Istmo Beach and Jungle Bungalows Hotel

This is an amazing place to host a yoga retreat. Sean, Ayesha and their whole staff are wonderful. The studio is beautiful and has all that you need. The food is delicious and the property is magical. I plan to go back!

Ayesha and Sean are excellent hosts. They welcomed us to their little corner of paradise with a lot of openness and love. Sean is an excellent cook and he leads us to live all kind of adventures while Ayesha guide us in the practice of yoga. Within walking distance of a superb beach, their site is located near several beaches to go surfing. To live a getaway of yoga and adventures, you will be charmed by Istmo Yoga & Adventure Retreat. If you go to Panama City, go for a walk at the Yoga Center Casco.

I arrived sight unseen to teach in a yoga training program. What a beautiful spot!
This retreat is about 2 hours outside of the city, gorgeously hidden in the jungle only steps away from serene black sand beaches. The rooms are well appointed, air-conditioned and purposely rustic. Meals were fresh, delicious and plentiful. The proprietors are a young family living their dream and their attentive, friendly demeanor made staying in Central America alone a lot less intimidating, for sure! I would go back back annually! Thank you, Istmo for this incredible experience!

Surpassed all my expectations! The hosts are beautiful people, the food is amazing and the whole experience was fantastic! This is such a magical place to hold a retreat or come for an amazing vacation! I highly recommend checking it out! Thank you soooo much!

The staff are so kind, the environment is beautiful, the yoga space is tucked away in the trees with the sounds of nature all around, and the food is the best ever!

Wonderful and friendly hosts and staff who couldn't be more attentive. The rooms were beautiful and the beds are the most comfortable I have ever experienced. The food was lovely and wonderful smoothies available throughout the day. The countryside was amazing and lots of interesting and brilliant trips on offer, I loved visiting El Valle. The yoga space is peaceful and inviting and the whole property was a great place to relax, especially the hammock area. Thank you for an unforgettable experience ❤️

ISTMO went above and beyond my expectations. I recently hosted a two week long Yoga immersion training course at ISTMO, and they treated our group like family. Their generous hospitality is unforgettable. In addition to great service, we enjoyed fresh food, locally sourced meals, and comfy and spacious boutique bungalows! ISTMO’s entire property is something special — from the main house, to the Yoga studio, labyrinth, and hammock gazebo. Secluded but with easy access to a stunning, quiet beach (both black and white sand) and numerous waterfalls in the area. We felt we were truly enjoying an authentic experience in the Panamanian rainforest!

Relax and fun close to the city Staff is great, well organized, amazing assistance for everything. Beds are quite confortable. Food is home made. It is a simple hotel that gives you lots of relax, cozy and warm for families. Yoga classes and massage were great. Fun at the beach with SUP class or trying the surfing with their recommendations.

This place is such a gem! Within a 2 hour drive from busy Panama City I find myself at a nature resort. Beautiful spacious cabins, very very tasty healthy food and a lovely family Davis to welcome you! Playa grande at a 7 minute walk, sandy beach and far from crowded! I have been here several times and it was a treat to myself every time again. Recommended for each one who needs some rest, finally read that book or have a beach walk on your own, even one night is worth it!

I stayed at Istmo for a Zen retreat and it was in all ways beyond expectations. The cabins are comfortable, clean, and well layed out; the food was fantastic; the yoga classes were excellent, and the overall service was amazing. I am already looking forward to coming back here!

What a magical place, with the best Yoga I have ever gone too, spotless cabins, and such amazing food! The bird watching and local beach were beyond my expectations and made my trip too. I would highly recommend a stay here. It isn easy drive from the airport. The owners are sweet, smart, hardworking and fun. I will return for sure. Oh ya for you Yoga lovers, you should know that this extremely experienced teacher, doesn't need to play audios as the open air studio has a nature audio of its own with birds, monkeys etc. All making beautiful music. Wow. I left calmer, healthier, and happier. Joan.

I led a 6 day yoga retreat here, and it was perfect! The yoga studio is well out-fitted, the best I've encountered in Central America. The food is nourishing and delicious, and they accommodate to all diets and needs Wonderfully, this can be done per person (so your whole group doesn't have to be gluten free if just one person is, for example). The rooms are well-appointed, the bed and pillows are great quality, with everything you need in a spacious cabin, complete with a hammock. The bathrooms are all ensuite, and are themselves modern, clean and roomy. Each is equipped with a large supply of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, so save some room in your luggage and leave yours at home. The rooms have a small mini fridge that keeps your water cool. There is a safe in the room, but I felt no need to use mine. The best part is the warm, supportive, peaceful, fun, and welcoming spirit you receive from hosts, Sean and Ayesha. Their warm touch, inspired by their own connection to yoga practice, makes this a fantastic place to hold a retreat. I couldn't recommend this place more highly.

I just got back from running my first retreat ever and Istmo was the perfect spot! I brought 12 ladies with me from Toronto Canada for some sun, sand, SUP and yoga and it was a magic experience. The family that runs it are so kind and helpful. The place is absolutely beautiful. The staff so courteous and hard-working. And the food — so healthy but so delicious. Literally every details from start to finish was so well though out. We cannot wait to return.

