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Casa Mariposa is a guesthouse in the center of el Valle de Anton with an apartment and two guestrooms for rent. The huge terrace offers a wonderful view of the mountains, like the India Dormida,, Caraiguana and the Gaital. The unique tropical garden invites you to relax and enjoy bird watching. Parking and Wifi are included.
Calle Principal 200 mts despues de mini super Hong Kong, a mano Izquierda, El Valle de Anton 1001 Panama
Casa Mariposa
173 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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The town of El Valle is wonderful in it's own right, and then to spend a few nights at Casa Mariposa made it even more incredible. The grounds are spectacular in a lush tropical setting. Ursula and her husband are most welcoming and knowledgeable. Their location at the end of the village center made for easy walks to restaurants, the market, etc.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
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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.
This isn't really a hotel per se, but rather a home owned by an older expat couple with a duplex guest house in the garden and a flat in the main structure. What that entails is that the services provided are more in line with hostels than hotels.
The good:
- Fantastic location. Turn right and walk a kilometre, you're at the supermarket. 200m and you're at one chino, 200m the other way and you're at the other. You're five minutes outside of town by foot and maybe 45 minutes from either opposing ends of the valley.
- Very nice hosts. They're pretty reserved and not ones to chat often, but they were always very polite and friendly.
- Free coffee and tea in the mornings delivered to your room. Right now I'm doing coffee in the gazebo hammock with a small stream behind me and a view of the mountains in front surrounded by hummingbirds. For this alone I'd stay here again.
- It's a really high quality, if simple, room. The guest room as of April 2014 is $240/w ($220 starting in May, rainy season). You get two comfortable beds, one queen and one double, with warm blankets and soft pillows. The shower has pressure to it and runs all the way up to scorching, a much needed luxury in Panama considering that most showers here are weak and cold. It's clean, it lights well, it's got great surroundings, and unless you're looking for chocolates on your pillow it has everything you need including a minifridge with $1 national beers.
- They have animals. Chickens, a black lab who instantly loves everyone he meets, two sloths but they only really come out for a couple hours a day in the afternoon so I've not personally seen them after the first day. The garden is full of birds, frogs, and plants though those aren't animals.
- The power is steady. This was an issue in other small Panamanian towns. It didn't go out once here, though the bathroom light tends to waver sometimes.
The bad:
- The internet is wonky. It only extends to the guest rooms about 20% of the time and even then is really weak. In the gazebo and the watch tower you can generally get a steady connection and download at 100-500kb/s, but you probably won't be surfing in bed.
- The chickens are right across from the guest rooms and they like to announce this. I didn't wake up at 6AM by choice, but because roosters are sadists.
- There isn't on-site laundry. The laundromat is about 200m to your right as you exit and costs 75 cents to wash and $1 to dry. If you're staying for a weekend it's no big deal, but after a week you start to wish pillow cases/sheets/towels were washed. Again it's a house rather than a hotel.
- The kitchen is locked down in the main structure. Any request for utensils I had was filled immediately, but it's not a public kitchen as far as I know. El Valle is a retreat for wealthy Panamanians and you'll struggle to feed two for under $15-20. That's not much at first glance, but you're paying that at every meal.
- You're in a garden and there are bugs. Not a lot and it was never an issue for me, but my girlfriend doesn't like bugs so she had some stressful nights.
- The noise level gets trying sometimes. It's right on the main road and Panamanians like to awaken early. From about 6AM to midnight you'll have traffic, fruit vendors announcing their truckloads over megaphone, insect and bird noise, lawn mowing, etc etc. There aren't any other options in the same price range for places away from this noise as far as I know.
All in all, I'd highly recommend this place and fully intend to stay here again if I come back to Panama. It works out to the price of a cheap motel in the US or Europe, but not once did it feel cheap or artificial. It's a genuinely great option.
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Date of stay: April 2014
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â The garden guest room closest to the main structure might have more reliable wifi access.
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.
Casa Mariposa was perfect! We stayed in the apartment with our two young children. It was perfect for families because we could cook our own meals. The many outdoor spaces are beautiful and relaxing. Hammocks were fun and our kids loved to feed the chickens and pet the sloths. Location was perfect -- walk to everything, yet away from the center enough to be quiet. Ursula was very helpful when we had questions. We would definitely stay here again!
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Date of stay: February 2015
Value
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled with family
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 is very sweet and the appartment was spotless. Nice little guarden, her husband made us sample a few herbs, but the highlight by far were the rescued sloths! So cute, soft and cuddly! They have a three week old baby sloth which is adorable. We were lucky enough to see them awake three times and I even held one! Amazing
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Date of stay: January 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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My girlfriend and I stayed here for two nights and had an incredible stay. The owners were friendly, easy going and very helpful with their recommendations on things to do in the area. The grounds are incredibly beautiful and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. For those concerned about the lack of AC, it didn't become an issue due to the fact that it cools off enough at night. There was a refrigerator stocked with sodas and beers outside of the room which we could help ourselves to at anytime($1). They also have the sweetest dog (Snoopy) on the property and we were greeted by him on many occasions.
