Big Daddy's expat owners give loving attention to their menu - food & drink.
You will have a better culinary experience here than at many other hotels in the Chiriqui Province.
The swimming pool is at the center of the hotel. The restaurant and the rooms are arranged around 3 sides of the pool. And everything: the pool, the 2 suites, outdoor bar, and the restaurant, all gaze at the ocean.
And that is one of the best things about this hotel: It is right on the beach.
The combination of A/C, the swimming pool, and the ocean & its breezes makes this a refreshingly cool place to stay.
Contact us to have a tour of town and our beautiful beach properties.
Reyn & I have lived in Puerto Armuelles for 11 years. We can easily answer many of your questions about living in Panama, and Puerto Armuelles in particular. Start browsing our beach properties here.
All the rooms and the Honeymoon Suite accommodate 4 adults, 3 kids.
The Ocean Suite accommodates 6 adults, 5 kids.
The 2 suites face directly onto the beach.
The rates below are all for couples. For extra adults or kids, add $11 each.
Phone: (507) 770.0989, Cell: (507) 6461.9134
507 is the country code. There are no area codes in Panama.
For More Information and To Book Your Stay, Go To Their Website.
Read some background info on this hotel and the owners, here.
For more Places to Stay in Puerto Armuelles, go here.
For more Places to Eat in Puerto Armuelles, go here.
There had been murmurs around Puerto for the past 2 months that Heavenly Hotel’s founder and owner, Milton Hutto, was in the process of negotiating a sale.
And now, last week, the rumors became true. Milton has sold his 11 room beachfront hotel and restaurant.
The new owners have renamed the hotel/restaurant.
It is now called, Big Daddy’s Beach Resort.
I have had several opportunities to chat with the new owners (Chris, Dave and Justin). They are young, friendly, energetic, and very approachable. And they have lots of experience in hotel/restaurant management, tourism, and culinary arts.
If you have eaten at the hotel recently you have experienced 1st hand the delicious food they are already serving.
These guys are well aware of what it takes to be successful in the hospitality business in Panama. And food is a critical element of that success.
According to the new owners, they have had their eye on Puerto Armuelles for the past 10 years
Like Betsy and I, they recognized Puerto’s potential the 1st time they came to town. However, 10 years ago, Puerto was not ready to give them a good return on their level of investment.
But now, they feel the time is right. It is the ideal time to invest in Puerto Armuelles.
The new owners have hit the ground running. They are getting all their systems set up, connecting with the community, and fine-tuning their plans. Once they do that they will have a Grand Opening event.
At least for now, they have will continue to have the hotel host the Puerto Armuelles Saturday Market.
Click to watch a short video of the 1st Puerto Armuelles Saturday Market
The new hoteliers want to invigorate tourism in Puerto Armuelles.
Boquete to Puerto Armuelles Link
The new team is going to work hard to get their many Boquete friends to Puerto Armuelles. This should strengthen the already existing highland/beach tourism link between the two towns. Expats & locals from Boquete have been increasingly coming down to enjoy the beach life in Puerto Armuelles. Boquete is a mere hour and a half drive from Puerto Armuelles.
With 3 well-known Boquete hotel/restauranteurs promoting the connection, it is likely to become even more popular.
Puerto Armuelles to Boquete
It works into the other direction too. I have been going to Boquete for years to hike, particularly in the dry season, when it is hot here and the surf is flat.
Also, as much as I love Puerto, sometimes it is just nice to blast out of town in the morning, walk in the mountains, and come back in time to jump in the ocean before dinner. Or even go for the weekend. For me, this can be just the refreshing reset that I need.
I know it sounds like an exaggeration. But Panama is such a small country that you can easily get from beach to mountain and back in one day. A couple of years ago I wrote about day-trips to Boquete from Puerto Armuelles.
I have not gotten in contact with Milton Hutto to congratulate him yet and ask him what he plans to do next. One thing I am sure of is that Milton has no plans to retire.
Milton is not quite as young as the new hotel owners, but he, too, has boundless energy and enthusiasm. He is never still, and he has a million good ideas that he follows through on.
Milton Hutto has been an amazing contributor to the development of our expat community in Puerto Armuelles. Milton has been a great “connector” of people here in Puerto, which has been a great help to our expat community.
Milton has built and operated Heavenly’s Hotel and restaurant, at least a couple of other business, as well as building a few houses. We are very grateful for Milton’s many contributions.
It is my understanding that Milton will continue to live and invest in Puerto Armuelles (This is only rumor)
The sale of Heavenly’s Hotel is a “win-win-win” for Puerto Armuelles, Milton, and the new owners.
You can find more information on the hotel here.
Thanks for reading,
Reyn
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In particular, it has been awhile since I reviewed the accommodations available on Punta Burica.
