Bubba’s House

Bubba’s House feels like a budget surfer hostel, though there's plenty of personality here that makes this a popular Bastimentos choice. The heart of the waterfront, two-story hostel is its large deck, where guests relax, eat, drink, make music, and share communal dinners around picnic benches and a shabby chic checkerboard table. Overhead, the ceiling doubles as a surfboard storage rack, and the hostel’s only large flat-screen plays videos of surfers riding massive waves. 

The hostel’s dated, wood-paneled walls and stairway are dark, but brightened up with colorful tapestries of celtic symbols, a psychedelic sun, a wall mural of a buttery orange and yellow rising sun, and a woven dream catcher. Hammocks hang along the deck and also over a quieter upstairs balcony, providing a place for everyone to kick back. Reggae music is usually playing all day long, but the hostel quiets down reasonably early in the evening. Guests are mostly twentysomethings, but we did spot some families when we visited as well, all drawn by the bohemian atmosphere.      

Situated in Bastimentos town, in the heart of Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park -- a 33,000-acre preserve in Panama’s Bocas Del Toro Province -- Bubba’s House is surrounded by lush jungle and turquoise ocean. The one-lane, car-free town has a handful of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, and a highly-rated chocolate shop and plantation. All of this is within an easy walk of the hotel, right outside its front door.

Beaches and surfing near Bubba’s House include Wizard Beach, which involves a 20-minute jungle hike across the island, and Red Frog Beach, a 10-minute water taxi ride followed by a 15-minute hike. With its waterfront location, water taxis frequently drive by Bubba’s, ready to spirit guests to many of the area’s tourist highlights.

Bubba’s House is a 10-minute water taxi ride from Bocas del Toro, the area transit hub. Ferries to and from mainland Panama depart from here (it's a 35-minute journey), and there are domestic and international flights as well (it's a 45-minute flight to Panama City). Bocas town is also the region’s nightlife and dining epicenter, with offerings that include Panamanian, Asian, and Italian cuisines.

Bubba’s House has 11 air-conditioned rooms that include five private rooms with double beds, two private rooms with two twin beds, three Four-Person Dorms, and one Six-Person Dorm. The private rooms are compact, and are painted in bright colors like yellow and green. The look is distinctly budget, but cheerful, an effect created by plaid comforters, colorful curtains, and woven throw rugs on painted floors. Furniture is limited to wooden chairs and TV-tray side tables. Some rooms have lamps and old surfing magazines, or even a dog-eared copy of “The Beach.” The Six-Person Dorm has lockers, though the Four-Person Dorm curiously does not, and the dorms can feel cramped when filled with people, luggage, and surfboards.

All rooms have their own bathroom, which are small but adequate. Some are tiled in straightforward neutral tans and greens, while others are done in more colorful patterns that give them a locally crafted look. They come with stand-up showers with colorful, clear shower curtains. Soap and towels are included, but travelers should keep in mind that fresh water is limited on the island. Showers will be with cold water only, and sometimes the hotel runs out of fresh water. It's also worth noting that rooms at the front of the hostel can pick up noise.

Relaxing after a day in the sun is a Bubba’s House priority, with four ocean-view hammocks downstairs and two additional hammocks upstairs. Its small wooden bar serves a great selection of alcohol and Panamanian microbrews, and Bubba’s stand-alone restaurant, Juanchos, draws locals and hostel guests. A breakfast with a nice selection of options is available, but not included in room rates. The restaurant also serves a family-style dinner every night on the hostel deck.

Surf-videos play all day long on Bubba’s flat-screen TV and a Nintendo Wii often sits unused nearby. Board games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, backgammon, chess, and checkers are also available. Near the TV, a wall of instruments -- a guitar, keyboard, washboard, bongos, tambourine, and more -- are available for the scheduled and impromptu jazz sessions that frequently take place. The hostel offers free Wi-Fi and runs a book exchange, and laundry service is available for a fee.

Bubba’s House has regular surf shuttles to local breaks including Carenero, Bluff, Long Beach, and Paunh, Paki Point, and can also arrange a wide variety of excursions. Options include beaches, snorkeling and diving, fishing, tubing, and spelunking in the nearby Bat Caves. They can charter boats for create-your-own adventures as well. Surfboards, single and two-person kayaks, snorkeling gear, stand-up paddleboards, fishing rods, and wakeboards are all also available for rent.