La Coralina Island House

The beach club is about 20 minutes from the main property, but it was worth the trip. A free shuttle takes you to a huge beach that was practically empty, and the ride there and back was an experience in itself. We saw monkeys and a sloth living its best life. It was the rest I needed. The resort sits in the rain forest and has a beautiful, serene setting that helped me forget the stress of city life. The meals were fresh and delicious, and there’s a bar and restaurant on site. There’s no TV in the room, which I surprisingly appreciated. There’s also no iron, and you can’t put toilet paper in the toilet or it won’t flush. The resort is in Boca del Toro Panama.

I led a yoga retreat for 18 people at La Coralina Island House, and the experience fell well below expectations. The property is beautiful, with impressive architecture and a lush setting, but that did not make up for poor management, unreliable operations, and a lack of care for guests. Hot water, the most basic amenity, did not work properly for most of the retreat. We asked several times, but it was never fully fixed, so guests had to take cold showers at a property advertised as luxurious. Rooms were not cleaned daily. We were told to leave each key in the door for housekeeping, but there were no safes for money or passports, so many of my clients felt uneasy about having their rooms cleaned. The water stations also were not reliably refilled. Some days we had no clean drinking water at the start of the day, including before morning yoga. For a wellness retreat, that lack of basic hospitality and attention was unacceptable. Most damaging to the retreat, the yoga studio that was confirmed in our contract was denied to us. We had originally booked at Azul Paradise, which became inoperable, and its manager, Chelsea, arranged this property for us. I was told there were yoga classes at 9am and 6pm daily, while my sessions were planned for 8am-9am and 4:30-6pm. I offered to move the morning class to 7am and end the evening session at 5:45, but Jessica (La Coralina mgt) denied the request and would not “budge.” At one point we were told repairs were taking place in the studio Friday morning, so I went to check and found another yoga class there instead. What we had been told was untrue. The biggest disappointment was Jessica’s lack of accountability and cooperation. She was inflexible and unwilling to honor the written agreement for the yoga space and the support needed for a professional retreat. Her dismissive manner and poor communication made it impossible to deliver the program I had planned, disrupting both my work and the experience my participants had paid for. As a retreat leader, I would strongly advise against hosting retreats at La Coralina Island House. The failures in reliability, communication, and follow-through caused serious disruption for my group. Until management fixes these issues, I don’t consider it a suitable or trustworthy venue for group retreats or wellness programs.

The resort’s Bali-inspired design, peaceful tropical setting, and striking architecture are beautiful. We enjoyed the surroundings during our three-night stay, but the service and housekeeping did not meet what I’d expect at a five star resort. Staff were friendly, though communication and attention to detail were lacking. Housekeeping needed better coordination. Our room was still not cleaned by 3 PM one day, and we had to call and ask them to prioritize it. On the first night, basic bathroom items were missing, and we waited late for replacements when we could have been resting. The next day they removed our bathrobes despite our request to leave them, then brought two pairs instead of one. It seemed our instructions weren’t being communicated or understood. The small details kept adding up. We got one small bottle of water per day for two guests, and only one drinking glass. By the last day, even the water brand had changed. In the room, there was no proper cutlery or teaspoon, just a wooden coffee stirrer that looked cheap. There was a coffee machine but no kettle or tea, and we had to ask for slippers that should be standard at this price point. The AC was running at 19°C on high fan speed, but we were told not to adjust it because the room would get wet. That sounds like a maintenance issue for the resort to resolve, not a restriction to put on guests. On our last morning, the watermelon juice at breakfast was spoiled, which shouldn’t happen at a place claiming five star standards. It’s visually stunning and worth a visit for the setting, but for what we paid, management and service need serious improvement. Unless these things are fixed, I’d expect this to be a one-time visit rather than somewhere guests return to.

The taxi situation made our stay really unpleasant. The hotel is about a 15-minute drive from the city, so getting around means taking a taxi. The hotel can arrange rides for $5 per person each way, but nobody told us taxis would no longer be available from the city after midnight. We spent an hour looking for one and messaging the hotel, which offered no solution. In the end we had to take a boat taxi that left us in the sea, about 50 meters from shore over coral reef. Not a pleasant experience. The hotel itself is beautifully designed and well maintained, and the room was nice, though pretty basic for the price. Breakfast was very good. The staff weren’t especially friendly or helpful, and didn’t seem to try to assist. We were also promised a honeymoon gift that never arrived.