We spent New Years at the el Caribeo and were not disappointed at all. Great food, great views and a nice garden with lots of homegrown tropical fruit. Even got a chance for a fruit tasting. Fresh water is handed out all day long and Camille and Romain took really good care of us.

Only one negative aspect and that were the sandflies during dusk and dawn.

Romain was a great host. He was hardworking, caring and observant of our preferences. The garden tour and dolphin viewing were both outstanding and not to be missed. We had a romantic dusk trip to see the dolphins and saw tons basically all by ourselves with a beautiful sunset. Camille’s cooking was outstanding. She says she has no traditional culinary training but everything was of that quality. All the food had really strong and delicious flavors. We had four dinners there and the starters were all well done, the dinners hearty, healthy and delicious, and the desserts fun. Most meals included numerous items just picked from the garden. El Caribeo is very peaceful with idyllic Caribbean views. Don’t miss snorkeling to the coral in the waters in front. The two dogs and cat were added fun. Each pet was strategizing for a few head scratches in their own unique way. The property is in a more remote area of Bocas Del Toro and therefore expensive to go into town. If you are looking to party in town, this is probably not the best property for you. If you are looking to enjoy nature and relax with excellent food, this is the spot.

location and super personal attention from team Caribeo. Great food! They have a fantastic ‘house reef’ for snorkling

The scenery with seaview, a well managed 2 ha garden and the jungle in the back is amazing. Camille, Romaine and Clement are good people as they make you feel home instantly and take a lot of effort to make sure that you are fine. Currently there exist only 2 bungalows which makes it the perfect place to relax and enjoy the surrounding nature. Nonetheless it was also fun to have some drinks and some interesting conversation in the common area. Camille is a smart person. ❤️ For me it was the first hotel in panama so far with really clean rooms. The cooking is excellent. The breakfast (pancakes, fruit salad, smoothie and coffee) is included but optional you can also order ham and eggs from their own chicken. You can order lunch and dinner (3 courses) for fair price as it surely fills you up and there is no risk of starving. Various drinks are also available for relatively cheap price (cocktails made of own garden fruits for 5 $). Regarding activities the owners can arrange/book boat tours/water taxis if you like. I recommend doing a guided garden tour with concluding fruit tasting. It may be interesting for tourists to see many different herbs and tropical fruits growing directly in the garden. I even saw a sloth. Also I recommend doing a kajak tour. When driving along the mangrove coast there are several rivers to enter. Exactly halfway between El Caribeo and the "drunken monkey bar" you can drive first through mangrove forest and then for quite some time on the river through an open landscape with some palm trees and some cows. After passing a huge liane and the river splitting up you can take the left and drive even further for some time. When you pass a little bridge the river turns into a mini canyon and shortly thereafter it may be time to drive back because it will get difficult to turn the kajak if the river gets too small. I also highly recommend driving towards the dolphin bay.

It was one of the best places I’ve ever stayed. the food is more than delicious and there is such a beautiful garden. If you are in Panama, you should go there!

It was absolute paradise. The owners are extremely nice and they cook (very tasty) , clean and do the tours all themselves. We felt comfortable and welcome from the first minute. If we could have we would have stayed a few more days. Hope to see you soon :)

Clearly 5* rating - a Gem in Bocas del Toro. We had been looking for an accommodation in Bocas del Toro for 6 nights and decided on El Caribeo - bull's eye! Isla Cristobal was perfect because we did not want to spend the days in the hustle and bustle of the party and tourist spots, but were looking for a quiet and relaxing corner. The vacation was pure relaxation. El Caribeo is a beautiful main house with pool, 2 bungalows, private jetty to enter the coral reef with boat dock and a large garden. The garden is super well-kept and has palm trees, mango papaya maracuja fruit trees, herb and vegetable patches and lots of flowers and exotic trees (including sloths if you're lucky - we saw 3 of them 😊). It is also an excellent base for various activities (very nice snorkeling right at your doorstep, canoeing (equipment available), scuba diving or just lazing around). The boat ride from the main island to El Caribeo takes about 20min and costs between $20-25 for 2 people (as of June 2022). We had a bungalow with bedroom and an extra bathroom with shower and toilet. The accommodation was extremely clean - incredible, in the middle of the jungle. Everything at El Caribeo lives with and from nature and it can be operated almost self-sufficiently. Thus, most of the food comes from the own garden and can' t be beaten in terms of taste and freshness. In addition, Romain makes an incredible effort with the preparation of the dishes (everything is cooked fresh) and is passionate about it. The prices of the food and drinks were absolutely fair (lunch $12, dinner menu $25). Again, many thanks to Romain who took extreme care of us and gave us a wonderful time in Bocas del Torro. We would come back anytime!

The owner was very nice and very helpful. Always kept an eye on our needs. We went on a dolphin trip which was the best experience ever. And the food is homecooked by the owner with fresh grown ingredients from their own garden.

Nothing.

Amazing location with a spectacular coral reef in front. Romain, the owner was very nice. Every detail was taken care of.

