Planning for a trip is
not easy. There are plenty of opportunities for slip-ups, lots of “uh-ohs” if
you will. If I were in charge of planning our travels it would be littered with
mistakes, but Janet loves the detailed work that it takes to plan a smooth
trip. From transportation to hotels to restaurants, to excursions, Janet does a
thorough job of researching all and leaving nothing to serendipity. Although,
with proper planning good fortune usually follows.
WHICH WAY TO THE BEACH?
ISLAND HOPPING
 |
| Zapatilla #2 |
Our tour took us to the
white-sandy beach of Zapatilla Island #2. We didn’t visit #1 because the water
was too rough.
Our boat anchored at a small pier and we joined several other similar tours to swim in the water, walk the beach and follow well marked trails through the interior for a few hours.
 |
| Zapatilla island |
As it was a national
marine park there was an entrance fee, collected by rangers using wifi and
iphones. Our senior discount fee was just $4.00 pp.
We hiked a bit and swam
in the warm water. There was a swift littoral current that people were riding.
When we returned to the
pier at the allotted time the crew had arranged on palm fronds a fantastic
array of fruits like papaya, passion and pineapple for us and decorated with
hibiscus flowers which afterwards they passed out to all the ladies on our
trip.
Before we reached Zapatilla
we had a couple of stops. We first went to Bahia Honda, one of the inlets where
we watched dolphins frolic in the water and we could hear the delightful
giggles of children from other tour boats. Then we cruised close to shore to
see the many sloths lounging in the trees. They did not frolic.
 |
| our fruit |
The next stop after our
meal was to snorkel in what they called Coral Gardens. The crew provided masks
and snorkels and we just jumped in the water and swam around, marveling at the
marine life just beneath the surface.
The final stop was to cruise slowly through Hollywood Bay, so named after all the starfish in the shallow water.
.jpeg) |
| lunch |
On the ride back to
Bocas Town the crew provided water and beer. They dropped us off right at our
hotel, Tropical Suites.
The trip was $51pp
w/out tip, which was greatly appreciated by the two-man crew.
FUN DIVES
 |
| Dive guide's notes |
The price was very
reasonable for a two-tank dive. The shop was clean and inviting and the owner
chatted us up and resolved our issue about leaving our dive books at home, by
providing paperwork that we could staple in our books when we returned home.
They also provided all
necessary equipment and even shorty wetsuits, all for the price…no additional
charges.
The dive guide was a
tall Scottish woman who could barely contain her enthusiasm at pointing out
critters on the dive, including a jawfish holding its babies in its mouth and
wrote everything down on an underwater white board, which we discussed back at
the center after our dives.
The Bocas Dive Center is
part of a “diver destination”. Not only is the dive shop located here, but the Divers
Paradise boutique hotel and the Pier 19 restaurant, where we got free coffee
and a discounted price for our lunch, are on the premises.
Our second dive had us
going around a sunken barge. They were “fun” dives because we never really went
deeper than 40 feet and the dives lasted over 50 minutes.
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS
Locals and tourists were on the bus, some people getting off at little villages along the way, but mostly everyone rode the bus to Bocas del Drago. From there it was a 20-minute walk to Playa Estrella, or Starfish Beach. There are water taxis from Bocas del Drago for about $1.00 pp, but the walk is pleasant and some people even spread out their blankets somewhere in between the two. This is a bay so there are no waves and there are little beachside restaurants at either location. We had a snack at Bocas del Drago while waiting for the return bus.
Yes, there are plenty
of starfish to be seen at Playa Estrella and the beach is popular with tourists
and locals alike and on the weekends and holidays the place can get crowded and
noisy. Signs everywhere ask visitors to NOT pick up the starfish.
It’s worth a visit.
 |
| Playa Estrella |
RED FROG BEACH
The island is part of
the Bastimentos National Marine Park and sloths and monkeys as well as those
deadly critters can be seen here.
We hailed a $5.00 pp water
taxi from our deck at the Tropical Suites Hotel in Bocas Town for the 10-minute
boat ride to Isla Bastimentos. The taxi dropped us off at the pier for the Red Frog
Beach Resort and he agreed to meet us three hours later for the ride back to
Bocas Town.
 |
| Red Frog Beach |
There was an entrance
fee of $5.00 pp for entry to the preserve and then a 10-minute walk through the
resort and lush rainforest where signs alerted us to the frogs and other
animals we may encounter.
Our bravery was rewarded with a beautiful stretch of golden sand edged by the rainforest. There were strong waves, but they broke far enough from shore so the water was safe and refreshing. Surfers and body surfers were further out. We somehow managed to gain a couple of chaises at the Palmar Beach Lodge and relaxed with the prettiest Pina Colada we had ever seen. There are several local beach bars located here as well and kids from the indigenous Bahia Roja village would come by selling coconut oil.
 |
| A girl and her Pina Colada |
 |
| a boy and his rum |
Like everywhere we had visited in Bocas del Toro, there was a relaxing calm feel to the place and the only Red Frogs we saw were part of a display for one of the local beach bars.
 |
| NOT ACTUAL SIZE |
That was fine by me.
 |
| Red Frog Beach is HERE |
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj
No comments:
Post a Comment