pick us...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 2, 2006

Isla Colon Beaches
Isla Colon
Bocas del Toro

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Isla Colon Beaches

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Attraction | "Boca del Drago"

Boca del Drago Photo - Isla Colon Beaches, Bocas del Toro, Panama

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We paid $25 for a van to take us to Playa del Drago because the boat ride was estimated at $50. (The boat drivers have to stay and wait for you to save gas so we opted for the cheaper option.) Our driver dropped us off at 10:30am and picked us up at 3pm. We had enough time to sit on the beach, play our Scrabble, and eat lunch at the only restaurant in the area, Yasinori.It’s not a sitting beach, as there was barely sand for us to settle down, but we found a nice patch in front of one of the empty inns by the water. After we’ve been there for an hour, people started coming in by the boatloads, so we were glad we made it there early via our van.Boca del Drago makes fo...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 2, 2006

Isla Colon Beaches
Isla Colon
Bocas del Toro

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Bastimentos National Marine Park

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Hotel | "Cayo Zapatilla"

Too hot under the sun Photo - Bastimentos National Marine Park, Bocas del Toro, Panama

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From Bocas del Toro, an hour-and-a-half boat ride can take you through the Bastimentos National Marine Park and Cayo Zapatilla. From Al Natural in Bastimentos (see separate review), it's a mere half-hour ride, and your day trip fee will include a snorkel stop in between the islands.The five-dollar entrance fee will help preserve Panama's first marine park, including its wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, and beaches. Cayo Zapatilla was the most beautiful beach we visited in all of the Bocas archipelago. Because it's part of the marine park, there are no established restaurants on the key; Al Natural packed some beers and snacks for our visit. Shade is hard to come by because the surrounding...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 2, 2006

Bastimentos National Marine Park
Bastimentos Island
Zapatilla Cays

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