Aqua Lounge Bocas del Toro

I really enjoyed my stay at Aqua! Guests and staff were friendly, welcoming, and social. I especially enjoyed the welcome drink that helped us solo travelers get to know each other and helped me to make friends! As much as I loved the social nature of this hostel, the bathrooms in the large dorms were not very clean and while I did not experience it, I knew multiple people who got bed bugs while there, which made me feel a bit paranoid at night. The staff was accommodating to their situations!

The hostel is beautiful, with a perfect location and an amazing atmosphere, especially the outdoor area and the dogs. Unfortunately, my stay was ruined by bed bugs. I got bites all over my body and reported it, but staff dismissed it, saying it was impossible. On my last day, I found and filmed bed bugs in the room. Only then did they admit it, but no real action was taken. The next guest was moved, which confirmed the issue. This should have been taken seriously from the start.

Wir haben unter unserer Matratze zwei tote Bettwanzen gefunden. Auch wenn es „nur“ zwei waren und sie tot waren, ist das einfach extrem eklig und ein absolutes No-Go. Nachdem wir die gefunden haben haben wir auch nicht weiter gesucht. Zusätzlich waren in zwei verschiedenen Zimmern die Matratzen sowie die Bezüge unter den Bettlaken schimmelig, was den Gesamteindruck noch weiter verschlechtert hat. Die Sanitäranlagen wirken insgesamt sehr heruntergekommen und die Küche ist nur mäßig ausgestattet. Generell hat man das Gefühl, dass hier dringend mal wieder renoviert werden müsste. Stattdessen entsteht eher der Eindruck, dass der Fokus hauptsächlich auf dem Geld liegt. Positiv hervorzuheben ist, dass die Angestellten sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit waren. Nachdem wir die Bettwanzen gemeldet haben, haben wir sofort ein neues Zimmer bekommen. Dennoch hätten wir erwartet, dass sich der Manager bei uns meldet – wir haben ihn am nächsten Tag definitiv gesehen, aber er ist nicht auf uns zugekommen. Gerade bei so einem Vorfall wäre das eigentlich angebracht gewesen. Insgesamt enttäuschend, vor allem für den Preis.

Beautiful outdoor area with a nice setup but that’s the only good thing about this hostel. Front desk staff and most of the staff in general speak ZERO English, this is understandable as we’re in their country but if your business revolves around tourists then a basic level of English is required I believe. I wouldn’t mind so much about this but they were also extremely unhelpful and rude. Rooms are HORRIBLE. They’re dark to the point you have to use a flashlight in the middle of the day, you cannot open the curtains on the beds, I didn’t see the rooms get cleaned a single time we were staying there and my bed had about 3 sheets on it so I assume they just put another sheet over when someone leaves. Bathroom drains lead directly into the ocean (not the toilet) I’m also like 80% sure they have bed bugs. They also say that the music will be turned off at 12am but this is not true and they will continue playing ear bleedingly loud music until at least 1am. The rooms are directly next to the bar/dance floor. We didn’t eat food here because it was so expensive so can’t comment on that. Bar staff would fill up my water bottle with ice for free which was nice. The main thing they advertise on all their photos is their slack line over the water. This no longer exists as it’s broken and seems to have been broken for weeks if not months and staff showed no interest in us offering to fix it for them. The water is also filled with jellyfish larvae that will bite you to shreds, the water is also polluted with oil from the boats.

Attention aux punaises de lits

Mon lit été infesté . Selon moi c’était des punaises de lit , ce que le personnel refute. Je vous laisse les photos pour juger par vous même.

The kitchen, the private room! Bedbugs!!!!! Only cold shower, Luis Music until 3 am every night

Fuyez. Il y avait des punaises de lit et le personnel a menti en affirmant le contraire.Alors que booking nous a confirmé que si.Heureusement que booking a annulé gratuitement le logement. De plus le personnel est très désagréable et mentent sur toute la ligne. Si je pouvais mettre zéro je l'aurais fait

Hostel seems to have a bed bug problem, but what bothered me the most is that reception didn't seem to care or think that was a problem. They downplay the problem. They will tell you it's some indigenous flea, but it's pretty obvious that the hostal is full of bed bugs, they don't know how to deal with it so they lie to customers about it instead. Even the people working there showed me on their phones that they had some in their own beds, which is pretty bad to be honest. There's tons of bed bug reviews about them but they don't seem to care. Honestly you're better spending a few more dollars than to stay in this dump. The owner is delusional and only cares about money and I think his attitude is quite obvious from his interactions with guests.

