Of all the quick trips from Panama City, Panama, Isla Grande is my favorite. Isla Grande is 2 hours, instead of the 1 hour trip to the Royal Decameron, Playa Blanca, Coronado or Punta Barco. It also includes a long and bumpy ride down the last stretch of road into the parking lot at the marina, but I think it’s worth it.

You’ll find crisp, clean water, wonderful people and some great restaurants, bars, hotels and resorts. At Banana’s, you’ve got bargain style resort life with amenities that include kayaks, a small bar and a small and not so clean beach. But if you’re traveling on a budget, it’s a good place to stay that gives you access to Isla Grande and Portobelo.

There are also several other hotels on Isla Grande. One is Sister Moon and another is Hotel Isla Grande, they’re both clean, comfortable stays with hot water, but Bananas Village Resort excels by also having a much better view and being further removed from the noise of the parties that can sometimes go on late into the night.

You can find some great scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and sightseeing in Isla Grande. There’s also surfing, but it’s a short, close out, reef break that I’m not fond of, though there are locals that love it. For the best surfing in Panama, I suggest Bocas Del Toro.

Banana’s Village Resort

Phone: (507)263-9510 Fax: (507)264-7556 www.bananasresort.com Enjoy the comfort Banana’s 28 suites provide: queen size beds, hot water showers, a private balcony with a hammock, air conditioner, panoramic view of sea….and include additional amenities such as home theater, and a CD-DVD player. Recreational Activities add: use of swimming pool, snorkeling equipment, kayaks, billiard table, volleyball, and fishing from the pier.

According to the Banana’s website: “All major expenses are incorporated for fees of up to $155 a night, and include: boat transportation to and from Banana’s private main land base and three meals a day.” However, be aware…one reviewer notes that he paid a higher room rate, and additionally paid for meals and his panga boat trips to and from the mainland. He contends: “After having done the ‘all included’ thing at Decameron, it felt like we were getting nickeled and dimed to death. But, in the end, it works out to about the same cost per person, per night (about $90) as a stay at either Decameron or Barcelo”.

This excellent hotel, of harmonic construction with the surrounding nature, has 28 comfortable suites, all with ocean-view balcony, air conditioner, hot water, satellite TV, safety boxes, king or queen sized beds. A private villa and four new suites right on the reefs add new dimensions to this vacation destiny, providing extra privacy and petite luxuries such as mini bars, home theater, cd/dvd player, rainforest showers. The food is an integral part of this fantasy world. In our restaurant you may enjoy the gastronomical delicacies of local of international cuisine prepared with excellent products selected fresh from the sea daily.

Hotel Sister Moon

Tel. 507 – 226- 9861 Cell: 507-6661-6740 Fax: 507-6525-7884

The island has a number of small hotels and restaurants. Isla Grande a good place to go to if you have a bunch of people who want to have a good time, or even if you’re looking forward being on the shores of Isla Grande next full moon, when you can sit back and watch the moon shine on the calm waters of the Caribbean.

Be sure to bring some “water shoes” to Isla Grande, if you want to go out into the water you’ll be walking on rocks and reefs. It’s good snorkeling territory when the tide’s in, with lots of bright tropical fish to look at. But, if you don’t have the right kind of foot protection you’ll take two steps into the water and then head right back to your beach chair.

Hotel Isla Grande

Isla Grande, Portobelo, Colon PA, Tel: 507-225-6722

A cabin/room at the little Hotel Isla Grande cost $45/night for singles or $60 per couple. In addition to swimming, you can dine, dance and shoot pool in ‘Bar el Coral’, the little island’s version of a night club with neon lights.

You can also check out Isla Grande’s beachfront Bob Marley Bar, decorated with painted blotches of red, green and yellow with a big mural of Marley with his tunes blowing on the breezes; there you can meet Pupy, the owner and Sheriff of Isla Grande.