Reviews of Playa Bluff Lodge
Urbanizacion Playa Bluff, Calle principal, casa s/n., Bocas del Toro, Panama

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Reviewed: 19 August 2025 · Stayed in August 2025
Verified reviewThe breakfast was good! Pancakes, eggs, toast. There was a lot of food!
It is a little far from the town, but still super beautiful
Reviewed: 10 August 2025 · Stayed in August 2025
Verified reviewMagical place. Right on beach. A spiritual place. The owner practices Chinese healing and did a treatment on my husband and I. She has an assistant from China that is truly the most intuitive human ive ever encountered. She spoke to me without uttering a word. I will never forget her... stephanie the owner and her entire staff. The next morning I felt a calm like never before. Her manager is a lovely Chinese man who has a blind autistic son that plays piano much of the day. He has won many awards. It's a spell binding experience to sit in the outdoor reception/bar/restaurant and listen to him with the accompaniment of the rolling waves on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The grounds are spectacular. The food is very very good. We had a traditional chinese breakfast that included a congee type soup... vegetable noodles and braised bok choy. We had lunch the day before and was equally delicious...It may not be for you though. There ARE language barriers. You will be communicating on a different field. It's a very non traditional place. As long as you're up for being exposed to a new energy vibe and are patient, you will have a magical time.
There were several things. But we quickly learned that THOSE things were not all that important. Spotty internet which is understandable as it's on a VERY remote beach on an island in Panama. So I went zero dark thirty for a couple of days. Communication? Learned words don't matter all that much. We had a FANTASTIC time.
Reviewed: 24 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewThe location is fantastic, right next to the most stunning beach. our room was ok, but the expectation for the price of this accomodation was way below the mark. Other Guests left once seeing rooms.
no safe in our room, strange two location reception/check in. hard to find staff and waiting forever for simple requests. feels like they have just taken over and dont have a clue but have owned for 10 years and clearly not improving. breakfast was slow and questionable. the volunteer workers tried their hardest but where embaressed and apologetic. overpriced, for the money i would expect better, if it was half the price it would match expectations. cant believe they get any repeat business.
Reviewed: 21 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 7 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 31 March 2025 · Stayed in January 2025
Verified reviewthe service provided during my stay was far below acceptable standards, regardless of price. Paying $1,200, even with a 15% discount, does not justify the series of issues we encountered, which I mention them: * Persistent water issues that were not resolved despite being reported on the first day. * Incomplete room cleaning, which is unacceptable in any accommodation. * Failure to replace towels adequately. * Poor breakfast service, with untrained volunteers unable to meet basic expectations. * Lack of essential bathroom amenities, a basic standard even in lower-cost establishments. These are not minor inconveniences; they represent fundamental shortcomings in the quality of the service. Comparing the rates to other accommodations in the area does not address the core issue: the service provided did not meet even minimal expectations, let alone justify the cost.
Reviewed: 9 January 2025 · Stayed in January 2025
Verified reviewbreakfast was so-so, staff were super friendly. I experienced a period without water the first day, but after that it was ok. the shower head was not useable in my room.
lighting in the rooms, as well as outside lighting was non existent on my balcony
Reviewed: 12 September 2024 · Stayed in September 2024
Verified reviewThe hotel is beautiful, surrounded by nature. There are monkeys, agoutis and many birds. The beach is clear and deserted, a paradise to relax! The property is huge and there is even a waterfall that you can visit on a 1-hour walk, but I didn't manage to do the tour because I didn't have time enough. The room is comfortable, clean and airy. The staff was very helpful and attentive. I highly recommend the stay!
N/A
Reviewed: 10 September 2024 · Stayed in September 2024
Verified reviewAll the experience was amazing, the hotel is in front of the beach and the customer service was great.
Everything was perfect
Reviewed: 6 April 2024 · Stayed in March 2024
Verified reviewRight in the jungle but in front of the sea, simply the best for resting a couple of days.
Reviewed: 2 April 2024 · Stayed in March 2024
Verified reviewBreakfast was great. The view of the ocean and the hotel were amazing.
Reviewed: 30 March 2024 · Stayed in March 2024
Verified reviewThe location is great. The area is absolutely stunning. We got good tips from the manager about beaches and stuff to do. Bike rental was really flexible and we got a lot of help from the manager. Very friendly manager.
The yoga teacher/employee working there was super angry at breakfast one day and behaved really badly for no reason, against a lot of guests. We felt needy when asking for basic stuff like butter for the bread or milk for the coffee.(Which was included the day before and was missing) She slammed the butter and jelly on our table when coming back from the kitchen. They dont have a menu or any prices, so you dont know what you are paying for or getting. The food needs improvement. They dont have good air circulation in the rooms so its really hot in the rooms at night.
Reviewed: 9 January 2024 · Stayed in January 2024
Verified reviewRight in fornt of the beach, close to restaurants & bars.
Staff unwelcoming. decided not to stay. Pool is a cheap PVC thing, not a real pool.
Reviewed: 7 January 2024 · Stayed in January 2024
Verified reviewThe breakfast was mediocre. It consisted of one or two eggs, a pancake, a piece of a toast and a small amount of fruit. The coffee was terrible.
