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Los Bastimentos is so much nicer than Bocas, I would greatly recommend staying here instead of on Isla Colon. A real Carribean feel, friendly inhabitants, not overly touristy. Excellent snorkelling just a watertaxi-ride away at Hospital Point.

I like all the island nearby that all had uniqueness and individual charm. We visited 7 various spots and stayed in 4 islands accommodations. All seemed to be noisy at night with either jungle animal sounds, local bars blasting music or boat traffic. Day time hammock naps are a must!

We liked the snorkeling adventure, but with high surf some of the better snorkeling spots were off limits. If snorkeling is high on your list, be sure to allow for the proper time of year with more calm seas. We saw several sloths on sloth island during a tour and on Bastimentos. We enjoyed the natural beauty of red frog beach and playa bluff. When going to playa bluff, take the local shuttle or taxi as the roads are challenging.

Basti was fantastic. The people are so friendly and the island has such a laid back atmosphere. There are no cars on the island, which I thought was awesome. You get a real feel for the culture here, while also getting a nice beach getaway. We stayed in Old Bank, so we enjoyed watching the boats and locals. Definitely bring more cash than you expect though, most hostels on the island don't accept credit cards, and to get anywhere by boat costs money, as well as entry to the beaches. We blew through our remaining cash quite quickly, and there are no ATM's on Basti.

Bastimientos is easy to access from Bocas Town by boat taxi, but it is a different world... much quieter and more basic and natural, with good access to lovely beaches. Bastimientos is the option in Bocas if you want something quieter and more simple.

I stayed, relaxed, ate and drank at Palmar Beach Lodge and I have to say, one of my favourite places so far. The atmosphere was very relaxing, great staff and a big shout out to Jimmy, the best waiter/barman/entertainer! I stayed in an 8 person dorm, had a great bad, no troubles sleeping and the beautiful beach is just waiting for you to get out of bed. I stayed for 7 nights, which was a little too long in my opinion, as there are many islands around that I could have also explored, however, the regular trips organised by the Palmar Crew (also a super friendly and nice bunch of people) made up for my lack of pre-planning. Greetings to the entire team and hopefully see you again in the future at some point.