Istmo is located in Playa Grande, a rural beach community on the western edge of the Panama Province in the Republic of Panama. We are 1 hr 15 minutes from Panama City and 10 minutes from the town of Coronado. We are secluded but not isolated. If there is anything you forgot from home, it can probably be found in Coronado, where you will find supermarkets, pharmacies, shops, as well as a modern clinic with English-speaking doctors.
We are a 5-minute walk to a beautiful secluded beach. As you approach the beach, the last 2 minutes of the walk are through a jungle trail with the warm tropical Pacific Ocean waiting for you. Something that attracted the owners to the area is the miles of black and white sand beach with plenty of natural shade from the rainforest that grows close to the water's edge.
We are 30 minutes away from El Valle, a picturesque town nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano. El Valle has some beautiful hikes in the cloud forest, hot springs, horseback riding, a butterfly farm, a zip line, and an artisan and fruit/vegetable market, amongst other attractions.
Istmo is located on 4 acres of land, an acre of which is intact rainforest. You can enjoy the wilderness by taking a stroll on our short walking trail to a natural pond on the property. The pond, home to a family of dwarf caiman, flows into a creek that runs through the property and around the yoga studio, eventually working to the beach.
Our property hosts a variety of fruit trees, some were recently planted, and many are already producing. Fruit trees include mangoes: cashew nut, orange, mandarin, grapefruit, star fruit, guava, soursop, rambutan, avocado, tropical plums, custard apple, sapodilla, jobo, hicaco, dragon fruit, and two varieties of limes. We proudly serve these fruits to our guests and have incorporated them into our menu.
Besides our two children and dogs, we share our property with other wildlife, including tamarin monkeys, iguanas, colorful toucans, motmots, crimson back tanagers, yellow-bellied flycatchers, and blue tanagers, dwarf caiman, amongst others. We are also close to a private forest reserve home to deer, jaguarundis (small rainforest cat), coatis, sloths, agoutis, and other wildlife. You will be awakened in the morning by flocks of parakeets flying overhead and go to sleep to the sound of frogs singing from the creek. Honestly, we think it's the best place on earth!