Bluff Beach Retreat - Bed & Breakfast on the ocean

Description from the owner

Welcome to Panama!

Our goal at Bluff Beach Retreat is to exceed your expectations and ensure that you have a wonderful holiday. We are one of Panama's highest rated Bed & Breakfast resorts on TripAdvisor - located on Bluff Beach -Isla Colon, the largest island of the Bocas Del Toro Archipelago on the Caribbean side of Panama. Imagine less than two hours after leaving Panama City you are sitting in the hot sun, on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world - sipping a Mojito! Only 5 miles, or 20 minutes from the islands’ airport- we offer the perfect getaway to those looking for a more private vacation. Airlines offer many flights... a day to the island and we will be there to pick you up.

Imagine getting up in the morning to the sounds of the ocean, parrots nesting nearby and seeing monkeys enjoying their breakfast. The smell of fresh-roasted locally grown organic coffee brewed in a French press wakes you. Breakfast consists of freshly squeezed orange juice or a Smoothie made from one of the papayas growing outside your window - eggs, lots of fresh fruit and fresh-baked breads!

The 4 acre property is located directly on Bluff Beach, with miles of secluded sandy beach. It is one of the few places in the world where giant Leather-Back Turtles nest! You can walk forever without seeing another person. Our property has many different varieties of trees – from limes, oranges, papaya, mangoes and bananas to beautiful palms. Wonderfully fragrant shrubs and flowers surround our homes. We have constructed three homes, Las Palmas Casita, a lovely two bedroom - capable of sleeping four, and a gorgeous, 4,500 square feet Beach House with four bedrooms and five bathrooms – capable of accommodating nine, and La Pina Casita, a luxury one-bedroom home - capable of sleeping two. You may rent one home or bedrooms depending on your needs. Our heavy-duty solar energy power allows us to run all the amenities that you might expect. The homes have been beautifully built with rich native woods, high efficiency Hunter fans, fully screened louvered windows, hotel quality mattresses, lots of hot water, fully equipped kitchens and so much space to relax and enjoy life. Attention to detail makes these homes a cut above the rest!

Our 65 foot lap pool is a fantastic compliment to your holiday.

There’s a lot to do. Enjoy walking miles of deep sandy beach, snorkeling, surfing, fishing, kayaking or use one of our bicycles. In addition, we offer horse-back riding – we have fourteen horses - and offer guided jungle hikes through our 165 acre farm which is a short walk from the retreat. We can also arrange excellent boat tours with one of our boat captains to the Bastimentos National Park, or a visit to a local Chocolate farm. How busy you want to be is up to you! If you just want to hide out and relax, the property offers wireless hi-speed satellite internet, a large library of books and DVD’s and almost any game under the sun, in addition to a fully-stocked bar. It does occasionally rain at Bluff - but you can enjoy the rain from our 1,200 square foot porch!

When you arrive at the airport, we will be there to greet you - take you grocery shopping should you prefer to cook some of your own meals, and then we are off to Bluff! The accommodation comes with a cell-phone capable of international calls (all out-going calls are your responsibility – incoming are free!). We have four full-time staff – maid service is offered 7 days per week – laundry is offered at a modest charge. There are many excellent restaurants in Bocas town and two outstanding ones about 5-15 minutes (on foot) from the property. Included in your room is a great breakfast – served on the front porch of the Beach House.

Rates range from $125-$225 per day for Las Palmas Casita - rates range from $175-$295 per day for La Pina Casita - rates range from $350-$695 per day for the Beach House - minimum 3 day stays (Low-High Season). Weekly rates are available. We offer groups a fully catered holiday as an option with your own private cook and helper. This is a totally stress-free way to enjoy the homes.

Email us your request and we will promptly get back to you. A 50% deposit is required – with the balance due 60 days prior to arrival. We accept Visa, M/C, or bank drafts.

Included in your stay:

- Transportation to Bluff Beach upon arrival

- Complimentary bicycles, boogie boards, masks & snorkels and jungle boots - use of a cell-phone

- A great breakfast!

Rare Giant Leatherback Sea Turtles are the largest living sea reptiles on our planet. They can be seen nesting on our beach from late March thru June. It is a wonderful experience to watch!Read more

Additional Location Information

We are located on Bluff Beach on Isla Colon, the largest island of the Bocas Del Toro Archipelago on the Caribbean side of Panama.

Location Type Beach, Ocean, Tropical

Rental fees

What Past Guests Are Saying

• xraiderfan
  Los Angeles, California

  Amazing stay in beautiful jungle B and B

  Left on 12/30/2012 for a stay in December 2012
  
  

  Our family just got back from a wonderful visit to Bluff Beach Retreat. We booked four rooms, so had the large house to ourselves. Well, mostly to ourselves, since the kitchen is shared with the staff who make coffee (ready at 7) and breakfast (ready at 8:30). Yum to both.
  
