On the main Island of Bocas del Toro, you can find the luxurious jungle resort La Coralina Island House tucked between wild nature and the Caribbean ocean. Where you can lay back and enjoy the sound of the wilderness, swim in one of their many pools, enjoy spa time, yoga class, or lift some weights at the gym. La Coralina Island House opened its doors in December 2021. And the architecture is nothing but special, inspired by Javanese and Balinese styles, the resort has brought items from Asia, such as furniture, fabrics, and art.

Location:

The resort is located southeast of Isla Colón, the main island of Bocas del Toro. It is a beach resort about a 20 minutes drive from town. There is not a pavement road, it is just gravel. It is a very popular bicycle route, but walking is a bit far. I highly recommend getting a taxi.

The rooms

The resort offers 8 beautifully designed villas and 23 suites that blend the building with nature. The luxurious feeling and the handcrafted elements from Asia are just top-notch. Villas are more expensive than suites, they are bigger and offer more privacy.

We were staying in the Superior room for three nights and had such a comfortable time at this resort. The room has a king-size bed with mosquito netting, luxurious linens, a coffee machine, and complimentary water from glass bottles. Every day after cleaning the room, they leave some homemade chocolate for you. The resort provides you with new robes every day and cleaning. The rooms also have a spacious balcony with chairs, a table, and sun beds. The bathroom has two sinks, a big shower, and a toilet separated from the bathroom, which I dig.

The resort is sparkling clean all the time, and they make sure you get what you pay for. The products they use in the bathroom are from their spa and have only good ingredients and smell so good. Even their soap bar was homemade. Check out all their villas and rooms here

The Pool

Their infinity pool at the main terrace is really cool, looking over the ocean. We used it every day and night. It is located right next to their restaurant and lobby and the pool has its own pool bar.

The spa

In the middle of the jungle, you can find their spa and gym area. They call it their sacred place, hidden in the tropical rainforest where guests can wind down, learn about their bodies, and delve into themselves to discover the insights and live a better life. Their spa is open from 7 am - 8 pm. They offer different massage types, treatments such as acupuncture and exfoliation, and body hydration. You can also book an appointment for breath work, where you can either do it in the spa area or at the yoga deck.

They also have beauty services such as eyebrow and eyelash services, washing, nail art, and facials. We didn’t do any treatment when we came, so, unfortunately, can’t give a review on that, but from what I witnessed, it looked very professional. The spa also features a pool you can use for free and is more private than the one in the main area.

The gym & The yoga deck

When they told me that they had a full-equipment gym, I was so happy. Their gym is beautiful. They brought their piece of art even to the gym. The doors are massive, with carved wood from Asia, and they have everything you need. You can also book a personal trainer, physiotherapy, and other services.

You can even get a membership there, so that way you can use the pool, yoga deck, gym, and sauna.

At their yoga deck, you can find yourself immersed in nature. They have everything for a yoga lover. I don’t really do yoga, but my friend does, and she loved it. They had sound healing instruments, mats, candles, towels, water, and everything you need for a healing experience at the yoga deck. It is in the middle of the jungle, so don’t be surprised if a monkey shows up in your yoga session, that happened to my friend. They also have classes you can join such as meditation, breath work sound healing sessions, pilates, Hatha yoga, and circuit training.

The restaurant & pool bar

On their website it says: Latin America’s Ivor meets the best Caribbean recipes. Their chef is outstanding, their food is of high quality, and thought-through recipes. Their restaurant features a fully open-air concept. Giving guests an unforgettable experience with the view of the ocean and the sound of mother nature.

They only use local ingredients, and the chef focuses on fresh, local ingredients that redefine the Caribbean dining experience. I think I tried most of what they had on the menu, and all of it was so delicious. My favorite was the filet minion, it watered my mouth. Can I say food orgasm? That’s what it felt like.

For breakfast, they make all the tables ready for guests to enjoy an amazing breakfast in the morning breeze, with the sun rising and the smell of coffee hitting. They have a small table with juices, cakes, and different kinds of bread, then the waiters will ask you what you want to order for food and hot drinks. I kept ordering their iced mocha latte, so good.

For lunch, you can just order at the bar and you can by the pool and enjoy the sun while eating a good lunch. You can also go to the beach club to have lunch there. I recommend the beach club for lunch because there was a wider food selection there.

For dinner, they make the tables with white table cloth, flowers, and candlelights. They also make a bonfire and calm music on the speakers. Very romantic and a beautiful dining experience with the stars glittering above us, and the smell of our food being prepared.

The beach club

The beach club offers a casual dining experience where you can eat at the beach or their restaurant. We went there several times because the food was so good, and I liked that it was right on the sand. The views also were great!

My overall experience and review:

This hotel ticked off all the boxes, with a million-dollar view, several infinity pools, good food, and a heavenly bed to sleep in. We had so much fun here. When we arrived, we were greeted with a welcome drink and an explanation about the resort. They showed us around the property, like where to find the spa, gym, and yoga deck. The day we arrived was the soccer match between Ecuador and Netherlands. I live in Ecuador and Yoshy lives in the Netherlands so we wanted to watch the match. So after checking out the resort real quick, and changing into our bikinis, we headed straight to the beach club.

I ordered a really good cheese sandwich and Yoshy ordered falafel. We were watching the match with the view of the ocean, can not get any better than that. The match ended 1-1 and we both were happy. After the match, we went for a swim, got some tan, then headed back to the room to take some pictures for the property. Yoshy wanted some portrait photos for her Yoga gram, so we went to the more private pool by the spa.

The resort has everything and you don’t need to leave the resort for anything, because it feels so good to just hang out at the resort and get all your money's worth. The infinity pool was very nice and the sun warms up the water so at night it feels warm to take a swim, which is perfect for people like me that can’t stand cold water no matter how warm it is outside.

We rented a bicycle to check out other beaches and Caribbean-style houses. Also went to a very cute cafe not far from the resort. The area around the resort is so beautiful. They say the Isla Colón is a party island, but for people who don’t like party and wants to stay as far away from the party places as possible, this resort is perfect. And it is just a short drive to town if that is for you.

If you ever go to Bocas del Toro, don’t skip this resort, it is the most beautiful resort in Panama and it has everything you need. It is not too expensive and you get what you pay for. Book with them here

The beach

Below you will see two pictures of the beach close by La Coralina Island House. It is a long sandy beach, surrounded by palm trees, monkeys, sloths and other wildlife. Please don’t feed or touch the animals.