An eco-friendly facility
TESORO ESCONDIDO LODGE AND CABINAS
PLAYA BLUFF - BOCAS DEL TORO - PANAMA
Insect protection:
We are in the tropics, and so yes, we do have the occasional insects buzzing arround. For those of you who are not entomologist and/or otherwise overly fascinated by this part of the animal kingdom, be reassured that most insects you will encounter are harmless. Although we are thankfully not plagued with an over-abundance of mosquitoes, they will be around now and then. Sandflies, also known as "no see hums" can be pesky on especially calm days. A good breeze usually disperses them about, as they are very weak flyers. Our beds have mosquito nets, but if you are allergic or simply wish to totally avoid insect bites, you may want to bring along your favorite insect repellent.
Food:
Tesoro Escondido have now a French Chef so we can propose complete meals
We are 4 miles away from town, and do not have any grocery stores nearby. If you are planning to cook, we encourage you to make a food stop before driving up to Bluff. If you arrive through Changuinola, be aware that the food selection there is much larger, and also at times quite cheaper than on the island. So plan a stop there if you can.
The cabinas and rooms are equipped with large coolers. These were sold as "5-day" cooler. In order to maximise the use of your cooler, do not buy a bag of ice cubes, but buy an ice BLOCK. Two large pieces are sold as one block (sold as one package @ $3.00 at the time of this writing) will last 3-5 days if you are careful to not open the cooler too much and/or leave it open too long.
For your food choice, try to focus on items that do not need refrigeration. Meat in general does not keep more than one day.
Long shelf-life milk is available, but must be refridgerated once opened. We suggest bringing powered milk instead, unless you will be able to drink your quart of milk in a couple of days.
Because we are on solar power, we cannot have any high-energy use items such as electric coffee makers. We do however, provide two types of stove top coffee makers :
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Water:
Our water is filtered rain water. We regularly use it to cook, wash and brush our teeth. To drink, we use pitcher BRITA and PUR water filters. If you are planning an extended stay, you may consider investing in one of those pitcher, and bringing the filters to cover the length of your stay. The main kitchen has a pitcher PUR filter. If you plan on purchasing water, PLEASE do not purchase water in 1-gallon jugs or sizes smaller. One of our biggest ecological problem on the island is the disposition of plastic. We suggest you purchase a 5-gallon container, which actually will be cheaper than buying separate smaller bottles. The store will charge you anywhere between $5 and $10 for the deposit. REQUEST A DEPOSIT RECEIPT. Then we will reimburse you for the deposit, keep the bottle and return it for you. Usually the deposit is $5, but we have had instances where our guests are charged much more, and then the store refuses to reimburse more because there is no receipt....
Other items:
Flashlights:As mentioned above, we are on solar power, including the night lights. If you plan to go out at night, please bring a flashlight with you, especially if you will be staying in the cabinas or 3rd floor. If you bring a flashlight powered with AA batteries, if you can, bring rechargeable batteries, and we can recharge them for you. If you plan on doing some night-time turtle watching, please bring the type of flashlight that has a red lens cover available (available in most sports/fishing supplies department stores).
Rain gear: Regardless of the time of year you will come, it is likely you might experience at least one good tropical rain. Although it will always be "warm rain", you may want to bring some rain gear with you.
Books: Rains are very unpredictable. If somehow you arrive and have to experience a stretch of heavy rain, you will be happy to have brought a good book with you. Incidentally, many of our guests have enjoyed some good reading material, on a hammock, during perfectly good sunny days! We do have quite a collection of books at Casa Azul, but most are in english.
Children "stuff": Along the same line, if you are bringing some young children, plan on bringing at least one of their favorite book or rainy-day game. Although we do not have TV's available at Tesoro Escondido, if cabin fever has set in, we might be able to make available our laptop to watch an occasional video in the main house. So if your child has a favorite DVD, bring that along too! As a last resort, we have a few children-friendly pets, who will happy to play all day long if they are engaged! We also have a small collection of games such as checkers, chess, backgammon, scrabble, etc.
An eco-friendly facility
TESORO ESCONDIDO LODGE AND CABINAS
PLAYA BLUFF - BOCAS DEL TORO - PANAMA