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Reviews of Bocas Villas - Private Acqua Villas

Bocas Villas - Private Acqua Villas
Bocas del Toro

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 24 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 34 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

7.4/10

Amenities

6.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

susanne

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Traumhaft ruhig!
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Joanna Y.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great location but could use better maintenance
Beautiful location, quiet sea and abundance of fish. Warm water great for snorkeling and very relaxing overall. The villas could benefit from better maintenance (from burned out bulbs, rotting deck to chairs falling apart) and a little better equipped kitchen. Insufficient pots, bowls, utensils etc made it a challenge to prepare meals. Due to remote location going out to restaurants wasn't practical. Could use more than 1 kayak between 4 villas, and more towels. The most disturbing, however, was the incredible mess surrounding the owner's house (photo included) and sewage pipe leaking from every joint a smelly stuff into the water right where we snorkelled. All these problems could be remedied with a little effort from a charming owner. Once these little things are taken care of, it would be the idyllic vacation everyone dreams of.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Sean L.

Liked: Cleanliness
Amazing location for those looking to escape
Other reviews have already stated the most important details. The location is gorgeous, the reef right off the porch is amazing and full of (smallish) sea life, Phil is a super-nice and available host. The other side is also true--it's a bit of a hassle to get back and forth to town (and pricey), the units could use some updates and amenities, and some of the creature comforts are missing (e.g., TV, reliable internet, A/C). All that said, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Bring bug spray or wipes and realize that you are there to relax and it will be a lovely stay. Thanks, Phil!
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jordan D.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful Location
this place is absolutely beautiful. we rented 3 of the 4 villas and really enjoyed swimming from house to house to visit. The two property caretakers are easy to get ahold of and and got us to and from bocas town pretty easily. better if you speak a little spanish, but they did fine with our english only friends too. It's important to understand what you're getting here though. this place is right near a jungle, and over the water far from town. there will be bugs, and we had a few bats fly into our room. this wasn't a problem for us, but if you're expecting a pristine up scale hotel experience, this probably isn't it.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful setting but the house is in need of some repairs, we had no water to the toilet at first plus the water smelled bad, no mosquito net for the bed, we got eaten up by bugs. The boat ride to town is $25 EACH WAY! No microwave only a cook stove. The place needs to be upgraded a bit. Glad we went but wouldn't stay here again.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Grace C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Wonderful stay among the sloths, sting rays and pelicans!
We had such a great stay at the Bocas Villas! My husband and I spent a week of our honeymoon there and it was absolutely beautiful. Kris and Faubion (the on-site managers of the property) made our stay even more special by welcoming us and being open to every question and/or request. The location is definitely more for people who want to enjoy the tranquility and natural beauty of Bocas as the property is located out of town and primarily accessible by their private boat taxi. We would definitely stay again!

10/10 Excellent

Oleg, NY

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Great location and good facilities. Fab and Kris are property managers on the premises. They were very friendly, accommodating and efficient. Great communication. If you want to be in Bocas on the water, this is great.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Helena K.

Liked: Cleanliness
Awesome & peaceful getaway!
This was our first time staying in a villa over the water and it was an amazing experience. Booking was super easy & the owner Philip was quick to respond to questions. The managers Fab & Kris were super kind and helpful. The location is a short boat ride away from downtown Bocas, which is great because it offers seclusion. The home is a great size with a nice kitchen and large indoor and outdoor living area. We used the paddle board and kayak and swam around our place. It’s exactly what we were hoping for and truly met and exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend this place to anyone looking for peace, quiet and beautiful sunsets.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Janet P., Fond du Lac WI

Liked: Cleanliness
Kris and Fabian were fantastic hosts!
There is no lack in this lovely Caribbean get away. Quiet, beautiful and restful.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019

