To enjoy and make the most of your time here in Bocas, we recommend you bring the following items with you. If you forget any of these, you can of course purchase most of these items here…but it certainly makes it easier to have from the start if you have them already.
- Panama businesses accepts US dollars. However, there is only one ATM on the island and occasionally (during very busy times, particularly around the holidays) it can run out of money. Additionally, most businesses (our restaurant included) accept only cash. So, we encourage you to bring some cash with you to Bocas.
- Although we are on city electric (electrical outlets are 120v), it is not uncommon for the power to go out in Bocas. It doesn’t usually go out for very long, but occasionally it will be out for more than a few hours.For these cases, we provide rechargeable lights for our guests in their rooms. However, it might be helpful if you bring a handheld flashlight in case the power goes out when you are away from the property. This will also come in very handy if you’re out exploring around Bocas and it starts to get dark in an area with low lighting.
- We are on a tropical island known for a higher level of waterfall than many other places in the world – so we highly recommend you bring an umbrella, poncho and/or other light rain jacket. Most days it will rain at least a little bit (many times in the night or early morning). But there are some days where it rains all day. We are available for recommendations on “rainy day” plans and also have games and books available if you just want to hang here and relax!
- Given our location, we also have less of a problem with mosquitos and “chitres” (also called no-see-ums, sand fleas, etc.) as compared to other places on the islands. BUT, we do still get mosquitos – thus we provide mosquito nets above the beds and bug spray is available for use in the bar & restaurant area. However, in certain locations in Bocas or on certain times of the year, these pesky bugs can get on your nerves if you’re not prepared. So, we encourage you to bring some strong bug repellant with you to Bocas – ideally something with a high percentage of “deet”.
- All rooms and common areas have fans. Given our location by the beach and on a hill, we have excellent breezes and airflow – and thus we do not have AC in our rooms. In fact, there are some evenings or mornings where it can get quite chilly, so we recommend you bring a light sweater (or a few) to keep you warm and comfortable during those times.
- We are in a developing country in an area that is a rapidly growing tourist destination. As such, we struggle to keep waste and trash to a minimum – and encourage all of our guests to be as aware and considerate of this as possible. We recommend you bring a water bottle with you so that you don’t need to purchase water bottles, which just adds to the trash on the island. Here on the property, we are more than happy to refill your water bottle for free as much as you need. We also have water carafes in the room. Out in town, there are a number of businesses all around that will also refill your water bottle for a small fee (usually $.25).
- There are lots of places to venture out and hike through for amazing views of our wildlife and jungles. To enjoy this the mist, be sure to bring hiking shoes or sneakers.
- There are lots of reefs in Bocas – including much of the beach right by our B&B. If you want to enjoy timing exploring these, it might be good to bring water shoes to protect your feet against the rocky bottom and occasional sea urchin.
- And of course, to make the mist of your time in the sun and in the beach, don’t forget your flip-flops and sunscreen!