Kuna Yala allows only indigenous people to own and work in their archipelago and they allow no conventional development on the over-400 islands. Everything from outside the area has to be flown in on small planes or brought by infrequent small boats. In that context, Sapibenega does a great job providing rustic, but functional and beatiful accommodations. You fly in on a tiny plane, then take a small boat only 5 mins. away to the lodge which is a series of small huts around a central green space studded with palms and flowers. There is only a small beach you can swim or snorkel off of, but each day the staff takes you to stunningly beautiful islands to snorkel and swim; .we saw incredible marine life. The food was simple and very well-done with fish, lobster and crab as the main courses (they could provide chicken or meat on request). Meals are in the dining and hanging out areas on stilts. When it rained we enjoyed the show of the clouds and rain over the nearby mountains and played games (bring your own). Various small tours/hikes are available and included in the price.... only sodas, beer, wine and cocktails are not included.. Would not recommend for children who can't swim yet as all areas are fairly open to the water or people who are worried about boats... Great getaway off the grid!!.

We stayed here 3 nights and due to bad weather, most of the tours were cancelled and this gives of course a wrong impression, but because of this, our experience is average. There are 6 bungalows on the small island and a restaurant. The staff is very friendly, the rooms are fine with good views, good beds and even warm water in the shower. Due to the rain and heavy wind, it was not quiet in the room. Staff could have made more effort to give for instance a free drink as some tours were cancelled. Meals were ok, fried fish most of the time. Do not expect luxury, but rustic accomodation.

Although the San Blas Islands are very beautiful Sapibenga has many problems. It is vfery basic which would be fine if it were priced appropriately. We were without water most of the time but the staff did manage to fix the pipe under the ocean each day. The owners are in Panama City and seem to care nothing about the upkeep of the property. They invest nothing into it and keep the money all for themselves. I think you will find better lodges that are not as well advertized in the beautiful San Blas Islands. Except for the manager who was seldomly around, the staff was great and did their best with what little they were given to work with.

My husband, a friend, and I stayed at Sapibenega for 4 nights in early June. We LOVED it. We were the only guests on the island, which made it particularly nice. Our cabins were large and airy and the beds super comfortable. Only drawback was that the mosquito netting was not big enough for one bed, and the ceiling fan in our room was not set to blow air down on us, which made the only hot night all the worse. (No problem in our friend's cabin, though.) Sound of the surf under our floor at night was fantastic. The public areas are lovely -- we spent lots of time in the open lounge area sacked out in hammocks, admiring the view or reading. The food was all delicious; portions were HUGE. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Most important: the snorkeling! We went to three different islands, all of which presented different kinds of coral, vegetation, and fish. All were a fairly short boat ride away. The two guides (Alicio and Igua) always pointed us to the best spots for snorkeling, and stayed with us, sometimes diving in themselves. We brought our own gear, so I can't comment on rentals.

We made some other excursions too -- to Playon Chico and to the burial grounds. I'm glad we checked out the town (always interesting to see how people live) and we bought some very nice molas. The burial grounds excursion was a nice walk, for a change, but not particularly special. In retrospect, I wish we had simply gone snorkeling again!

If you can't speak Spanish, you may have trouble communicating -- no one at Sapibenega speaks English, and we only met one person who did on two visits to the town. However, the staff was good at understanding the pigeon Spanish attempts I made, and they were always kind.

Two pieces of advice: Bring your own reading material -- there's a lot of down time and it's such a relaxing place to loll around and read! And ask for a complete price list of beverages when you arrive so you know what you're in for. We were not aware that every .3 liter bottle of water that we got would cost us $2 -- which added up to a hefty total at the end (we're big water drinkers). Drinks at meals are free, otherwise you pay.

This was one of the most relaxing vacations I have ever had. I wish we had stayed longer!