Bocas del Toro Hostel :: Bocas Bound » Isla Colon — Bocas del Toro Hostel :: Bocas Bound

Bocas del Toro Hotels

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:44:20 +0000

Bocas del Toro is known for several great hotel and lodging options for visitors to this island community. There are many Bocas del Toro Hotels that offer standard accommodation on the archipelago and most of them are in Bocas del Toro town. Bocas del Toro Hotels frequently are designed to accommodate a single individual or a couple but they are more limited when considering the needs of a couple, family or several families traveling together. Perhaps the best Bocas del Toro hotel for such groups is not a hotel at all. Consider renting a villa at Red Frog Beach Resort and Bocas Bound.

A villa becomes very economical when interests are pooled. With two families or couples travelling together the experience of deluxe accommodations are within reach. Bocas del Toro Hotels typically do not offer kitchen facilities. Add up a restaurant bill for 7 dinners/7 lunches/7 breakfasts and you can get the idea of what it would be like staying at a Bocas del Toro Hotel. It is a rule of thumb that often times dining expenses are 1 to 1.5 times as expensive as the cost of hotel accommodation itself. This alone might justify NOT staying in a traditional Bocas del Toro Hotel. It is amazing to actually think that by upgrading to luxury accommodations you can save money- but you truly can. Red Frog Beach is also the #1 destination for many who visit the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. For those who want a true vacation with one of the best Panama beaches actually at their doorstep, this is a huge factor to consider. Transportation costs around the Bocas del Toro archipelago can be very high. By staying at the beach, the Red Frog Beach villa renter saves additional money. After all, what is the point to heading to the islands if the beach isn’t at your fingertips? The Red Frog Beach Resort is ideally located to make sure that those who seek the beach on vacation can truly get enough of the beach.

Bocas del Toro Hotels also are not as well equipped for “downtime” after a day at the beach or a night on the town. A significant percentage of vacationers like to have time to relax in their accommodations. A villa affords the opportunity to relax in luxury. All Red Frog Beach resort villas have deluxe finish and appointments: granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, private plunge pools and king or queen size beds with comfortable linens. For the super active vacationer it is also a treat to come back to luxury accommodations in a priceless setting. At the end of the day vacations are all about experiences and the memories they create. Bocas del Toro Hotels are a stop gap and do “the job” for fulfilling basic accommodations, but the Red Frog Beach Resort aspires to creating these essential vacation experiences and memories. At the end of the day, what is the value of feeling relaxed, fulfilled and doing it for less money in a comfortable yet amazing environment? In a word: priceless. We hope you enjoy your stay at our “Bocas del Toro hotel”- the Red Frog Beach Resort!

Exploring Bocas Town

DigaMe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:48:25 +0000

Bocas town provides visitors with many options of things to do:

Nightlife
Bocas is a low-key and friendly town where it is easy to meet with fellow travelers and the local people. In some places of town, every night it’s a party.
On the water is the Buena Vista Deli & Bar, known for good times and good food. For a younger crowd, start with Mondo Taitu, to meet an international mix of young travelers and surfers, and an equally diverse menu of specialty island cocktails (think mojito with a twist), served by the young, hip and friendly bartenders. Also fun is the newer La Iguana, right on the water. Don’t forget to visit the famous Barco Hundido, also known as the “wreck-deck,” which is a good place to get your dance on. Like anywhere, it is advisable to practice discretion and stay on the lighted main streets at night.

Souvenir Shopping
Souvenir shops can be found on Bocas’ main street and hippies from all over the world can be found lining the main street with their crafts and beautiful jewelry. Also, on the opposite end of the main street, just before the end, is a display of molas attended by the Kuna Indians.
Panama is famous for its molas, colorful reverse applique cloth designs. This humble stand has one the best selection of molas in the world. You have the added satisfaction of purchasing directly from the Indians and knowing your dollar will go a long way to helping these worthy people

Restaurants
Bocas restaurants are easy on the budget and have a surprising variety of offerings. For seafood try El Pecado and El Refugio for dishes that will satisfy the sophisticated palate but are reasonably priced.

Across the street from El Pecado, La Laguna Hotel offers mostly Italian dishes including a yummy pizza, and has street side seating making it the best place in town for people watching. Bahia Hotel has a good Italian restaurant with some of the best pizza in town.

For excellent ‘gringo’ food, we highly try Buena Vista. Kum Ja is the only Chinese restaurant and the food is inexpensive and good. Another popular and good restaurant is Om for East Indian food. If you are just looking to take out a beach-picnic lunch, stop by at the Super Gourmet Deli for epicurean sandwiches.

