Panama...Paradise

Guest: Ryan61 (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 08/17/11 Review Submitted: 12/04/11

You have to understand certain things when you go on a vacation to Panama, and if you are considering it then you should be fine with roughing it a bit. I really find it odd to see people complain about walls not going to the ceiling and gripes about rooms. its PANAMA this is a 3rd world country, if you have those high standards then go to Canada or Britan. If you want a great (different) vacation stay here, wake up with sights of monkeys in their natural environment behind your house. see the calm and soothing ocean from your balcony. Experience the local restaurants and nightlife(which is the best in bocas). I loved my stay, i have been twice and am gearing up for another.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Breath Taking

Guest: KristinT (Carlsbad, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/02/11 Review Submitted: 11/28/11

My dad has been to Bocas many times in last few years and kept telling a friend of mine and I that we have to go! Well we finally booked our trip over Spring Break of this year. I'm so glad that we did. Bocas was a once in a life time trip. Once arriving at the house the pictures didn't do it justice. The house is beautiful!! The patio is by far the best part of the house. There were four of us on the trip together which worked out perfect for the house. Everyone had their own spot in the house. One in the master, one in the second bedroom, one on the couch, and one that wouldn't leave the couch on the patio. The accommodations where just right. With a fully functioning kitchen that we just everyday and a bbq on the patio that we took fully advantage on it was perfect. We never once felt like we were in a third world country at Don's house. the bathroom is fully functioning with plumbing and running water. It was better than staying at a hotel. We spent most of our time exploring Bocas and the surrounding islands. For those of you who love night life Bocas is prefect. Every night there is a lady's night at one of the local bars where the girls drink for free during certain hours. So ladies take advantage!! Javier the grounds keeper hooked us up with a local book taxi that took us where ever we wanted to go all week for hardly any cost. Zip Lining on the island of Bastimentos is a must!! And while your there you have to check out Red Frog Beach, beautiful doesn't being to describe it. Javier help us connect with the local fisher man so we were able to buy 20 fresh lobsters for $15 which we cook at the house while we were there. Amazing!! We meet so many wonderful people that we still keep in contact with. It truely was a once in a life time trip. Can't wait to go back!!!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children.

Great vacation spot/home

Guest: Elizabeth (San Diego,CA)
Date of Stay: 11/08/10 Review Submitted: 11/25/11

Absolutely wonderful vacation rental. The views and scenery were wonderful.This place is cozy and very comfortable- just as described and pictured! Close to the beach but yet very quiet and safe- absolutely recommend - we will be staying again and again and have friends who will be visiting and renting in near future. Thank you for a dream vacation!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Worth a Repeat

Guest: John & Ceci (Ada, Michigan USA)
Date of Stay: 02/01/11 Review Submitted: 04/06/11

Don has a wonderful house in a wonderful area of Bocas. It was truly "as advertised". The deck is where we literally lived except when sleeping or cooking a meal (when we didn't use the grill on the deck.) Very comfortable. Few bug problems too which was nice; around dusk and very early in the morning the mosquitoes show up but it was short-lived and a little "Off" took care of it. The nearby beach was fine; we swam there often. We loved backing-up to the jungle with the bird and monkey sounds; we never got tired of it. Javier, the all-around "did everything" guy, was great and he speaks English pretty well. He set us up with private tours we wanted and put us in touch with an excellent, totally reliable taxi driver who we used almost exclusively. Javier was great about immediately attending to things like burned out light bulbs and replacing an empty propane gas cylinder for the hot water. Bocas has a myriad of things to do and the location of the house is most conducive to doing all of them. Not right in town which is nice but certainly close enough for constant access to shopping and activities. We were there for Carnival and were very glad not to be right in town where it is constant loud noise 24 hours a day for the four day event. After being out most of the day on a tour, scuba diving, or shopping and hanging out in the town of Bocas, the house was a great place to return to every night. We stayed in the house two months and loved every minute of our time there. The master bedroom is very comfortable and yes, there is a single bed in one other small room but it is not particularly an inviting room. Our adult son was with us for two weeks and chose to sleep in the living room on the couch where he was comfortable. We would definitely stay there again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Another great getaway...

