The story behind SurfBreak at Paunch
I Came to Bocas on Vacation. A Year Later, I Moved Here.
SurfBreak at Paunch was not created from a hotel concept or a business plan drawn up somewhere else. It started because I came to Bocas del Toro, fell in love with the place, and could not stop thinking about coming back.
David · Founder of SurfBreak at Paunch
How it started
One trip turned into four trips, then a move.
After that first vacation, I came back to Bocas three more times over the next year, looking for property and trying to figure out whether I was really going to make the move. I bought land in Paunch and, almost a year to the day after that first trip, moved here and started building.
There was no developed Paunch neighborhood waiting for me. When I started, SurfBreak was essentially the only thing out here. The first version of the property had two cabins and a restaurant because there simply were not nearby places for guests to eat.
Before Paunch grew up
The property changed as Paunch changed.
Over more than eleven years, Paunch has grown considerably. Restaurants and small businesses opened, the road became busier, and guests no longer needed us to be their restaurant too. So SurfBreak evolved with the neighborhood: the restaurant disappeared, the property grew from two cabins to four private accommodations, and the focus became the stay itself.
What never changed was the reason for being here in the first place: the jungle, the Caribbean, the surf, and the feeling that Paunch gives you when you are close enough to Bocas Town to enjoy it, but far enough away to wake up somewhere completely different.
SurfBreak today
Still small on purpose.
SurfBreak at Paunch is now four distinct private stays for guests age 16+, tucked into the tropical hillside just inland from the coast. It is not meant to feel like a resort, a surf camp, or a generic hotel. It is a small place with its own history, built here over time rather than dropped into the neighborhood all at once. The property follows the existing tropical landscape, with natural landscaping, limited clearing and concrete, and eco-friendly cleaning products. Three stays use natural airflow and fans; the Garden Apartment also offers air conditioning.
Four private stays
Small enough to keep the property personal and distinct.
Paunch, not downtown
Close to the coast and surf, with Bocas Town still within easy reach.
Built over time
The property evolved alongside the neighborhood instead of trying to become something it is not.
See the place that grew from that first trip.
Explore the four stays, learn more about Paunch and Bocas del Toro, or go straight to direct booking.