Turns out 2 of the hotels are no longer in business, but 2 others have taken their place.
(FYI: The Punta Burica Peninsula starts after about a 20 minute drive from Puerto Armuelles.)
I also updated our places to stay in Puerto Armuelles page to include a link to Air BnB options and other revisions.
I hope this updated information is useful to you.
We were on our way to visit our friend Juancho at Mono Feliz.
Shawn and Shena were just putting the final touches on their surf/stand up paddle board camp.
It was spectacular. Shawn was out paddle boarding when we arrived. Shena was hanging out with their 2 kids.
We ended up staying for much longer than we intended. It was a very comfortable place and we all had a great time sitting around and chatting.
The aerial video below was taken of and around Burica Surf. It was taken before our visit. As you will see the main building is still under construction. The water and conditions look sweet.
[leadplayer_vid id="588EA3DE25B69"]
You can find various wave opportunities for both beginning and advanced surfers, as well as for beginning and expert stand up paddle (SUP) boarders. You can rent a board at Burica Surf for $20/day.
You can also paddle out to Burica Island (or Isla Burica) in about 25 minutes. It can be leisurely circumnavigated in an afternoon.
My husband has enjoyed surfing at Burica Island before and wrote about it.
Burica surf is at the very tip of Punta Burica. It is in a remote area with views of Burica island.
It is about a 1-1/2 hour drive from the beach town of Puerto Armuelles.
From Puerto Armuelles, every hour there are small buses to the village of Bella Vista. (These buses stop after 6pm.) Bella Vista is about 2.5 kilometers from Burica Surf. Which means it will take you about 30 minutes on foot or 15 minutes by car to get to Burica Surf from Bella Vista.
If you want, you can ask the Burica Surf folk to come and pick you up at the airport in David or in Paso Canoas. Paso Canoas is the town at the border between Panama and Costa Rica.
For detailed directions to get to Punta Burica & Burica Surf, visit our Punta Burica hotels page.
Now the accommodations are even nicer than when we visited. Check out the photo below of their main building. I downloaded it off their website, buricasurf.com.
Rooms
Lodgings at Burica Surf are rustic, yet comfortable.
There is no electricity or Internet. Which means it really is a wonderful nature retreat without distractions.
They have 4 rooms and 3 dorms.
Food
Meals are available for purchase. It is only $30 a day (3 meals).
All meals are served in a “family” style in the upstairs dining area overlooking the surf breaks.
To reserve your accommodations, you must pay a 50% deposit.
You can cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking your accommodations.
They offer group rate and package deals.
Electronic bank transfer, Pay Pal, and cash (USD).
You are welcome to show up without a reservation, but then they can only accept a cash payment. (Remember there is no internet or electricity at Burica Surf)
You can find out more, including their contact information, at their website: BuricaSurf.com.
If you make it out there I'm pretty sure you will have a fun and relaxing time.
As Shawn says, "There's always something to ride!"
Please let me know how you liked your visit there. Comment below.
Koco's Place is located off the main road on the outskirts of town.
Although it is out of town, it is an easy place to flag down one of the many taxis passing by.
It is a one story hotel with some landscaping. However, the hotel is old and is not being maintained or upgraded. Although, the hotel itself is pleasant enough, its beds and pillows are not.
The hotel does have a large lobby with lots of places to sit. It also has a banquet hall you can rent out. However, these main areas are not air conditioned nor is the furniture very comfortable.
It has a swimming pool, but the pool has had no water in it for over a year now.
The hotel is located at the corner of the main road into town and the road that leads the beaches in the Pez de Oro and Corazon de Jesus neighborhoods. It is about 5 minutes away from downtown Puerto Armuelles.
The Corazon de Jesus neighborhood is 2 miles away and the beach at the Pez de Oro neighborhood is 1 mile away from Coco's Place.
You can ask for an extra bed in rooms.
Learn about other hotels in Puerto Armuelles Panama
Find out about restaurants in Puerto Armuelles
Not the most attractive, or comfortable looking beds. But it could work for a short stay?
We stayed here for one night, years ago, and it was fine.
Looking for affordable property in Puerto Armuelles? Contact us for a tour. You can start looking at Puerto Armuelles property for sale here. We also have a listing book at the hotel. Ask Milton or a hotel staff person to see it.
Learn about the new owners, click here.
The Hotel is located in the San Vicente neighborhood of Puerto Armuelles.
You will see many signs along the road pointing you to the hotel.
The restaurant is closed on Mondays. On other days it opens at 5ish. However, you can go in anytime and order something to drink.
Read about restaurants in Puerto Armuelles, including one right next door to it.