Guest: Dennis (Oceanside, CA USA)
Date of Stay: 05/24/10 Review Submitted: 03/02/11

We had a great time again! Bocas isn't for everyone but for us, it's the perfect getaway to get in some good surfing, fishing and snorkeling with our adventurous 4 1/2 year old boy. The home was immaculate when we arrived and Javier's (the groundskeeper) wife was very sweet and brought fruit for our little man. It's nice beeing just outside of town for us as well because the noise from downtown gets old and Casa Oceana is nice and quiet. Can't wait to go back!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great place for a family holiday

Guest: Jaime Viera1 (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 11/01/10 Review Submitted: 02/26/11

We (me, my husband and my 4 year old son) stayed at Don's house in Bocas last year for 2 weeks. Don lives back in the states and was very helpful while we were deciding to book the property. He also has a great grounds keeper, Javier that was super helpful while we were staying - with everything to brining fresh towels to telling us the best beaches and places to go. The house is very comfortable and charming. It does have walls that do not entirely go to the ceiling, but it is absolutely finished and contributes to it's charm (in my opinion). After all, it is in Panama! That is why we chose Panama, for something different than the normal vacation. The furniture is all really nice and fits with the area. It is super close to the water and I just LOVE that the jungle is right behind you, the sounds are amazing. We woke up one morning with a sloth (very slowly) crawling through the garden and we saw (and heard!) a family of howler monkeys as well. If you want a relaxing, comfortable, charming traditional panamanian house - this is the one! :)

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Bocas

Guest: JPD (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 11/19/10 Review Submitted: 02/09/11

While we had a great time in Bocas Del Toro this house wasn't the best accommodation for more than one couple. The second bedroom is SMALL and has a futon for a bed. The walls don't go to the ceiling so you can hear everything in the house. Basically there is no privacy which is fine if it's one couple but two couples as we had made it awkward at times. The property is very beautiful and the caretaker is very helpful. He was very helpful after the house was broken into and cameras we stolen. Everyone claimed this was the first time this ever happened in the neighborhood but it happened and we were robbed of cameras and a purse. The bikes are also in very poor shape and barely make it to town. Better to rent bikes then really try and ride the bikes that come with the house. Loved Bocas and Panama we just would stay somewhere else when we return. House isn’t bad but like I stated earlier this house is far more suitable for one couple, we were robbed, and the bikes are rusted out beyond use.

Owner response:The house is more suitable for a couple or a couple with kids. Out of the 50 plus people that have rented the house there have been only 2 that did not like the accommodations. I try hard to make the house comfortable and clean. It is hard to keep the bicycles in good shape as the salt air and rain damage them. I just had all of the bikes reconditioned. It is a great neighborhood with very little crime, we had some kids that were caught after stealing some things but no other problems.

Recommended for:

A Fine Time

Guest: Maxie (Hyde Park, VT)
Date of Stay: 12/25/10 Review Submitted: 01/08/11

We thoroughly enjoyed this house. It is exactly as pictured in the ad. The best feature was the porch which is protected from the tropical rains yet airy and spacious so that most of your time in the house can be comfortably spent on the porch in a hammock. You feel you are in a tropical jungle yet the house has modern conveniences. The plumbing and appliances are modern and the shower is luxurious. The satellite TV and WiFi work well. The owner was very responsive to my questions by e-mail and the caretaker is interesting to talk to and takes good care of the house. Rental houses take a beating and houses in the tropics take a beating - so if you are comparing this home to a newly built vacation McMansion in the US, you will be slightly put off. But if you are in Panama for the tropical island experience and for the fun activities the ocean and island offers, this house will provide a great home base.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Great experience --

Guest: Howie (La Crosse, WI USA)
Date of Stay: 06/14/10 Review Submitted: 07/17/10

My son (16) and I visited Don's home in June 2010. We had a fantastic time in the area. Don's home is very well cared for. The master bedroom is great. The second bedroom is small and can be stuffy, so my son slept on the couch in the living room under the air conditioner. He was very comfortable there. The house has a beautiful deck and the ocean is visible. The monkeys or the bush chickens will be waking you up early if you are a light sleeper! The house is a few miles outside town, but taxis are cheap and readily available. We used Don's bikes for a day, but they need some work if you want to take a long ride. So, if you aren't expecting the Ritz, the house is great. As I love to cook, the kitchen was fairly well stocked, but we could have used a few more quality pots, pans, and baking ware. Don was very accommodating with information about the area. His neighbor Carol picked us up at the airport and took us grocery shopping and gave us the rundown on the area. Don's caretaker, Javier, was a great help and companion. He really went the extra mile for us to make us feel welcome. For activities we went snorkeling, jungle hiking to Wizard Beach on Bastimentos, manatee trip on the mainland, hand-line fishing on a boat we rented from Javier's uncle, and lots of eating. The seafood is great, although surprisingly not locally caught due to overfishing. If you are looking for a unique experience, without the excesses of most island vacations, this is a great place for you. My son and I definitely want to return to the area.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

Great Family Stay in Bocas

Guest: Paul & Pia (Bellingham, WA)
Date of Stay: 04/06/10 Review Submitted: 05/14/10

We (husband, wife, daughter (14) and son (10)) spent a week at this house and had a peaceful, relaxing time. The veranda was a great place to read and wait out the rainy periods. The bikes helped us be mobile and explore the area. The neighbors (Carol and Larry) were very helpful and Javier was willing to help out whenever we wanted. It's a nice distance from town that is not too far away and not too close. The howler monkeys are an exotic alarm clock in the morning.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, families with young children, families with teenagers.