  The facility is wonderful. We had four bedrooms, each with a private bath. The house also has a living room with books, a dvd player and a dvd library, internet, and a fifth bathroom and shower. The kitchen was well equipped -- we cooked in twice. There is a large lap pool and a killer ocean view from the porch.
  
  I imagine the place would be relaxing, but we were too busy doing all there is to do in Bocas del Toro to spend much time there. When I booked the place for five nights, I thought we'd be a little bored. However, we didn't have nearly enough time to do all we would have liked to do, or eat at all the places we would have liked trying. Our hosts (Steve and Karen, in Ron's absence) were amazing at booking activities for us, and changing them at the last minute if the kids changed their minds. We did scuba dive, surf, take the Bat Cave tour, snorkel, see Dolphin Bay, horse back ride (Ron has horses), bike ride (same) and see all kinds of wildlife, including lots of sloths, bats, birds and monkeys. We also watched a beautiful and very dramatic thunderstorm from the front deck.
  
  Cassius, the boxer, was an unexpected pleasure.
  
  Ron was very helpful in making travel arrangements. Air Panama has to be one of the strangest airlines ever, and I wouldn't want to try to make arrangements with it myself.
  
  I wholeheartedly recommend this facility and will stay again in a minute when we return to Bocas.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Friends, Groups, Families w children

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• T+W
  Toronto

  A Wonderful Spot!

  Left on 04/12/2011 for a stay in January 2011
  
  

  What a great two weeks. We prefer places that have that extra "something"...that bit of uniqueness that makes them special. We found it for sure at Bluff Beach Retreat.
  
  Enough off the beaten path to make you feel like you're in a special unspoiled place, but close enough to everything you need to have a fantastic relaxing vacation.
  
  A 30 second walk to an amazing beach (its a protected sea turtle breeding ground) with amazing surf...a couple of miles long and frequently you can be the only one on it.
  
  Marvellous rain forest location...lush, beautiful, peaceful and full of sights and sounds...its good for the soul.
  
  If your fortunate enough to partake of the yoga retreat option...you may never want to leave. Skillfully taught yoga classes twice a day to the sound of ocean surf and jungle birds...extrordinary!
  
  Only 20 minutes and $15 (by taxi) from the town of Bocas, where there are lots of different types of restaurants, plenty of shopping if you wish to cook for yourself and a low key, safe atmosphere.
  
  You can bicycle (bikes are free), you can go on a snorkelling trip (equipment is free), you can visit with the dolphins, you can tour the chocolate factory, you can walk through the rain forest and tour the bat cave (no...not that bat cave) or you can chill out and watch the day go by...its all good!
  
  All this is accompanied by a most congenial, knowledgable and helpful host by the name of Ron Dennis who will be more than happy to recommend and book restaurants or outings and facilitate your needs in any way he can. The support staff are wonderful and the complimentary breakfasts are something to look forward to.
  
  We both loved our time there and plan to return. If you are after something a bit different, casual, friendly, low key and away from the mass tourism resort industry...I would highly recommend you check out Bluff Beach Retreat.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

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• rick1035
  Monteverde, Costa Rica

  Beautiful setting beachside.

  Left on 04/04/2011 for a stay in November 2010
  
  

  This is a nice place. The separate cabanas are the nicest with just a short walk from the main house/common area where meals are served. The beach is beautiful. It's necessary to take a taxi to town unless you're up for a long walk. This is a plus if you're looking for quite and not concerned about being away from "where the action is."
  
  We (my wife, brother and I) stayed in the two rooms that are in the main house on the first, or ground level. There was only one bathroom for these two rooms that are not connected. In order to access the room with the bathroom if yours is the one without it, you have to leave your room and enter the other to access it. This was not apparent when I made the booking and slightly inconvenient.
  
  The other problem was that there was construction going on when we stayed there to build a swimming pool. The place is billed as quiet and secluded. It was secluded but for most of the day when we choose to hang out, we had to listen to a cement mixer, which definitely detracted from the quality of our stay. This is probably no longer a problem but wish that the owner had informed us of this temporary inconvenience.
  
  If you stay in one of these two rooms also be prepared to hear the sound of the owner or caretakers walking above you.
  
  As I mentioned, this is a nice place and with a swimming pool, probably even nicer than during our stay. It's especially a nice place if you're staying in one of the cabanas.
  
  I wouldn't recommend against staying here but we probably wouldn't again mostly because the owner didn't volunteer the inconveniences that I've noted. Bocas is a fun and beautiful place.

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  Detailed ratings for this rental

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  • Cleanliness
    
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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Friends, Tourists, Romantic, Families w children, Rugged, Singles

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  Was this review helpful? Yes