If you are looking for a tranquil paradise on an island, away from it all - come here! There are currently only two rooms (one is a tent, actually), so a maximum of four guests can ever be here at any one time. Yet, the space feels so generous like it was designed for 12 to 15 people. Everything is build simply, but to perfection and with really a lot of attention to detail. The same is true for their amazing food (breakfast included, three-course dinner USD 25 which is a steal for the home cooked deliciousness you are going to get, so no fear. Drinks are priced more than fairly). You need to hop on a taxi boat to get here and away, so be mindful of that. Do go on a dolphin watching tour with Romain or have the garden explained to you and then taste all its bounty. It will all exceed your expectation. We hung out, enjoyed the view and the quiet, read books, took dips to cool off in the small pool, walked out into the sea and snorkelled the local reef, ate too much good food, looked at dolphins, did a day long excursion to Zapatilla island and went fishing out on the open water. All of it was amazing. And the hosts to boot - extremely attentive, yet at the same time almost invisible. Tranquility and perfection! Your hosts are aiming to keep their and your footprint on nature as minimal as possible. Water and electricity are managed accordingly. So don't bring your blowdryer.# Don't come here if you are looking for a party. ;)

Sometimes, one could hear the party sounds from Bocas being blown across the water. A good reminder why we stayed where we stayed!

The hotel is amazing. We spent one night there and unfortunately it was rainy like crazy the whole time we were there. That was terrible, but the hotel itself is so cute. the people running it are soo nice, the room was very clean and comfortable, the garden is so pretty. we also loved the dinner, which we were nervous about, since my husband is a picky eater.

I was def sure that the kayak would be included. It's 10USD extra which is not much anyway.

It’s such a beautiful place, everything is so close yet it’s an apart from the world experience. The owners took great care of the place and one feels like being in a friend’s home

Nothing. Even though as some guests mentioned there were some sand flies but they didn’t bother me

We had an amazing stay at El Caribeo! Exceptional attention from the staff, very friendly and helpful. It's a piece of heaven with an amazing view and a nice garden. Camille makes very good meals.

Nothing related to the hotel but you have to pay 20-25$ (one way) to go there.

very nice and helpful owners,comfortable bungalows,excellent ocean view,everything clean,perfect kitchen….we love it!

invisible sand flies

From the moment we arrived Robin, Camille and Clement were wonderful, paying attention to detail in making our stay perfect in every way whenever and however possible.

For us, there was nothing to dislike.

Amazing stay in a beautiful location! Clement and Camille were super nice, were always available and took great care of us!

Loved our hosts, including (especially!) the furry ones. Food was amazing (thx Camille!), quiet/peace/beauty was beyond great. Views/grounds/gardens were gorgeous and common area was quirky and cozy. Snorkelling right off the dock had best live coral we’ve seen in 15 years...stunning. Pool was a nice refresher. All around, we felt right at home. Oh and we took a few little jaunts around - Robin and Clem had great advice and contacts. Could add so many more photos...Pampa, Django and MouMou...and countless food/flower/views pics...but just sharing a smattering.

First, everything that was amazing more than made up for small inconveniences - so mentioning only to manage expectation for others! The citras (sp?) were nasty in morning and evening...whole-hearted efforts from our hosts (bug spray, wood smudge and doo-doo coils) helped but didn’t spare us head to toe bites. And love the heat, just not for sleeping. Solar power meant just one wee (personal-sized) fan to move the air at night, so there was a fair bit of tossing/turning.

Our experience at El Caribeo exceeded out expectations. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted by friendly faces (Roman, two dogs, Django & Pampa, and even the cat, Moo-Moo) and made to feel welcome. Roman, Clément and Camille have created a tranquil oasis, and it was a privilege to get to experience it. They were eager to ensure we enjoyed ourselves, and happy to answer any questions. They shared their knowledge about their property and their experiences building their eco-lodge. We loved learning about how they built their property from the ground up and continue to use rain water and solar power to live off the grid. Breakfast, which was included, was very generous. Nothing beats drink coffee in the morning overlooking the ocean! Camille made some fantastic meals in the evenings. She even made her own chocolate mousse using Panamanian cocoa. We stayed in the tent, which was the most luxurious form of tent we've experienced! It included a full--sized bathroom and shower, with soap made by locals. Our most memorable moment was sloth spotting in the garden! Thank you Roman, Camille and Clément! We will most definitely be back to your eco-lodge in paradise.

Stay as long as you can! This little peace of heaven is a truly hidden gem. The Frech owners built El Caribeo from scratch and you can feel they are in it with all their heart. One of the most relaxing and memorable stays ever. In preparation of our stay Clement was super quick on email and whatsapp to ensure a smooth arrival and stay. Our extraordinary experience started in Panama Airport already, when we were in touch with Romain who would pick us up in Bocas Town, to update him on the flight delay and to receive his photo for easy recognition. We met at the airport and went to the boat that would take us to El Caribeo on San Cristobal Island in about 15-20minutes. The bungalow we have booked is located next to the main house, to keep your privacy. Size wise absolutely comfortable with efficient storage facility for clothes and personal belongings. El Caribeo has a pool and social area with lounge furniture and restaurant style - set up in front of the house to relax during the day and to have your meals there. We highly advise to opt for dinner and / or lunch to let Camille spoil you with her cooking skills. Breakfast with delicious coffee, fruits, eggs and pancakes is already included to start the day right. Filtered water is available at all times. An additional plus of this eco lodge are the animals, which we felt in love with. The fluffy, lazy cat Moumou, playful female dog Pampa and attentive Mr. Django - all three different and adorable characters. Sorry for not mentioning the chicken’s name, but this one was rather shy and didn’t spend much time with us. There was no need to pre-plan any tours as Romain and Clement can arrange everything on the spot. Our water taxi Marco was on time every day and provided safe and flexible day trips to the neighboring islands. Without any travel, you can take the garden tour followed by degustation of the fresh fruits.