El Otro Lado
About El Otro Lado
El Otro Lado is a private estate on Portobelo Bay, inside Portobelo National Park on Panama's Caribbean coast. It has a main house, Casa Grande, and four villas, plus two pools and a lake. Days include mangrove trips on La Faraona, snorkeling and Congo drumming. Panama City is about 1.5 hours away, finishing with a boat from Portobelo village.
El Otro Lado is a private estate on Portobelo Bay, inside Portobelo National Park on the Caribbean coast of Colón. It has a main house, Casa Grande, and four villas named Forest, Sea, Sun and Spirit, with a lake and two pools on the grounds. Panama City is about 1.5 hours away, and the last leg is a boat from Portobelo village. Overnight stays are arranged as a buyout, so no other guests share the property.
The days follow the bay. Guests glide through the mangroves and sail aboard La Faraona, snorkel the reef, paddle kayaks and boards, and take daily boat trips to nearby beaches. Portobelo's colonial forts, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are close, and a visit to San Fernando Fort is part of a stay. Evenings bring a cultural presentation, with Congo drumming and local painters woven into the program.
Meals are served in the Gazebo, the estate's restaurant, bar and lounge. Lobster, octopus and ceviche are the dishes the kitchen puts forward. Between outings there are jungle paths, massages and artist studios, and the park around you brings birdsong at dawn, with monkeys and sloths in the trees.
At a glance
- Size: Main house and 4 villas
- Check-in: 3 pm
- Check-out: 12 pm
- Airport (PTY): about 1 hour 30 minutes by road, then a boat from Portobelo village
Perfect for
- Multigenerational groups
- Families
- Nature and wildlife
Hotel Facts
Type
- Private jungle retreat
Facilities
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Bar / Lounge
Room Types
Casa Grande
The main house, with the highest capacity on the estate: up to 10 guests.
Spirit House
The villa that sleeps four, double the capacity of the other three villas.
Sea House
A villa for two, one of three of that size alongside Forest and Sun.
Dining
- Gazebo (Restaurant Bar Lounge): Restaurant, bar and lounge in one pavilion on the grounds.
Spa and wellness
- Massages: Restorative massages are among the on-site offerings; ask us how to arrange them.
On the property
- Pools: Two pools share the grounds with a lake.
- Lake and walking paths: A walk around the lake is part of a stay.
- La Faraona: The hotel's boat for mangrove trips and sailing on Portobelo Bay.
- Kayaks, paddleboards and snorkeling gear: Included in a buyout stay.
Good to know
- Overnight stays are a buyout: the property is reserved for one group, with no other guests on site.
- The final stretch to the property is by boat from Portobelo village, and the boat transfer is part of a buyout stay.
- Day visitors can also come for a property tour, pool use and a sit-down lunch, with a transfer from Portobelo village.
Questions travellers ask
How do you get from Panama City to El Otro Lado?
Portobelo is about 1.5 hours from Panama City by road. From Portobelo village a boat takes you across to the property.
How many people can the property hold?
Taken as a whole, the estate sleeps as many as 20: 16 adults plus 4 children. Casa Grande sleeps 10, Spirit House 4, and Forest, Sea and Sun 2 each.
Can children stay at El Otro Lado?
Yes. The property plans for up to 4 children alongside 16 adults when the full estate is taken.
Which activities are part of a stay?
A buyout stay covers daily beach trips, a mangrove trip on La Faraona, a visit to San Fernando Fort, a lake walk, kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling gear and a cultural presentation.