Marla C.
Mar 1, 2024 04:17:31 AM
Summary:
Stay here. Itβs stunning. Trip of a lifetime. Thank you Sunanda and Vincent for everything!
Daniel L.
Mar 10, 2022 01:00:21 AM
Summary:
First of all, the hosts are great, and the house is beautiful, we had a great vacation time! One of the hosts, Vincent, also speaks French :) You will be on the beach, beautiful water, snorkeling with plenty of fish nearby. You have internet access in the house. The personnel at Al Natural is great too, and helpful. There was supposed to be a cleaning lady at least once, but there was none. We saw lots of beautiful corals, fishes, we saw dolphins, monkeys, sloths, birds, little bats, big butterflies, no caiman, no snakes.
What you need to know:
- The house is not located near wizard beach as the map shows, you will be much much further south in Punta Vieja = big difference! Compared to Wizard Beach, you won't have mobile signal, will not be able to easily go back to Bocas for activities, groceries, and that changed our planning completely. The host will offer boat trips to Bacos at any time, and at a fee, but not the 1$-5$ of a taxi boat from Bocas to Wizard beach, so plan for that budget too,
- The fisherman were suppose to pass by, or you go and see them, but that never happened. The trick is to ask the host's captain, Marvin to get you a fish from a fisherman, which we did at the end of the trip, so we had one day left with fish for a week :(
- You can count on them to show up on time for boat rides, but I strongly recommend to remind them1 hour before your ride to return to Bocas if you have a flight, as we almost missed ours, as they had forget for the first time..
- If the knives don't cut, I would recommend you bring them to the restaurant so they sharpen them ;)
- You will get sandflies (like mosquitos) bits, some more than others, so bring bug repellant.
- The price of activities are ok, but always with additional hidden fees that were not mentioned, so make sure you have cash with you when you go.
Overall, this was a great rental, great hosts, and an amazing vacation away on an isolated island.
Ivan L.
Feb 3, 2020 06:37:16 AM
Summary:
This was an incredible location and the pictures don't do it justice. The house is located on a picturesque beach and is not far away form Al natural and Azul paradize (in case you need a stretch or if you want to get a drink, dinner outside or excursion). There are lots of activities and trails in the local salt creek village (15 min away). The house s well designed and is spacious and safe. the wifi access is a short walk of ~5 min away from the house. We felt that we had enough power, water, sizeable fridge for a group of 6. The fisherman passed by the house regularly in their boats and you can buy fresh fish for dinner! The hosts are friendly, accommodating and very helpful. You can easily travel to town if you need to by making arrangements with al naturel resorts for a nominal fee. We saw lots of sloths, birds and animals around the house. The water is warm and the beach is sandy without any rocks -- so the swimming is very enjoyable. Overall our stay was very relaxing, pleasant and restorative. I highly recommend this location and property to others. I would say that staying in this house is more enjoyable, spacious and luxurious then at the nearby hotels. This was the best vacation ever!
Dennis H.
Feb 26, 2019 08:56:39 AM
Summary:
Beautiful location with an awesome house. Kids enjoyed the water and paddle boards and my wife and I enjoyed reading and making food! Owners were extremely helpful and made it very easy to get to/from Bocas. Highly recommend for anyone that enjoys being "off-the-grid".
Dane C.
Jan 20, 2017 12:19:29 AM
Summary:
Our time at Casa Sol Y La Luna was incredible. From the owner, Sunanda meeting us at the airport in Boca and taking us grocery shopping the evening we arrived to the hugs we got from her when we left we always felt welcome and that our needs were important to her.
The house: OMG the photos do not do the property justice. We arrived after dark so our first impression was of the home. It is lovely. the rooms are a good size and there are 2 bathrooms (one in the master).
Fans are in each bed so there was no worry of being too hot at night. Beds were also very comfortable as were the pillows (I often travel with my own pillow as I'm very particular).
When we woke our first morning we were speechless. Just a volley of "OMG" and "wow" from us all. The view is stunning, the beach is beautiful, the locals are friendly, the coconuts are delicious and the water is warm.
We saw a sloth, several monkeys and tons of birds. The peacefulness was wonderful. Even our kids (13 and 11 yo) did not want to leave.
We recommend this property whole heartedly and would return in a heartbeat.
Ernest F.
Oct 11, 2015 06:41:05 AM
Summary:
We have traveled to Bocas several times and are infatuated with Old Point. While it is a bit of a boat ride from town (which we consider a positive) it is a world of its own, with beautiful beaches, water and many natural attractions. The house is really amazing with an open breezy floor plan, full kitchen and direct beach access. The English speaking owners pick you up at the airport and give you time for shopping before heading out to the house. We enjoy cooking, so we bought a bunch of supplies and cooked many of our own meals. There are also several excellent options a short walk down the beach - Al Natural has excellent food and a wonderful staff. Casa Cayuco is another dining/drinking option, but it was closed for vacation while we were there. We didn't get a chance to check out the Zapatilla keys, but they are supposed to be ideal for diving and snorkeling. We will do that next time for sure! We did walk along the many miles of lush beaches in the area - which is pretty much all we need on vacation. If you are looking for more seclusion than town - and nice beaches, this house is a great option (note that beaches are public in Panama so the occasional person walks by). Also, the owners are fabulous and honest. We booked through VRBO and everything went 100% perfect!!!!
