3 Best Hotels in Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Completely remodeled in 2012, the spacious rooms here evoke fully furnished Florida condos, with their tropical colors, tile floors, ceiling fans, and sliding glass doors that open onto balconies (half have ocean views). Each room has a queen bed, cable TV, a kitchenette with breakfast bar, and a large bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub. The hotel is built over the water, and there's a floating plastic dock in back with a swimming area, though the water here is not that clean. Pay the extra money for an ocean-view room—they're nicer and quieter. The glass-bottom Starfish Suite lets you watch the fish swim beneath your feet without leaving the comfort of your room. It is conveniently close to most restaurants and bars. The hotel runs periodic Web-only promotions.

This two-story wooden complex behind the Palacio Municipal fits into Bocas well enough, but inside the lobby feels like Old Europe with dark woods and a long staircase leading to second-story rooms. The rambling hotel has its selling points, mainly the courtyard pool and minor upgrades in 2014. Rooms, with imported furniture, flat-screen TVs, and white bedding draped in velvet throws, are a mixed bag: some are bright, some are dark, some have hardwood floors while others have wall-to-wall carpeting. Your best bets are rooms 236 and 237 with hot tubs and large balconies.

Everything, but everything is here at Bocas's largest, flashiest, resort-iest hotel. Two pools, two restaurants, meeting facilities, beach volleyball, a gym, sea kayaks, and numerous tours will keep you occupied. The resort lies outside of Bocas Town itself, but free, regularly scheduled shuttle service will get you there if you seek off-site diversions. Rooms are bright and cheery, done up in tropical pastels, with one king- or two queen-size beds. All have private balcony and ocean view.