Historical Traveler Reviews of Hotel Bocas del Toro Bocas Town
Do yourself a favour and stir clear at all costs!!!
from OrenmontrealQC
When we arrived the staff barley even took the time to acknowledge us and when they did it was like we were troubling them. We were shown to our room only to realize the water had been shut off with the promise that it would be back on in 15mins. 7&1/2 hrs later we took our first shower. The accomidations were highly overpriced for what they were. In there ad they boasted of 320thread count sheets unfortunatly they forgot to mention the coil springs which were on the verge of popping through the stained mattress! The value or lack there of was most apparent in the service and the food. The staff of Hotel Bocas del Toro was beyond unfriendly not to mention there overwhelming lack of English. Last but not least the food, it turns my stomach to even think about it...sausages = hot dogs on a breakfast plate and if your in the mood for french toast save yourself the hassel of paying $12.50 for white toast with brown sugar!!!!
Needless to say we quickly checked ourselves out and settled in nicely elsewhere. Bocas is a fun area but do yourself a favour and don't stay here!
Read the owner's response
Owner's Reponse
Dear Canadian Guests,
We appreciate your candid comments regarding your unfortunate experience at Hotel Bocas del Toro. We consider all guests valued and want to make them comfortable at Hotel Bocas del Toro. We did not receive a Customer Comment form regarding your issues which is avaiable to complete in all rooms and now offered at check out at the front desk. We reply to all concerns immediately. Unfortunately, the town of Bocas del Toro infrastructure for water is very antiquated. At the time you arrived the town water system had maintenance, often unbenownst to all commercial business. This is the reason there was no water, as the entire town was shut off due to maintenance. Though the town continues to shut off water, in November Hoel Bocas del Toro completed an upgrade to our water system, and when many have been without water, Hotel Bocas del Toro has water! This is the good news.
Had we been advised of your issues we would have investigated and transfered you to another room in order to resolve the problem, or to another that would meet your requirements. It is our goal for our Reception staff to speak English, and they have been commended by many in comparison with others. In regard to the restaurant staff, we would agree they are not at a higher level in English.
We are surprised to see your review in jat the end of January when you stayed in October. Should you wish to email the hotel directly, we would be happy to discuss this with you. Please contact us as all guests are extremely valued and important.
Sincerely,
Carla Rankin
Director
Hotel Bocas del Toro
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Very Pleasant
from Carolynwheel
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this hotel. We were traveling with our 2 teenage daughters and initially stayed at another hotel on the water where we had all kinds of problems. We got to the Hotel Bocas del Toro and were so relieved. It was quiet and clean and even more affordable than the other hotel. The rooms were very comfortable the staff was pleasant and helpful. There is an excellent restaurant downstairs with a deck over looking the water. We enjoyed just relaxing there in the morning with our coffee and surfing the internet on my husbands laptop. Everyone spoke english which was very helpful and they gave us great ideas on what to do in the area. We unfortunatly only stayed one night because the hotel was full. We stayed in a total of 3 top rated hotels in Bocas Town over a period of 4 days. The Hotel Bocas del Toro was the best one by far.
Tesoro en Bocas Isla
from Carolinafig
hace rato que quisera escriber algo en espanol, viendo que no hay nada aqui para alguien que no hable ingles...
mi novio y yo estabamos buscando un hotel arriba del agua, centrico y con un ambiente relajante y un estilo unico. tuvimos mucha suerte de encontrar el Hotel Bocas del toro, que tenia todas estas cosas.
la duena hizo un esfuerzo de conversar con nosotros en espanol, que nos gusto mucho, y el servicio general fue excelente y muy acogedor.
con una decoracion nautica y mucha madera, me gusto mucho este hotel. restaurante arriba de la agua y cuartos espaciosos y de alta calidad. yo recomendaria este hotel a cualquiera persona buscando una experiencia unica en Bocas.
