4 Best Hotels in Boca Chica and Isla Boca Brava, Chiriqui Province

After a 2014 remodel, Cala Mia's new owner has upgraded this Boca Brava island property with tastefully decorated bungalows, each with air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, and sunken terraces with couches, hammocks, and tree-shrouded water views. Guatemalan rustic woods decorate the rooms, and natural light floods into the showers inlaid with river stones. The family villas are within their own private area, and have two casitas attached by a common living room and kitchen. Surrounded by walls of windows, the restaurant specializes in fusion cuisine and serves a nightly three-course dinner menu for $40. A suspension bridge leads to a rocky outcrop with a massage and yoga gazebo. Activities include sea kayaking, excursions to nearby islands, snorkeling, scuba diving, and horseback riding. The infinity pool, game palapa, private beach, and self-service bar just might keep you closer to home. Ocean-view bungalows are better ventilated than bay-view ones.

This small lodge on Boca Brava, just across the channel from Boca Chica, is all about sportfishing, and it has some of the country's best. Customized three- to six-day packages include daily fishing, all meals and beverages, and in-country transportation. Accommodations are in two- to six-person cement bungalows nestled in the rain forest. Meals are served family-style in a circular building at the top of the hill, decorated with the obligatory mounted fish.

This hillside hotel sports Mediterranean decor with its arched doorways, terra-cotta flooring, and manicured gardens. The spotless bungalows have high ceilings, hand-painted ceramic sinks, and barrel-tile roofs. They come with satellite TV and other modern amenities, but their best selling points are the terrace views of the forest and bay. There is a tiny pool, and a long stairway that leads past the bungalows to a sliver of beach and a dock where you can leave for island trips or enjoy a drink at the Tiki Bar. The open-air restaurant ($$–$$$$) has the best view on the property, serving light lunches and delightful dinners ranging from grilled tenderloin to shrimp pasta. Expats and travelers alike flock to the Tiki Bar on Saturday night for dancing, drinks, and BBQ specials.