Los Balcones Over The Sea Hotel

Don't get lured by the nice pictures. They were purposely boosted up. The hotel is located on a small island surrounded by the locals' cabins and a school. From and to Bocas town the only way is by water taxi $1 per capita ($2 at night). The land entrance is an alleyway leading to the local community. That's something you don't really want to see when on holiday. But if you'd like to walk on the island you need to make your way through the narrow path surrounded by trash, animal droppings and nasty smells. If you decide to stay in the room you need to deal with the noise of schoolkids all day long or if it rains you can listen to the hurtling waterfall hitting the corrugated iron roof. The breakfast is made by locals meeting their standards. Fancy some scrambled ants? Complaining is futile because we were told by the not local manager it can happen in the tropics. No remorse, no refund, no complimentary something. And even if you wanted to buy a drink, well, you can't. So if you don't wanna drink tap water you need to find the supermercado which is not far away, but in the pouring rain you need to wade the filthy ponds between the locals' cabins. For this price I'm pretty sure you can stay in much better places.

Keith and family were great hosts! They knew what the best parts around Bocas were and had a great local water taxi guide, Jaime. Overall, we loved staying at Los Balcones.

Very nice family atmosphere. Accommodating host and staff.

This hotel is in an excellent location - Carenero Island, right on the water! Views are terrific and you see all of Bocas Town. Water taxis are only way off and on the island but are inexpensive and quick to get. But, the hotel is rather worn and the rooms are very sterile, lifeless and dark if they don't have a balcony. Water system is iffy, sometimes water is not hot. They do not have electrical outlets in the bathroom and toilets can be smelly. The beds are hard and not comfortable, but pillows were good. This hotel has potential to be very nice with some updates and more amenities. Their outside deck is ideal for stargazing and watching the water taxis do their business all day long. The staff was friendly and the free breakfast was nice.

Muy bueno el servicio, Las habitaciones espaciosas y muy limpias