Istmo Beach and Jungle Bungalows

We loved these little bungalows, clean, comfy, cozy. Nice to have access to the communal kitchen so I could make coffee in the morning and sit out on the porch listening to the birds. Short walk to a beautiful beach. Henry was very kind when we arrived late due to traffic. We would book again. Had everything we needed and the owner was helpful and quick to respond via WhatsApp.

This place is such a gem! Within a 2 hour drive from busy Panama City I find myself at a nature resort. Beautiful spacious cabins, very very tasty healthy food and a lovely family Davis to welcome you! Playa grande at a 7 minute walk, sandy beach and far from crowded! I have been here several times and it was a treat to myself every time again. Recommended for each one who needs some rest, finally read that book or have a beach walk on your own, even one night is worth it!

I operate a small sea kayaking and cultural tour outfit that does trips in Guna Yala (aka San Blas Islands) on the Caribbean of Panama. I discovered Istmo on the Pacific coast and created my dream itinerary of combining a 4-day stay and yoga retreat at Istmo with a 4-day sea kayaking, snorkeling, and cultural adventure in Guna Yala. Both coasts! Along with my co-leader (the yoga instructor @yogacurrents), and our group we had a GREAT time at Istmo. It's a wonderful place for a yoga retreat:)
Way before our trip started, Ayesha was professional, straight-forward and prompt with her emails. She answered hundreds of questions for us and made sure that we were taken care of. She arranged an airport pick-up for us and everything went really smoothly. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful and inspiring. Birds, flowers and trees everywhere. I love the hammock pavilion with a view! It was very easy to slip into "yoga vacation" mode, which is exactly what I wanted my guests to feel. I am happy that we chose to do Istmo before the San Blas portion. We were greeted with ice cold hibiscus tea and shown our lovely accommodations in very clean cabanas, tucked into the trees.
The yoga studio is a great space, that makes you feel like you are in nature. It's a great benefit that they offer mats, blocks, straps, and blankets.
Istmo is a short walk to the beach, which we took advantage of to watch the sunset each evening and go swimming.
The add-on activities that Istmo arranges are wonderful additions to the trip. Some of us enjoyed stand-up-paddling, while others had a great time on the El Valle tour, which included a trip to a zoo and canopy zip lining. We had a 12-year old with our group, who raved about this tour!
One of the highlights of Istmo is the quality of the food. I had read many reviews that said this as well. Sean (co-owner) is a fabulous chef. The meals were perfect portions, delicious and nutritious. It was so great to have fresh fruit and fresh juice waiting for us after our morning yoga session. They were also very accommodating to offer us a packed lunch on the day that we left to go to San Blas. The smoothies for sale are also amazing!
Sean, Ayesha, and their two kids, are super friendly and made us feel very welcome. We really enjoyed spending time with them during down-time at the retreat.
We are already planning our Jan 2019 Yoga/Kayak/SUP/Snorkel Retreat and are very excited to use Istmo (hopefully) again and again. I recommend Istmo for a retreat!

We stayed with our 2 young kids (2,5yo & 6mo) at Istmo and had an absolute fantastic time! Sean and Ayesha were great hosts, going the extra mile for each and anyone of their guests. We really appreciated their hospitality, local knowledge and efforts to make our vacation as comfortable as possible! What an amazing setting, we enjoyed the view of humming birds and other beautiful birds while having breakfast or a drink so much! The food is delicious, with a focus on local, fresh food.
The rooms are spacious, with comfortable beds ( where we tend to be very picky about), a nice balcony, enough privacy. We were impressed by the housekeeping as we found our room clean & crisp every single day! I really enjoyed the yoga classes as an absolute beginner... it must be the nicest setting possible for a studio... In the middle of a jungle with sounds of nature surrounding you! The beautiful beach is another asset, the black and white sand make it so unique. Istmo is a real gem where we really felt at home during our stay. If there's anything to mention on the downside, it's the lack of a pool on the domain, but really, that shouldn't hold you back to visit!

A great peaceful jungle getaway with a secluded black sand beach less than 10 minutes walk away. The hosts Sean and Ayesha are awesome and were so helpful in helping us find things to do locally. Comfortable beds and clean spaces!

