Reviews of El Toucan Loco Floating Lodges

Sylvie and Olivier are the best hosts! They have created the most gorgeous boutique floating cabanas. They’re simple and artistic and off the grid. Amazing.

Nothing. It was perfect

Unbelievable what a human with great hands, mind and hearth can accomplish! A perfect refuge away from the rest of the world, without missing a minimum of comfort and great food. Oliver and Sylvie do a magnificient job to make you feel at home and have you relax.

Nothing.

Very charming and clean lodge that floats on water. It has a refreshing outdoor shower, comfortable beds, a patio with two hammocks and a set of outdoor table and chairs. There are small starfish and various sizes of fish under the lodge. Dolphins also sometimes frequent nearby. Our hosts, Olivier and Sylvie, and delightful and engaging. Sylvie makes delectable meals and yummy cocktails. Olivier problem solves our transport needs. They both delighted us with the sharing of their lifestyle, dreams and perspectives. It was such a relaxing and dreamy experience with nature!

We love everything!

It was great staying directly on the floating house, only surrounded by water. We even get to see sloths and dolphins. Sylvie made us feel very welcome. We loved, how warm and open minded she was. Also also her homemade cooking of course.

Our party of 4 stayed in two lodges for two nights at the first of January. What a fantastic experience. In reviewing options for a short stay in Bocos del Toro, it's hard to know what kind of accommodations to search for when you have never been there. The decision comes down to do you want to be near or in Bocos Town or on one of the islands at one of the bigger resorts. Or as El Toucan Loco turned out to be, a near magical location where you feel off like you have Bocos del Toro to yourself. The three floating lodges are definitely off the grid. To get to Bocos Town, you need to take a boat to get there. But Olivier is able to accommodate that if and when you need to go into town. When you stay here, you need to know to bring enough cash to pay the bill. This is not a surprise, upon booking, the hosts provide a detailed description of the accommodation and how to get there along with how payment is arranged. They also explain what meals cost if you choose to eat on property. Before you get there, you think you will want to go into town to a restaurant for a change of pace but for a short stay that would be a mistake because Sylvie who prepares the food is fantastic. She does magic with available ingredients. She also was able to accommodate one of our party who was a vegan. You are off the grid. But there is solar power and amazingly good WIFI. The shower is an outdoor shower but it feels great to shower outside. The magic of the place is the overwhelming ability to feel like you are disconnected and, in a world far away from the hustle of Panama City or wherever you came from. We loved it. A special treat was on our last morning, Olivier took us across the bay and was able to locate three separate sloths who put on a show for us - the way only sloths can. It was a magical ending to our trip to Panama.

We loved it but if someone doesn't like the idea of being on a truly floating lodge, this would not be for them.

We had a fabulous time at El Toucan Loco. The breakfasts and dinner were exceptional. We had a lovely view over the water and saw plenty of wildlife. We saw different birds, fish, jellyfish, crabs, starfish and even dolphins just from our room! We made use of the kayaks to go find some sloth but we didn't have much luck on our short ride although the scenery was beautiful. The boat ride there and back was quite bumpy although it's all part of the experience! (Maybe take travel sickness tablets if you get motion sickness)

Having to get in and out of the boat to get to the main house for meals was a bit of a challenge initially, but we got better at it :)

Super friendly hosts, the views, accommodation and location were amazing. We had such a lovely time and were made to feel incredibly welcome. The food was brilliant!

Getting to the accommodation is not the easiest, we thought as it is connected to the main land you could take a car direct - instead you have to pay for a water taxi from almirante port, this can be a arranged with the host via booking messenger. The boat trip however is lovely and well worth it. The host was very helpful in arranging the pick up and drop off

Location! Seeing sloths and snorkeling!

Nothing

The cabins are perfect and the hosts are lovely. The food is five stars 😍

Is more to take into account as the cabins are isolated: - Make sure to bring anything that you need. - Trip to and from the cabins comes with extra cost.

What a lovely place. Olivier and Sylvie are most welcoming, their food is delicious and the cabin was spotless and comfortable. They were also very communicative and made pick-ups/drop-offs simple, and for a reasonable pick-up fee. We would wholeheartedly recommend for anyone wanting some peace and tranquility and it's the perfect way to relax after some time in busy Bocas. Great stay.

The meals ($12 lunch, $24 dinner) were a tad expensive, perhaps. But the quality was excellent!

Amazing off-the-grid cabins floating (yes, floating) in the middle of beautiful mangroves. Extremely secluded and peaceful but very comfortable and well equipped. Hosts were attentive and provided excellent food.

Getting to and from the cabins was a little challenging and involved clambering in and out of an inflatable dingy, and rowing a short distance. Also, the facility is inaccessible by road, so one has to drive to a small dock nearby and pay somebody to take you there in a boat.

Great bungalows FLOATING on the water. Free kayaks available (go an search for sloths!). Great and tasty food. Do yourselves a favor, be open minded, so they will serve you stuff from the garden (and maybe sea) you might have never tried before! Totally tasty and highly recommended! Very nice and helpful hosts Sylvie and Olivier. It was a pleasure hanging with both of them each evening and listen to their stories and learn lots of stuff. They also have two friendly and adorable dogs and a cat roaming around - just for info. NOTE: you need to take a taxi boat to get to the lodge. This costs a few bucks but is worth the trip. Due to the location you might eat at the lodge as well - which is worth every penny and highly recommended (see above). And last: you need to take the paddle boat to get from your floating bungalow to the "restaurant"/lodge, which isn't for everyone BUT a lot of fun (U can do it!) Overall we spent a couple of nights there and would have stayed longer, if it wasn't fully booked afterwards. Very cool place to relax and come down! Thanks for having us Sylvie and Olivier!

Sylvie and Olivier are fantastic and engaging hosts who treat all their guests with genuine care and respect. The facilities were fantastic and worth the effort to get to.

Great stay with Oliver and Sylvie, the accomodated all of our needs and offered to take us where we needed. Lodge was clean and comfortable considering its remote location! Would happily stay again!

We spent 4 nights at the Toucan Loco in November 2023. It was an awesome experience living for a little bit floating on the water, totally off-grid. Our hosts, Silvie and Olivier, were great and they did a great job making our accommodation cozy and exceptional. In the evenings we had some good life discussions, learning about each others' lives around a nice drink. The cooking they offer is practically all local or from their garden and is delicious. Their breakfast too is phenomenal. They kindly offered to let us use their kayaks and we explored the surrounding mangroves and lush shores. The nights are so quiet helping us fall asleep to the sounds of the rain and the forest. If you are looking for some quiet relaxing moments this is the place for you.

everything

nothing

We booked El Toucan Loco for the final leg of our trip to Panama. My husband had been in a triathlon and we wanted to relax before heading back to UK. El Toucan was just perfect. Sylvie & Olivier have created a floating lodge which is ideal for getting away from the hustle and bustle and relaxing and enjoying the environment and scenery which we take for granted. The food served by Sylvie is fabulous. Incorporating fresh local produce with a french twist. You can scuba and Kayyak around the mangroves. We saw a sloth which was amazing. Olivier and Sylvie are excellent hosts - we took a boat tour with them which was fabulous. If you want shopping malls and bars then this is not for you. But if you enjoy relaxing and being at one with nature then what are you waiting for? Book up today!!

The very special carribean cuisine with a french touch was outstanding. The hospitality and the landscape and athomosphere were very very good.