The Ultimate Beach House (Casa Sol Y La Luna)

• Nice, but....

  Nice, but....

  • Guest Thomas M.
  • Date of stay 04/09/13
  • Review Submitted 04/29/13
  As an introduction: We stayed as a family of three for two weeks during April. First, let’s repeat the pluses: It is in general a very nice house, adjacent to a small beach, embedded in tropical rainforest nature. The sea is very calm, suitable also for small children. The owner Vincent is a very nice guy who is very responsive to all kinds of requests . Al Natural Resort is very close by and offers a fine dinner (US$ 35 pp incl. wine). Also, their kayaking and snorkeling equipment was free to use. The showers are hot and have good water pressure. Now lets come to some minuses: - privacy: It is not that “there is virtually nobody around”. Al Natural Resort is two minutes to the left and Hotel Casa Cayuco two minutes to the right. This leads to many tourists and locals alike to pass by the house. The four meter wide beach in front of the house is the only pathway. And they all can look into kitchen and living room. - electricity: As described, the property is running on solar with a battery (as all of the houses on that beach). However, the result for the house is different than with the other houses: It seemed to us that the owners invested less in electricity than others. 110 V was only usable for us during daytimes, since the power was not sufficient during nighttime. - Fans: The house has only one ceiling fan – mounted in the living room. It was usable for us only during daytime. In the master bedroom there is only a very small fan running on 12 V. - Cleanliness: We had the feeling that the cleaning of the house had not been done in a way that is needed in such conditions. Rust, mildew (basically in all the books in the house), ants and other bugs and other things give you an impression that the house is not perfectly being looked after. Especially the fridge is really worrying (full of rust and other things). - Bats: At night you see bats flying into and out of the house. The remains of one or more bats could be found each night on the refrigerator. This was extremely gross – and we heard that bats are not really known as the healthiest animals to human beings. - Bugs: This house is not (and cannot be) a bug free house. It is full of ants, cockroaches, geckoes, spiders etc. In summary, we had a nice time in the house. We just feel that some more investment of the owners might be needed (especially given the high rental price) and wanted to make other people aware of some things that are not mentioned here.

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• Best kept secret

  Best kept secret

  • Guest Gabs
  • Date of stay 02/03/13
  • Review Submitted 02/25/13
  This place is addictive! Spending a week at this house and in Bastimentos Island really changed our lives!. It just made us appreciate it much more! Sunanda was great answering all our questions and very friendly and so patience after meeting us at the airport and taking us to do some shopping. Pictures don't do any justice. The house is beautiful and super comfortable and the view is un-be-lie-va-ble. We never thought it could be that perfect!. We felt like home since our arrival. We cannot explain the joy we had at arrival and the sadness we felt leaving that place. There is a well equipment kitchen, very comfortable sofa and hammocks to have the best naps!, a perfect shaded porch with barbecue, three very comfortable bedrooms with fans to keep you cool looking at the ocean and two great open tiled bathrooms! I am not a bug person but this was not an issue at all! The island is amazing in every sense. You can go for walks along the beach, visit Salt Creek village, or take a boat and see other islands or do some activities. But we loved to do nothing! It was just perfect for us…to clear our minds, to spend some quality time with great friends, to just be. There is a resort called “all natural” five minutes walking from the house and it was the perfect complement. The food :you can have a three course delightful dinner + wine for US$ 35.00 and it is worth it. Vincent, the chef, is great in the kitchen and a great person to talk to as well! All the staff is fantastic…specially Martin and Nicole! They are very funny and great hosts. They can also organize different excursions for you if wanted and the diving with Nicole is a must!. We will be back...very soon!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

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• Lovely, peaceful and perfect

  Lovely, peaceful and perfect

  • Guest Debs
  • Date of stay 02/03/13
  • Review Submitted 02/16/13
  We left a week ago but I still feel the cool breeze and smell the flowers. So many things about this place have already been written a so I'll just share the suprises. The house is open but the bugs are no problem at all and I hate bugs. The sounds at night are so restful I wish I had recorded them. The back deck is a perfect place to have a shaded afternoon barbeque. You can never bring too much wine, it seems. The Al Natural Resort is far enough away and close enough for a night out and to arrange any of the many things to do. Having a lot to do makes doing nothing more fun. Nicole and Martin were wonderful, helping out the owners for our welcome and any support we might need. Sunanda and Vincent are great. I loved this place and the friends I went with....

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

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• Beach house

  Beach house

  • Guest Dushka
  • Date of stay 10/18/12
  • Review Submitted 11/07/12
  This is our second visit to Bastimentos Island and we can not wait for March '13 when we plan to go back and stay again in above house. We loved the place - it is cozy and comfortable. Easy to relax with beautiful view. Al Natural is next to the house where Vincent's food is as in any good French restaurant but if you want to cook on your own locals will make sure to supply you with fresh fish. Locals are very friendly and the owners of the house are abosolutely a pleasure to work with. Dushka and Mike

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with young children.

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• AMAZING!!

  AMAZING!!