Eoin C.
Jan 30, 2014 11:00:16 PM
Summary:
We spent six weeks in Costa Rica and Panama with our two young children, and the week that we spent here was our favorite. It is an incredibly beautiful and peaceful location. While the house is open, we had the least trouble with bugs here than we did anywhere else on our trip. I can't explain it, but it is true.
The beautiful, glass-like water, perfect for swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking and snorkeling. There is a lovely fishing village with great, fresh bread just a stroll away.
I would highly-recommend this location to anyone looking to get away, relax and enjoy nature.
Dec 11, 2013 01:00:05 PM
Summary:
I can only agree with the other positive reviews on this sight. I have traveled extensively, and the Casa Sol Y La Luna is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places I have ever stayed. The house itself is beautiful with reliable hot water and 12V electricity and the location provides a feeling of seclusion while being an easy walk to the nearby resorts in case you don't want to make all of your own meals (the food at Al Natural was excellent and is a fair value considering the location and the fact that wine is included). While the "cons" listed in the previous review are mostly accurate, the type of traveler you are will determine if these facts are actually "cons" at all. If you want constant 110V electricity and the absence of all insects, then you should know better than to stay on Bestimentos in the first place - perhaps the Trump hotel in Panama City would be a better fit! The house was spotless, and is in an excellent state of repair. Sunanda and Vincent could not have been more helpful and approachable hosts. We stayed for only four nights and wished we could have stayed longer. Be warned: after staying here you may find future beach accommodations pale in comparison, and your memories of falling asleep and waking up only to the sound of the waves and the jungle will make want to return again and again! Thank you so much Sunanda and Vincent, for memories of a fabulous family vacation that will last a lifetime!
Thomas M.
May 8, 2013 09:40:03 PM
Summary:
As an introduction: We stayed as a family of three for two weeks during April.
First, letβs repeat the pluses: It is in general a very nice house, adjacent to a small beach, embedded in tropical rainforest nature. The sea is very calm, suitable also for small children. The owner Vincent is a very nice guy who is very responsive to all kinds of requests . Al Natural Resort is very close by and offers a fine dinner (US$ 35 pp incl. wine). Also, their kayaking and snorkeling equipment was free to use. The showers are hot and have good water pressure.
Now lets come to some minuses:
- privacy: It is not that βthere is virtually nobody aroundβ. Al Natural Resort is two minutes to the left and Hotel Casa Cayuco two minutes to the right. This leads to many tourists and locals alike to pass by the house. The four meter wide beach in front of the house is the only pathway. And they all can look into kitchen and living room.
- electricity: As described, the property is running on solar with a battery (as all of the houses on that beach). However, the result for the house is different than with the other houses: It seemed to us that the owners invested less in electricity than others. 110 V was only usable for us during daytimes, since the power was not sufficient during nighttime.
- Fans: The house has only one ceiling fan β mounted in the living room. It was usable for us only during daytime. In the master bedroom there is only a very small fan running on 12 V.
- Cleanliness: We had the feeling that the cleaning of the house had not been done in a way that is needed in such conditions. Rust, mildew (basically in all the books in the house), ants and other bugs and other things give you an impression that the house is not perfectly being looked after. Especially the fridge is really worrying (full of rust and other things).
- Bats: At night you see bats flying into and out of the house. The remains of one or more bats could be found each night on the refrigerator. This was extremely gross β and we heard that bats are not really known as the healthiest animals to human beings.
- Bugs: This house is not (and cannot be) a bug free house. It is full of ants, cockroaches, geckoes, spiders etc.
In summary, we had a nice time in the house. We just feel that some more investment of the owners might be needed (especially given the high rental price) and wanted to make other people aware of some things that are not mentioned here.
Mar 1, 2013 02:00:05 AM
Summary:
This place is addictive! Spending a week at this house and in Bastimentos Island really changed our lives!. It just made us appreciate it much more!
Sunanda was great answering all our questions and very friendly and so patience after meeting us at the airport and taking us to do some shopping.
Pictures don't do any justice. The house is beautiful and super comfortable and the view is un-be-lie-va-ble. We never thought it could be that perfect!. We felt like home since our arrival. We cannot explain the joy we had at arrival and the sadness we felt leaving that place.
There is a well equipment kitchen, very comfortable sofa and hammocks to have the best naps!, a perfect shaded porch with barbecue, three very comfortable bedrooms with fans to keep you cool looking at the ocean and two great open tiled bathrooms! I am not a bug person but this was not an issue at all!
The island is amazing in every sense. You can go for walks along the beach, visit Salt Creek village, or take a boat and see other islands or do some activities. But we loved to do nothing! It was just perfect for usβ¦to clear our minds, to spend some quality time with great friends, to just be.
There is a resort called βall naturalβ five minutes walking from the house and it was the perfect complement. The food :you can have a three course delightful dinner + wine for US$ 35.00 and it is worth it. Vincent, the chef, is great in the kitchen and a great person to talk to as well! All the staff is fantasticβ¦specially Martin and Nicole! They are very funny and great hosts. They can also organize different excursions for you if wanted and the diving with Nicole is a must!.
We will be back...very soon!