Looking for affordable property in Puerto Armuelles? Contact us for a tour. You can start browsing our property for sale here. We also have a listing book at the hotel. Ask Milton or a hotel staff person to see it.
Learn about other places to stay in Puerto Armuelles Panama
Tsunami Inn is located in the San Vicente neighborhood of Puerto Armuelles.
It is across a quiet dirt road from the beach.
This hotel is centered around its pool and central "hang out" gazebo (see photo). You can stay in one of its 6 colorful cabanas. They are small, but an adequate size.
The front cabins, pool and gazebo face the ocean.
Note: Some guests who have stayed here have told us that it appears the owners have a financial arrangement with 2 local real estate people. After you arrive, don't be surprised if one of these 2 "realtors" shows up. I advise taking your time.
Horseshoes
You can play horseshoes here. They have a regulation horseshoe pit set up right by the swimming pool. One of the owners, Scott, is a champion horseshoe player. On most Sunday afternoons they have a horseshoe game for hotel guests and locals.
To tour affordable property for sale in Puerto, contact us. You can start exploring property for sale here. We also have a listing book at the hotel. Ask Scott to see it.
To make a reservation, it is best to email them.
Make sure to call or email them the day before to confirm that you are coming.
You don’t pay until you arrive. They only accept cash.
Apartment (long-term) Rate
The apartment is 1 bedroom, with A/C, wifi, full kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and separate entrance and parking space.
Email - [email protected]
Phone-
Add the country code 507, if you are calling from outside of Panama
Learn about other accommodations in Puerto Armuelles Panama
Find out where you can eat in Puerto Armuelles
January 23, 2013
Activity Is Bubbling in Puerto Armuelles, Despite Its Relaxed Lifestyle
He was primarily interested in looking at beach properties, or something within easy walk of the beach.
While we focused our investigations on the beachfront neighborhoods, I drove him through a number of other neighborhoods, so that he could get a better idea of the whole range of lifestyle possibilities available in Puerto Armuelles in order to understand a little better what makes this unique town “click”.
It’s always fun to watch people’s jaws drop when they discover that this place, which they had heard so little about, is actually a bustling (for Panama) urban village of 20,000 or so residents.
It’s situated right on the ocean, has a cohesive downtown, and boasts literally dozens of unique neighborhoods, each with its own social class, style, and housing density. These range from smallish downtown houses, right up to hacienda style ranches at the fringes of town.
When our tour arrived at the beach, I realized that in the short time since my last tour, there were already more new developments.
This was just in the beach neighborhoods to the north of Puerto Armuelles. Specifically, between the Corazon de Jesus and the Cucuy neighborhoods; a ten minute walk down the beach apart.
The quality of these projects was quite high. By far the most exhilarating construction to date in Puerto is in its final finish phase in the Coronado neighborhood. Don and his wife Sandy are putting the finishing touches on a huge volume, barrel-vaulted beach house that truly inspires the visitor. I won’t even try to describe it here. I’ll go back with my camera and get some photos to post.
Tsunami Inn Has A Great Location On The Water In PuertoAlso, at long last, there are nice places for folks to stay overnight when they are checking out Puerto Armuelles.
The Hotel Tsunami Inn is finishing the first of their second phase of construction. They are adding four new brightly painted guest cabanas to the existing three built last year. Folks who stay at Tsunami Inn especially appreciate the great location right off the beach, and the pool only steps outside the private cabanas (Be careful not to fall in, before you’ve had your morning coffee).
For more about the Tsunami Inn, visit this post.
The owners of the Tsunami Inn, Bob and Scott, continue to host a casual get together for horse shoes by the pool every Sunday afternoon.
Plus, they recently inaugurated a pickup softball game every Thursday afernoon at 3:30.
I missed the first game, but I heard that Tsunami Inn provided all the baseball gloves, bats, and balls, and that twenty folks showed up for the very first game. I will definitely be there this coming Thursday to join in the fun.
January 11, 2013
This "Welcome To Puerto Armuelles" Sign Is By Coco's Place (a hotel)No matter how much you search the Internet.
Only 1 of the 3 hotels has a website.
Lack of information is why I get so many emails and calls from people trying to find a place to stay in Puerto Armuelles.
To help us all, I have gathered the contact info for all the hotels.
Personally I like to see what a plaee looks like before I fork over money to stay there.
For those who feel the same, I will post photos of the hotels without websites. Reyn took photos of Coco's Place already.
As I have mentioned before, I will post information on other accommodations and rentals in Puerto Armuelles as well.
For instance, there is a very good bed and breakfast in town. There are also a number of short term and long term rental options.
It is taking an amazingly long time to gather information on all the rentals. Therefore, I will be posting information on these as I get them.
Full information is very hard to get in Panama - even on rentals in your own town!
We always recommend that you rent before you buy.
