Bocas Town is a bit run down,but therin lies its charm. If your looking for 5 star,go to Mexico. If you want genuine Caribbean experience this is the place. If you go to the out islands you will experience the real feel of the place. Go now before it turns into another Costa Rica,with aircond condos that could be anywhere in the world.
If your looking for an adventure go to Bocas ,if you want golf couses go to Cancun. Bocas Del Toro certainly offers some amazing sights, but Bocas Town wouldn't be one of them. It's basically a [--] with a splash of charm when the sun goes down. Having said that, there are also some upsides. Many of the locals are friendly and happy to help. This is a great jumping off point to other more beautiful areas nearby.
There are a myriad of little hostels that are cheap and cute, some of them like Cocomo On The Sea, on the fringe of town and right on the water. There is also some decent food, some of it offering inflated prices, but others that are still good deals, and good quality, like OM Indian for instance, very tasty. The island also offers some veritable natural beauty, but you'll need to arrange going to those places, like Playa Bluff, in order to appreciate it; none of the real natural wonders are within walking distance.
If you are to spend any time in central Bocas Town, I would suggest going at night when things are less dreary, more festive, and less visible. There's also an undeniable and palpable feeling that this town is on the brink of something big. It will be interesting to see what happens here in the next 10 years. I expected to walk right into the beach from our hotel. Not in Bocas town, you an jump in but it's not as easy as it looks. We did take a boat tour though and it was great, had lunch at a spot on the water and snorkled for the first time.
Overall I want to go back and find a more beachy spot to lounge at. I amsure this will be easy enough to accompish. Having been to Panama once before we went back to meet some friends from Argentina kind of half-way. But it was convenient and had a nice pool — they got in at 2A.
