The gardens are beautiful and the fact that there are kayaks you can take out, or jump off the back deck to go swimming are amazing! But, if you come back to the hotel late your water taxi fare is going to be $25. Every trip back and forth (the hotel covers one a day) will be $25. And it is far away from the main island. The food was expensive and mediocre, but the host was wonderful. He does have a refrigerator full of drinks you can purchase. The room was nice, clean, comfortable, etc. He had standing fans to help cool you off in the moist, warm Bocas air. The best part though is having your own island. I would go back, but be aware of the hidden cost of getting back and forth. Oh, and the owner has a very large dog, so if you aren't a fan, keep that in mind.

Wow... Where do I start? What a wonderful WONDERFUL few weeks I've just had at the Garden of Eden! I was lucky enough to have no onward travel plans when arriving in Bocas del Toro & decided to head out for a weekend of R&R @ the Garden. After seeing its great review/s here on trip advisor (thanks Nicko C) how could I not... I ended up staying for 3 weeks!!
I fell in love with it immediately. Kipp & his playful puppy Zeus greeted me on the dock as i arrived and I instantly felt at home. I stayed in one of the pool side cabanas which was the exact little piece of heaven I was looking for... comfy "four poster" bed, my own private balcony with hammock overlooking the bay & a pool right at my door step. What more could a girl need to relax? Cocktails or chilled beer - kipp had it sorted! ...even the good ol' H2O was purified rainwater so totally safe to drink (even in the shower) ...being in a third world country i really enjoyed brushing my teeth normally not having to worry about getting a sore belly!
All meals were tasty & made with love & care by Kipp and his team of Meliza & Alvin (recommend the grouper for dinner & brownie for dessert ;)
As secluded as the retreat was it was only 15mins by water taxi into Bocas town so i found it real easy to slip in for a massage (with Donna at the spa shop) a bite to eat & a little shopping - my water taxi man Chingo was only ever a phone call away! Chingo was reliable, punctual, trustworthy and spoke good English so I always felt very safe.
If your looking for a secluded retreat on its own private island with access (if needed) to Bocas town. I can't recommend it highly enough! Book it now - before the secret gets out...
Thanks Meliza for teaching me some spanish & salsa.. Thanks Kipp, you made my stay an unforgettable one & I can't wait to come back again!

I was in Bocas del Torro for a week and regrettably only found this little piece of paradise on my very last day. We were invited out for drinks by the pool, so we took a boat over to the dock and were greeting by the very friendly owner. We proceeded up the steps to what can only be described as paradise.

The bartender, Lindsey, was very sweet and made us the house drink, which was absolutely delicious.

One of my favorite parts was when Lindsey introduced us to Likki Bird, her parrot, who loved to hang out and be part of the group.

A mere 3 hours late, it was time for us to leave, I'm sure when we return it will be at the top of our list, if we can get a room. :)

After weeks of research and careful debate my girlfriend and I settled on two potential locations for our one-week stay in Bocas. The only other option quickly turned me off with lack of communication and follow-up (preoccupied with sale of the property, come to find out afterwards), a major factor while planning a big trip out of the country. That turned out to be a fortunate turn of events.

This was our first trip to Panama and our stay at G of E was the first half of a two-week excursion. So, we were eager and excited. And from the very beginning we were not disappointed. I was comfortable and put at ease during planning and, upon arrival via water taxi to the island, we received a warm welcome from Kipp and Lindsey. I’ll never forget the walk up the path to the pool/cabanas/restaurant that evening. Finally reaching the center of the action (or relaxation) was mesmerizing and extremely gratifying. I encourage any interested parties to peruse the photos because they are very accurate and give a great feel. However, they still don’t entirely do the property justice. It’s a captivating experience, day and night.

To address some of the complainers’/whiners’ comments, I think the most important thing to point out is that some people are generally unhappy (vacationing or not) and, sadly, aren’t hesitant to communicate it. The Garden of Eden is a “tropical” vacation. There’s no A/C but ceiling fans, floor-standing fans and, not the least of which, ocean breezes to keep you cool in your room. If that doesn’t work, hang out in the pool (we certainly did :). Being tropical, the climate is humid. Thus clothes and towels may not dry immediately. These are not reasons to dissuade others of a pleasurable and likely unforgettable experience. My only complaint: the “no-see-ums” (bothersome gnat/mosquito hybrid). Fortunately they only pestered me and not my girlfriend, whose birthday we were celebrating. Just have some name-brand bug repellent handy and, if you need it (at beaches mostly), you’ll be okay. Note, this is no reflection on the resort. Just comes with the territory.

The Garden itself is intimate and self-contained but you can take a (water) taxi to Bocas town for excitement, jaunt to any of the nearby islands/beaches or kayak it across the bay to Red Frog Beach. However, our last couple of days we barely went anywhere. Instead, we were perfectly content to float in the pool, relax in bed & in our cabana’s balcony hammock and to play with Zeus and "Capitan" (the two resident mascots).

So, taking reviews into account, consider this one as well. Savvy travellers factor in testimonials. But we also must read between the lines and discern the truth from the nonsense.

Thanks again Kipp, Lindsey and Meliza!