N'allez pas dans ce logement mon amie vient d'y trouver des punaises de lit. A la reception il nous nous ont dit que ça n'en étaient pas. Pourtant booking en leur envoyant la photo ci dessous nous a confirmé le contraire. Ils sont de très mauvaise foi.

La cocina no tiene muchos implementos como bowls, frascos, marcador, etc Creo que le falta espacios para trabajar en laptop. Habían muchas quejas por chinches. Para poder entrar y salir de la isla se debe pagar $1 en bota por trayecto, y en la noche cuesta $2 x trayecto.

My stay at this hostel was deeply disappointing and far below any acceptable standard of hospitality. The premises were dirty, poorly maintained, and completely unsuitable for guests seeking rest. Most alarming of all was the presence of bedbugs. I suffered visible bites, which caused significant distress and concern. What made the situation even more serious was that four other guests were also covered in bedbug bites, clearly indicating that this was not an isolated case but a wider infestation issue. This is a major hygiene and health concern and completely unacceptable in any accommodation. The reception staff showed a complete lack of professionalism and basic hospitality and my concerns were not taken seriously. After raising the issue with management and requesting a full refund, the situation became even more unpleasant. Communication was handled in a highly unprofessional manner, only through WhatsApp as the manager refused to speak with us in person. The tone was dismissive and inappropriate given the seriousness of the situation. I was told that I had to leave the hostel before 9PM in order to receive a full refund; otherwise, I would receive nothing. Being pressured with such an ultimatum, especially under these circumstances, was extremely unfair and unprofessional. I genuinely do not understand where the positive reviews come from. This experience was stressful, unhygienic and very poorly managed from start to finish. I strongly advise others to avoid this hostel, especially if cleanliness, safety and respectful treatment matter to them.

Their was bed bugs, I was unaware at the time but I was waking up with bites that I thought were from the day before, and never thought to check my bed. But since I have spoken to people who were staying in the same room as me and were informed there were bed bugs. I also know people who have stayed since and before who say they experienced bed bugs. The rooms aren’t clean, the kitchen is a mess, the location is nice with a $1 taxi to the main island, $2 at night. Some staff were unfriendly

We started off with a hostile welcome from a really grumpy guy on reception. My booking price according to booking.com was $60 but they wanted to charge $65 so we just paid it to avoid any conflict. We booked a private room which didn’t seem very private as you can see into the room through wooden slats. Our door lock was broken so I kept needing to ask staff to help me unlock the door and he told me just to leave it unlocked lol which I wasn’t willing to do. Why pay for a private room to leave it open for anyone to enter? The food is so overpriced and below average - I don’t recommend eating here. The number one issue is the place lived up to the name “filthy”. Everywhere was DISGUSTING. If you have a party hostel then you need staff cleaning the toilets often. There was no soap in our bathroom for 3 days even though I asked reception for more. My boyfriend and I both got sick here probably because the poor hygiene. The other issue is the staff - why is everyone so miserable and intimidating? The security for filthy Fridays had such an aggressive attitude which made me feel unsafe. We kept buying the same round of drinks but somehow the price changed for every round which made no sense to us. Our friends had bedbugs which doesn’t surprise me because it’s so dirty. Don’t even think about using the kitchen. If you want to visit here then visit but stay in bocas town and just taxi boat over for $1

If there would not be the atmosphere of all the people getting together every day and the terrace with the many possibillities to sunbath or swim in the ocean, I would consider it a pretty bad hostel. There were bedbugs and cockroaches, the locks on the doors of the bathrooms weren‘t closing well, the sink was broken. In the kitchen, there were only three forks for everyone to use, and no spices available (not even salt). But everyone here was very nice.

Almost bitten to death by bedbugs all over my body. That is the reason why we left a day earlier and lost money. The bedbugs were not in the bedroom but in the common area next to the pool/restaurant in the cushions of the loungers and chairs !!! I DON‘t recommend this hostel.