Istmo is a tropical paradise! The design of the retreat center is beautiful with a yoga house and dining area, a hammock hut, a labyrinth and nature trail, not to mention it's a 5 minute walk from the most beautiful beach! We paddle boarded, surfed, hiked and visited an indigenous tribe as some of the activities offered. Ayeasha and Sean were wonderful hosts and their children and dogs, Mia, Luna, and Sunny are lovely. We had delicious vegetarian food every day with the option to add fish or chicken.Smoothies were offered every morning! Additionally, the rooms had air conditioning and were cleaned every day. The whole staff was wonderful! I would definitely go back.

It was an amazing experience at Istmo retreat!!
My first time there / Panama but plan on coming back.
During my stay I felt so at peace with the surroundings, the area, and the owners were fantastic!
Only thing was not enough time there! Great reason to come back.
Missing all the wonderful fresh food created by Sean!! Need those recipes. Please ❤

Missing it and your sweet pups too❤

Warmly,
Lori

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Istmo Yoga and Adventure Retreat! The property is nestled in the jungle with a beautiful building for yoga, a labyrinth and much more! Don't forget the animals - birds, iguanas, monkeys, etc.

Hosts Sean and Ayesha were very welcoming and truly planned ahead for every detail of our stay. Chef Sean created wonderful meals for us using a lot of food that was grown there on the property. If you've never had fresh mango from Panama, you are missing out!! Sean even packed us breakfast to take with us the morning we left for the airport!

The bungalows were nicely decorated, very clean, well kept, and the beds were super comfortable!

Lastly, Istmo is only a short walk to the beautiful Playa Grande beach. There were hardly any people there and the water was warm. Perfection!

You don't have to do yoga to enjoy Istmo. I would love to stay there again and if you are looking for a place in Panama, check out Istmo!!

I wish that I were in a hammock at Istmo right now! I would highly recommend Istmo Yoga and Adventure Retreat. We had a wonderful, relaxing time, from the morning yoga to the afternoons at the beach. The biggest surprise was the food. It was some of the best food I have ever had! I would go there just to eat. Both owners were incredibly accommodating. All of the outings that we went on were fun and it was great to see more of Panama.

A place to connect with nature and to connect with yourself. Individual cabanas with a nice nature-y walk to the eating area for mealtimes. Our cabana had a hammock, and we made good use of it. Dinner and breakfast were simple and homemade and full of flavour and delicious. Also, they provided tea at the reception area, a big plus. The hosts and family were great, super friendly, one of the nicest hosts I've met so far in Panama. The beach itself is typical of those in this area along the Pacific coast (but mostly fine black sand), and because it is more isolated, there are less people trekking around. We left feeling good and happy about our stay and glad we got a chance to meet these hosts. The yoga hut was also set in a beautiful leafy area surrounded by nature, so different from any other yoga place in the city.

I spent 5 days at Istmo Yoga and Adventure Retreat in January for a women's retreat. It was my first time in Panama and I was absolutely blown away. Panama is of course beautiful, but Sean and Ayesha truly made the experience incredible. They were amazing hosts and took care of every detail for our group of 18. The food was all made on-site - it was delicious and nutritious. I did not feel hungry between meals - everything was perfect from the quality to the quantity.

The resort is located in a secluded location, so it's perfect for tuning out from the every day to relax in the hammocks or take advantage of the yoga classes offered. The beach is 5 minute walk down the path from the resort - a huge sandy beach that's quiet during the week and perfect for swimming. Sean and Ayesha gave us lots of options for excursions from the resort to go shopping or visit local attractions, and organized transportation for us. They're lovely people who are eager to please their guests.

I would definitely recommend Istmo Yoga and Adventure Retreat if you're looking for something different away from the noise and excess of the big resorts. I can't wait to return myself soon with my family. Thank you Sean and Ayesha!

