La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm

For those of you looking for a unique experience, relaxation and/or a bit of an adventure, with excellent customer service, I recommend a visit to La Loma Jungle Lodge and chocolate farm on Isla Bastimientos, Bocas del Toro. You lodging is your own open private bungalow among the jungle listening to the sounds of nature. The price includes boat transportation to and from the main island (Isla Colon), three delicious, healthy and creative meals a day for 2 persons, fresh incredibly tasty juices, water, coffee and tea. Cocktails are extra but they are very fairly priced. It also includes a very interesting hands-on tour of the plants, fruits and fauna (including sloths!) in the area and a demonstration of how chocolate is made. You can relax and do nothing or you can hike or kayak or visit the bat cave or birdwatch or take one of the excursions that they offer to beaches where you can sunbathe or go snorkeling. Wi-Fi is only available in the reception/restaurant area. I would not recommend this place for anyone with mobility issues, as there are a lot of steps to get to the bungalows and to and from the restaurant/reception area. We stayed in the "Rockpool bungalow," which was the lower one with the least amount of climbing needed… and it was still 133 steps up to get from our room to the restaurant... and you are doing that three times a day if you are eating breakfast lunch and dinner! Luckily they have porters available to help you with your luggage! Early each morning, cacao tea a couple of muffins are left outside of your room. The beds have a net over them we had no issues with bugs. There is no a/c, but we were comfortable during the day and at night… I had my down comforter on me most of the time because it was cool enough to need it. The staff was most kind, friendly and accommodating. I would like to give special shout outs to the following people who did a great job...Nicolas, Maria Soledad, Catalina, Brook, Virgilio, Abdiel, Mr. Kelly and all the behind the scenes people such as the excellent chef(s), food preparers and housekeepers who did an amazing job! If you want your vacation to be memorable, I recommend without hesitation La Loma Jungle Lodge.

La Loma Review Ok let’s start with the good: - I love the sustainability aspect of this place. It’s truly admirable that la loma puts so much effort forth into that. - The lodging was beautiful. Absolutely picturesque and magical place to wake up in the morning. - The staff was very friendly and very easy to communicate with. - The view from the restaurant/lobby was amazing Now some constructive criticism: - while I understand that there are certain compromises that come with the sustainability mentioned above, being in the tourism industry also is going to include catering to a variety of individuals and especially at the price point and vibe of la loma, providing a luxury experience. - It should be stated and made abundantly clear that there isn’t really an easy way to leave the lodge outside of the tours offered by la loma. Once you get to the lodge you are more or less stuck there. - To that point there’s not a ton to be done at the lodge. I can appreciate that there is yoga offered although it was only at 8am and though I love yoga…8 am on vacation isn’t that appealing. There’s no pool or hot tub and as mentioned no beach so other than your room and the dining area there is not much variety within places to hang or things to do. - It should also be made much more clear that getting to your room is likely to be a trek up lots of stairs. It wasn’t a big deal for our purposes as we are both active and in good health, but if anyone who is older or has previous injuries etc is considering La loma, be very aware that getting places involves very steep and slick stairs with limited railings or support. - Some of the staff was not very accommodating or helpful. - There were multiple times we asked simple question about the local flora and fauna, food or other quite honestly simple questions that were met with “I don’t know.” Not “I’m not sure but I’ll check”. no response was forthcoming, or just flat out no answer. - We also had certain things we previously expressed be blatantly ignored by the staff. Upon our arrival we had had a very long day. Coming straight from a hiking trip and a 17 hr travel day with delays we pre communicated that we just wanted to go straight to the room and go to bed. Upon our arrival we reiterated that fact and were met with “yes after dinner” when we clarified that we didn’t even want dinner we just wanted to go to sleep they reluctantly agreed to let us take dinner to go only after giving us a rundown of all the tours offered. - There were also little things that just weren’t noticed ex. Taking a very long time to bring more water to the table when we were out or dragging on time between courses of meals which kept us in the restaurant longer than we wanted to be there. - Both boat drivers and the taxi driver they assigned us were standoffish, rude and untimely. - The food was high quality but had gaps. - While they do a good job of asking you for dietary restrictions, it’

