Since mid December things got really busy,and Sol y Mar has been full every day!

Other businesses in town are also very busy,looks like best season ever for everyone….guess our little secret is being shared out to the world.

Everyone is happy ,the divers more then the surfers,as whale sharks have been showing themselves,while the surf has been very small for weeks now.The swimming pool at Sol y Mar is a success always relaxing to be weightless while looking at the ocean.Sunsets from the pool have been brutal as well.

Still space on some days in February,so come enjoy the Santa Catalina dry season feeling

WEATHER:Rainy season has been mild here in Santa Catalina,only a couple rain storms,one of them was Sandy,that started here as a tropical storm and then gained strength as it traveled up North.most days the rain has been shining and right now looks like the dry season is about to start,as it doesn´t rain more then 5 minutes at a time and the winds have been blowing off-shore till noon and some days past that.

SURF:there were a few weeks of really small surf,which is unusual,but it has been pumping for almost a week now,day before yesterday there were some double overhead bombs,but yesterday was the best day,with 5 to 6 foot perfect barrels and off-shores

DIVING/SNORKELING IN COIBA:as usual,divers and snorkelers have been coming back with big smiles,humpback whales still around and a bunch of whale-shark (out of season!!!!) sightings.Almost no rainy days so perfect to get out,would say even better then dry season,as with no strong off-shores the ride is not as bumpy

so now we still have a month or so till the Hotel gets totally booked for the holidays,the weather is fine,come visit us!!!

its finished,full and we have the chemicals and pump working on getting the water clear and safe for swimming!!!!!

Scuba Coiba contacted me today as they want to start bringing their guests that are doing dive courses so they use the pool for their confined water dive!!!

It should be a couple days!!!!Will let everyone know when its on!!!!!

Estero beach is about 2km outside of the village of Santa Catalina,and to get there,you must take the main street of Santa Catalina till you see the public phones and turn left by the phone.If you keep on this  paved street for about two kilometers you will arrive at Playa Estero,where the road ends.On the way there you will pass some businesses like surf and shake surfshop,some restaurants,as well as dirt tracks that go to the right(towards the ocean) and lead to more restaurants as well as several surf camps,as the famous Santa Catalina point is preciselly located between the village beach and estero.

low tide playa estero is the real paradise
picture by Richard Brady

the access to Estero is done on a new paved road that ends abruptly at the beach,with nowhere in sight to park the car,unless is a 4 wheel drive and you go on the beach.Because of this,people park on the side of the road and also on the slightly wider space right at the end of the road.This will leave you,if there are more then three or four cars parked in the area,with no space to turn around.The option is to go on reverse till you find an entrance to one of the surf camps/camping sites that you have on the right as you come down the last 100 yards or so to the beach and turn around there and then park your car along the others on the side of the road and walk down to the beach.

all this maneuvering  is  fine for now,but as the number of visitors grow we will face getting stuck at the bottom as other cars line behind with no space to turn around.Maybe someone will turn one of the private properties close by into a parking lot,its the only solution I can see.

So to the government,thumbs up for paving the road to Estero beach,down for not leaving turning/parking space,creating a real dead-end.Its amazing to see this kind of problem arising in a village where a bit over 10 years ago there were as many as two cars!!!!

But now,driving,walking,bycicling,or the very popular getting a ride on the back of my pick-up,you have arrived to Estero beach.Ahead of you,a small river (Estero,hereby the name of this beach),that at most on a high tide will have hip-high depth,but most times ankle to knee-high.Across the estero,a coconut grove, were you can devise some kind of construction,which you will later find is the oasis surf camp.To the right of the coconut grove,the Estero beach extends its sweet,dark sandy length onto scenic points in the distance where the whitewater makes the surfing soul want to walk there ,and even further across the sea,two green Islands(Cébaco and Gobernadora) Frame the East end of the view

As you walk towards the center of the beach you will open up views to the West as well,seeing past the beach and around the west cliffs to the crashing waves of the point in the distance and beyond them,Santa Catalina Island.

A look at the crashing waves and the ever-present beginner surfers and you want to jump in the water,which is luke-warm,shallow-sandy bottom with gentle rolling waves perfection.

Now you really have the views while your body cries of joy by having found this soothing paradise.From now on you will remember this beach,want to ride its waves,play on its sands or just lay in contemplation of the natural surroundings and a handful of other lucky travelers enjoying Estero

This is the real beach getaway,a place where you can truly relax and smell the ocean,surrounded by green and good vibes.Even if you come to Santa Catalina only to go to coiba,take some free time to visit and spend some time at Estero beach,you will really have a good time!!!

