We stayed at Faro del Colibri for 4 nights last june and we had a fantastic time. We had planned for 2 nights but we loved it so much we stayed longer. We first stayed in Bocas, then one night in Bastimientos but I suggest staying at Faro instead and doing day trip from there. That is what we should have done if we had known before.

The place is really classy, clean, nice hardwood floor, private porch with a ladder to go swimming. There is even exterior lights shining in the water for night (skinny) dipping.....

The owners are very nice and accomodating.

You can take water taxi right at the dock and the boats wil leave you there at no extra costs.

DO visit BIBI's for dinner, it was one of the best culinary experience we had while in Panama on our 2 weeks journey. It is a bit further on the island and well worth the 5 min walk. The food is incredible and the drinks too.

It is also pretty cool to check out the aqua lounge for a day swim and beer, it is only short distance (3-5min).

We were a bit worried about the water taxis zipping by the whole day and night but we did have the last cabin in the water and we did not find this to be any problem. They dont run often at night either.

All in all, Colibri del Faro is a really romantic place, with the perfect location for day trips. I seriously recommend this place.

My boyfriend and i stayed at el faro del colibri in early july for 6 nights, and we were so upset it wasnt longer! We found this hotel by accident (we were on a water taci returning to our orignial hotel and spotted el faro and changed hotels the next day). The owner and his wife could not have been nicer or more hospitable. They even lent us their cooler so we can chill our drinks! The breakfast each morning was delicious and the view was just as awesome! It felt like we had our own slice of paradise staying in our own casita with a private deck and chairs. We sat out every evening waving to the water taxis. We were in the second to last casita, it was perfect size for 2 people. We were so sad to leave this perfect vacation spot and have already started planning our return trip.

we spent 2 nights at faro and enjoyed it completely! it was a perfect place to relax, the fact that our bungalow stood in the ocean made it possible to chill out on the terrace and watch the fishes swim around it. also the owners were very friendly and flexible. the location is very good base to go from to every interesting spot at the bocas del toro, like bastimentos, zapatilla or estrella beach. i like!!

Review of El Faro del Colibri for TravelAdvisor 2/22/12-

Be aware when dealing with the owners! If you were given a fair deal for what you paid you were more fortunate than me. Adriano initially promised me I could have the cabin until the end of the month. I had paid $400 of the agreed amount of $900. after spending a week there when I went away for a week-end visit to the Pacific coast. Upon my return, Adriano met me on the dock to tell me I no longer had my cabin because -and I am being completely honest here- he did not like an email I had sent him in which I informed him that the place Lucelli -his partner- had sent me to in town because she had mistakenly booked another person into my cabina a day earlier was unacceptable to me. Yet I asked nothing further from them than what was originally agreed, and willing to let it pass. The sub in town had no internet, no aircon, none of the amenities I had at El Faro. For sharing this openly with the owner, he decided to throw me out. No refund, no other accommodation set up for me. It was truly a shock to be dealt with in such a shody way. I came away realizing that this couple care only about one thing: maximizing profit over everything else. They saw the chance to rent the cabin to another party for a better profit obviously. And this, after I spent an afternoon helping the owner translate from German into English so he could adequately communicate with a firm in the U.S. to get a new motor for his boat in Panama City.

I did attempt to communicate with the owners but they simply ignored my additional emails. I waited before deciding to write this review in the hope they would reflect on what they had done.

I never received a receipt that specified the verbal agreement we had. I took Adriano on his word and he betrayed me. If you decide to deal with this couple, be sure to get everything clearly in writing.

Adriano is also building a large structure on his property close to the cabinas in which he plans to live, selling the other units as condos. The privacy at El Faro will obviously be impacted by this addition which is close to completion. There is no beach to speak of at this location.

As for the cabina on the water, if you plan to swim there or anjoy a quiet time on Carenera island away from the din of Bocas partygoers, think again. The load music is amplified across the water, a very short distance from the main island to where El Faro is located. Swimming is very limited to when the tide is in and the power boats race by so close that you can not swim farther out than the point of the outermost cabina or risk being hit by a boat. The noise of the speeding boats is relentless, stopping only very late into the night and starting again very early in the morning. There is no restaurant operation on their deck; only a small continental breakfast in the morning.

Also annoying was the poor lighting at the only desk in the room. I had to light a candle to see my keyboard at night. The satellite reception was limited to the lowest tier of service available on the Claro system. Not a single international channel was available unlike the reception I had at another condo in Bocas. The shower had a cracked plastic floor with a mat over it. You had to be careful when using it. There was also a problem with the plumbing as I recall. Adriano pointed to waste water leaking from a pipe that is designed not to dump it into the sea. Gave one pause about swimming nearby.

The facility was clean however, but there is no high speed internet; just a slower speed and it showed to be a weak signal in my cabina.