6/10 Okay

Chase J.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Place but misleading listing
Let me first say I enjoyed my stay. If you are looking for a quiet getaway this is it. The reef in front is amazing and great for snorkeling. In the listing, the location on the map is extremely off. This place is ONLY accessible by boat and a 20 min boat ride from Bocas Town at that. The listing also states that it sleeps 4. Well, not really. There is a queen sized bed in the bedroom, a couch and loveseat in the living area and a hammock and outdoor couch on the porch. So 2 adults can sleep comfortably the other 2 will need to wear a beekeepers suit to keep the mosquitos away if they sleep outside. There is also no parking or tv as the listing states. Also, after booking is when you are notified about the cost of the boat ride and food service at the villas. That wasn't a deal killer obviously but it would have been nice to know before hand. With all of that being said, I would stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from VrboOwner on Mar 21, 2020
We do have a nice live reef here and I’m very glad they enjoyed that and the quiet. We certainly don’t intend to be misleading with anything and I address my response to future guests for clarity, not these guys who did enjoy themselves I guess: The listing does say we allow four people so that a couple with small children can find it listed, however, it also is clearly a one-bedroom and the furniture is all in the listing as well: One queen, one couch set, outdoor furniture. If four adults choose to stay in a one-bedroom house with one bed, they are welcome to do so, but I’m not real sure how that complaint works. “We rented a house with one bed and it turned out there was only one bed...we were bamboozled!” The islands run on boats, cars hardly go anywhere. It is a 10 minute ride from our dock in Saigon Bay to the villas. We do not include transportation to the villas in your cheap off-season rate, but we do offer optional boat rides to make things as easy, safe, and affordable for guests as possible. Many local people earn their living with boat taxis and they are readily available (like land taxis are when you arrive elsewhere on any other vacation), I don’t want to compete with them for their livelihood, but it is a unique place and we do feel responsible to offer an easy, safe, affordable option.

10/10 Excellent

Julia C.

March 2019 Peaceful Vacation
March 2019. Communication was excellent, immediate and accurate (despite the owner was in a different country with his wife having a baby), his immediate responses were very appreciated as it was our only initial way to communicate for the pick up. Boat service to and from rental was 10 minutes and flexible. Manager on site cooked us two very good meals (one was lobster and we watched the fisherman catch them out out bit and bring them in), the other was fresh tuna which we bought in town and he cooked for us. The prices were very reasonable for what you get. The rental is spacious, very comfortable, clean and loved the covered deck and hammock, this space has everything you need. We had access to paddle boards, and a two person kayak. The internet was in and out but you could locate a good spot near the window to send texts and emails. The linens were in good condition and enough for two people (we stayed 4 nights/5 days). The view is incredible. There is a reef literally right off the deck, we saw lots of small fish, a 4ft barracuda right off the deck, eagle rays each day and heard the monkeys in the forest behind us, bring your snorkelling gear well worth the extra luggage. We were very lucky that there was no one in the rentals on either side of us so we felt completely private. The accuracy of the rental is 5 star.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Amy g.

Gorgeous location & clear water surrounds the villas.
We stayed 4 nights in 2 of the villas (4 adults total) at the beginning of March 2019. We were lucky to stay while David & Kilga were managing the villas. They were fantastic hosts! There is a boat on premises for trips to town. The dock that Philip currently uses is very hard to find, especially when you are first arriving to Bocas with your luggage. My advice is to make certain you know where to meet that first time. The villas are not overly fancy, but if you are looking for a serene location to relax and especially snorkel, this is the place for you! We were very sad to leave and hope to return one day. David made our last night very special by preparing a meal for the 4 of us and delivering it to our deck! The sunsets at the villas are spectacular and we loved waking up seeing the mountains and cloud forest in the distance. We may have had a few hiccups at the beginning, but Phillip and David were extremely professional and made our stay wonderful.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Mauricio R.

Ver y good
Beautiful place
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mark J.

Perched on the edge of a rainforest jungle, 10 feet above a coral reef. Awesome
You need to buy into the fact that it is not the Beverly Hills Yacht Club. Perfect Getaway 4 a couple or family with kids if you are self-sufficient and enjoy a less touristy setting. However if you enjoy the Freaky Friday party scene of Bocas town, you are only a 10-minute boat ride away. There were no surprises in the amenities and the property is represented accurately. We will be back!
Stayed 8 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Peter S.

Beautiful location, get away from it all
My wife and I stayed here for a week while on our honeymoon. The location is unreal, sunrises and sunsets were beautiful each day and the view of water and mountains was incredible. Great swimming/snorkeling/paddle boarding right off the back deck. The house is adequately furnished, with everything we needed in the kitchen, including a large water container which was filled by the hosts. Each room has a ceiling fan which kept us plenty comfortable for our stay. The WiFi was spotty, but honestly if you're looking to stay 'plugged in' while staying here, I think you're missing the point. The hosts were willing to ferry us to/from town once per day which was a real plus considering a water taxi can cost $20-40 dollars one way. As other reviews state, I would recommend bug spray which we found was good to have for sunset, otherwise the bugs were really not an issue. One thing to note is most water taxis (and the host) stop running their boats at sunset, which is about 6PM, which can make dinner plans in Bocas/Basti/etc. difficult. We ended up cooking breakfast and dinner at the cabin and explored the food options on each island for lunch each day. If you're looking for party-central, you're probably in the wrong place, but for a relaxing, secluded getaway, Bocas Villas was the perfect choice for us.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2018

10/10 Excellent

Wendy S.