I operate a small sea kayaking and cultural tour outfit that does trips in Guna Yala (aka San Blas Islands) on the Caribbean of Panama. I discovered Istmo on the Pacific coast and created my dream itinerary of combining a 4-day stay and yoga retreat at Istmo with a 4-day sea kayaking, snorkeling, and cultural adventure in Guna Yala. Both coasts! Along with my co-leader (the yoga instructor @yogacurrents), and our group we had a GREAT time at Istmo. It's a wonderful place for a yoga retreat:) Way before our trip started, Ayesha was professional, straight-forward and prompt with her emails. She answered hundreds of questions for us and made sure that we were taken care of. She arranged an airport pick-up for us and everything went really smoothly. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful and inspiring. Birds, flowers and trees everywhere. I love the hammock pavilion with a view! It was very easy to slip into "yoga vacation" mode, which is exactly what I wanted my guests to feel. I am happy that we chose to do Istmo before the San Blas portion. We were greeted with ice cold hibiscus tea and shown our lovely accommodations in very clean cabanas, tucked into the trees. The yoga studio is a great space, that makes you feel like you are in nature. It's a great benefit that they offer mats, blocks, straps, and blankets. Istmo is a short walk to the beach, which we took advantage of to watch the sunset each evening and go swimming.

Hospitality with a personal touch, the Istmo Retreat experience was exactly what my soul needed to refuel. Ayesha & Sean fully immerse themselves in the quality of their services and it is evident in every detail from their fresh fruit smoothies to the well appointed & cozy cabanas. If you're looking to unwind and find a little more Zen in your life, a stay at Istmo is your answer!

Awesome! Cannot wait to return. Sean and Ayesha create an amazing "vibe" on the property. The facility is lovely and relaxed. The beach is a short walk (for the record, I had some worries about how I'd feel about having to "leave" the property to get to the beach — — if you are worrying — — you can stop and, just, go! It is an easy, safe, short, stroll. ) Ayesha is a wonderful yoga teacher and I am already missing the food (thank you Sean). The rooms are very comfortable (the bed is very comfortable).

A place to connect with nature and to connect with yourself. Individual cabanas with a nice nature-y walk to the eating area for mealtimes. Our cabana had a hammock, and we made good use of it. Dinner and breakfast were simple and homemade and full of flavour and delicious. Also, they provided tea at the reception area, a big plus. The hosts and family were great, super friendly, one of the nicest hosts I've met so far in Panama. The beach itself is typical of those in this area along the Pacific coast (but mostly fine black sand), and because it is more isolated, there are less people trekking around. We left feeling good and happy about our stay and glad we got a chance to meet these hosts. The yoga hut was also set in a beautiful leafy area surrounded by nature, so different from any other yoga place in the city.

Been there 2 years ago and I was a real pleasure. Kind regards Jakub.

We stayed with our 2 young kids (2, 5yo & 6mo) at Istmo and had an absolute fantastic time! Sean and Ayesha were great hosts, going the extra mile for each and anyone of their guests. We really appreciated their hospitality, local knowledge and efforts to make our vacation as comfortable as possible! What an amazing setting, we enjoyed the view of humming birds and other beautiful birds while having breakfast or a drink so much! The food is delicious, with a focus on local, fresh food. The rooms are spacious, with comfortable beds (where we tend to be very picky about), a nice balcony, enough privacy. We were impressed by the housekeeping as we found our room clean & crisp every single day! I really enjoyed the yoga classes as an absolute beginner… it must be the nicest setting possible for a studio… In the middle of a jungle with sounds of nature surrounding you! The beautiful beach is another asset, the black and white sand make it so unique. Istmo is a real gem where we really felt at home during our stay. If there's anything to mention on the downside, it's the lack of a pool on the domain, but really, that shouldn't hold you back to visit!

We just came back from a Yoga and SUP week at Istmo. What a find — we came across this through random googling and really lucked out. The place is nestled in a beautifully undeveloped jungle/forest with a lovely yoga studio with all the accouterments. Ayesha was our yoga instructor for daily sessions and she was a very good teacher. Her other half Sean ferried us to several SUP trips and hikes. The week was a really nice balance of outside activities, yoga, walks along the Pacific (at a gem of a beach) and hammock time. Sean is also the chef and the food was tasty and healthy. The outside dining area and bar with comfy seating has free Wi-Fi and cold beer. Our bungalow was spotless with efficient air conditioning and was very comfortable. We had been trying to get away for a week of yoga someplace tropical and this fit the bill. Extra pluses — a short hop to the most beautiful and deserted beach with black and white sand, laundry services and nice people.

Loved it and can wait to return! Great hosts, location and experience. The Best Panama Yoga Retreat!

Beautiful place to host your yoga retreat!

It was a great, unfortunately, short weekend away from the city. Just an 1, 5 hour drive and you really are on holiday. The whole thing was a treat! The cabin is spacious, beautiful bamboo bunk beds with a queen size bed under and a safe bed up for kids. Matrasses, sheets and especially the pillows are great! They were so great that all of my kids (three under 5 years old) slept in till after 8 am. Yeah! Unfortunaly that is why I missed the yoga class… The whole place is filled with great details of bamboo, specially made wooden doors and cabinets. Loved the eye for detail. Hosts are very kind. Sean, the chef, made us eat very healthy dinner, breakfast and lunch. Special (healthy fresh) menus for kids. Our girls had a blast with the owners´ children and didn´t want to leave. Spend an afternoon on the beach and the Sunday morning just relaxing on the grounds. Great relaxing and flexible atmosphere. Thank you for the great stay Ayesha and Sean!