La Coralina is a great hotel in an amazing location outside of Bocas town. It is about 5km outside of town across a sandy beach perched on top of a hill overlooking the ocean below. The views of the surrounding beaches below are amazing. We were fortunate one night to witness a spectacular "almost full moon rise." As we were finishing dinner one night I noticed an orange light behind the clouds which transformed in to the moon reflecting over the surface of the ocean. Since town is 5km from the hotel, we ate dinner at the hotel 2 out of the 3 nights we stayed. Although the menu was limited, the food was fresh and very good.
Although the ocean view suite was spacious, it had a few odd features that should be noted. First, there is no door between the bathroom and the bedroom. If you like privacy in the bathroom, you will have to ask for a temporary curtain to be put up for you. The manager did respond quickly to our request and put up one up within 30 minutes. The other point is that there are no windows to open for fresh air. You may prop open the french doors to the patio, but there are no windows to open for airflow. On the plus side; they have a huge shower with multiple shower heads and lots of hot water. They have a few mountain bikes available for rent. I would recommend riding about 4 km to the north end of Bluff Beach. It is one of the longest most isolated and beautiful beaches in Panama. We saw only 7 people one day and maybe 5 the next. I don't recommend riding the beach break unless you know what you are doing. Many boards have been broken apparently on this beach. One more warning for the reef break at Playa Paunch. The only way to the break is either by boat or to walk over the reef. Since the reef is live and there is sharp coral, it is very likely that you could cut your foot. If you do, put Neosporin on the cut right away. I did not and ended up with a foot infection which is still not resolved after a week of antibiotics. I would highly recommend booties if you walk over the reef. If you would like to do some snorkeling, take a trip over to Crawl Key ( Coral Key). The reef is in very good shape with lots of sponges and coral. The only down side is that many of the larger fish have been fished out to supply food for the local people and the restaurants.
Unfortunately we visited the hotel while Stacey was away on vacation. Most of the staff were very helpful and accommodating. When you visit La Coralina, the first thing you must do is sit, have a drink and chill out. Everything here moves at a slower pace. And that is a good thing.

La Carolina is a nice place, with great views of the ocean. The rooms are decent and the breakfast is good. It is far from the Bocas town where you catch your day trips, eat and drink. The cab is $10, but the hotel offers a daily lift 9am and 5am, so if you can structure your day around that, you can avoid the cab fare. As for pricing, it is one of the more expensive options, but worth the splurge if you want isolation from the younger party crowd in town.

La coralina is above and beyond! The accommodations, views, hospitality and food simply are beyond comparison. In fact, I lett a fe personal items at the hotel and before I could even inquire about them, Stacey and her staff had emailed me and asked where they should be sent. I would recommend la coralia to anyone traveling to bocas, or throughout central America, as they are knowledgable and quite informative. I certainly Plan on returning. Thanks Stacey and staff for really going above and beyond. You're the best and can wait or my next visit .

This is an overdue review as my husband and I stayed in La Coralina in Nov 2011 (over the US Thanksgiving holiday) and had a wonderful trip. Stacey and Byron were super helpful in every way, sorted us out with tours, guides and restaurant recos. It was our second vist to Bocas, the first at Coralina (stayed at Punta Caracol the first time) and we definitely plan to return. The room was a little dark (owing to the jungle location) but we loved the bar, the views, the atmosphere, the cocktails, the food and the friendly vibe. Would recommend the ziplining tour and the surfing lessons. We spent the last day at Zapatilla at Stacey's recommendation and she sent us off with a picnic and day's supply of rum punch - it's about a 40 minute boat ride and the highlight of our trip. We normally stay at larger hotels (Ritz, Fairmont etc) owing to work rewards etc but la Coralina was one of the best places we vistied in 2011 - we can't wait to come back.