Need to know
Rooms
Eight suites and one private villa.
Check–Out
11am. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
More details
Rates include all meals, soft drinks and snacks.
Also
A buyout – where you and up to 29 friends have the island exclusively to yourselves – is an option.
At the hotel
Pool, restaurant, bar, hammock lounge, paddleboards and kayaks to borrow. In rooms: iPad (in casitas), free WiFi, yoga mat, block and meditation cushion, binoculars and field guides, cafetière, kettle, free tea and coffee, refillable water bottles, minibar, organic bath products.
Our favourite rooms
With its beachfront location, inviting infinity pool and sociable layout, the exclusive Villa Estate on Playa Primera is the golden ticket for groups or large families. For couples or smaller families, Playa Palenque’s casitas are equally pleasing – contemporarily furnished with indoor/outdoor ensuites and made-for-lounging gardens that offer utter peace and privacy.
Poolside
Set back from Playa Palenque, the palm-fringed freshwater pool has stepped entry and a handful of made-for-two cabanas on one side of the deck and a hammock-strewn thatch-roofed lounge, open to the sea breeze. There’s a lifeguard on duty and you can dip from 7am until 10pm. Wooden steps give access to the infinity pool at the Beachfront Villa Estate which – at living-room level – offers sea views over Playa Primera and cascades into a smaller pool on the lower deck, edged by an open-sided rancho lounge.
Spa
There’s no spa at Isla Palenque but you can enjoy a massage or facial using local, organic spa products in the privacy of your own garden.
Packing tips
Isla Palenque is an island idyll you’ll want to waft around barefoot – so pack floaty kurtas, kaftans and sarongs; this really is a swimwear-all-day kind of stay.
Also
Laundry service is available at extra cost. This sandy-pathed, remote property isn’t wheelchair-accessible.
Pet‐friendly
This private-island hotel is a pet-free zone. See more pet-friendly hotels in Chiriquĩ Gulf.
Children
Very welcome. Extra beds and cots can be added to casitas, or book the Beachfront Villa Estate if travelling with a larger group.
Best for
Any age. Younger children will love the island’s sandy beaches, safe for swimming. Older children will enjoy the many activities and excursions included with your stay.
Recommended rooms
Casitas can easily accommodate two younger children in the living area, or book two neighbouring casitas if travelling with older children. For larger groups, the Beachfront Villa Estate is the perfect choice.
Crèche
What Isla Palenque lacks in crèche and kids club, it makes up for with thoughtfully curated activities, tailored to suit the age group in question.
Activities
Hike up to a blowhole, paddle the mangroves, learn to fish or snorkel the island’s beautifully clear waters – the choice of adventures for intrepid little Smiths is impressive. Closer to home, they can borrow a paddle board, boogie board or kayak any time; sign up for a mocktails workshop or junior cookery class. There’s even a five-kilometre fitness circuit to challenge the sportiest of teens.
Swimming pool
There is stepped entry at both pools and a lifeguard on duty at the pool near the casitas.
Meals
On the menu are familiar dishes such as burgers and pasta and there is a dedicated children’s menu, too; highchairs are provided.
Babysitting
There’s no babysitting on the island, but the hotel will happily set up dinner for two at your casita or villa, or on the beach, only metres away from your accommodation, so you can still enjoy a ‘night out’.
Also
Isla Palenque offers a relaxed approach to family time with enough flexibility when it comes to activities and cuisine to make your stay enjoyable for all ages. If, however, you prefer your days clearly organised into time with children and time without, this may not be the hotel for you.
Sustainability efforts
So committed to an environmentally friendly operation is Isla Palenque, that you can take a behind-the-scenes tour during your stay to explore fully how its green operations are deployed and refined. The hotel is set in 400 acres of rainforest, bordering the Chiriquĩ Gulf National Marine Park, and takes the conservation of the island and sustainable working practices very seriously. The hotel was built using only sustainable hardwood and its design is sympathetic to the landscape that surrounds it. There’s an emphasis on energy- and water-saving in day-to-day operations, with solar panels installed, and the hotel uses locally sourced biodegradable products. Single-use plastics are banned and all bath products are organic and produced locally. Food is locally sourced and, yep, organic, with fruit, veg and herbs from the hotel’s kitchen garden. Signed up to the Dock to Dish program, the hotel uses fresh, sustainable seafood, caught in nearby Boca Chica, with fair terms for its suppliers – beef and poultry are free range and hormone free, too.The hotel works with local farmers to educate them on sustainable and profitable farming measures that avoid deforestation. Guests are invited to contribute to the reforestation program during their stay, planting primary rainforest seedlings. Staff volunteers enrol in a monthly beach and dock clean-up around Boca Chica and help to keep the islands of Bolaños and Gamez pristine, inviting along local residents, too.