Oceanfront Villa on Contadora - Internet, Satellite and a Safe

• Wonderful villa

  Wonderful villa

  • Guest Nevia M.
  • Date of stay 03/01/13
  • Review Submitted 03/13/13
  Thank you Christopher, what a wonderful stay. Jose was super helpful and so kind. Your villa is very comfortable and what wonderful beaches on the island.

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• Quiet, Friendly, and Exquisite!

  Quiet, Friendly, and Exquisite!

  • Guest Mike
  • Date of stay 01/21/13
  • Review Submitted 02/05/13
  We spent a week in Villa 21 and enjoyed the best vacation we've ever had. From the moment we boarded the high-speed ferry to the island, we knew we were in for a great time. The staff was friendly and exceptionally helpful. We had overloaded on goodies for the condo, but they helped us load & unload it all quickly & effortlessly. We had looked at satellite pictures of the island, website reviews, and taken the excellent advice from the owners before we arrived, but these didn't dim the initial beauty when we motored into the bay and unloaded onto the water taxi. The condo at the villa was in really great shape; clean, well maintained, and very convenient to the main activity centers of the island. The grounds were very well-kept, and the entire time we stayed, they kept a steady vigil. We had a short wait to get into the villa because the ferry arrives a little earlier than the staff could have it cleaned for us. They let us drop our bags at the villa until it was ready. The beach was beckoning and before we knew it we were moved in & ready to go island exploring. Walking all over the island is relatively quick & easy. Paved streets & obvious gravel paths with a steady up & down of the hills of the island gets the blood flowing and in the dry season heat, we were ready for an umbrella drink at one of the various resort bars. A little spendy for casual afternoons, but perfect for a stroll around the island. We took the Coral Divers snorkeling tour of the closer islands one morning and then just rented snorkeling gear and tried a different beach each day. The waters are warm & inviting, the crowds nonexistent, and the atmosphere relaxing and stimulating simultaneously!! Between cooking for ourselves in the fully stocked condo kitchen we tried 3 resturants; Geralds, Romantica, and the Rincon Hot Plate. All served about the same dishes, fresh caught fish & seafood, but our favorite was the Ricon. They set up a tabletop grill, an excellent ceviche', & platters with all the spices & dips you can imagine. You cook your choices at the table as you chat & drink with friends. Sharing the flavors, different sauces, & combinations brings back the festivity of dining! This island is not for the full-service-resort-minded traveler. These people are friendly, self-sufficient types that expect the same from you. We thoroughly enjoyed interacting with most of them. If you like to indulge in the local culture, you will LOVE this little slice of heaven in the Pacific.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

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• Contadora

  Contadora

  • Guest joe D.
  • Date of stay 12/17/12
  • Review Submitted 01/21/13
  Christopher's property in Contadora was great. My wife and I were there for a week in December and had a very quiet relaxing time. We decided to rent a house after researching the local hotels and I'm glad we did. The house was clean well tended, and the internet and satellite TV was great for the mornings we had to work. It has a partial view of the sea, and was an easy walk down the 50 or so stairs to a small private beach. Contadora is small enough that you can walk to all the beaches. I can honestly say the most people we ever saw on the beach with us was 6 (that may have been because of our dates). The people in the surrounding houses were friendly and helpful, and the closest B&B (Geralds) was fine for lunch and dinner and was a short walk from the house. There are several other places to eat, all with the same basic menu. Overall Contadora is beautiful but it's not for resort lovers nor is it a culinary holiday. It is about being surrounded by nature, quiet, and great beaches. The food is fresh, local, and satisfying, and the people are friendly and mellow. Lastly, I will say that Christopher was very responsive to all our questions and needs, and his staff on the ground was extremely helpful. There is a big deserted resort on the island that, when it gets bought and renovated, will change the tone of the place. For better or worse I don't know. So I suggest going sooner than later, so you can say, "I remember when this was a sleepy little island."

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• Great Vacation!

  Great Vacation!

  • Guest Vander Meer
  • Date of stay 12/07/12
  • Review Submitted 01/07/13
  We spent three nights at the villa and from beginning to end our experience was great. Had a super relaxing time. Gerard's restaurant is less than a block away with good food and great service. We did visit other restaurants but Gerard's was the best of them. The beach is only steps away, it feels as if it was a private beach. Of our three day stay we were basically by ourselves at the beach most of the time. Thanks for a great vacation time Chris. We will def be returning!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with young children.

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• Contadora with toddler and baby

  Contadora with toddler and baby

  • Guest Ujan
  • Date of stay 02/23/12
  • Review Submitted 11/05/12
  We stayed a month at this villa in the winter of 2012. What a treat! The owner was easy to deal with and so accommodating. He also definitely went out of his way to answer all of our questions. Everyone working with him, especially Jose on Contadora, was extremely nice and took to heart to make our time there as memorable as possible. We had our 2 year old and our 11 month old with us and the villa itself was perfect for us. The location within the complex was also great. Some villas are not facing the sea or are too close to a small bar (which gets noisy on weekends). This villa had none of those drawbacks. It was breezy and quiet (although during busy holidays I guess it could get a bit noisy because of the pool right next to it). Two couples we met there that had been renting villas in that group of villas for years visited us and said villa 24 was one of the nicest ones they had seen. One note of caution, when we were there, the tiles in the pool were damaged so bring water shoes with you just in case it hasn’t been fixed. Otherwise we only have good things to say about the villa, its owner and the rest of the crew.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Owner response: The pool has been fixed, and rarely gets noisy (even during busy holidays)

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• Gentle ultra-safe life on Contadora Island

