We actually were on a sailboat anchored in front of the Hotel Romantica...with mechanical problems. Charlie the owner could not have been more helpful or gracious....he went out of his way to help us with our mechanical problems. We have been here for three days now...and feel like this charming place has become our new home...
The food and service has been excellant...Charlie the perfect host at all times.
I would highly recommend making this place a "must see" for anyone looking for paradise, it's on a beautiful beach, quiet, and only 5 minutes from the airport or a one day sail from Panama....don't miss it and say hi to Charlie and all the staff!

We were in Panama for 2 weeks and were lucky enough to find the "Villa Romantica" in our travels. It is a lovely property tucked away on Contadora island. The beach is wonderful and Charlie the owner is fantastic! He is so hospitable and anything you need is "no problem". He goes out of his way to make sure you have a wonderful experience. The food is amazing and you can enjoy a romantic dinner on one of his decks, or dine in the open patio restaraunt.The rooms are spacious and comfortable and the view is priceless! You are able to walk to the local town in less than 10 minutes or walk around the whole island and explore the wonderful beaches. I highly recommend " Villa Romantica" and would go back in a second. Thanks for making our trip wonderful Charlie! We will be back!!!!
Carol and Shayne
Canada

We spent 2 days at Villa Romantica January 2007 and I can honestly say they were the best 2 days of our 15 day trip to Panama. Charlie is the most exceptional host. I have stayed in numerous places around the world and have never seen someone so accommadating. He greets you with the biggest smile you have ever seen and doesn't stop. He makes sure every guest is happy and makes you feel like his house is yours.
The rooms are very large, comfortable and beautifully decorated (the pictures on the website do not do them justice).
The view is outstanding from all over the entire complex. It is designed so you can be as social or unsocial as you like and still enjoy the beautiful setting.

The enormous, quiet beach in front of the house has the softest sand I have ever felt. The only way I can describe it is like walking on icing sugar.
We walked around the entire island in 2 hours during low tide and it was fabulous.

Contadora Island is an absolute must for anyone going to Panama. It is a 15 minute flight from Panama city. It is only $75.00 return and staying a night at Charlies Villa Romantica will make you never want to leave.

If anyone is interested in our pictures I will be happy to forward them. Again I cannot say enough about Villa Romantica and hope if you are planning a trip to Panama or the Pearl Islands you make sure to include Charlies gorgeous Villa Romantica on Contadora as part of your vacation.

Contadora is no more than your average island with a few beaches that are not ugly but neither particularly attractive, and unless you have a Panamanian friend or are Panamanian with a house there, and accordingly a social context in which to enjoy your stay, there's absolutely no reason to go there - on a global scale of beautiful beaches from 1-10 (with BoraBora, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and Great Barrier Reef being 8-10), Contadora's are a 5 at best. The hotels all suck. The best seems to be Punta Galeon with the added feature however that it's not just next to, but effectively part of the airport, so for 2-3 hours in the morning and in the late afternoon (each), airplanes are taking off literally over the hotel beach which is at the end of the landing strip. Turbo props are extremely noisy too, and they start their engines exactly 30 meters from the hotel pool. Hotel Contadora is ugly, and while on the largest beach (Playa Larga), that beach has two very large boats stranded on it - not exactly my idea of paradise. Another beach next to it is Playa de las Suecas. It's a nude beach (Panama's only one), and virtually non-existent at high tide. We stayed at Villa Romantica and paid usd 114 per night which is near the upper end of the price range on Contadora (Punta Galeon is usd 135) in a room that was in a bad state of repair - like the whole place - which is for sale btw. The only reason we didn't complain is that we didn't care or bother anymore as we only had 2 days left to get some relaxing done and it's emplacement is cute enough to say "least of the various evils". It's above Playa Caucique which people consider one of the nicest beaches (still, no more than the aforementioned 5) and the neighboring houses are all nice private mansions with many yachts moored in front of the beach.

In short, neither the island, nor any of the hotels are worth your money, or more importantly, your precious time if you are looking for a stunning-beach holiday. Even if you are motivated by not spending the typical usd 1,000 a night in the Carribean over Xmas, there are much better price/value ratios around (Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Brazil, certain parts of Yucatan).

That is btw also true for Panama City itself. It's ugly by any good holiday standard, with some cute features like Casco Viejo (the old town - but then for anyone who's been to Santo Domingo or Cuba, it's not thrilling). The most interesting feature is the vibrant nightlife populated by a curiously large number of breast-enhanced, beautiful women but that's obviously only really of interest to the bachelor crowd.

If you are already in Panama and looking for a beach, the two recommendations I suggest to look into: (1) Isla Bastimentos in the Bocas del Toro area for remote island feeling. We stayed at Al Natural Resort. Very simple and authentic. We also went to Red Frog Beach by boat which I would rate 7.5 (probably as good as it gets in Panama). Downside is that it rains a lot in this area all year round and, relatively speaking, it's more of a pain to get to with a 1h boat ride after a 2h flight from Panama City. (2) Hacienda del Mar on Isla San Jose. We haven't been as it was booked out when we called but on paper it seems the best thing you can get in Panama, and it's less complicated to get to.