We stayed 5 nights at Casa Manana. It is located on the north shore of Isla Colon in Boca del Drago, 45 minutes away from Bocas Town by car (quite a ride!). The owner arranged for a taxi to meet us at the airport and stop for groceries for the week on the way. Casa Manana is a solar house on 20 acres, situated on a hill up from the beach, beautifully landscaped with flowering ginger and other tropical flowers, mangos, papayas, breadfruit, etc. The owner has planted all of this and she is willing to share her knowledge with anyone who asks, as well as her knowledge about the wildlife in the jungle that surrounds the property. The beach is sandy and the surf was fun - the water was 81 degrees. Magnificent location, if you are looking for a laid-back vacation off the beaten path where nature abounds. A wonderland for any age.
As for the house, the owners (American ex-pats) live upstairs, and rent out the lower level of the house, and they are available as much or as little as you want them to be. The shutters on the doors and windows fold back, without screens, opening up the house to the great outdoors (you do have to close them at night because the lights will attract bugs).I went to Panama with 100% DEET expecting the worse and I was surprised that I did not receive a single bite (even in the jungle) without it - maybe it's just me. There is no AC (but there are ceiling fans), but we didn't need it as there was always a breeze. The beds were comfortable, the showers were clean and modern, the kitchen was well-equipped. However, we spent little time inside as the outside beckoned.
The surrounding jungle was magnificent and we took daily hikes in search of wildlife. The howler monkeys visited daily and two 3-toed sloths made their home in a tree near the house where we watched them through binoculars. We had frequent visits from hummingbirds, bananaquits, oropendula, and many other birds.
We had a wonderful time and we all agreed that this was the favorite part of our 16-day Panamanian vacation. We will be back!
Older travelers | Families with young children |
We stayed at Casa Manana for 5 days during Christmas and we found paradise! A spacious clean house with a beautiful veranda, a lovely garden with organic fresh lime, peppers, ruccola. bananas, waterapples and lots more, a private picture perfect beach, a fresh water lagoon - the list of paradise-contributing-elements is very long! Gundula and Dave took care of us in a wonderful way, pointing out sloths and fruits in the garden.
We were two families travelling together with 4 children (aged two and five). The kids loved it and they miss the very friendly dogs a lot. Hopefully we can return to this paradise one day!
My husband, myself and our two young daughters spent three nights at Casa Mañana and it was an unforgettable experience. I was worried that our daughters would be bored with no Internet or tv. Quite the opposite. They had the time of their lives running around the property, playing with the dogs, checking out the gardens and playing board games. The home is beautiful and clean. We have rented vacation homes all over the world and this place is top-notch. Dave was an excellent host who entertained us with great conversations and did everything possible to make us comfortable and ensure we had everything we needed. Wonderful stay!
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This is a great place to stay! The home and property grounds are beautiful and clean. We arrived in Bocas del Toro a few days earlier than planned and David helped us out tremendously. We are very grateful. He showed us around the property, their private beach, fresh water lagoon and enjoyed a variety of delicious fruit. As an added bonus, they have three wonderful dogs. Our kids talk about them all the time.
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Everything about Casa Manana was wonderful. It was squeaky clean, extremely comfortable and the kitchen was well outfitted. It is off the beaten track, but it is well worth the extra effort to get there. The house is environmentally friendly, using solar power, instantaneous water heaters and rain water. The beach is clean, private and beautiful. It's the sort of place you fall in love with and wish you could stay longer. The owners are great people, very attentive to the small details (e.g. arranging transportation and grocery shopping in town) and very conscious of preserving the natural surroundings. Their dogs are well behaved and wonderful companions on beach walks. I would come back in a heartbeat.
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Staying at Casa Manana for me was a wonderful experience. The property is beautiful, with a wide variety of wildlife and fruit trees and also has great access to the beach. Gundala was a great host. She showed us around the property, brought us awesome local fruit, and accommodated our every need included picking us up at the airport, helped organize day trips, and thinks of other activities to do. She has three great dogs who also kept us company and were a treat to have around and play with. All-in-all the stay at Casa Manana was probably one of my best and most relaxing vacations ever. I would definitely recommend staying here and I plan to go back.
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The property is a tucked away from the maddening crowd, with beautiful manicured tropical gardens, private beach and fresh water pond nearby. Now is the turtle season and we were fortunate enough to experience turtles nesting in Bocas del Drago. The property is beautiful, spacious and immaculate! There are 2 spacious rooms and a lovely master bedroom with a large bath. The open kitchen is large and all window open out to the ocean to receive the natural breezes. There is a lovely lanai area with hammocks where you can relax, with an outdoor/indoor dining area. This location is very private, approx. 30 minutes from town.. My best recommendation is to stay here for a week. One of the most unique retreats to be experienced!
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