Unique Jungle Stay with Amazing Food – Day 1

One of the more unique experiences I had on a recent trip to Panama was staying a couple of nights at Isla Palenque. Its basically jungle “glamping” on an exclusive island. In order to get here, you will need to get to the docks at Boca Chica. From there, the hotel rep will meet you and a boat will take you to the island where the hotel is the only inhabitant. There are two ways to get to Boca Chica:

1.Fly to David from Panama City and then car to Boca Chica

2.Drive (this is what we did, its 6 hours from Panama City or 4 hours from the Buenaventura Golf and Beach resort where we were staying prior to coming)

From the dock, it is a short boat ride to the island:

Once you get to the island, a 4×4 will meet you and take you to your casita. The casitas are very unique with beachfront access and outdoor bathrooms. Yes, the bathrooms are outside including the toilet, shower, and sinks! Here is a room tour and a video showing proximity to the beach.

The room itself, and the bathroom, was clean and well appointed. The AC works well. There are tons of outdoor areas for lounging. There is even an outdoor bathtub in the backyard. The casitas are very private with fences on the front and sides. There are also free snacks and drinks in the room. The setting is gorgeous. The only downside, which is not the hotel’s fault, are BUGS. Because you are in the jungle, you need to be aware that there will be mosquitos and other bugs everywhere. I was bitten multiple times despite preparing a lot for this trip as I knew this would be an issue in the jungle. I packed a lot of bug repellant and even brought two Thermacell diffusers (they are supposed to create a dome where mosquitos cannot penetrate, to be used outdoor only; we placed one in the front when we were chilling on the porch, and one in the back for the bathroom; I think they worked OK). You always need to be careful to keep the casita doors shut. Every night before bed, I would check the room and bed for bugs and would find multiple despite all the precautions.

Anyway, after getting settled in, we decided to walk to the communal areas which contain the pool and restaurant. The pool was ok but we did not use it. I never understood using the pool at a hotel when there is a beach so close by. Note that our casita was beside the restaurant which was very convenient. If you dont want to walk far, or request a ride each time, you will want to ask for a casita close to the restaurant.

The staff greeted us with some welcome drinks and we took these to the beach to enjoy.

After that, we ordered some snacks which are included daily with your room (along with breakfast, lunch and dinner). I have to say, the food at this resort greatly exceeded my expectations and continued to reinforce my appreciation of the food culture in Panama. The menu changed daily and was plated beautifully. The staff took great passion in the food, and a large % was even from the island and/or sourced close by. Even the ketchup was made from scratch!

When in Panama, you need to eat as much ceviche as possible!

They also had a daily selection of ice cream which was also made on site!

After our snacks, we decided to lounge on the beach, and I had an espresso martini.

As the sun set, I decided to go paddleboarding. It was an incredible experience/moment.

Later that evening, we got cleaned up and went back to the restaurant for dinner. The daily menus are presented on ipads.

I noticed the sancocho on the menu and had to try it. When I was in the DR, it was one of my favorite things to have. I have to say that I prefer the DR version better.

Overall, this was an amazing first day in Isla Palenque. The food was so incredible and to have this level of culinary experience in a jungle is just mind blowing. The staff need to be highly recognized for this.