The very best of Bocas
from BocasBeebs
Hotel Bocas del Toro, aptly named primarily for its reception area and street front bar which nightly attracts the communal bon-vivant comorraderie of traveling artisans, tourists of all nationalities and transplanted locals. The Dining area is complete with deckside seating and a gazebo where diners are served regardless of un-announced rain storms by familial staff bearing umbrellas for the eager to accomodate servers. Complete this with a structure made from indigenous local hardwoods lovingly cared for daily by friendly staff and accomodations that are neat clean and comfortable. The hotel is conveniently situated withina 2 minutes walking distance of everything in town.
The coup de gras however is the unbelievably large vaulted ceiling suite with private deck mini fridge and other amenities -My personal favorite, to while away hours of tranquility while wacthing the boat traffic sweep before my eyes from the comfort of the wicker setee on the private veranda.
Front and center
from walkbasha
I was passing thru on a recent trip to Peru and noticed the carrier, Copa Air, stopped in Panama so I researched the country online. I then decided for the short, one week, stay that the Bocas area looked the most interesting. I wasn't disappointed at all and pleasantly surprised. The hotel to start was ideally located for all tours that interested me. The staff, were quite pleasant and accomodating. Most locals seem to be this way and not just for the hustle. I was there primarily to scout this area for future stays because I fly to peru often and much appreciate the stopover. The area is a special place that I will return to. The hotel was better then I expected with food to match. Everyone that I visited at the hotel had only good experiences. Since returning I have recommended the hotel and area to many people and some future newlyweds. The only drawback, if any, would be the rain that I was fortunate to miss but know is frequent because of the tropical beauty. A note about my relaxation. I was so relaxed that I missed my flight leaving by a day without knowing. This is a first from an experienced traveler. Need I say more.
Walker Monroe
Unique for Panama
from brujula
I live in Costa Rica and am a Tour Director for my company. I wanted to explore Bocas and the owner, who is an acquaitance, asked me to come visit. I really loved the experience and thought the hotel and it's staff were wonderful! Would recommend it to all adventurers and will be traveling there with my groups on our next visit to Panama!
Unique Stay at Hotel Bocas del Toro!
from TeriRichardson
I've been meaning to write a review for some time and could not put it off any longer! My husband and I arrived by boat to Isla Colon-a great experience-to find a truely unique and different atmosphere we have never experienced before. We were lucky enough to find Hotel Bocas del Toro a few doors down from where our boat Taxi arrived. We had a room on the water with beautiful veiws of the town and other islands surrounding the area. The staff was helpful and friendly and the room fresh and clean with a nautical flair. I highly recommend staying at Hotel Bocas del Toro and look forward to staying there again!
Bonnie Taylor, Costa Rica
Unbelievable Hotel
from surfchase
I spent two weeks at this hotel in Panama during December of 2005 and I found this hotel to be amazing. We had an amazing room with an awesome view of Bocas Del Toro (hundreds of small green lush islands) and were right on the waters edge. The hotel staff was kind, sweet, and helpful with the trip. The hotel is also run by an American, which helps SO much with the details/questions, etc. This hotel is a must see and I strongly recommend that you go check it out when in Bocas Del Toro.
Charming
from marciaeaton
Hotel Bocas Del Toro is a charming hotel on the water. The staff is very imformative and helpful. The rooms are spacious and clean. The rooms have nice,cool,tropical decor and colors.It is in a nice location.
Decent
from SanJan
This hotel was clean, had big rooms, was on the water (but not the beach -- nothing in Bocas is), was in the middle of the main strip, had friendly restaurant staff, and good basic food. If you can, try to get one of the few rooms which actually face the water. Bathroom was a little smelly; not sure what the deal was. No real complaints, but if you're a hard-core neat freak you should stay somewhere else -- well, if you're uptight you probably won't like Bocas. It is sort of a backpackers' beach town. It took my friend (new to international travel) a little while to adjust, and I can imagine that a high-maintenance person wouldn't like the town or the hotel much. Otherwise, I would say this is a pretty decent place given what else is available there.
