Carmen's place

We couldn't have been more right with our choice of accommodation on the island. Being here felt like being at a friend's place. Carmen and Marcel are wonderful hosts and have built this place with passion and dedication. Thank you!

-have dinner at Carmen's, you will love it
-book trips at Carmen's, you won't regret it!

The hosts Carmen and Marcel are very kind and helpful people. They managed to make us feel at home immediately and we didn't want to leave again. The rooms where very clean, with an amazing sea view and the open windows give you the chance to hear the jungle at night! The location itself is perfect, when you are looking for enjoying the nature and the people in your surrounding.
Carmen's cooking skills and hospitality left us speechless and Marcels knowledge of how to spot sloths, fish and other animals impressed us a lot. Also they help you to plan trips and have great contact all over the island :)
Thank you for everything!! We really recommend to go here and hopefully we can return one day :) ❤

Gorgeous place and the perfect hideaway. Start the day with the best breakfast (even glutenfree is possible), than make the best trips to bastimentos and zapatilla (organised by Carmen) and in the evening visit the floating bar with the host or enjoy a delicous meal cooked by Carmen. The hosts are really nice people, always time for a talk. The place has a nice pier, a beautiful view from the upper rooms (after 50 steep steps on the stair up the jungle). You don't have a A/C or a TV. But you will not miss it at this beautiful place. Only on thing: the footpath to town should be without rubbish - but most of the guests will take the taxi boat.

Carmen and Marcel are two gorgeous people and great hosts! Also the girls who are working with them are so lovely!
They were so welcoming from the first moment we arrived! The rooms are really nice and we loved the surrounding! There is a really nice garden where we saw sloths and you can swim and snorkel just in front of the house! Carmen organized a great tour for us and it was a wonderful day!
Breakfast and dinner are soo delicious! You won’t miss it! They are great cooks!
We really enjoyed our last days in Panama here! It couldn’t have been better!
All in all we had a really great stay and can recommend it highly!

One of the most welcoming place we ever found. Located by the sea, with just a few pretty rooms in two wooden houses wrapped up in the jungle, you'll enjoyed the quietness along the day and Carmen's excellent food in the evening. Designed with sustainability in mind, this B&B produces its own electricity and gathers rain water. Unless you're totally careless about environment and addicted to energy and water wasting, you'll find all the comfort you need, plus excellent WiFi. Carmen and Marcel created a perfect place to share good moments and good food, and we felt like at home here.

Carmen und her husband Marcel, literally do anything they can to make your vocation at their bed and breakfast or jungle lodge in Bocas del Toro an unforgettable experience. Also since Marcel provides a sport fishing tour in Bocas, he brings back some self caught fishes and Carmen with her fabulous cooking talent prepares an amazing dinner. Also they provide you with amazing sightseeing tips, so feel free to come unprepared 🙃
We had an amazing experience and feel that we have known Carmen and Marcel for ages! Thank you for the amazing hospitality 😘

It was a real pleasure to spend in Carmen`s Place more than a week. It was the nicest place and the best part of our trip to Panama. Only positive and beautiful memories. Lovely place (sloths in the garden, good connection with the other islands) best hosts ever, delicious home food and the nicest atmosphere. Thanks for all Carmen & Marcel. Hope to see you again!!!

Carmen's is like staying with an old friend who has a great place! Carmen and Marcel are both very kind and generous and make you immediately feel welcomed. The rooms are very clean and comfortable. There is a small beach area and kyaks to use. Carmen also is a fabulous cook, so eat there if she is cooking. It is some of the best food in the Bocas area!

Carmen and Marcel host you like a friend! Carmen’s Place is the perfect spot for relaxing and very good to discover beaches, the jungle and the other islands. We extended two times our stay and we will come definitely again - 100% recommendation!

Carmens place is a great B&B on Bastimentos Island. The owners Carmen&Marcel are very welcoming and warm-hearted. The rooms are super clean and comfortable. The homemade breakfast is delightful. You can also stay for dinner. Carmen organized also a day boat trip so we could explore nearby islands and nature. We spent an excellent time and felt very connected to this happy place.

This beautiful accommodation is run by warm and caring hosts

About the hosts….. We had the most amazing stay at Carmen's Place the past 10 days. The Dutch hosts, Carmen and Marcel are perfectly welcoming, ready to help you and very knowledgeable about the area. They made my husband's 50th birthday the most memorable one to date!

