Surf Break at Paunch

This place is magical. David, aka “Odessa”, is great. Getting to the place is an adventure, and once there, you are surrounded by jungle (without bugs) and the sound of the ocean.

Recommend Great little spot right on the most consistent surf break in the area. It is walkable to many restaurants and other surf breaks in the area as well. David was a good host. He made himself available without being intrusive. Hot water, coffee, fresh coconut water, and clean tiled bathroom was a plus. Pretty rustic for a person who is used to the Hilton, but it has all the creature comforts situated right on the waves and main gathering spot. The road from the house that wanders down the hill is bit slippery after rain, but short. Overall I recommend for solo, or couple, or small family.

Amazing jungle home INCREDIBLE AUTHENTIC JUNGLE EXPERIENCE BUT WITH ALL THE COMFORT!! I stayed for 2 nights at David’s place on my solo trip to bocas del toro and I can’t recommend it enough! The place was gorgeous on inside and the outside was just amazing, surrounded by jungle but 2 mins from the water too! Everything was clean, and the bed was SUPER comfortable!! David was extremely friendly and helpful with immediate responses when I had questions throughout my whole stay! I rented a ATV and David let me park it on site no problem. Perfect stay!

Do not stay here! I have never written a bad review for a “hotel” but it is only fair to warn other travelers. The room we stayed in at Surf Paunch was filthy. The bed had stains on it, pillows and towels dirty and the sheets had holes/stains on them too. Not to mention the sheets smelled disgusting and were not washed. None of us used the sheets/blankets. The host was shocked that we checked in 3 people even though the reservation stated three. Apparently the number of people correlates to why we could not have a curtain over the windows in the bathroom (you could then see into the bathroom/shower from outside our room). It should be stated that the sofa bed is an old couch. A sofa bed typically has a metal frame and thin mattress that can be unfolded or opened up to make a bed. In addition, there was no shampoo or conditioner. I wish I could say the room was inexpensive and that would make this experience slightly better but it was beyond expensive for what it was. Lastly, our host was unfriendly. He wasn’t welcoming and couldn’t be bothered mentioning anything about the area/hotel. He made us feel uncomfortable and ignored our complaints. It is concerning when locals would say what is going on there is not good. We were the only ones on the property... wonder why.

Stayed here for 3 nights this summer. We had 3 people in one room, as stated in our reservation, however one person was stuck sleeping on a makeshift futon. None of the amenities you see in pictures or online were available. No breakfast/food, no hammocks, no bikes, etc. If these were available for purchase, we wouldn't know as the option was never given to us. The location is remote, a good ~20 minute drive from town, with much of it being on a rough dirt road. However, the worst part was the pillows, blankets, sheets, etc, given to us were absolutely disgusting. The smell was atrocious and there were visible stains on everything, they were unusable. When leaving my review of this property on Google, we were insulted by the owner for leaving a negative review. Extremely unprofessional. The host was not gracious at all and provided zero information about the location and things to do. He seemed bothered we were even there. Based on the past positive reviews, either the ownership has recently changed or these people are family/friends of the owner.

It’s was just what we were looking for. Not the hustle and bustle of city. It was up in the hill and we loved it!! If your going power goes out a lot on the island so bring flashlights! Overall great place! Car taxi can’t make the hill. So get a bus or truck taxi. Good times.