Hotel Boca Brava Paradise

Excellent place to relax! Fully recommend. Very kind hosts. Very nice hosts who try to fulfill every wish. They also arrange tours around the island including horseback riding. Once again, if you are looking for peace and relaxation, this is the place for you.

We’ve been staying down the road at an Airbnb with our 3 children (7,5, 8 months) on Boca Brava and absolutely adore this island. White sand beaches a shirt boat ride away, howler monkeys in the trees, prestine beaches…almost makes me want to find a property here! Our host’s recommendation was to not miss their sunset dinner and so I had a sneak peak of the hotel on a morning run which convinced us we had to have a sunset dinner at Boca Brava Paradise. We are so lucky we did! The hosts, a German family, are incredibly kind and gracious, even picking us up and dropping us off at our Airbnb nearby. The fresh caught live lobster was amazing and the sunset view couldn’t be beat. When we arrived, there were a handful of quiet guests on a well shaded open air deck, very well decorated and stylish but extremely comfortable at the same time. Drinks were easily accessible and kids could enjoy a large well cared for area overlooking the bay with grass, a trampoline, etc. after pandemic, you wonder why you should travel - experiences like Boca Brava Paradise are THE reason to travel - warm connections, new experiences, delicious food! It just had that feeling of family, warmth, connection, and good vibes. We can’t wait to return for our last night in Panama after 2+ weeks!

Was booked to stay at this hotel for 2 nights in 2 rooms. Visited 3 days prior to our stay with a real estate agent as we were interested a number of properties in the area. The ferry to the island was broke down so had to take a rickety old boat across to the island. The horse stalls as you enter the property are in shambles. The chicken coop smelled to high heaven from 30 ft away. The owners rooms were a mess and smelled of urine. An underfed cat and dog were harassing us the whole time on site. The one bedroom we were supposed to stay had the sink sitting on the bed. It was so bad we refused to go back to the property despite the owners denying us any refund. Beware.

There are three key factors that made our stay here, possibly, the best experience in Panamá, but there are some things that YOU HAVE to consider. So, without further ado, let me explain. Key factor 1: location. We’ve been living in this beautify country for over 6 years now, and I think we really like to take the time and explore the most of the country, to know the good, the bad, the expensive and the best bang for the buck. Saying this, leaving bocas del toro out, I’m sure there’s no better beach experience in this country than this place. Period. The most blue turquoise’s beaches I’ve seen in the pacific sea, white, soft sand, and a nice balance in tourist infrastructure, meaning, not the huge resorts with their dumb tourism, but neither the lack of any infrastructure at all. Key factor 2: the house. Omg there’s not enough things to say about the house here. Big but just a few rooms, incredible patio with a big beautiful tree with lots of birds nest and monkeys howling around. Sometimes It feels like a zoo! But no, because they’re free to move wherever they want. Beautiful furniture doing a perfect match with the nature. Key factor 3: the owners. Mike, Katja and their amazing kids give the final touch to the whole experience. It’s like you’re invited to this beautiful family in this magical place and they makes you feel like one of them! (Tearing apart the wrong preconception of the German people and they’re temper) Mike cannot be more helpful and really committed to you having the best experience posible (with German efficiency hahahaha) His wife is a sweet women that is always ready with the food and the services inside the house. At the beginning of this long review I said there’re some things to consider, because I’ve been reading some reviews, and now that I’ve been there, I know why happens. Let me explain. This house is in an island in front of the “boca chica” town. This town is a really small one, with less than 500 habitants. What I’m trying to say is that you’ve to be sure to get to the town (5 hours from Panamá city) at “working hours” 8 am - 7 pm aprox and make and coordinate with mike so he can guide you in what is the best hour for you to arrive. Obviously, if you doesn’t tell anyone you’re going to the hotel, arrive at 10 pm to the town and you call mike to say you’re there without any previous notice, things are not gonna work. If you keep a good communication, there will be no issues!!! PS: all photos are made by me and cannot be used anywhere else without my permission.

Owners of the hotel are everything ♥️ kind and lovely people. Fresh homemade and delicious food. In the hotel you can book and pay a reasonable price for visiting the 3 islands (Bolaños, Gámez and Parida). As you can see the hotel is on an island but this kind people pick you up from the dock to the hotel for free when arriving and leaving and also the morning you are going to the islands. Really recommend this place.

This is not a resort or a hotel, that is important to know. It is very much an “at home”/Aitbnb type of stay. You are living in someones (beautiful) home, with their family up close. Gorgeous surroundings, truly spectacular views and Katja is super nice and very helpful in booking tours etc. There is no access to the ocean, only a pool, the pool is ok but small. To get to a beach/ocean access you have to walk 30 minutes or be driven (which Katja or her husband happily does if you ask). Food was good but selection limited. Interaction with fellow guests can be hard to avoid as you are all stuck in the same place… For me it did not quite match my expectations compared to what we paid - and their policy that you are not allowed to bringing your own snacks to the island is frankly ridiculous.

After landing on Boca Bravo on the small boat from Boca Chica and a rather precarious slipway up into the trees (not recommended for people with mobility issues) we were met by the owner's son who drove us up to the property. The view here is amazing. We love it. The open veranda dominates the surrounding islands which offer a protected Pacific ocean view. The finca has lush vegetation such as mango, banana, papaya trees. The birds are a feature and we felt as if we were invited into their space. We enjoyed the sunrise to sunset over the islands and water views. The rooms are quite quaint, rather old stylish, but quite comfortable. I would opt for the large one next time which has a part of the large balcony. The rooms we saw have wonderful views and air-conditioning. We enjoyed the meals here, although the vegetarian option was not very creative, the fish dishes that my friends had were very fresh and tasty. We took the evening mangrove and dolphin boat trip which we loved. The family owners here made sure we had everything we needed and lunch with the fresh natural lemonade was a treat. Beautiful fruit, coffee, eggs and breads for breakfast was also wonderful, all served in the large veranda with the unforgettable view. There are several places to relax, chat, meet others and really feel like you've landed in Paradise. The pool was cooling and welcome and a great spot to watch the spectacular sunset. I highly recommend this stay for at least 3 nights.

Poor customer service