About the place itself….If you need a hair dryer when you are on vacation, don't stay here. In all seriousness, it's a eco-friendly accommodation so everything runs on solar (there is a generator as back up) to provide necessary lights, a water filtering system and hot water showers. There is no tv but excellent Wifi.

Breakfast comes with your stay. It's a hardy mix of yummy pancakes, eggs & toast with super fresh and tasty fruit. Carmen cooks a dinner and it's optional if you partake. Her cooking was excellent - we ate dinner there just about every night! Some of her mouth-watering meals were unique pizzas, excellent fresh fish, vegetable lasagna, scrumptious rice and pasta medleys and savory sides of vegetable plates.

What to do….When we were there, there was always a nice breeze. We found out that the rainy season in Bocas Del Toro lasts a little longer than other parts of Panama so we had a fair amount of rain. That said, we had great beach days at Wizard Beach and Red Frog Beach. Both have to be accessed by boat - and for Wizard Beach, it's also a 25 minute walk each way ( yes you need more than flip flips, especially after it rains on the trail). On rainy days, we relaxed and read at Carmen's and had fun just exploring the area around their place. There was plenty of wildlife (butterflies, caimans, red frogs, sloths, colorful birds including hummingbirds and shoreline to take in.

One day, Marcel took us fishing by charter. He is an excellent seaman and fisherman. He took us to all of his spots and showed us all of tricks. The sea was beautiful, though there were rather large swells to get through going out of the pass. Apparently it's much calmer at some times of year like March, April, Oct and Nov.

About the location…You need to be aware that you need to take a boat to get to Carmen's Place and to access surrounding activities, you need to take a short boat taxi ride. But getting a water taxi is no problem. It's fun to just wave a flag off of their pier and a taxi comes from Old Bank or Carmen can call to set up a water taxi to farther destinations.

We were supposed to stay at Carmen's place for 2 nights and it ended up being 4. The island is nice and secluded but it's only a $3 water taxi to Bocas. There's great surf at Wizard beach, loads of snorkelling to do locally. You can go fishing with Carmen's husband and they are both excellent chefs!

My wife and I booked 5 nights on Basimentos Island in Bocas Del Toro, . not really knowing what to expect. From the moment we pulled up in a water taxi to Carmens place we felt a relief come over us as Carmen met us at the dock with a beer, wine and a hug! Carmen and Marcel treat their guests like family. They go over and above. We had a fabulous honeymoon stay and enjoyed nights sitting out front by the dock having beer and wine and getting to know other guests. Carmen is also an amazing cook. If you do stay, we recommend staying for dinner rather than going out most nights. If you're looking for a quite stay but also a bit of company and fun at night we recommend staying with Carmen and Marcel. They have such great hearts and are truely amazing people. Not to mention Thunder and Breeze (their 2 dogs) Breeze is lovely and quiet, while Thunder... well .... lets just say if you have a coconut handy, we will be your best friend :)

spent 3 amazing days at carmens place, best bed and breakfast so far in panama. carmen and marcel are wonderful heartwarming hosts, they are so funny and we felt so welcome. carmen is a very good cook as well and marcel makes the best pancakes. we also had a great private boat tour with this nice guy Dan, which carmen organized for us. all the other guests were so nice as well. thank you so much!!!

Great hosts and nice rooms. The breakfast and dinners with Carmen were amazing. We loved our stay there. We arrived as guests and left as friends. Would definitely recommend to stay some nights here!

This place is what paradise means!
Carmen and Marcel are so nice. The rooms are clean and the food is delicious, Carmen is a verry good cook and marcel is a great fisherman. If you have any question, the will have the answer. There are two lovley dogs to play with wich is so fun. They also provide stong wifi.

We had a lovely stay at Carmen's place! Such a beautiful spot in Bastimentos. Great value with a delicious breakfast each morning. I would highly recommend staying here!

Go there! Enjoy the breakfasts and dinners, enjoy the jungle, the view, and the water. Meet nice people, especially the hosts! Just wonderful! Proper beds, nice rooms, awesome showers. Perfect place for candid people!

You visit Panama and want to go to bocas del toro??? DONT MISS CARMEN'S PLACE!!
We will be back again!
Carmen and Marcel thank you for have you as a host and a lovely friend!
❤🌴

What everyone else said!
Carmen & Marcel were such nice hosts, they really make this place special, and go out of their way to provide for your every need. I would stay here again in a heartbeat!