Visiting a private tropical Caribbean island at Hotel Laguna Azul, Bocas del Toro Panama

It is always interesting to me to get the story behind a destination boutique hotel. These aren’t large franchise chains owned by a mega-corporation. Small boutique hotels have style and flair, with usually one or a few owners, and often in creative places.

Take for instance, Hotel Laguna Azul in the southern Caribbean Bocas del Toro archipelago of Panama. How on earth did a man from Buenos Aires, Argentina find this little piece of paradise in the Caribbean Sea between two lagoons and a mangrove forest on remote, scarcely populated Popa Island?

That’s the story of Jorge Benatuel. In 1998, Benatuel and his wife traveled from their homeland of Argentina to Bocas del Toro, Panama on vacation. They spent 15 days traveling around Bocas del Toro’s nine major islands and 200-plus islets by boat, looking for a property to build their own house.

“They were looking for peace and relaxation and being away from noise and hubbub,” explained Hotel Laguna Azul general director Fernando Quevedo.

The couple found their paradise on Popa Island, one of the more distant and least populated islands of the Bocas del Toro archipelago. The only population of Popa Island now is Hotel Laguna Azul and two small indigenous communities on the other side of the island. The site faces the open sea, surrounded and protected on three sides by untouched mangrove forest.



The couple returned to Argentina, but before they could build their dream home, Benatuel’s wife sadly passed away. In 2010, Benatuel elected to build an eco-boutique hotel on the property, with associates Hugo Badareotte and Jorge Santillan of Argentina, and Ruben Navarro from Panama. The eight-room luxury hotel opened in 2011.

Hotel Laguna Azul is like being on your own private tropical island. Away from all of the other hotels in Bocas del Toro, this is a place where you can relax and enjoy without sacrificing comfort. Service is attentive with a personal concierge. All-inclusive meals provided by their professional chef are delicious and fresh – as in, just out-of-the-water fresh. The hotel also has a Spa, TV lounge, pool table, table tennis, a fully-equipped gym, and complimentary Wi-Fi in the lobby.



The Caribbean island hotel is built right over the translucent blue Caribbean Sea on 70 concrete pillars. There is nothing between you and the sea. When sitting on the infinity deck you look out over an active coral reef with water so clear you can see the bottom. The area around Popa Island offers some of the best snorkeling in Bocas del Toro.

Located very close to the border with Costa Rica, Bocas del Toro is outside the Caribbean’s “Hurricane Zone”. “This is the true southern Caribbean,” said Quevedo. “At any moment it could rain, but the rains are short and intense. What we don’t have are dangerous storms.”

Your next vacation needs to be to the Bocas del Toro Archipelago in Panamá. Easy to get to from North America and Europe via Panama City, or combine with a trip to Costa Rica, Bocas del Toro has everything you want in a Caribbean vacation – without the crowds.



How to get there: From Panama City, Air Panama flies to the Isla Colon International Airport on Colon Island. From there it is a 35-minute ride by private boat to Popa Island to Laguna Azul Hotel.

From San José, Costa Rica, you can fly Nature Air to Colon Island in Bocas del Toro.
Article by Shannon Farley  

Bocas del Toro Panama is the perfect Caribbean vacation

As I am flipping through the website for Laguna Azul eco-boutique hotel in Bocas del Toro, Panamá, I am more and more captivated by the images of turquoise Caribbean Sea, water that is impossibly clear, coral reef, dolphins, Caribbean beaches … and the beauty goes on and on. I want to go there. Now. Forget whatever it was that I was supposed to do this weekend, or next week or next month. I want to be at Laguna Azul, jumping off their sun deck into that gorgeous green-blue water. Maybe I’ll stay the rest of my life.

The description I like best is: “The romance and isolation of staying on a completely uninhabited island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. Of course, the silence and isolation of Laguna Azul is at the heart of its appeal, so leave time for a swim out to the anchored platform at dusk — it’s a memory that will linger long after you return to the grid.”

The six-suite luxury eco-hotel is located on the blissfully remote Popa Island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago off the Caribbean Coast of northwestern Panama, very close to the border with Costa Rica. It is an area of incredible beauty, blue water, green jungle, and abundant animal and plant life. Thanks to the fact that Bocas del Toro Panama is outside the Caribbean’s “Hurricane Zone”, the coral reefs here have some of the best preserved hard and soft coral in the world – over 95% of the coral species found in the Caribbean Sea.

Most of the population of Bocas del Toro’s nine islands is concentrated on Colon Island, the largest and most developed island and the capital of the province. The town of Bocas del Toro is located here. Popa Island is 35 minutes away by boat.

Laguna Azul eco-boutique hotel is built on the edge of a beautiful, clear blue lagoon. All around are virgin mangroves, coral reefs and an endless stretch of translucent blue water. The nearest beach is an easy 15-minute boat ride. It is ideal for snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, swimming and relaxing, and there are plenty of fun day tours to do in Bocas del Toro.



Visitors from all over the world have discovered this hidden gem, rated with 5-star excellence by TripAdvisor.

“I cannot find the right words to describe this secluded portion of paradise. The place itself, the people just ready to help you always with a smile, the food, everything is just set to relax,” wrote one traveler on TripAdvisor. “If you want to unplug and get away from everything, this is the best place to do it. Amazing location, excellent service. Best place ever! Like heaven on earth! Will go again with my family as soon as possible,” wrote another recent traveler.



With only six rooms, it’s nearly like being at your own private island resort. Service is attentive with a personal concierge. Meals are all-inclusive. There are many open lounge spaces to enjoy the views and sea breezes. There is a really large swimming pool – it’s called the tranquil Caribbean Sea! You can enjoy sunbathing on the floating deck, or stargazing on a clear night. The hotel also has a Spa, TV lounge, pool table, table tennis, a fully-equipped gym and complimentary Wi-Fi in the lobby.

I’m going as soon as I can. How about you?


 

Reservations: Check availability and make reservations online.

How to get there: From Panama City, Air Panama flies to the Isla Colon International Airport on Colon Island. From there it is a 35-minute ride by private boat to Popa Island to Laguna Azul Hotel. From San José, Costa Rica, you can fly Nature Air to Colon Island in Bocas del Toro.

Article by Shannon Farley