Hotels near Simon Bolivar Park, Bocas Del Toro

The hotel has a nice location to get to discover Bocas and go out for short or long tours to the islands and their attractions. The breakfasts are delicious but some options are small portions and not worth eating. For a Selina one would expect a higher standard of service, but their staff makes no effort to meet it, they do the minimum to barely get the job done, their guest service is basic and their hospitality needs to be developed a lot. The rooms need a lot of ”love” to be up to the standard of a Selina: maintenance, security and comfort are things they lack. The few windows do not close well, there is little space and comfort in the bathroom to have your clothes hung up or to change clothes, the doors of the rooms are rusty, the floors always look dirty and full of dust and dirt, the plants are dirty, dead or very dry, the decoration is not something that helps to give a cozy feel. It is difficult to detail who is a Selina collaborator because they show indifference and since they do not have a uniform or a badge it is impossible to know who to ask for help. The last night we had to suffer from a Jewish party and there was no one to tell us that there was going to be a lot of noise and much less was there anyone to help us asking for respect and silence for the other guests for that noisy group of Jews who thought they were the only ones in the hotel. If you are looking to spend days and nights partying, Selina Bocas del Toro is for you, if you are looking to just sleep and go every day to the tours in the other islands, Selina Bocas del Toro is for you, but if you need comfort, services, hospitality, attention and tranquility, Selina Bocas del Toro is not for you.

During my trip I tried out 3 different Bambuda hostels (in dormitories each time). I waited until I'd done all 3 before writing this review. Here is my personal experience : Out of the 3 Bambuda I think they had the most amazing staff. Everyone was kind, smiling, friendly and very helpful. For some examples, they use WhatsApp to communicate and on the way to the hotel my water cab broke down. I told them just to let them know I'd be arriving later and they offered to call for assistance. Another example, I dropped my AirPods case (i m a mess) and lost one of them. Half the staff helped me look everywhere for it. For backpackers on a budget, you need to know that there's no kitchen and as there's nothing on Solarte Island you'll be totally dependent on the hostel restaurant. There is a filtered water fountain, but I haven't tried it myself. As far as the food is concerned, everything I ate was really very good, they have a wide choice of western and more local dishes, and concerning prices nothing shocked me compared with other restaurants across the islands. Good to know too - for dinner they have a ”family dinner” concept which means you have to order your meal before 5.45pm. After this time, you won't be able to order any food whatsoever. So if you're planning to arrive at the hostel after that time, be sure to have dinner beforehand! The place and the location itself are amazing but I was a little unlucky on the room. I was in a 6-bed dorm room with a bathroom, and it wasn't very clean (not bad considering there were already 4 other people in the room) but there was a terrible smell of urine throughout the room (not even in the bathroom itself). Also be aware that it’s kind of a party place so if you are in the dorms it will get noisy (unless you are partying too 😉) As the place is more or less off the grid, there's no hot water or aircon (but you can ask for as many fans as you like!). as you can imagine, since you're on an island where there's nothing, you'll have to pay for water cabs every time you want to go somewhere and then come back, which can get expensive! My advice, choose this hostel if you want to chill and relax in a beautiful place rather than to visit, there’s a time for everything!

We are just wrapping up eight wonderful days at the lovely Palmar Resort celebrating our wedding anniversary. The grounds are lush and lovely, and very well kept. It is about a 10-15 minute walk from the Red Frog Beach shortcut boat dock to the resort. The pathway is primarily sand, which may not be the best for rolling luggage, but if you call ahead, you can have someone assist you by taking your luggage in a wheelbarrow. When you reach the resort itself, you will be greeted with a view of the absolutely magnificent, white sand beach. Check-in is a breeze; the staff at Palmar is exceedingly accommodating and friendly. We stayed in Capuchin, a second story villa. It is private and quiet. The room was well equipped for our week’s stay, with a comfortable bed and hot water with good pressure in the shower. Housekeeping services were provided daily with good quality linens and bath towels. While you can take a water taxi (US$8 one way) to Bocas town for dining, know that the resort restaurant is very good, with a varied menu accommodating carnivore, vegan, and vegetarian diets. The staff is very helpful setting up tours and excursions. We particularly liked the day trip to Isla Escudo de Veraguas, and the two hour night time bioluminescence tour. At the beach, there are plenty of lounge chairs and nightly activities. The bar area has board games. We would come back to Palmar in a heartbeat.