---
title: "Why Condé Nast Traveler Named Nayara Bocas del Toro #1"
description: "Nayara Bocas del Toro: the #1 Resort in Central America by Condé Nast Traveler, sets a new standard for overwater travel through sustainability in Panama."
image: https://blog.nayararesorts.com/hubfs/8-Oct-07-2025-04-49-30-6724-AM.png
---
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# Why Condé Nast Traveler Named Nayara Bocas del Toro #1
[Albert Ghitis](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/author/albert-ghitis-1)
Oct 6, 2025
Nayara Bocas del Toro won the top spot in Central America at the Condé Nast Traveler 2025 Readers' Choice Awards. The recognition reflects more than a ranking: it points toward a form of Caribbean luxury built around proximity, privacy, biodiversity, and a private-island experience rooted in place.
Key Findings
#1
Named the number one resort in Central America in the Condé Nast Traveler 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
757,000+
Readers participated in the 2025 Readers' Choice Awards, one of travel's largest annual reader surveys.
Adults-only
A private island pairing overwater villas and rainforest treehouses with direct access to the Caribbean.
In This Article
6 min read
[01 The Overwater Dream, Closer to Home](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#recognition) [02 A Place That Evolved Without Losing Itself](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#evolution) [03 Overwater Villas Built for Privacy](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#villas) [04 A New Standard for All-Inclusive](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#all-inclusive) [05 Where Rainforest and Reef Connect](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#biomes) [06 Treehouses in the Rainforest Canopy](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#canopy) [07 Frequently Asked Questions](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/bocas-wins-cond%C3%A9-nast-traveler-award-2025#faq)
**In short:** Nayara Bocas del Toro was named the number one resort in Central America in the Condé Nast Traveler 2025 Readers' Choice Awards. The recognition places an adults-only private island in Panama among the region's most highly rated luxury stays.
The Recognition
## The Overwater Dream, Closer to Home
For decades, the overwater bungalow belonged primarily to the Maldives, Bora Bora and Tahiti. The image became shorthand for escape: a villa standing above clear water, nothing between the room and the horizon.
Bocas del Toro offers a distinctly Caribbean version of that dream. Coral gardens sit beneath the water. Mangroves extend along the shoreline. Tropical rainforest rises behind them. The appeal isn't that Panama imitates a faraway island destination, but that it combines overwater living with an ecosystem of its own.
[Nayara Bocas del Toro](https://nayarabocasdeltoro.com) was named the number one resort in Central America in the Condé Nast Traveler 2025 Readers' Choice Awards. For North American travelers, that recognition also highlights something increasingly valuable: an overwater private-island experience within easy reach of home.
.jpg?width=800&height=480&name=5%20Interesting%20Facts%20About%20Bocas%20del%20Toro%2c%20Panama%20(4).jpg)
Bocas del Toro brings rainforest, mangrove, and Caribbean water into the same landscape.
Rainforest Meets Reef
## A Place That Evolved Without Losing Itself
More than 757,000 readers participated in Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards. Reader-voted recognition at that scale matters not because an award defines a destination, but because it reveals what travelers respond to.
Bocas del Toro spent years known more for surf breaks, backpackers and island-hopping than polished luxury. Its evolution has been gradual. Better connectivity and higher-end hospitality have arrived, but the archipelago still feels defined by water taxis, forested islands, reefs, mangroves and small communities rather than a continuous wall of development.
That balance is central to the appeal. Luxury here works best when it does not smooth away the identity of the place. The island should still feel like Bocas.
Built for Two
## Overwater Villas Built for Privacy
Nayara Bocas del Toro is adults-only, and that decision shapes the island's character. The pace is quiet. The villas face outward toward the Caribbean rather than inward toward a central resort complex.
The overwater villas prioritize privacy, with expansive decks and direct access to the sea. Some include private plunge pools, while the water itself becomes part of the room's architecture: visible through windows, beyond the terrace and directly below the villa.
For couples, the attraction is less about an itinerary than about removing friction. A private captain can collect guests directly from the villa. Swimming begins from the deck. The Caribbean is not an excursion from the room. It is where the room is.
Overwater villas extend from Isla Frangipani into the Caribbean.
All-Encompassing
## A New Standard for All-Inclusive
The phrase all-inclusive carries baggage. It can suggest crowded buffets, wristbands, and a travel experience deliberately separated from the destination outside the resort.
At Bocas, the model is closer to all-encompassing. Meals, drinks and many island activities are integrated into the stay so that the logistics recede. The objective is not abundance for its own sake. It is ease.
That works particularly well on a private island. Guests can move between restaurants, kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling, the beach and their villa without repeatedly converting each experience into a transaction.
Shaped by Place
## Where Rainforest and Reef Connect
Bocas del Toro is defined by the proximity of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and lowland rainforest sit close enough together that a single day can move from dolphins and reef fish to sloths, monkeys and tropical birds.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has studied the archipelago for decades, including long-term monitoring of coral, mangrove and seagrass systems. That scientific attention reflects what guests experience intuitively: Bocas is not one ecosystem. It is a network of connected ones.
Exploration changes with the water. A private boat can move from open Caribbean channels to mangrove edges, quiet beaches, and wildlife areas in a single outing. At night, under the right conditions, bioluminescent organisms illuminate the water as they move.
The result is a form of luxury rooted less in isolation from nature than in unusually direct access to it.
The Canopy
## Treehouses in the Rainforest Canopy
The overwater villas pull the experience toward the sea. The IBUKU-designed treehouses move it in the opposite direction: fifty feet into the forest canopy.
