FAQ
The questions we get asked before a booking, answered.
Where is the island?
A quiet corner of the Caribbean.
Bocas del Toro is a Caribbean archipelago off the northwest coast of Panama, made up of nine main islands and hundreds of smaller cays. Dia Bonito sits on its own small island just off Isla Solarte, one of the larger islands in the chain, a twenty-minute boat ride from Bocas Town. The mangrove pass between us and Solarte is the route the locals use to reach the surf breaks on the other side, which means we are quiet but never far from the action.
How close is everything?
Pick a direction over breakfast.
That pass out front is the road to everywhere. Point the boat one way and Red Frog Beach is right there, with Bocas Town just beyond it for dancing and music. Hospital Point, the famous snorkel wall, is minutes off of your own dock. Go the other way and you're on your way to the Zapatilla cays, ranked among the best beaches on earth, where the water runs clear over turtle grass and the sand sits empty most mornings. All of it is close enough to be convenient, yet removed enough to be quiet, because at the end of the day you come back here, and the island is secluded and yours.
What does the island look like?
Walk it end to end before your coffee cools.
Ours is two and a half acres of low Caribbean island, planted with coconut palms, breadfruit, mango, and banana trees, plus basil and cilantro in the kitchen garden. It is the kind of place where things grow whether you tend them or not. Concrete walkways run between the houses and keep your feet dry when the afternoon rain rolls through, three docks reach out into the water, one with a thatched-roof boat house, and hammocks hang where the breeze finds them. The water around the property runs from deep blue to mangrove green depending on where you are looking. Sunsets are over the water on the west side. Sunrises are over the water on the east. The sun moves all the way across the property between them.
Are there animals? Can we bring ours?
The welcome committee has four legs.
Our friendly island dog Roo lives on the property and is always eager for a head-scratch. If anyone in your group is allergic, Roo is happy to spend time with his aunt on a neighboring island.
Two cats live on the property as pest control, and depending on their mood, you probably will not see much of them.
Your pets are very welcome to stay here with us. We will treat them like family.
What is the weather like?
Swimsuit weather, every month. Bocas runs warm and humid year-round, seventy-five to eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit. The dry season is November through April, with the steadiest weather between January and March. The wet season is May through October, which mostly means afternoon showers and morning sun rather than days of rain. Trade winds keep things comfortable on the water year-round.
What will I hear?
Toucans and parrots at first light, boats moving through the pass, water lapping against the dock, fireflies after dark. No car horns, no traffic, no crowds.
How many people can stay?
Up to twenty-four. The main hacienda has six ensuite bedrooms and the waterfront bungalow has two more, every one of them air-conditioned. There are never other guests on the island.
Is it really all-inclusive?
Yes. Food and drinks are all-inclusive, and the paddleboards, kayaks, snorkel gear, and boat tube rides are yours the whole stay. Our captain and the boat run your days on the water. Want more? Ask, and we make it happen.
Is there Wi-Fi?
Starlink reaches everywhere on the island, so you stay connected to a world that feels delightfully far away.
Where does the power come from?
The sun. Thirty-three solar panels on the pavilion roof feed a 75 kWh battery bank that runs the whole island, every air conditioner included. Water comes from the sky through rain catchment and purification, and a diesel generator waits for the rare stretch when nothing else cooperates.
Can we host a wedding here?
Yes. The solar pavilion seats a 150-person wedding under string lights, and the whole island is yours for the celebration.
How do we get there?
Fly into Panama City, then take a one-hour flight to Bocas del Toro with multiple daily departures. We meet you at the airport, and a private boat takes you the twenty minutes to the island. The full route is on the Getting Here page.
Why Bocas del Toro?
What the Caribbean was before the cruise ships arrived.
Most of the Caribbean stopped being like this decades ago. The towns are small. The reefs are intact. Cayo Zapatillas, two white-sand cays ringed by living reef inside Panama's first marine park, sits a boat ride from our dock, and taking you there is one of our favorite trips. Indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé villages still farm and fish the way they have for generations. The Afro-Caribbean communities on Bastimentos still play the music of their grandparents on Saturday nights. The whole archipelago feels like it has not made up its mind whether to become Tulum or stay itself, and most days you can still get a snapper fresh off the boat for ten dollars.
We picked this corner because it offers the rarest combination in modern hospitality: a place that is still itself. Not a resort destination dressed up to feel local. The real thing. We just happen to be a small private island inside it.
Tell us when you're coming and who you're bringing. We'll take it from there.
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