The Red Frog "Resort" is actually youth hostel for surfers/hikers. I think the eventual intention is a resort, but they are not there yet, There is not even a main pool. The main restaurant, Kayukos, is a large open pavillion next to the hostel with a food counter that serves local fare and drinks. The staff is very friendly and efficient unless they are short staffed which appeared to be a problem when we were there over the Christmas break. The other small restaurant at the beach is very small, burgers and such and there were lots of inebriated customers that made us reluctant to partake, especially with our children. The villa was gorgeous and had a small plunge pool but it was far from the "restaurants" and beach. The roads were very rough and potholed which made driving around in our rented golf cart precarious, especially at night. Red Frog Beach was beautiful but there was a lot of trash visible and it was very crowded with visitors over from Boca. There were more isolated beaches but no amenities there. We had been told there were themed dinners at the beach restaurant during the holidays, but we could never get information about them (I called the activity desk every night) so only went to the New Year's buffet at the pavillion restaurant.
We arrived in Bocas at 7:30 am and were not able to check in at Red Frog until 3 pm due to flight times on Panama Air to Bocas from Panama City and apparently several groups were checking in at once so it was very disorganized. You could do activities but it was pouring off and on so we hung around for 4 hours at the pavaillion where there was internet . You could have your villa stocked which we did but groceries didn't arrive until the next day. There was also pizza and to go delivery from the restaurant to the villas. We cooked a couple of nights in the villas as planned.
It was a 10 minute taxi ride into Bocas which we did one day. There was little to do there but eat and very limited shopping, unless you were doing an excursion. And if it rained during the taxi ride, you got soaked.
We stayed at Red Frog for 6 days which was too long. We should have spent more time in Panama City and less here. If you visit, be prepared for a long journey and isolation.
Most of the time, the staff was very friendly and as accommodating as possible. We took the zipline tour which was very fun and the staff was very engaging and knowledgeable.

We are an adventurous traveling family but this was more adventure and much less luxury for the price ($$$$) than we had planned for this trip.

Red frog is effectively a private beach run by the resort with a 3 dollar entrance fee. The beach is lovely, with shade from the forest if you want, although dangerous for swimming due to rip tides. No life guard on duty though.

Main issue I had was the litter on and around the place. Local labour is cheap so how hard can it be to keep it clean?

Big beach, didn't feel crowded, there's a cafe at one end.

We are just back from 5 glorious days at Red Frog Beach Resort. We stayed in villa 5. Fabulous! The villas are absolutely gorgeous, and felt quite luxurious. Large modern kitchen, great living room, 3 patios, 4 bedrooms, and a private pool. We had a golf cart to get around, which was quite a lot of fun!

The beach is stunningly gorgeous! Absolute heaven! There's plenty of excursions and adventures that can be booked at Red Frog. But we were quite content to relax at the beach, and take an occasional water taxi to Bocas.

We had the most lovely time dining down at Punta Lava Beach Bar. During the holiday week, there was a wonderful dinner buffet served there nightly. The manager, Hans, was amazingly accommodating as several of us are vegetarians. Lunch and cocktails during the day were great there too! (I recommend the fish tacos!) We also ate a few meals at Kayukos, which was terrific - casual, inexpensive and great food. And, Hans was incredible there as well, when he came out with a specially baked birthday cake for my husband on Christmas Day.

It was an amazing vacation at Red Frog. Would love to go back there again!!!

We stayed in Villa 9 (shared villa) in one of the queen bedrooms in November 2012.

The villa definitely exceeded our expectations. The private pool was a great spot to have a dip after a day at red frog beach and the villa was spacious and great to relax in. The kitchen was more than large enough and the laundry machine was useful. Everything was clean and we really couldn't think of any complaints. As it was a shared villa, we were concerned of the noise from other guests, but after our 6 night stay we were never bothered once due to noise.

Red frog beach was beautiful and was never too crowded when we were there. I imagine the beach does get busier December onwards. Isla Bastiementos was a great place to get away and a good escape away from the business of Bocas Town. We were careful with our stuff on the beach but didn't feel like there was any threat to our belongings. There are sometimes local kids that come around with the "red frogs". Worth a $1 just to snap a picture.

We found the food to be at Kayukos and and Punta Lava great. Kayukos is more dinner fare, whereas Punta Lava is more burgers, nachos, etc. And local beer is cheap - $2/beer at Punta Lava! Panama, Atlas, Balboa are all very tasty. I personally enjoy eating local food while on vacation and Kayukos catered to my tastes. While we were there, Hans, the Resort Manager hosted an "Italian Night" at Punta Lava. We had an amazing time and couldn't believe that Hans actually sang (I swear that we actually thought it was a CD at first, but it was actually him!). We also found it very easy to go to Bocas Town for dinner. There are a few great dining options there for a change of pace. Pick up some food at the grocery store prior to coming over to cook some meals in the villa.

There is a "red frog taxi" at designated times, but essentially a lot of water taxis stop by the red frog dock so you can take any taxi. I believe the standard rate is $5 each one way, and then after 10pm it is $10 pp for all the taxis. We never had to wait for more than 5 mins for a taxi. Maybe could get it less with more people. If going at night, make sure the taxi has a pilot light as it gets quite dark. Taxi to bocas town from red frog is about 10 minutes.

For the comments about construction, Villa 9 is located in an area where the construction is primarily complete, and it was not a bother at all. From what we saw, much of the construction is in specific areas - perhaps inquire beforehand to see if villas getting constructed are nearby.

There is constantly resort staff cleaning around the villas (trimming shrubs, adding chlorine to the pool, etc.) and the condition of the villa was great.

Our one knock on the resort is that unfortunately the spa wasn't open when we were there. From what I understood it would be open sometime soon - best to check if this is something you are looking forward to do. The roads are unpaved but wasn't any hassle in our golf cart. We recommend getting a golf cart, but we are of the lazy type.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that Hans, the Resort Manager, helped make our experience one of the best vacations we have had thus far. He has tons of interesting stores and if you're lucky enough to be able to run into him at Kayukos or Punta Lava definitely try to have a chat! His hospitality is phenomenal and went above and beyond to make our stay wonderful. We had an early morning flight at 8am to Costa Rica and had to leave red frog by 6am. Hans woke up and was at the dock at 6am making sure that we were able to get a water taxi that early.

We really can't wait to come back to Red Frog sometime in the future!!