All photos this page: ©2007 Scott Doggett, Special to WhozHereNow.com

Used to be this small, clapboard seaside hotel, with a porch out back that a water taxi could pull up to (great for picking up or dropping off guests), was a good find.

Most of its eight rooms—four on one side of the rectangular, one-story building, four on the other, with a hallway separating the two rows of rooms—had air-con, hot-water private baths and were quiet all day. The rooms on the south side of the hall also had panaramic views out their windows.

Plus, there was a security system in the form of the owner, a no-nonsense older woman of West Indies descent who monitored the front door with the diligence of that Monty Python knight who guarded the holy grail. No one entered the hotel from sunup to well after nightfall without her knowing, and around 10 p.m. or so, when she’d retire to the house next door, only guests had a key to the front door. Same deal with the rear door.

But in 2003 a building was constructed on the south side of the hotel, snuffing out the seaviews occupants of those rooms had enjoyed. Moreover, room rates at the Dos Palmas rose from $15 to $25, and at the time this was typed most of the air-conditioners and mattresses should be replaced.

Some guidebooks still recommend Dos Palmas, oblivious to its current state, which is why we’re taking the time to write it up.
Location

Avenida Sur, south end of town

Isla Colón, Bocas del Toro

Panama