Find all hotels by Independent in Cayos Zapatilla

"I really wanted to love this place. The property itself is beautiful—lush trees, birds everywhere, and a very peaceful setting. The owners also provide snorkeling gear and kayaks, which is a nice touch. However, several issues made our stay disappointing. We booked a cabin advertised as oceanfront, but the view was completely blocked by palm trees—no ocean visible at all. When I asked about it, I was told another cabin with the correct view couldn’t be cleaned in time and was reserved for the next day. What was frustrating is that the cabin was empty, yet no effort was made to accommodate. While I understand they mentioned having issues with their washing machine, that should not impact a guest receiving what they specifically paid for—especially when a solution was clearly available. Other concerns: we only received two towels, which were changed once during our 3-night stay. There is no AC (worth noting), and the cabin uses screens instead of windows—some of which were broken, allowing insects inside. The biggest issue was roaches. We found them in every area—bedroom, bathroom, walls, couch, and even near our luggage. It was constant and very uncomfortable. We contacted Expedia, but due to the late hour and remote location (boat access only), we couldn’t relocate. The owners seem kind, but the situation was not handled properly, and no apology was offered about the roaches despite being notified. With better maintenance and customer service, this place could be great."

"AC good "

"Great place. Alan was very helpful."

"Comfortable room"

"Our villa was great. So peaceful with beautiful views and a lovely pool. The location of the property was amazing and Polo beach nearby was great to spend the day at when the waves were too big at Red Frog. The store had decent options although more fruit options would have been nice. It was nice to be able to get rides around when needed. Downsides were the restaurant.. the food wasn't great and service was very slow. We wished we had eaten more at Palmar lodge next door as it was great. The other downside was the tour that we booked through the front desk to see Zapatilla. I messaged to confirm in the morning and it was pretty apparent that they had forgotten to book something and scrambled to find another boat and driver at the last minute. We were told the day would include snacks and fruit and drinks and all we were provided was two small warm bottles of water. We also stopped at a place for lunch that took well over an hour and while we were sitting there, our driver left with the boat and all of our belongings without telling us where he was going. The beach was beautiful but the snorkeling was mediocre and overall not worth the money. We still tipped our driver after and then were not pleased to see at checkout that they had added a large service fee onto the booking without telling us. Overall a beautiful location and property but needs some work on communication and food."

"yes"

"Kitchen was sparse. No coffee maker only espresso machine. We enjoyed our stay. Slept great. Papaya restaurant nearby was our favorite. Staff in Merlin restaurant below the hotel was always friendly and greeted us with a wave and smile but never came over to take our order so on three different occasions we got up and went somewhere else. Is there a cultural thing we’re missing here ?"

" Vacation in paradise. Staff super helpful in arranging tours and water taxis to other places."

"Location right near the airport. Very convenient. It was a very short walk to Bocas town where there were lots of restaurants to choose from "