  • Guest rucksackr
  • Date of stay 04/15/12
  • Review Submitted 05/29/12
  This house is unbelievable. As we pulled up to the dock and saw the house for the first time, we knew we were lucky people. The pictures on this site are beautiful, but when you see it in person, you won’t believe your eyes. Beautiful turquoise water right out in front of the house with a nice dock to sun bathe on. An amazing master suite with a private balcony, open mosaic tiled showers looking into the jungle, two other bedrooms upstairs, all looking out on the ocean. The house has everything you could possibly need, super comfy furniture, hammocks, outside shower so you can rinse after a swim, porches out front and back, and a great system of fans throughout the house to keep you cool. The owners of the house are wonderful folks who take care of you too. We were met at the airport, went shopping in town, and then took off on a boat for the house. The house is on a foot path you can hike in either direction, either down to the local native village or the other direction to Al Natural for drinks and dinner. Local folks have johnny cakes / bread rolls for sale if you want, and you can even arrange to have dinner cooked and delivered to the house. We had a great coconut fish dish with some local side dishes. It was really good. If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle, this is the place for you. You can stay at the house and just have beach time, or you can jump on a boat and explore all of the other islands, beaches, snorkel spots, and restaurants built over the water. The possibilities are endless.

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

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• Idyllic Beach House

  Idyllic Beach House

  • Guest AM
  • Date of stay 04/04/12
  • Review Submitted 04/22/12
  We were a large group of 6 adults and 3 children and the owners were gracious enough to accomodate us. The property took our breath away - and exceeded all expectations. Our stay was as restful as we hoped it could be, we ventured away only one of the five days we were there as we had no reason to seek a better location! I would recommend eating at Al Natural as other reviewers have suggested, but also walking a bit further to the village and picking up the catch of the day from the fishermen and fresh coconut bread from the locals - an unmissable experience. I highly recommend this property!

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

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• Carly and Matthew

  Carly and Matthew

  • Guest Carly and Matt
  • Date of stay 03/11/12
  • Review Submitted 03/16/12
  What an incredible home- those pictures do not do it justice. The house is off the grid, built by local villagers, and captures the flavour of the island perfectly. It is rustic but comfortable and absolutely beautiful. With Au Natural Resort about a 3 minute walk up the beach, we always had somewhere to grab a drink and enjoy some company. We took a day trip with the resort to Coral Quay and Dolphin Bay- a must see. Sunanda and Vincent were such gracious hosts. Sunanda has a restaurant in Bocas town- Om cafe- fabulous Indian food- don't miss their breakfast. Vincent is a chef at Au Natural Resort- make sure you join the resort for dinner on the nights that he's cooking. They took care of all of the transfers to and from the house and we're very organized and trustworthy.

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

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• 60th birthday celebration

  60th birthday celebration

  • Guest Anonymous
  • Date of stay 02/16/12
  • Review Submitted 03/06/12
  House lived up to it's expectations. Great spot, great vibe, wonderful accomodations. There were three couples staying and all enjoyed our week. Could have moved in for a longer stay. Would recommend highly.

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

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• Amazing, but not for everybody.

  Amazing, but not for everybody.

  • Guest Rick B.
  • Date of stay 01/11/12
  • Review Submitted 02/18/12
  We stayed 4 nights at casa sol y la luna. This was the most interesting stop on our 28-day trip, but it's not for those accustomed to creature comforts. The pluses: -Vincent, one of the owners and quite a character, is the chef at al natural and we were able to eat our dinners at al natural together with the al natural guests and owners. It is a 4 minute walk along a path adjacent to the beach. The food was outstanding and Vincent was fair in what he charged us. All of the guests, from all over the world, sit around one long table. It is lovely and was our most pleasant memory of our entire trip. -There is a kayak and you can use the al natural boats for local excursions($60 for partial day and $80 for full day for a boat with driver). -The house is large and has plenty of sleeping space (3 bedrooms). It has a fully-equipped kitchen. -It is right on the beach and the surf is quite gentle. You can walk for about a mile along the beach and you can also snorkel a couple of hundred feet out from the house. -the mbr shower is a lovely open-air affair, with view of the ocean. -great nature and snorkelling nearby -it is very safe -local fishermen deliver fresh catch to your door -relatively close to zapatillas and coral cay Here are the minuses: -It is totally open to the outside, so there are lots of strange bugs and spiders in the house at night. -You have to sleep under bug nets, though the bug nets do protect you. -There is a seawall in front of the house, resulting in loud surf overnight and possibly not the most restful sleep. -The house is solar, so there is no a/c and even the ceiling fans use up a lot of electricity and are loud. -There are some mildew issues. -There is no TV or internet. There is no internet at al natural either, and only spotty cel coverage via a local carrier, which our canadian carrier didn't cover, so we were totally unplugged while we were there. On our last day, we found out that the bar at an empty resort adjacent to the house had internet, and it worked, but slowly. -The house is not totally private. It is built close to the water and there is a path between the house and the water along which the ngobe-bugle walk from their village going to who-knows-where. On the other hand, it was interesting getting to meet and chat with some of them. We never made it to the village, as it was a long walk (30+ mins) -Have to bring all of your groceries with you. -The boat trip to Bocas is long (30+ mins) and can be rough. You must stay put

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers.

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• more then a paradise........

  more then a paradise........

  • Guest Andrea
  • Date of stay 02/06/11
  • Review Submitted 03/18/11
  We stayed for 9 days in this beautiful place. We were 2 young couples trying to find a place where we can enjoy the tranquility and the beautiful caribbean flair. With this place we really did find what we were looking for. The house is even more beautiful then the pictures are promising. We really enjoyed the awesome dinners and the good drinks at the "Al Natural Resort" which is 3 minutes walk away from the house. Every day you can get fresh fish from the local fishermen which are catching them right in front of the house for a really cheap price. (Crawfish 0.25 Dollars per piece) It is a great place for relaxing, swimming and enjoying your life and the nature which is literally right in front of your doorstep. The best choice for your vacation in Panama!!!!

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

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

April-Dec. $1500/week

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.

Sorry this information is not available. Please contact the owner/manager for more information.