Designed by the Bali-based studio founded by Elora Hardy, the treehouses combine structural bamboo with reclaimed hardwood recovered from the Panama Canal floor. The architecture frames mangroves, forest, and ocean from above rather than separating the room from them.
Together, the villas and treehouses make Bocas unusual even within the overwater-resort category. Guests can sleep above the Caribbean one night and above the rainforest another without leaving the island.
[Read: IBUKU Treehouses at Nayara Bocas del Toro →](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayarabocasdeltorotreehouse)
Nayara Bocas del Toro
## The Number One Resort in Central America
Overwater villas, rainforest treehouses and an adults-only private island in Panama's Bocas del Toro archipelago.
[Explore Nayara Bocas del Toro](https://nayarabocasdeltoro.com) [Check Availability](https://nayararesorts.com/#/booking/destination/dates) [Explore the Nayara Collection](https://nayararesorts.com/our-resorts/)
About the Author
## [Albert Ghitis](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/author/albert-ghitis-1)
Digital Marketing · Nayara Resorts
Albert Ghitis leads digital marketing at Nayara Resorts, overseeing editorial, email strategy, organic social, paid social, search, and AI discovery. He also hosts Nayara Horizons. Explore the latest episodes below.
Nayara Horizons
## Explore the Podcast
Conversations about the people, places, cultures, and ideas behind Nayara's destinations.
01
Understanding the Atacama: A Conversation with the Atacameño Community
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/kzQWMUk49io?si=F6mKVna2uN0pO7gA)
02
Guardians of Rapa Nui: A Conversation with Tau Mana
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/FRPVRcUTNmk?si=2SrY7mElfqprkyJg)
03
The Collapse That Wasn't: A Conversation About Archaeology
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/qFVLTTJa7hE?si=LU3lrWxrFGbL6gpF)
04
The Nayara Story: A Conversation with General Manager Jairo
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/kogGcI2-pBc?si=JI-a82zE1nZODNfl)
05
A Taste of Nayara: A Conversation with Gianluca
[Watch →](https://youtu.be/NuWOobuMc2k?si=g7uHgszKtOhiMekv)
Frequently Asked Questions
## Nayara Bocas del Toro
Why was Nayara Bocas del Toro named #1 in Central America?+
Condé Nast Traveler readers ranked Nayara Bocas del Toro number one among Central American resorts in the 2025 Readers' Choice Awards. The resort combines an adults-only private-island setting with overwater villas, rainforest treehouses, and direct access to Bocas del Toro's ecosystems.
Why does the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Award matter?+
The Readers' Choice Awards are based on traveler voting, not hotel inspections. More than 757,000 readers participated in the 2025 survey, giving the ranking a broad consumer perspective.
How is Nayara Bocas del Toro different from the Maldives?+
Both offer overwater lodging, but Bocas del Toro adds an unusually close connection between reef, mangrove, and rainforest ecosystems. For travelers from North America, Panama can also be much easier to reach than destinations in the Indian Ocean or South Pacific.
Is Nayara Bocas del Toro off-grid?+
Yes. The resort operates off-grid, using solar power and rainwater systems to support its private-island infrastructure.
Is Nayara Bocas del Toro adults-only?+
Yes. Nayara Bocas del Toro is an adults-only private-island resort with overwater villas and rainforest treehouses.
What is the best time to visit Bocas del Toro?+
Bocas del Toro is warm year-round and has a tropical climate rather than a single conventional dry season. Conditions vary by month, so the best time depends on whether you want calm water, wildlife, diving, surfing, or fewer showers.
Sources & Further Reading
- [Condé Nast Traveler · Readers' Choice Awards](https://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards)
- [Nayara Bocas del Toro · Official Resort Site](https://nayarabocasdeltoro.com/)
- [Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute · Bocas del Toro](https://stri.si.edu/facility/bocas-del-toro)
- [Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute · Coral, Mangrove and Seagrass Monitoring](https://striresearch.si.edu/physical-monitoring/bocas-del-toro/)
- [IBUKU · Nayara Bocas del Toro Tree House Project](https://ibuku.com/project/nayara-bocas-del-toro-tree-house/)
- [Nayara Resorts · How We Built an Off-Grid Resort on a Private Island](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/overwater-bungalows-panama)
- [Visit Panama · Bocas del Toro Travel Information](https://www.visitpanama.com/)
- [Panama Ministry of Environment](https://miambiente.gob.pa/)
[.jpg)](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayarabocasdeltorotreehouse)
## [The Treehouse of Your Dreams](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/nayarabocasdeltorotreehouse)
Feb 24, 2023
[](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/which-nayara-is-right-for-you)
## [Which Nayara is Right for You?](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/which-nayara-is-right-for-you)
Aug 25, 2026
[](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/exploring-the-rich-wildlife-and-natural-world-of-nayara-resorts)
## [Costa Rica Animals and Wildlife: Sloths, Toucans, and More at Nayara in Arenal](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/exploring-the-rich-wildlife-and-natural-world-of-nayara-resorts)
Nov 23, 2023
- [Nayara Gardens](https://nayaragardens.com/)
- [Nayara Springs](https://nayarasprings.com/)
- [Nayara Tented Camp](https://nayaratentedcamp.com/)
- [Nayara Alto Atacama](https://www.altoatacama.com/)
- [Nayara Hangaroa](https://www.hangaroa.cl/)
- [Nayara Bocas Del Toro](https://bocasbali.com/)
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- [Costa Rica +506 2479-1600](tel:+50624791600)
- [US +1 844-865-2002](tel:+18883322961)
- [UK +44 1617918120](tel:+441617918120)
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