  Gentle ultra-safe life on Contadora Island

  • Guest Candice
  • Date of stay 01/09/12
  • Review Submitted 06/13/12
  Life on Contadora Island is gentle and ultra-safe. We stayed with our children aged 4 and 7 for a month and had a very relaxing time. We all enjoyed the Galeon beach very much (the one below the house). It has the best snorkeling and week days you have the beach to yourself. A lot of different birds to watch and neat shells and green pebbles to pick. You can easily rent a mule to drive around the island (takes you about half an hour) and explore other beaches like Playa Cacique (where hotel Romantica is) and the exclusive Playa Executiva. A great thing to do is go fishing with Pedro and tour other beautiful and deserted islands, just like Robinon Crusoe! We had our lunches at Gerald’s and it was always very tasty (we tried just about everything on the menu) and they’ll cook your catch if you wish. We went to the little superette for the rest (the one closest to the airstrip) . Do not hesitate to ask for what you need and what day delivery may be expected (barge delivery is weekly but some things come more often with the ferry). However do get all necessary toiletries and sunscreen BEFORE getting to the island as choice there is limited.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

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• Wonderful Stay

  Wonderful Stay

  • Guest Pam
  • Date of stay 03/25/12
  • Review Submitted 04/04/12
  We stayed at the villa for several days in March. The villa was fantastic and everyone on the island was very nice. We had everything we needed for our vacation. It was clean and in a good location to the beach. There was a wonderful reef to snorkle at and the food at the restaraunts was very good. The airplane ride in the small plane was a little scary but adventurous nonetheless. My only advice is close the windows at night. We wanted to hear the ocean, but that came at the expense of being eaten alive at night. Just keep the window closed and it would be fine. Overall it was a great vacation!!

  Recommended for: Romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• The Perfect Family Vacation

  The Perfect Family Vacation

  • Guest Drew
  • Date of stay 02/10/12
  • Review Submitted 02/28/12
  We truly enjoyed our stay on Contadora. This was a long overdue family vacation with our four kids (11 yrs to 19 months). We started with a two-day stay in Panama City and Eldris was the perfect host. She took us to off the beaten path hideaways, and showed us much of the beauty of Panama. The villa was perfect for our family and Chris provided all of the requested amenities. Jose was also the consummate host! We had a great time at the beach. Our kids snorkeled, body surfed, built sand castles, and spent hours shelling and wading in the tide pools. We chartered a fishing boat and spent two days trolling. I wish I could post a photo of the smile on my sons face when his real started to sing. We also rented a cart and drove the island finding the “Restaurant Romantico”, a must for a quiet night out. After spending our mornings at the beach we would return to the villa and watch the kids out the kitchen window as they swam in the pool. I can’t even start to tell you how beautiful the stars were at night. The villa is nothing short of beautiful and perfectly equipped, the hosts were readily available and island was as relaxing as could be. The perfect vacation!

  Recommended for: Age 55+, people with disabilities, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Island Paradise

  Island Paradise

  • Guest HappyRenter
  • Date of stay 09/04/11
  • Review Submitted 09/24/11
  We loved our stay at Chris's villa on one of the most beautiful place in the world. The villa was gorgeous and the people were great! Chris was extremely helpful and very quick to respond to all questions we had for him. When we got to Panama city we had a great time with Eldris who picked us up from the airport and showed us around the city. Then when we got to Contadora Jose was there to meet us and was very helpful whenever we needed anything. We had a great time on the island, did a lot of island hopping, whale watching, fishing and plenty of relaxing! The food at Gerald's and Villa Romantica was delicious, although our faveorite place to eat was Gerald's. We met many great people on the island and will planning our return very soon. The only reason I did not rate my overall experience as excellent is because we had a little issue with a leaky roof when it rained but I am sure that will taken care of soon for the next visitors and it did not spoil our vacation one bit! If you are looking for a relaxing trip to paradise then I would recommend renting this villa 100 percent!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Owner response: It can really rain hard on Contadora and sometimes the wind blows in from the side. When this happens then many of the Villas experience a bit of a water drip. The roof had an issue over 1 year ago and was fixed. We will be looking at this right away.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Breathtaking Tropical Island Oasis

  Breathtaking Tropical Island Oasis

  • Guest Carole H.
  • Date of stay 03/12/11
  • Review Submitted 05/16/11
  Our first trip to Panama/Contadora in March 2011 was Exceptional! Chris was very helpful to us in answering lots of questions & guiding us to people/places to make our stay thoroughly Enjoyable and stress free!! We spent 10 spectacular days at his Villa on Contadora and found it to be everything we had hoped for and then some! It was very clean, well equipped, comfortable & peacefully quiet with beautiful palms and blooming flowers/bushes everywhere! Jose was always there to help us with anything we needed!! We loved the many secluded beautiful beaches~swimming, Great shelling, snorkeling, fishing, Island hopping/exploring and fine dining. Gerald's Restaurant(our favorite!) is just a very short walk from the Villa and offers a wonderful menu with a nice variety including international cusine as well as wonderful fresh seafood done to perfection & served by friendly staff in a clean tropical open air intimate setting that was perfect! We also cooked & BBQ'd at the villa with our fresh catch & groceries available on the Island. Everyone on the Island is so friendly and you feel so safe no matter where you go!! Special thanks to Jose & Eldris for making our Panama experience top notch!! If you are looking for a low-key place to unwind and relax we would Highly recommend this Island Villa!! We are already planning a return trip for Spring 2012!!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

Additional information about rental rates

50% deposit at time of booking.

Additional Fees and Taxes:

Additional fees:

$100 cleaning/concierge fee as well as a $350 refundable damage deposit.

Rates quoted above are for up to 4 persons.

Parties of 5 or greater pay an extra $25 per person per night.

Children under 2 years are free.