hipvirgochick

It seems like Isla Bastimentos is the best island to stay and snorkel easily from. Am I wrong? From those who have stayed here can you please offer some personal experience?

The water lodges look great, like Eclypse del Mar, but looking for other special places and possibly less $$$.

Has anyone gone to "bird island"? If so, is it worth it?

Thanks!

Amanda23

I have sent some clients to stay at the Al Natural Resort on Isla Bastimentos and they were VERY pleased. Great snorkeling, nice atmosphere and amazing food. I'd highly recommend it.

Amanda

hipvirgochick

Thanks Amanda. I had checked out Al Natural as well and it looks nice too, but a bit more expensive. Plus, I like the fact that the cabinas at Eclypse are over the water with plexi-glass in the floors to watch the fishes.

IslandHop100

Bastimentos has the best beaches and trails. I know Red Frog Beach project just started renting Villas and have a boat that goes back and forth to Bocas town. I have also heard of a new hostel on Bastimentos called Bocas Bound.

hipvirgochick

Red Frog Beach has gotten a lot of bad press though over the past couple of years. Not so eco-friendly, right? How do the locals feel about the place?

What about Cocomo by the Sea for a couple nights in Bocas, and then Eclypse de Mar for time in Bastimentos?

My tentative plan is flying to Bocas del Toro from Puerto Jimenez and then taking the shuttle from there to Puerto Viejo.

Is "bird" island worth a 1/2 day trip?

panamalife

Tesoro escondido on Bluff beach is pretty cheap and nice for the price. You can check them out at bocastesoroescondido.com

IslandHop100

I found out that the Bocas Bound place on Bastimentos opens in November 2009. I guess it is a hostel with beds for $15/night? I think the beaches on Bastimentos are the best and they have a hilltop restaurant which is supposed to be a cool pavilion hang-out spot. All the hiking trails and water activities are much better on Bastimentos than elsewhere in Bocas in my opinion but not sure about this place until it opens.

volcanogirl

Bookmarking.

skipperdee

We had a great trip to Bocas in 2008- 2 adults and 2 teens. We stayed at 3 different lodges over 12 days- a wonderful way to see different areas. I highly recommend Casa Cayuco, La Loma Jungle Lodge and Dolphin Bay B&B. We snorkeled from all of these areas from boat trips. Only from Casa Cayuco could you snorkel directly from the beach. Truly Bocas was a favourite destination. I would say that Casa Cayuco and La Loma are our most memorable accomodations of trips to Costa Rica x3, Belize and Mexico and the Carribean. Have a great trip!

panamalife

Bird Island is not really an island - it is a big rock where boobies (a species of bird, for you non-birders) hang out. You cannot step on it. The boat tours only go BY it. If you look at a map, it is located between Boca del Drago and Bluff Beach.

hipvirgochick

Thanks everyone for all of the helpful recommendations. I'm not positive yet if we'll spend a couple days in Bocas or extend our time in Puerto Viejo, but all of this is helping my decision.

Tammyj

Bocas Del Toro and Bastimentos are very beautiful places. There are many lodging options that care for the environment and whos inpact is very little. Red Frog Beach Club and Bocas Bound Hostel And Lodge are NOT one of these. Bocas Bound and Red Frog Beach Club are in fact one and the same although they do not really mention this in the numerous Bocas Bound websites that are being created. They have "re branded" themselves as a nature preserve which is a huge laugh because the area was fine before they got there. Whatever they say as far as being concerned for the environment and changing their ways is just more lies that they are hoping will negate the bad press they got in the past. If you care at all about keeping Bocas Del Toro beautiful and not full of country clubs and golf courses be very very weary about Bocas Bound Hostel and Red Frog each Club. They will say anything to get people to buy their condos.

Continental_Drifter

Folks, We love Bocas del Toro. We rented a privately owned home and hotel hopped for breakfast each morning.

Note: Regarding the "day trips" and 1/2 day trips. Please do not pay over $100 for a "full day" of island hopping with one of the tour groups! Talk to the boat captains who hang out to the right of the Bocas Water Sports docks. Bobby is one of them and he has several friends. For $40 to $60 per day, one of their captains picked us up at our dock with a cooler of ice and took us out to a different island. We had the boat to ourselves and were able to ask that day's captain to take us to his favorite spot.

These are reliable captains and they will not steer you wrong at a rate of 50% of the price.

Have fun!