My wife and I stayed at Istmo for a 24-day yoga teacher training. The training was intense and at times really physically and emotionally demanding. I cannot thank everyone at Istmo for their work to make us feel safe and well taken care of.
We had the double room. The beds were very comfortable, AC worked awesome and had a timer (which was perfect to get back to a nice cool room after dinner), clean and comfortable sheets, water pressure was perfect. I heard hot water was slow to arrive, but who needs that in Panama! Seriously.
The yoga studio is beautiful and we spent many hours doing yoga and meditating with the sounds of crickets and other wonderful insects.
The place is a bit rustic and that was perfect for our experience. Not having wifi reach our room was also very welcome way to disconnect.
This is still nature so there are insects and all kinds of sounds, although surprisingly almost no mosquitos.
We were there Aug-Sep and there was rain many days, but mostly a lot of grumbling from the sky :)
The food as other reviewers say is fantastic.
Aisha and Sean are nice to talk to about many topics and it was wonderful to get to know them. I wish you lots of continued success with the retreat <3

A wonderful place to get away and enjoy the Pacific Ocean and the natural beauty of Panama, and still be a couple hours from the city. You couldn't ask for nicer hosts, well appointed cabanas, and incredible food. On top of all that, a beautiful space to practice yoga.

I led a 6 day yoga retreat here, and it was perfect! The yoga studio is well out-fitted, the best I've encountered in Central America. The food is nourishing and delicious, and they accommodate to all diets and needs Wonderfully, this can be done per person (so your whole group doesn't have to be gluten free if just one person is, for example). The rooms are well-appointed, the bed and pillows are great quality, with everything you need in a spacious cabin, complete with a hammock. The bathrooms are all ensuite, and are themselves modern, clean and roomy. Each is equipped with a large supply of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, so save some room in your luggage and leave yours at home. The rooms have a small mini fridge that keeps your water cool. There is a safe in the room, but I felt no need to use mine. The best part is the warm, supportive, peaceful, fun, and welcoming spirit you receive from hosts, Sean and Ayesha. Their warm touch, inspired by their own connection to yoga practice, makes this a fantastic place to hold a retreat. I couldn't recommend this place more highly.

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. We came with friends and had the two cottage bungalows with a kitchen. It was a nice set up to share with friends. There are plenty of places to relax in a hammock or a patio chair and the beach nearby is very nice. Lots of sand, not many people (during the week at least when we went), and plenty of trees for shade. We'll be back.

Only note of caution is that the road in from the highway requires you to pay attention. Nothing dangerous, you just need be alert for the bumps and dips.

Loved it and can wait to return! Great hosts, location and experience. The Best Panama Yoga Retreat !

I have had a great time in Istmo Retreat during the Thanksgiving vacation. Ayesha and Sean have been the best hosts of all times. I have really enjoyed surfing, hiking, eating the great food cooked by Sean and as well as visiting the indigenous village in Panama . Although I was traveling solo, I felt like a big part of the family on Thanksgiving day. It was one of my best trips. I really hope to be back. Until then, please take care Ayesha and Sean. You are absolutely the best!

Istmo far exceeded our expectations. The rooms were very well kept, clean, had comfortable beds and pillows, toiletries provided and plenty of space. The food was amazing and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The grounds are beautiful and the beach is just a short walk away. All details were thought of and we had everything we could have needed. As a retreat leader, my job was so easy thanks to the amazing support at Istmo. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. I cannot wait to go back again!

I hosted a 3-day Yoga and Wellness retreat at Istmo Yoga and Adventure Retreat and it was perfect. From the initial planning stage, Ayesha and her team were very attentive and helpful with all of the coordination. Upon arrival to this little gem nestled where the jungle meets the ocean (only 90 minutes from Panama City), everything exceeded my expectations. The cabanas are very comfortable and spacious with extremely comfortable beds. The yoga shala is perfect with beautiful wood floors and windows overlooking the jungle. Sean and his team prepared delicious vegetarian meals that were made with great attention so that everyone’s dietary needs were met. The common dining area was so comfortable and a perfect location to host afternoon wellness talks. The beach is just a few minutes walk and is quiet and beautiful. Ayesha and Sean were great hosts and I will definitely host another retreat at Istmo Retreat Center.

Istmo is idyllic! Set in beautiful indigenous forest and close to a lovely beach, one is surrounded by natural beauty. The cabanas are beautifully appointed and yes, the beds are fantastically comfortable (quite a few travellers mention that and rightfully so!). Meals are nutritious and delicious! I participated at a yoga retreat at Istmo and the yoga shala is set in the forest with windows all around so there is a wonderful flow of outside energy into the room. Lastly, special mention of the owners, Ayesha and Sean, who are so special - such a attentive hosts and everything radiates with their pure passion for the place and purpose.