Hotel Oasis

Hotel Oasis, also known as Hotel Oasis Over the Sea, is a simple budget hotel with just eight rooms in a nice waterfront location on Isla Carenero. The property follows a distinctive style seen around Bocas del Toro, where the building is built on stilts that are perched over the water, providing great views all around. This type of design allows guests to absorb some of the authentic feeling of the water-focused lifestyle of island inhabitants. The archipelago is a place where boat is the main mode of transport and locals' trips to school for the kids, to work, or to visit a friend are by sea. 

When you approach the hotel by a boat taxi from the town (which is the only way to get there), you may notice a large white tarp covering the walls of the third floor. That is because the third floor is still under construction, and the work has not yet been finished (as of 2017). However, some photos of Hotel Oasis online show a misleading picture of the building in which it appears completed. The owners told us that construction is currently on hold and it may be a while before it's done.

The hotel’s large common area consists of the lobby and check-in desk, a wooden bar in the center, a large open-air restaurant, and a few lounging areas with some comfortable chairs that look out over the water. In the lobby area, the furniture includes an odd mix of styles – there are wicker couches, and modern-style leather couches that don’t quite fit the scene. The big open room features tropical colors of blue and yellow and a few island-inspired details, like the old traditional-style wooden canoes filled with sand, seashells and tropical plants. The atmosphere is friendly, quiet, and peaceful and there are nice breezes on the front deck.

Hotel Oasis Over the Sea is perched directly above the ocean on the west coast of Isla Carenero, a small island located right off the coast of Bocas Town, the central hub of the islands of Bocas del Toro. The hotel can only be reached by water taxi, and it’s just a quick five-minute ride from the town. There is a local school located next to the hotel, but otherwise it is a residential area (without roads or cars). There’s a small beach and restaurant called Bibis on the other side of the island, which is about a 20-minute walk when the water is low – though a boat taxi is always an option as well. Travel time to reach the airport – which involves a boat taxi and then a car taxi in Bocas Town – will only take about 15 minutes.

The eight rooms at Hotel Oasis range from a suite, which is a significantly nicer option, to Standard Quadruple Rooms, which are more of a backpacker’s hostel-style accommodation. Some of the downstairs rooms do offer a small outdoor porch with seating, but views are from the side of the building and aren’t as good as from the front common area.

The Standard Rooms are dark and gloomy with mismatching tile and odd, misguided artwork – but otherwise little to no style or decor. Basic Standard Rooms sleep two, while a Standard Quadruple Room contains a double bed and two singles, sleeping up to four. The Superior Room has a double bed and the addition of a sitting area. The Standard Quadruple is old and dark, with old tile floors and shabby furniture, and the single beds are reminiscent of those in a college dorm. The bathrooms are equally dim and dated, with cheap dollar-store shower curtains. Small, old tube TVs hang from the ceiling. The rooms have no mini-fridges or coffeemakers.

There is one suite available, situated on the second floor – and by far the nicest room of the hotel. The sunny unit features big windows on three sides that look out at the scenery, and a large porch with hammocks swaying in the breeze. The furniture is a mismatched mix of modern pieces such as leather chairs and a glass tabletop, but overall it’s pretty bare-bones and bland, like the rest of the hotel. The ocean views are the real decor here. The spacious room has a king bed, a sitting area, and a small dining table. 

The features of the basic Hotel Oasis are few, but comfortable. There is a nice, open-air restaurant in the common space of the hotel where guests gather for breakfast, which is included in the rate for most. The simple breakfast consists of eggs to order, toast with jam, fresh fruits, juice, and tea or coffee. Lunch is not served. The restaurant is only open for guests and since the hotel is small and often quiet in the evenings, dinner must be booked in advance in the morning at the front desk. (This means that guests arriving in the afternoon will need to dine elsewhere on the first night.) On the back wall of the restaurant, there is a large colorful mural of a cartoon underwater scene. A cartoon octopus is bartender to a crew of sea life, and a sign reads “Drinking like a fish is allowed!” A five-sided bar sits in the very center of the open space with a handful of barstools around it.

Steps from the restaurant lead down to pier, where there are additional plastic tables and chairs for waterfront seating. Right alongside the water, this area makes a nice place to sip a cocktail or just relax and watch the island life go by. This is also where boats will drop you off and pick you up. There is a kayak available for rent and tours can be booked through the staff.