The service was at the hotel wasn’t great. In fact they did not clean my room on one of the days. And when I asked for an extra towel they brought towels that may have been clean but were permanently stained.
Reviewed: 15 October 2023 · Stayed in October 2023
Verified reviewIncredible location to explore your days in wilderness and walk magical coast line
The 6.8 score is TOTALLY unjustified
Reviewed: 3 July 2023 · Stayed in July 2023
Verified reviewGreat location, great restaurant staff, friendly manager, very natural.
It was over priced for facilities offered and no AC in rooms.
Reviewed: 1 April 2023 · Stayed in March 2023
Verified reviewPlaya Bluff Lodge is an awesome place to spend holiday, we were happy with very friendly and helpful staff, the rooms were very nice and 100% clean, food delicious and we were fascinated by the hotel gardens and the gorgeous seaview. Perfect place to stay at Bocas if you want a really authentic and luxury place at the same time with the best location you can imagine! we will be back!
Reviewed: 24 March 2023 · Stayed in February 2023
Verified reviewThe owners were very nice and friendly with us! Stefani and Antony, thank you so much! God bless you always!
The restaurant was not working. But a new chef was coming soon. so maybe now it is already working. But we could use the Kitchen, and was great since we have a 5 year old child. And there are 3 good restaurants near the hotel.
Reviewed: 17 March 2023 · Stayed in March 2023
Verified reviewclose to the beach , best bar closeby (right side) the owner is nice
no ac in the room, silk sheets make it very warm
Reviewed: 17 March 2023 · Stayed in March 2023
Verified reviewReviewed: 16 March 2023 · Stayed in March 2023
Verified reviewWe had such a great time here! The owner was so kind and accommodating to our needs and it was lovely getting to know her and Ben. Ben is a great cook and makes very good food. They also have a good selection of cocktails available as well. It is a family friendly place with big spacious rooms with extra beds and a clean pool that you can use as well! They also have a pool table that you can use if you’re looking for some relaxing down time with your significant other or family. The beach is right across from the lodge and is so beautiful. Another plus is that the resort is solar powered. All in all, a wonderful stay and would love to come back again.
N/A
Reviewed: 14 March 2023 · Stayed in March 2023
Verified reviewInside jungle, perfect beach nearly , tasty food and very good drinks passion fruit mohito ( thank You Antonio!)
it should be more clean :)
Reviewed: 3 March 2023 · Stayed in March 2023
Verified reviewI like the jungle atmosphere. Our host was very nice and courteous.
We booked two rooms. One was a upgraded room and the next one a srandard room. So we paid more for the upgraded room, but we got two standard rooms. Next for the price we paid, you expect warm shower at a minimum. It took 15 minutes of running water before we got warm water. Next, the beach is beautiful but unusable. The waves are too rough, so you can get your feet wet atvthe most. Lastly the dinner was a disaster. My wife got her meal 15 minutes after the rest of the us. The linguini wasnt cooked long enough. The fries were not done long enough, and we asked for a burger. Well done, it was still red on the inside. .so, there it is. For the price, i will not be coming back, and i got ripped off.
Good morning I didn't want to respond to your review. However, the content and your attitude this morning lead me to clarify a few points. First of all, this morning at breakfast, while you were telling me that we had a nice place, I saw on my phone what you had already written a review because you had written it the first day, after dinner. Which is strange because you hadn't slept here yet. To respond to your review, you complain that there were waves on the beach and your feet were wet. I'm confused, but when you book an hotel on the beach, especially "Playa Bluff", there are indeed chances of finding water and waves. Especially when this beach is world famous for its surf spot. You also complain about your dinner. Our chef is Italian, from Catania in Sicily, he had a restaurant for 20 years in Italy before joining us a week ago. He cooks to perfection, especially Italian cuisine. The spaghetti is cooked "al dente", that is to stay still firm. There is no other way !!! This is how it is cooked in this wonderful country, whose cuisine is world renowned. My Canadian friends admit it themselves that they don't know how to cook them or they are overcooked, with cheddar... so let's leave it to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Regarding undercooked fries, it's a matter of taste. I like them more cooked too. Regarding the meat in the burger, it was fresh and good meat, homemade patties, why do you want to burn it ? Anyway, just ask before and it is solved. You complain about not having had hot water before 15 minutes, it is not true because I was close the heater to check it. And you had hot water after 3 minutes exactly. Like we said during the check in. And in this case, a simple what's app message on my phone and the problem was solved in 5 minutes. That's what people normally do. They ask to fix the problem, and we do. But you didn’t have problems because you didn’t text me. I confirm that you have indeed been upgraded, that you have paid for a second class and that you have had a first. By our goodwill only. We do that all the time with our guest. So you are complaining because you were upgraded, that your spaghetti were al dente, that your fresh burger was cooked at the perfection, that you had the feet in the sea on the beach and that hot water took time to come. I think it is a good bad review. Cordially Anthony
Good morning I didn't want to respond to your review. However, the content and your attitude this morning lead me to clarify a few points. First of all, this morning at breakfast, while you were telling me that we had a nice place, I saw… Show more
Reviewed: 22 February 2023 · Stayed in February 2023
Verified reviewpet friendly great location to the beach lovely gardens good breakfast
I was sorry there was no restaurant as it was advertised. but no big deal