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Cocomo On-the-Sea
When I first stayed at Cocomo, back in '97 while conducting research for the first edition of Lonely Planet Panama (I wrote the second edition, too, if you must know), I was impressed with the thoughtfulness its Canadian owners put into it, from orthopedic mattresses for finicky backs, to doubling-up the roofing material to temper the sound of rain, to having bed frames made a tad higher than usual for knees that aren’t what they once were. |
Mondo Taitu
October '03. Four Americans, 21 years young and college seniors. Three dudes and a hottie just back from study abroad. Dave Harmatz, Dan Saxe and Daniel Smetana of California, Laura Schiff of Texas. Sudden travel junkies all. Their fix: A hostel leaking rain and spewing toilet water in a place they knew only from the Web. Since then, they've poured TLC into the Mondo Taitu Bar & Hostel and converted it into an Über cool/hip/funky hangout that's a hit with backpackers, including those packing surfboards. |
Resort Punta Caracol
Punta Caracol has it all: a string of romantic bungalows and a stunning thatch-roofed dining area and bar with attached sundeck, all built on stilts over crystal-clear water and linked by wide boardwalks. |
The Bocas Inn
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Hotel Bahía
The Hotel Bahía occupies an historic building that has been dutifully restored by its amiable and knowledgeable owner, Jose “Tito” Thomas. |
Hostel Heike
Named after its previous owner, an amiable German lady with a healthy obsession for cleanliness and order, the Hostel Heike is an excellent place to stay if you’re looking to save money while grooving to the laid-back backpacker scene. |
Hotel Las Brisas
Ten years ago, taking a shower at the seaside Hotel Las Brisas was an adventure. At eye level, columns of termites worked the decades-old clapboard walls with military precision, one column hauling tiny bites of the hotel off to an unseen mound while colleagues moving in the opposite direction passed by to pick up loads. |
Hotel Dos Palmas
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. |
Hotel Laguna
The Laguna’s foremost feature is its central location. That also happens to be its worst feature—if you value quiet, because the street noise can be excessive at times. But want to check your email? There’s a computer with Internet access in the lobby for guest use free of charge (if it’s occupied, there’s an Internet café a two-minute walk away). |
La Loma Jungle Lodge
Occupying 57 acres of verdant rainforest stretching north from the edge of Bahía Honda to one of the highest points on sprawling Isla Bastimentos, La Loma Jungle Lodge and Butterfly Farm is a labor of love realized by an amiable young couple, Henry and Margaret, who passed on the comforts and security of an ordinary life in their native lands to create something special in a remote slice of Panamanian wilderness. |
Al Natural Resort
In Lonely Planet’s guidebook to Panama, second edition, I wrote that Al Natural on Isla Bastimentos was my favorite place to stay in the entire country. Five years later, it remains at or near the top of my list of favorite Panamanian destinations. |
Tranquilo Bay
Nestled in rainforest along a pristine bay on Isla Bastimentos are six deluxe, air-conditioned bungalows, and a lodge with full bar, restaurant and common area with a 180-degree tree-top views of the Caribbean and surrounding jungle. |
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DORAL, FL U.S. Southern Command dispatched a 10-person emergency relief team today from its New Horizons-Panama base camp in Rambala, Panama to assist 5,000 Panamanian citizens affected by a six-mon...
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