Peaceful, relaxing, stunning snorkeling
My husband and I stayed in one of the villas for a week in February 2018. We spent most of our time reading, relaxing, and snorkeling. It was perfect. There is a coral reef about 3 feet off the deck that was absolutely beautiful. It was so wonderful to just jump in the water and start snorkeling. We saw so many beautiful fish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, crabs, and many different species of coral. There was even bioluminescence at night--we went snorkeling once it was really dark and it was like swimming among the stars. A truly magical experience. Getting to Bocas town was really easy. Phillip and Ingrid are happy to schedule a ride and pick you up. The town has a great beach-town vibe. There a many restaurants and some really good food and drinks. There are some great shops with unique stuff. There are also several options for excursions. We went diving one day and that was fun (honestly we didn't see anything diving that we didn't see in front of our villa, but it was a shallow dive to be fair). There are several other excursions I would have loved to do. Truly something for everyone. The only downside to our stay was we did get pretty bit up by the local insects, but if you come prepared for that with mosquito netting (we started wearing lightweight mosquito suits at dusk) and some DEET it's well worth it. I cannot recommend this VRBO highly enough if you are looking to unplug and relax.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2018

8/10 Good

Jeff D., Chicago, IL

A little house over water
My girlfriend and I are avid snorkelers and we found this place to be perfect. There are few frills offered but we don't need them. We wanted a secluded place to snorkel, kayak, and paddleboard and to see some great marine life. That's what we got. You buy groceries the first day (along with some tasty Panama Beer) and you're set for a few days of relaxing and swimming in the ocean. The reef out front is teeming with fish and other sea life and the front deck is a perfect place is sit and laze in the shade or sun and read, drink, and relax. As for land critters the noseeums (hard-to-see tiny flies) are of a minor nuisance at dawn and dusk and maybe if it's really overcast. Bug spray keeps many of them away and you don't notice them land. Plus, their bites only itch on some people. They aren't disease carrying so we didn't care. Internet is patchy but daily email is no issue. If you require turndown service, daily fresh towels, air conditioning, or streaming movies on Netflix, go to a fancier hotel in town. If you want to unplug and have the tropics wash over you, check this out.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Cory D.

A great spot, especially for a small family, if you don't want the night life of Bocas town.
Amazing! A beautiful reef is right off the back deck with snorkeling as good as anywhere else in the area. We saw some amazing bioluminescence off or deck each night. It was quiet and beautiful enough that we looked forward to our down time just relaxing there. Also enjoyed having access to the free kayak and paddle board. Manuel, the boat driver, was great with taking us on whichever tours we wanted. He took us on an all day excursion to see dolphins in dolphin bay, snorkeling in coral cay, and hanging out at Isla zapatilla and it was so great having just our family instead of a big group of 20 people like most of the other tour groups we saw. Make sure you have a plan for food from day one and get well stocked cause there isn't access to anything without an extra boat ride back into town. The house had basic cooking utensils but we had to buy pepper and cooking oil. There was only a tiny bit of coffee and sugar so we restocked. Maybe just check with Phil before hand to see what it is stocked with. Definitely recommend a stay here and Phil was a great host.

8/10 Good

Norm M.

Just what we were looking for!!!😀
Nice clean and well taken care of. The boat ride was only about 10mins. From town. Manuel was very helpful and friendly. The house was located right on a beautiful reef. We spent hours snorkelling. If your looking for peace and quiet, and less of the party scene. We recommend Bocas Villas for sure.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2017

10/10 Excellent

Bailey S., highlands ranch

Quite breathtaking
Only one thing that would've made this place better and that is air-conditioning. The bugs at night are a little annoying but that's for the whole country. We enjoyed our stay, making our own food, snorkeling off the dock, waking up to a beautiful view coffee in hand. It is secluded and pristine. We would've loved to spend more time there relaxing, 3 days was not enough. The taxi guy Manuel is awesome and took care of us! Thanks for everything!
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2017

10/10 Excellent

Robert S.

Perfect Sanctuary
We loved our time here. Snorkeling and Stand-Up Paddling right out the front door was a great way to pass the time. Thanks to Phil for providing all the materials for that. We were reliant on the WIFI and it worked great. All good!
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2017

10/10 Excellent

Larie S., Calgary

Beautiful and relaxing
Amazing relaxing stay! Thank you!!

10/10 Excellent

Marc T.

Absolutely Perfect
Great villa right on the water. Reef in front of villa was fantastic.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2016

2/10 Terrible

Zarife

Stayed 9 nights in Feb 2023