Bocas del Toro
22 to 26 February 2007
On 21 February we flew from the San Blas Islands back to Panama City, where we again
checked into the Hotel San Remo.  There we enjoyed hot-water showers, took care of our
laundry, had some good meals and had another look at the city.
The following morning we took a taxi to "Panama La Vieja", the original location of Panama
City until the 1600's when it was repeatedly ravaged by British pirates and moved about
ten miles (15km) west to its present more defensible location.  The pirates did an effective
job, as not much was left of it.  Hardly worth going there.
We took the 3:15pm Air Panama one-hour flight west to Bocas del Toro.  The airfare was
around US$70 per person.  Beautiful views, including of the Canal, from the high-wing
low-flying plane.
Upon arriving in Bocas town we had a taxi take us to five or six hotels, all surprisingly had
no vacancies.   We began to wonder whether we would have anywhere to sleep.  Ultimately
our taxi took us to a building near the airport which was in the late stages of conversion
from a warehouse to a residential building.
For US$50 per night per room we got a dusty room with remnants of construction debris, a
dirty hot-water bathroom, a large refrigerator, a built-in closet (no hangers), a built-in desk
(no chair), no desk-light or bed-light; when completed the room should be OK except for no
A/C and no real windows.  Fortunately we had to stay there just one night.
The following morning, while John & Judy were out on a snorkel cruise, Virginia and I
re-visited the Hotel del Parque (which originally was our first choice) and were glad to learn
they now had two rooms available.  This small hotel, with just eight rooms, was beautifully
decorated, immaculate, attached hot-water baths, a small room with a double bed and a twin,
quiet A/C and ceiling fan,  pleasant verandas in front and in back, and a central location
facing Parque Bolivar.   Lots of vegetation in the small yard, vines climbing up the building,
potted plants, etc. , all very lush.   The daily rate per room was US$44, later reduced to
US$40.  It was a great place to stay!  hoteldelparque35@hotmail.com
Warehouse being converted to residential units, where we
stayed our first night in Bocas town.
Room in which we spent our first night in Bocas town.  
No real windows, just a series of openings in the wall.
Back veranda of the
Hotel del Parque, Bocas
Town, Isla Colon, Panama.
The hotel has a similar
veranda at the front.
Front of the Hotel del Parque,
Bocas Town,  Isla Colon, Panama.
Parque Bolivar across the street from the Hotel
del Parque, Bocas Town, Isla Colon, Panama.
We had dinner at the "El Pecado" restaurant, very expertly prepared by a cook who
obviously cared.  Cost per person including a beer or two, US$10.
The town of Bocas was obviously having a tourist boom, with many small recently renovated
hotels, attractive restaurants, several tour and cruise operators, guide services, etc.   Many
of these businesses seemed to be run by foreigners who took early retirement in their home
countries and moved to Bocas to run their own business.   Bocas has a prosperous look and
English is widely spoken.   A totally different experience than the San Blas Islands!
There is no beach in the town of Bocas but there are many fine beaches in the area and
boat-tour operators to take you there for about US$17 per person per day.
We did have two unfortunate experiences at the "Om" restaurant.  For our first meal there  
we were charged for items we did not order or receive;  for our second meal there the prices
charged were higher than those on the menu.  The manager was not gracious when correcting
these "errors".
View as we prepared to land at the airstrip in Bocas
Town, Isla Colon.   On the lower left of the photo is
Isla Carenero, a suburb of Bocas Town.
A resort on Isla Colon consisting of a group of thatched
cottages built over the water and connected by
boardwalks.
A few of the attractive
small waterfront hotels
in Bocas Town.