During dining the day on the islands outside of Bocas: For seafood in incomparable surroundings, take a water taxi to restaurant Coral Cay, perched on stilts over the sea. Your lobster will be picked live from a sea cage and you will enjoy gorgeous sea views all around as you wait for your dish to be prepared. This is a Bocas must-do. Most tours will take you there as part of their route.

http://www.panamainfo.com/en/destinations/bocas-del-toro

Romain World Tour Video of Bocas del Toro

DigaMe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:55:48 +0000

This video provides footage on entering Panama, taking a water taxi to Bocas as well as many activities including hiking, biking and caving.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bluff Beach, Isla Colon

DigaMe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:05:46 +0000

This beach is several-kilometers long and has very strong waves that are not always good for surfing. The long underwater drop off creates large, continuous waves that break almost in the beach. Bluff Beach is normally surfed by body boarders. The waves are very powerful and snap a lot of boards; they normally get about 2 feet bigger than Dumps and Paunch. Those who know Bluff beach well say the waves are best when they’re no more then about 1-2 meters high. Even when the swell isn’t big, the waves are too powerful for beginning surfers and swimmers.

Dumpers, Isla Colon

DigaMe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:04:55 +0000

Aptly named as it is situated right in front of the Bocas garbage dump, Dumpers is the favored most by local surfers. It can be dangerous, however, because the waves break close to the coral reef. This should only be attempted by experienced surfers, several boards have been destroyed and many surfers have been injured here. The waves here have steep drops and super powerful tubes. The waves are short and end on top of a rock on the inside. There is an inside break that is a longer ride, but not as tubular and it only breaks when the Dump is about 7 to 8 feet, this is know as the Inner Dumps. The surf can get as big as 12 feet, but that’s when the inside Dumper starts really firing. There’s no shoulder hopping this wave.

Paunch, Isla Colon

DigaMe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:03:09 +0000

Paunch contains reef bottom and breaks left and right. There are 2 or 3 different peaks you can take off from here. This wave is mellower than Dumpers and not quite as powerful. Paunch has long, “rippable” waves that are appropriate for all levels but it mostly attracts less experienced surfers because it is fun and less dangerous than most of the other breaks at Bocas. The waves can get as big as 12 feet, and hold size well. The bigger the wave, the more perfect the tube section. The road has recently been repaired so taxis are now able to reach Paunch. Depending on the swell size and direction this wave can be a fun playful soft shoulder to a pull in barrel with workable a shoulder. It is a reef break, so wear booties.

Bocas del Toro Research Station – The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution

DigaMe — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:51:54 +0000

At Colon Island in Panama ‘s Bocas del Toro region in the Caribbean, STRI has established a site for education and research, providing scientists and students with access to an extraordinary diversity of marine and terrestrial biota. This station is situated among areas of undisturbed forest, a remarkable coastal lagoon system, and numerous islands and reefs.

On Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro province, STRI built a center for a comprehensive program in research and education, focused on both marine and terrestrial environments.

Bocas del Toro is a complex region of islands, mainland bays, rivers and forested mountain slopes on the Caribbean side of the Panamanian isthmus. The very high diversity of marine and terrestrial ecosystems makes Bocas an ideal area to study natural environments. However, Bocas is also a socio-politically complex setting—a site with fisheries, growing tourism, agriculture and a significant population of endangered sea turtles and manatees. In short, Bocas comprises a model region for working on the important issue of sustainable multiple use.

Additionally, Bocas del Toro offers an ideal setting for conducting paleoecological studies to answer important questions about the history of the Isthmus of Panama. The rocks and fossils around Bocas hold the key to understanding when and where the Isthmus began rising, and when and where it closed, separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Pinpointing the time sequence of this division, which triggered the formation of the Gulf Stream, among other major natural events, has huge ramifications across varying fields of scientific inquiry as diverse as evolutionary biology and climatology.

Visiting the Bocas del Toro Research Station

Our priority is research, but we are always looking for better ways to communicate research results to a non-scientific audience, and to help increase awareness of the natural world. Our Education Program offers guided visits to school students, university students, international tourists and the general public. We emphasize the importance of conserving the unique ecosystems and the marvelous opportunity that they provide to scientists who wish to understand the environment we share.

The tour around the Bocas Research Station start visiting the bilingual exhibition “Our Reefs: Caribbean Connections”. This traveling exhibition was developed to promote awareness and creative problem,-solving in communities most directly affected by the changing status of Caribbean reefs. Then guides will give general information about research activities and a walk tour for the station new facilities.

Visiting Hours:

General public: Thursdays and Fridays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM .

School groups: Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 11:00 AM or 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Reservations in advance are required.

Free admission.

Bocas del Toro

DigaMe — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:53:21 +0000

Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama. The capital is the city of Bocas del Toro, found on the island of Colon. The population of the province numbers some 89,300 people. Its extension is 8,745 kilometers and is formed by 9 principal islands. There are many plantation of plantains here, often called the oro verde or green gold of Central America.

Bocas town on Isla Colon is the party place of Panama. This is where you’ll be living the Carribean lifestyle, reggae, dreadlocks, beaches and parties. There’s no beaches in town but they’re a short boat ride away, some of the most beautiful in Panama. Isla Bastimentos is much more local and away from the party scene. Check it out if you want to get away from it all.

Hostel Aqua Lounge is across from Isla Colon($1 and 2 minutes) and right on the water. Hostel Gran Kahuna is on the main street, right across from where the boat drops you off and has a great balcony and open, airy rooms.

Direct buses leave Panama at 8pm from Albrook and arrives at about 7am. Or take a bus to David and then to Bocas.

http://www.mamallena.com/destinations.html