I stayed at Cabanas Iron in April 2011 for 4 days. It was amazing! The San Blas islands are beautiful no matter which island you choose to stay on, it just depends what you want. There was a party island nearby, but we chose to stay in Cabanas Iron because we didn't want to listen to crappy techno music being blasted all day long when we wanted to relax in one of the most beautiful places on earth!
Cabanas Iron is run by Iron Garcia and his wife. They are extremely lovely people! Iron is so helpful, interesting and happy. Iron has taken some bartending classes and makes a KILLER pina colada. They are delicious. The food they serve during the day is also delicious. You can use their fridge, so I would recommend bringing a few things if you want to snack between meals. I also think water isn't included, so you should bring some if you don't want to rack up your bill.
I speak Spanish, so it was easy for me to communicate. My boyfriend doesn't, but he could still manage to have a conversation with Iron and we spent more than one night sitting under the stars chatting away.
The huts are very basic - basically a mattress in a hut. There is a shower you can use, but there's no hot water or anything. These are not luxury accommodations, but that is the charm of the place. The cost they quote you includes accommodation and food. Iron also took us to check out a few other islands, like Isla Estrella, home of many starfish.
We had no complaints, and would definitely recommend a visit to the San Blas islands and Cabanas Iron to anyone!
If you are coming from Panama City, just a note that the van ride can take longer than they advertise. It took us like 8h from Panama City because people have to stop and pay, go to the grocery store etc., so if you are pressed for time, you might want to look into flying.
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Date of stay: June 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Ask for the cabin at the front, with the view of the ocean. There's a hammock right outside...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The owner, Iron, ist a very helpful and kind host. The Island Naranja chico is small, in about 10-15min we have been walked around it. There are a lot of other cabins near the ones of Iron, but in night it's very quiet. The beds are good, the food also, just a little bit monotone. So you can choose between fish and chicken with rice, salad and vegetables for lunch and dinner. After that we got some fruits. Breakfast ist various every day. He got coffee and juice.
The organization of the tours is good, diving-masks are free.
Usually there is no electricity, except of 4h in the evening. The toilettes and the bathrooms are clean but very basic and shared with the other guests. So if you wanna shower in the evening, you perhaps have to queue.
So all the stay there is basic, but good. The island is just amazing, that water clearer than in your imagination.
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Date of stay: March 2019
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Dorms have at maximum 3 beds in one cabin.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The drive (with Mr. Manuel, booked via Hostal Mamallena) up to the "port" was fairly good. Our driver was on time, drove safe and we just picked up one more group. No long wait. We got some good seats in the car, though I feel really sorry for those sitting in the last row, which was me on the way back.
3 People squeezed in some kind of emergency seats which are usually just for two, is a no go! At least they shouldn't be charged the same price as the others. In means of safety this is a no go aswell, because in last row there are just two Seat belts.
Once arrived at the "port" things seemed to be pretty organized, just had to wait 30 minutes until the boat picked us up.
After an approximately one hour ride with a gas stop we reached the Island naranjal and the Cabañas Eneida.
The Island seemed nice on the first look, though our group of 8 on the boat expected it less populated.
They are 4 Families, living on the Island, which is walked around in 5 minutes, each of them offering around 10 Cabañas.
Besides of the nice clean beach you find trash all around the Island.
If your looking for a nice beach you are right, if you are looking for loneliness you are wrong.
Iron, the manager of Eneida Cabañas, already accompanied us on the boat explained everthing very well, showed us around and tried to be very nice. This unfortunately only lasted until we paid our room.
Just to mention: Toilet flush was unaivailable, in order to flush you had to pour water into the toilet from a big basin next to it. No means to wash your hands. Door was not lockable. Same with the shower, there was a big basin with water from a river nearby, which you could pour over yourself. Our cabaña was located behind the kitchen in front of the toilet. No beach view, just the smell of deep fried fat und some human excrement. Which was fine for me though, the beach was just 20m away.
Cabañas were as described basic, with sand, a chair, and a bed with a significantly bad mattres that gave you a strong backpain in the morning.
Food was decent all lunch and dinners were all the same during the two days: An awfully deep fried fish, some small portion of rice and "salad". Non fish eaters just got rice and salad. Breakfast didn't vary either, two awfully bad deep fried sausages and two small cookies with instant coffee no juice. Last day we got a cold scrambled eggs. Complaints were ignored.
The day, tour to Pelican Island was planned, was catastrophic. Iron the manager, was gone for two days to Panama City. We were offered a longer tour to isla del perro and some two other small islands instead of Pelican for an additional pay off 10$/Person, just to find out that some others who already did the Pelican tour paid the same.
Tour was supposed to start 11:30am, no boat was there, we started to complain at 1:30pm, to get to know that they will cancel the tour now. After heavy complain of us 8, the boat was ready around 2:30pm to start the then pretty nice tour.
Meanwhile I complained to Iron on the phone and that we will change cabañas because of the rude behavior of his family/workers towards us. He yelled at me on the phone, but welcomed me to change. Though if I do, threatened me, I am not allowed to go on the tour, although this was paid and included with the first night expenses.
This finally made my first impression right, we were there to bring them money, to take things as they are and leave as quick as we can.
San Blas is wonderful, the treatment of Iron and his family was awful!
On the same Island are the San Blas Kuna Yala Cabañas, their guests were really satisfied what they told us and they looked overall really nice.
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Date of stay: January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Naranjos Chicos area.
LOCATION
PanamaGuna Yala RegionNaranjos Chicos
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