La Loma Jungle Lodge & Chocolate Farm — Hotel in Bocas del Toro

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’s very hard to on the spot think of everything that may come up that you don’t necessarily enjoy when it comes to food. For example a lot of the sauces or meal additions just weren’t my jam. I really think sending out a proposed menu ahead of time and THEN having the guest send back their modifications would be a better option. 2 days in a row we were served a bean based dish for lunch and neither my partner nor I enjoy beans, and then little things like requesting plain rice vs rice that was mixed with herbs that weren’t our favorite as examples. | - As mentioned with the lunch example there wasn’t really an option to have something more substantial on some occasions. We had 3 lunches here and not one included a protein of some kind instead of just a plate of beans and vegetables. (Neither of us are vegetarian)| - The meal times were very sporadic. Breakfast is 8-10, lunch is 12:30 and dinner isn’t until 7. 7:30-8 by the time you get your main with how long they drag on the courses. Between 12:30 and 7 I was starving. And with that there isn’t really an option to come down and order a snack or anything. Coupled with the fact that they tell you not to bring food because of the animals (completely understandable) it doesn’t leave you with a ton of options if you get hungry. | - Being in the tropics it would have been nice to have a few more options of fresh fish or fruit. | - The cacao tea they bring you in the morning is a nice gesture but the muffins that accompany it were not good. Additionally the cookies they insist on serving after lunch are straight up inedible. Hard as rocks. ||- They should be much more clear about the charges they add for cards and late check in. That wasn’t made clear upfront and we then were faced with the extra charges upon checkout|- The checkout time vs the boat transport doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Checkout is at 11 while the boat transport doesn’t leave until 3. That leaves you with a 4 hr gap where you can’t do much other than sit in the lodge because as mentioned there isn’t a ton else. ||With that we still enjoyed our stay, but there were just a lot of inconveniences and grievances no one should have to deal with on vacation when you’re paying to enjoy yourself and truly experience a...

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’s very hard to on the spot think of everything that may come up that you don’t necessarily enjoy when it comes to food. For example a lot of the sauces or meal additions just weren’t my jam. I really think sending out a proposed menu ahead of time and THEN having the guest send back their modifications would be a better option. 2 days in a row we were served a bean based dish for lunch and neither my partner nor I enjoy beans, and then little things like requesting plain rice vs rice that was mixed with herbs that weren’t our favorite as examples. | - As mentioned with the lunch example there wasn’t really an option to have something more substantial on some occasions. We had 3 lunches here and not one included a protein of some kind instead of just a plate of beans and vegetables. (Neither of us are vegetarian)| - The meal times were very sporadic. Breakfast is 8-10, lunch is 12:30 and dinner isn’t until 7. 7:30-8 by the time you get your main with how long they drag on the courses. Between 12:30 and 7 I was starving. And with that there isn’t really an option to come down and order a snack or anything. Coupled with the fact that they tell you not to bring food because of the animals (completely understandable) it doesn’t leave you with a ton of options if you get hungry. | - Being in the tropics it would have been nice to have a few more options of fresh fish or fruit. | - The cacao tea they bring you in the morning is a nice gesture but the muffins that accompany it were not good. Additionally the cookies they insist on serving after lunch are straight up inedible. Hard as rocks. ||- They should be much more clear about the charges they add for cards and late check in. That wasn’t made clear upfront and we then were faced with the extra charges upon checkout|- The checkout time vs the boat transport doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Checkout is at 11 while the boat transport doesn’t leave until 3. That leaves you with a 4 hr gap where you can’t do much other than sit in the lodge because as mentioned there isn’t a ton else. ||With that we still enjoyed our stay, but there were just a lot of inconveniences and grievances no one should have to deal with on vacation when you’re paying to enjoy yourself and truly experience a...

Stayed for 5 days at La Loma. Beautiful jungle views, unique cacao and farm tour experience, excellent food. I loved the cacao tea and was never hungry as each meal was top notch with beautiful presentation. The cocktails/mocktails are also hand crafted beautifully and tasted great, although the bartender doesn’t come until 4-5pm. I love how creative they were with all of the meals! One of the volunteers mentioned about 10% of food is from the farm so the tour was great because it made the meals all the better being able to identify what you saw/tasted in the garden. It was 2 hours and felt it could’ve been 1hr but Sergio was so great and really appreciated all his hard work and passion for the fruits of his labor.

The service was phenomenal and it was so easy to book activities. All of the staff were so courteous and pleasant. Keep in mind the bioluminescent tour is only available when it’s new moon. We booked the zapatillo tour, cacao farm tour, went to red frog beach, yoga, and had massages. Massage was great and found to be pretty affordable at $85/hr. Yoga was $15 and felt it should’ve been included. It was very relaxing, mostly breathing exercises so if you’re looking for something more involved would recommend DIY using one of their provided mats. The nearest beach is a 7 min boat ride away and $15 for the ride + $5 per person to enter. Once there, you have about a 7min walk but it was nicely paved and we saw some sloths so I enjoyed this. It is all charged to your room so no need to worry about cash for activities except for tips. They accept Mastercard and Visa but not AMEX. We had plenty to keep entertained for 5 days but felt a bit restricted in terms of meal times although they will pack your meals for activities. I did find I missed the freedom to be able to order when/what I’d like as you don’t have any options understandably as they are working with limited staff for a small # of guests.

I had cell service with AT&T so if you have an international plan this is no issue but they offer WiFi in the main area. Hot water ran out from our shower after the first day but we didn’t mind as we welcomed a cold shower.

We did really underestimate how bothersome bugs and sand flies would be. They offer repellent but didn’t like the feeling of bathing in oil and deet all day. At night I would shower but even a short walk from the tent to the bathroom would prove bug bites galore.

The lack of AC didn’t bother me as I prefer warm humid climates but it did my boyfriend who wasn’t able to sleep most of the trip. They offer earplugs for the rainforest sounds like monkeys, birds etc. but I found it to be relaxing, white noise. Most of the night it’s pretty quiet but at 4am you start to really hear the roosters and dogs. The rooms come with a powerful fan which is good at keeping you cool but the lack of AC leaves you without its dehumidifying qualities and the bed feeling moist/damp wasn’t ideal.

Recommended for those who are looking for time in nature with a detox from technology, modern amenities and conveniences of life. Not great for those who require AC, don’t like bugs, picky eaters or those with impaired mobility. I loved the experience but wish we spent 1-2 nights and then stayed at the beach. Found it to be expensive given there are no real amenities and is a bit primitive. Most hotels nearby are $50-$100 so you are definitely paying top dollar vs $500/nt+. I don’t mind spending this on a trip but comes down to value. We are small business owners and also building an off-grid luxury eco residence in the Caribbean where construction and labor prices are 3-5x cost as Bocas, so with that understanding, I did feel they overcharged considering half the staff are unpaid volunteers from workaway and there are few amenities one would expect with the associated cost. It is American-owned and I feel they market it very well and the prices reflect this. You can get a similar experience for a more affordable price elsewhere but did enjoy the nature, architecture, service and the unique...