Isla Palenque is a magical place. You don’t need to read further - just book. We routinely travel around the Caribbean and we have not found a resort that has such high quality people, amazing food, beautiful setting and luxurious appointments. People: shout out to Carlos. While many resorts have people that are kind, Carlos treats you as his family (and he loves his family). He got to know us, cared for us and went above and beyond to make our time special. Food: this isn’t your typical all inclusive. The food is up there with the top restaurants in Miami. The seafood is fresh, there’s local cuisine, everything is prepared hot and to taste. Setting: you feel like you’re in the movie Castaway but like in a good way, not talking to a volleyball. The beaches and jungle are yours to explore. There’s rarely more than 20 people and the guides help you learn about the surroundings which are sacred and treated as such. We greatly enjoyed our snorkel trip and the hikes around the island, where we explored 2,000 year old pottery, heard (and saw) monkeys that sounded like lions and learned about the wildlife. Appointments: the rooms are fantastic. They’re clean, modern and have a beautiful outdoor bathroom. The beds are some of the most comfortable we’ve slept in. All in all - you really cannot ask for a better place

The staff was very professional and courteous.

We wish we could give the resort 10 stars - it is exceptional. The location is sublime as you have the resort owns the entire island and the privacy of each casita really makes you feel secluded. The casitas are beautifully designed and comfortable. The outdoor bathroom area is like from a Hollywood movie - so cool. The food is 5 stars - always the freshest ingredients and rotating options - even though you eat at the same restaurant, you are surprised by the varied menu option. And, last but not least, the staff and service. To say they go the extra mile is putting it mildly. They are like a family as soon as you arrive and they make sure that all your needs are catered to at the highest level. It is that understated high level of service without being pretentious. We had the times of our lives! Make sure to take advantage of the various activities - they were all spot on - both nature and cultural offerings. BOOK NOW - you will be so happy.

The speedboat arrival at the resort is spectacular. Indeed we will always remember the dawn trip we took during our stay to go birdwatching near Boquete when we had a full moon on one side and the rising sun on the other not to mention the osprey greeting us at the dock on the mainland. We had casita 1 nearest the reception and restaurant area. The casita was nicely furnished with open air bathroom and toilet. The toilet was very poky feeling overly enclosed despite no roof and needs to be expanded during the update we understand is happening soon. The smell of the sewerage system was at times very unpleasant possibly caused by other guests not abiding by the request only to flush human waste. The seating area in front of the casita had plenty of seats including a swing and hammock and a tap to wash feet etc. It was usually too hot to use that area but I am not sure the plan to include that area in the casita in the proposed updating is entirely sensible. Improvements to the lighting in the casita is definitely needed. We really enjoyed our walks on the beach. It's a real Robinson Crusoé beach. The naturalists are very knowledgeable and we enjoyed their talks and walks. We didn't take a guided night walk but should have done as much wildlife is nocturnal. The bar restaurant on the beach is very enjoyable and the experienced staff were great. There were too many trainees who needed more training before being used on guests. Management I felt could be improved and be more visible actually managing. The food was very good and creative . Their Howling Monkey beer is excellent and the wine list is short but ok. We really enjoyed the complementary rum tasting and learnt a lot. Reception, concierge, senior bar and restaurant staff and the naturalists were really knowledgeable and provided great service. Overall we really enjoyed the experience but felt certain aspects need to be improved to justify the high prices including management, the casitas especially the lighting and the sewage system and the staff training.

We had the most amazing experience! Our group of seven women shared the villa for five nights. Tomas, our private chef, prepared absolutely delicious Panamanian fare. Much better than any meal we enjoyed in Panama City, by far. We are well traveled group of women. The level of professionalism demonstrated by our butlers, Carlos and Juancho, is absolutely unmatched. They were both truly a delight and worked extremely hard to make sure that we were having the best possible experience. The naturalists, Virgilio, Francis and Patricia, were extremely knowledgeable and excited to share their wealth of local knowledge with us. Francis sent us amazing GoPro videos documenting our snorkel trip after our departure. The kayaking and hiking from the resort were fabulous. Do not miss the sunset cruise! I hope to return very soon to Isla Palenque. Cheers to this amazing group of professionals and beautiful resort.