So we travel a good bit but this was a little out of our comfort zone. Overall, we thought it was well worth it and a cool bucket list check mark. But given the natural beauty of the island this place has soooooo much more potential. A few minor tweaks that wouldn’t be very expensive and they could charge double honestly. Some pros and cons to help people go in with their eyes wide open: Cons/things to consider: -very inflexible on check in. We were coming from the south and they wouldn’t let our other resort drop us off at the La Loma dock even at 3pm. We HAD to go all the way back to Boca. Then their boat was half an hour late to pick us up. It was also so crowded and a super uncomfortable ride. Not a good start. -I’ve seen several other reviews here echo this but if you’re expecting this to be a super romantic stay, there are tons of families that surprisingly stay here. They used the main lodge as their living room and were running and screaming around the property the whole time. It certainly could be romantic but that makes it tough. They also seemed to cater to all the families and their various kids’ special meal needs. They even completely forgot our breakfast one day as the only couple there! Literally only 4 groups and seemingly forgot about us several times. -they have credit card capabilities and advertise the price as such, then you get there and up charge you 3% to make that payment if it’s not cash. Who carries thousands in cash around Bocas? Kind of ridiculous and not safe. -the hike to the lodge is more difficult than advertised. One older gentleman basically couldn’t do it. If you’re taking your parents here you may want to rethink. -pack some sealed snacks despite what they tell you. Very light Lunch is at 1230 and dinner not til 715ish. That would be fine during a workweek but not when you’re hiking 4+ hrs a day. We were starving by dinner and there’s no real way to get food in between. -this place really needs just one small plunge pool and maybe a small snack shed/bar near the bottom of the island. Pros: -the rooms were great. The anxiety we had about the bugs and such were unfounded. Nets worked great. Fan kept it cool. -the FOOD. So fresh and tasty. Well presented. Could have been Michelin star at dinners. This is one of the big reasons I think a management company could come in, ramp up the service, and make this an exceptional property. Overall, we were glad we went. But we paid roughly $1100 for a 40 hour stay and anytime you asked for a new cocktail, a slight accommodation of any kind outside of their very structured schedule it felt like you were being a burden. So I think they either need to charge less for that level of service or ramp it up (and we’d be willing to pay even more for that room/lodge/food but the service to go with it). I think people are too freely giving this one 5 stars just because it’s so different. But it’s probably a 3 if you’re being truly objective.

We had an outstanding visit to La Loma and highly recommend it for nature lovers. The location is incredible and the accommodations are uniquely beautiful and serene. The food is completely over-the-top delicious. We found the owner and staff to be wonderful people and very knowledgeable and helpful. Onsite yoga was an added plus! We highly recommend La Loma!

We stayed at La Loma for two nights. The views and the food are incredible! It is quite a hike up the hill initially, but you are rewarded with amazing views when you get to the restaurant area. The food was amazing and they were able to accommodate special diets. I definitely recommend taking the farm tour with Kelly. He was able to show us everything that is grown on the farm and he takes great pride in it. Two nights felt like the perfect amount of time, but I definitely could have stayed another night or two. We moved around and tried several different places in Bocas and this definitely stands out as a favorite spot. We were able to do a yoga class one morning as well. The room was huge and private and had amazing views. It is all open air and the bed is surrounded by a huge mosquito net. We enjoyed the suspended hammocks off of our room too. The chocolate tea and muffins served each morning were a great treat to wake up too as well. If you love nature and are able to do steep steps, this place is a must do!

We stayed 2 nights in the Rainforest bungalow. Beautiful open air cabin with a great view. The staff here is amazing, friendly, and willing!! We very much enjoyed Kelly’s farm tour. He was amazing and extremely knowledgeable. Do not miss out on la Loma