Cala Mia

Cala Mia is a small, charming eco-resort on unspoiled Boca Brava Island, which lies in the protected Pacific National Marine Park.

Cala Mia is a delightful and secluded lodge situated atop the rural, wooded island Boca Brava, a short motor launch ride from the tiny Pacific coastal port Boca Chica. Boca Brava is one of the islands which make up the archipielago of Chiriqui, itself embraced by the National Marina Park on the gulf of Chiriqui.

The park has over 100 islands with a multitude of remote beaches, some accessible from the property by motor launch or sailing boat, and from where you can also take out a kayak to explore a delta of bird-filled mangroves. Other activities you can book in advance or at the lodge include walks across the island, stand up paddling, bird-watching tours, horse riding and sailing.

Cala Mia is a strikingly friendly property, but the service is not intrusive: friends, families and couples will feel at home here. It is also popular among fishing enthusiasts, snorkellers, scuba divers and whale watchers (in season July-November)

Guest rooms are set in a clutch of individual rustic, but comfy air-conditioned palm-thatched cottages, each just a stone's throw from its crescent beach of golden sand, which guests have to themselves. Each cottage, furnished with regional materials and decorated with local art, has its own veranda and hammock overlooking the azure waters of the open sea or over the picturesque gulf which separates the island from the mainland.

The semi-al fresco restaurant has the highest vantage point, and serves a short daily menu of home cooked delicacies. There is also a pretty freshwater infinity pool and, on a small island accessed via a hanging bridge is a spa area – book your treatments in advance, therapists have to come across from the mainland.