Rancho Estero | Cabin in Santa Catalina, Veraguas

Positive: Set in the best location, overlooking the Estero Beach and with direct access to it. We stayed at cabin #8 with front sea view.

Positive: Everything! Beautiful accommodations and location. Kitchen is well stocked and laid out to accommodate multiple guests. Deck and dining area are spacious with a breathtaking view. Best of all was the genuine welcome by the hosts.

Negative: Everything exceeded our expectations

Positive: Great location right at the beach. Bit further to center in case you have to walk and dont have a car. Staff super friendly. The bungalow had all I needed and was nice and clean with a good bed. Would certainly recommend.

Negative: Cant think of anything

Positive: Amazing stay. Great view and access to the ocean. Their new cabins where incredible. Staf was friendly and helpful. Best stay we have had on our trip.

Positive: Everything was great, the location was perfect, our cabin had a beautiful view onto the Pacific. The mosquito net made sure we could get a good night's sleep without being bitten. We loved our stay, if we ever come back to Santa Catalina we will be staying at Rancho Estero again (but longer :-) ).

Positive: The location of the Ranch is absolutely wonderful. You are right on Playa Estero and you can enjoy the amazing view from the sun deck. Though at the farthest point in Santa Catalina, it is only a 10 minute walk to town and is close to restaurants and frutterias. There is a shared kitchen available for all guests, allowing you to prepare some of your meals instead of dining out constantly. The kitchen and its utensils are quite rustic and overused but are sufficient for what one would need on vacation.

Negative: There is no wifi on the ranch - i personally didn't mind buying a mobile card but it's important to keep that in mind before reserving. The managing couple and their kids are always on the grounds, which is not per se a bad thing (i actually love kids) but after a few days of being there, you have the feeling that you are living at their place and somehow intruding on their space instead of just being in a hotel/ranch. If you plan on having a romantic getaway, i dont really recommend as you wont get the privacy and peace one should enjoy on vacation. My overall experience was unfortunately disappointing because i felt somewhat discriminated against by the host (not Elli, she was genuinely lovely, but rather her husband). Though friendly in the beginning, he later became relatively passive aggressive towards me, refused to rent me surf board (his reasoning was that im too much of a beginner, eventhough throughout the 5 days i was there anyone who came to rent a surf board was given one no matter their skill level) and named the room i was put in 'Laundry' (eventhough every other room on the ranch had a number and mine could have easily followed the chronological order. It is quite disrespectful to tell your paying customer that their room is laundry, no matter the reasoning behind it). All in all, i eventually felt so uncomfortable that i ended up checking out earlier than expected and so did one of the couples i met there as they felt uncomfortable on my behalf.

Positive: Rancho Estero is beautiful, tranquil, and has direct access to the beach. The private bungalow was perfect for our family of 4 - rustic and small, but clean, comfortable, and just what we expected from reviews and photos. Ellie and Zigor were incredibly friendly and hospitable, conversing with us and making us coffee in the mornings. The shared spaces were functional and comfortable as well, especially the rancho with hammocks overlooking the beach. This was our favorite place to spend time during our visit to Santa Catalina. We didn’t take advantage of any surf lessons, but wish we had! Rancho Estero is about a 20 minute walk from the main stretch of restaurants and stores in town, but does have food options close by and has the advantage of being directly on Playa Estero. If you are looking for a rustic, peaceful place to stay in Santa Catalina, Rancho Estero is for you.

Negative: The power went out in Santa Catalina a couple of times during our stay but this was no fault of Rancho Estero - just something to be aware of if you are visiting Santa Catalina/other rural parts of Panama! Rancho Estero has extra water storage tanks in case of power outages, which was very handy. For older folks/people with bad balance, do be aware that the stairs down to the beach are a bit old and steep. The railing is very helpful.