Overall it’s a great Hostel with a good price. It’s definitely the place to be from Thursday through Saturday for Filthy Friday. It’s also probably the most social hostel in Bocas so great if you’re solo traveling. Staff was great and very helpful as well (S/o to my boy Ray). There’s no bed bugs unlike said in previous reviews just a lot of mosquitoes but they are everywhere in Bocas. AC in all rooms is really nice. Of course it’s not a luxury place but it’s definitely fine to stay there.

The entire hostel is infested with bedbugs. I got bitten on my first night, and after telling reception they offered to change my sheets, however I wanted to change beds, and had to ask a few times for that to happen. I was then bitten on the second night. Having spoken to them again, they said it could’ve been the outdoor furniture because they allegedly cleaned the hostel 2 weeks ago. The beer pong was fun, but avoid if you don’t want bedbugs.

I would say this place is good for a one night stay on Friday and that’s it. I loved that I didn’t have to buy a ticket for Filthy Friday and the party ended up at the hostel. However, music was pretty much blasted all day and night during the rest of my stay which meant it was hard to rest. Not the best location as you have to go to main land for most things. Also I’m pretty sure I got bit by bed bugs while I was there. Security was pretty good, cleanliness was meh. Mid range hostel for price

ALERTA de BED BUGS (chinches) En Noviembre del 2024 nos hospedamos en este Hostel. La primera noche en el Aqua ya sentimos las picadas. Pedimos de cambiar de cuarto y sus empleados solo nos cambiaron las sábanas. Antes de la segunda noche en el hotel Inspeccionamos toda nuestra piel después de que aparecieran las primeras picaduras. Durante la segunda noche en cual nos despertamos después de una hora por tanto prurito, vimos nuestras pieles más y más cubiertas de picaduras. Sin poder dormir en toda la noche. En todo momento el hotel manager nos decia que solo eran mosquitos y despues de insistir nos llevo al medico en el se diagnostico que eran chinches. Aun asi el hostel no quiso hacerse cargo de las dos noches. Muy mal servicio y peor gestion por el manager del hostel. Pesimo! No aconsejable

It was not a social hostel at all, everyone came in groups or as twos so made it difficult to socialise. Unless you are joining the party, music goes on until 2am, it will be very loud to get to sleep. I had been warned of bed bugs but didn’t find any in my dorm. At 10pm one night, who I take was the maintenance man came in the female only dorm which was very uncomfortable when we were trying to sleep. It’s not a bad location for not being on the main island, $1 each way to get across

In de avond ijskoud moeten douchen, geen warm water. In de ochtend werd ik wakker van de jeuk, had allemaal bultjes op mn benen die niks te maken hebben met muggen. Lijkt op bedwantsen. Stond mijn tanden te poetsen en terwijl ik wilde spoelen was het water op, ook niet kunnen douchen. Licht dat de hele tijd knippert als je hem aanzet. Ze laten je aan het begin tekenen voor het eventueel breken van dingen, hier ga je uiteraard mee akkoord niet wetende dat je een slap al krom sleuteltje mee krijgt die bij 1 x doordraaien gelijk afbreekt. En dan wel jou die 20 dollar laten betalen, voor hun slechte kwaliteit spullen. Vreselijk. Veel te duur voor wat je er voor terugkrijgt.

Our dormitory was full of bed bugs- we were badly bitten and ended up moving hostel at 10:30pm after the biting continued. The hostel was very unclean and we felt it was unsafe. Location was also not great as you had to get water taxis every time you needed to go to the mainland which added costs.

There are RATS in the kitchen that ate the food and BEDBUGS that ate me and my girlfriend all night. GROSS

This is the worst hostel I’ve stayed in my entire life!!! Please do yourself a favor and stay anywhere else. I was viciously attacked by bed bugs, the staff were incredibly rude and unhelpful. The bathroom in the 8 bed female dorm was the scariest place I’ve ever been and stank the whole time. The room smelt aggressively of cinnamon! And don’t forget the bed bugs!

Bugs in the bed, cockroaches right outside the room. Sheets are dirty and the dorm room is very uncomfortable, no air and smelly. Music was really loud so you can’t sleep if that’s not enough. We booked for 4 nights and left after 1. Wifi also didn’t work, and no water to shower with, said there is going to be water at specific hours but we had to go over there two times until they let us use the shower. The AC has limited hours.