A final note to say that even if ths beach is a few kilometers away from the village,when you stay at sol y Mar all you have to do is ask and we will provide you free transportation to and from the Estero.

on this post will talk about the village beach,my next one will be about the Estero beach

Santa Catalina Beach is the one right at the village,its the closest to Hotel Sol y Mar,the dive shops,etc.

the beach at Santa Catalina Panama

When you arrive to Santa Catalina and if you drive all the way down the main street,the road will end at the village or Santa Catalina beach,where if you look straight ahead you will be able to see the small Santa Catalina Island,just a short boat ride away(any local fisherman will cross you and your group and drop you off at this beautiful island for about $20 both ways,its a white sand beach and there is no one there).The village beach is,as most Beaches on the Pacific coast of Panama, a black sand beach(of volcanic origin).At first,when you get there,doesn´t seem like much,specially if the tide is high,but look again:to the left,in the distance see the famous Santa Catalina surfing point,and past it the islands Cébaco and Gobernadora.To the right,the half hidden river mouth where most fishermen keep their boats.To see this river mouth you will actually have to walk the beach as a rocky point hides the river from being seen from the road.Once you do this you will see that the village beach is much nicer then you thought at first sight,as right past the river it gets bigger,and a coconut grove that you don´t see from the road either makes it look like the tropical paradise as you imagined it.

If you are getting on a tour to Coiba or getting on a boat to go fishing,surfing,diving or snorkeling ,all the boats leave from the village beach,or if you want to see what the fishermen caught that day this is the place where you should hang out.The kids learn how to surf here,the teenagers play soccer on this beach at low tide and you can watch it all having a meal or a drink at Pinguinos cafe,a thatched roof  joint right on the beach that serves good pastas,fish and sea-food straight from the ocean.Whole local families will come to this beach in the afternoons to watch the activity or chat a bit with the neighbours while the kids play in sand and surf.The waves here are usually smaller then any other beach in the area so its a safe,relaxed beach for kids

one way or another,when you visit Santa Catalina you will come to the village beach and succumb to its charm

on my next post,Estero beach

Weather has been fine,the normal for this season,sunny most days,sporadic rains mostly late afternoons/nights

July and August are here,the hotel getting busy already but there are still spaces for most dates!!!

We just had some frequently asked questions(and their answers) to our web page,check them out.

do you need information about Santa Catalina Panama?

Use this blog for your questions,we will not only answer you,but if we think the answer to your question will be important for other future visitors to Santa Catalina or Coiba we will add your question to our faqs page so more information gets out there

as you may know,santa catalina beach is the closest place with paved road to Coiba Island.This is the reason why the only  dive shops in the area are located in Santa Catalina village,as well as many small hotels,restaurants and others that provide  lodging , food and activities

to the ever growing number of visitors to Santa Catalina

One of the main problems that potential visitors to Coiba National Park find is being sure that they can get there before making their way to Santa Catalina

The problem is that even if all operators charge $50-55 per person for a Coiba snorkeling tour ,they also ask for a minimum of 6 people to run the tour.Since most of the visitors we get here come in couples,or most 3 or 4 people traveling together,the boat operators will not take reservations for two or three people,not sure if they can get the other people they need to run the tour.

also there are many boat operators that are not visible online and don’t have a office or even a sign in front of their house,its quite informal in some cases

It is here that Hotel Sol y Mar can be of assistance.When you book your stay with us and mention you want to go to Coiba we will take note of it,many times we get more people staying here that want to go the same dates,when that happens we rent a boat just for our guests,when not we contact all the operators,other hotels,etc to try and get enough people to run the tour

And its rare the time when this doesn’t  work,just yesterday four guests arrived,and after a run to the village and a couple phone calls,found two more people and they are in this moment at Coiba,should be back in two hours,sure with good stories.

coiba snorkeling paradise

weather is fantastic,sunny with a few showers during the night,green,lush,amazing

A few tourists here and there strolling towards the beach,the occasional coiba tour leaving the beach…..the usual beginners surfing the estero beach break,zero party as there are not enough people to really make it happen,relax to the max.

our swimming pool is on its way,hole finished, re-bar in place,one week to pour!!

what are you waiting ? book your holidays with us!!!!

contact us for special rates for multi-day stays or if you need help organizing your activities in santa catalina and coiba ,be it a snorkeling tour, scuba-diving ,bird-watching,kayaking,surfing and surf lessons or any other that you might wish