The real highlight of this visit was, of course, the sloths. When we arrived we were allowed to see their living area inside of the owners home and the following morning we were treated to an hour of sloth-hangout-time in the garden area. Ursula, one of the owners, was there to answer any questions we had while feeding and keeping an eye on the sloths. I really can't put into words how special the time we had with the sloths was.
Like my title states, this truly is a magical place and we would most definitely stay here again
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Date of stay: September 2015
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Such a beautiful and well located place! This is one of the nicest places we've ever stayed anywhere!
The sloths were absolutely amazing. We posted photos of them and now we're known amongst our friends as the people who got to pet sloths. Not something you get to do everywhere!
The hosts were amazing and accommodating! Technically, Casa Mariposa is not a B&B, but Ursula served breakfast to us for a reasonable charge in the mornings in the beautiful garden just outside our room.
We were able to walk everywhere from Casa Mariposa.... but we are pretty hard core walkers too. This is a great location to get to all of the trails and maybe a five minute walk from the center of town.
It was also very quiet, aside from the roosters which were all a part of the charm.
A wonderful experience that we will never forget!
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Date of stay: April 2014
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
We absolutely loved our two-day stay at Casa Mariposa where we were lucky to get the self- catering courtyard apartment. Apparently it was usually not available for just two days
The apartment was very beautiful, quiet and was equipped with everything you needed to have a great stay. The bedroom had a double bed. We were three people, but there was a third bed closer to the bathroom, which was big enough for an adult.
We cooked two wonderful meals there and enjoyed the cool evenings in the inner courtyard. The roof top area gave additional room to sit or hammock around to read a book.
The nice thing about the place was that it was close to all the nice restaurants, markets, a waterfall, and hiking areas. The surrounding garden also was lush and beautiful, and an added attraction was observing the adopted sloths. During day time we traveled around in El Valle de Anton, but looked forward to come back to our nice home.
The hostess, Ursula prepared breakfast for guests and the self-catering apartment also was served at $5 /person, which was a great deal. The breakfast was tasty & plentiful.
We enjoyed the beauty of the place and hospitality of the owners, Ursula & Harry. It was really too short a visit. We will be back and do the hikes that we missed this time.We recommend casa Mariposa enthusiastically to anyone who appreciates beauty and nice people!
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Date of stay: February 2014
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â If you can, get et the self-catering courtyard apartment for a week or so and enjoy the beautiful...
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.
We had only time to stay for one night at Casa Mariposa on our way from Panama City to Boca Chica. Unfortunately, after our visit to the Panama Canal, we ended up going backwards, into the city again, where we were lost for a few hours, even with GPS. Therefore, we arrived in El Valle in the dark, breaking rule number 1. Don't drive in rural areas in Panama in the dark. Fortunately, the Panamanians are incredibly gracious when accosted by lost gringos, which must be pretty common. Even with a pretty steep language barrier, we finally found the hotel. By that time, we were pretty much exhausted, but Ursula gave us very good options for dinner and even though it was late, we managed to have a very good meal at Bruschetta.
Our cabin was spacious and clean. We really enjoyed the wildlife paintings on the walls. The room was otherwise very basic, which was fine with us. Simple beds, table, chair, etc. Small patio outside the room had a fridge, etc.
We had arranged to have breakfast for a small additional cost, so the next morning when we got up, our breakfast was waiting for us in a lovely gazebo. Breakfast was perfect and we really enjoyed the setting. It was so beautiful and peaceful. After breakfast, we had time to walk around the grounds, which were beautiful, including the tower, and to visit with the sloths. Ursula seems to have found her calling, caring for these special creatures. Walking around the grounds, you can really see how much work Ursula and Harry have put into the property. It is a special place and I wish we had been able to stay longer. As we were leaving, Ursula gave us directions for a scenic drive over the mountains, rather than getting back on the highway and we really enjoyed the trip. We recommend Casa Mariposa for families who like nature, beautiful surroundings and are not looking for luxury.
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Date of stay: November 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Our family of four had a wonderful time at this guest house, We rented the apartment for just over a week, and it was perfect. If we didn't have a plane to catch, all of us would have loved to stay much longer! The apartment is perfect, very clean, and has a well-stocked kitchen. Most days, we walked to the market and the bakery, and cooked our meals in the apartment. The apartment is in easy walking distance to everything you need in this beautiful, relaxed town. The garden and patio areas are beautiful as well. We felt more at home here than we have on the rest of our trip.
What really sets this guest house apart though is the owners. Ursula and Harry are both very friendly and helpful people - they speak many languages, and are very welcoming. They were both very kind to our kids. Harry brought out games for the kids to play in the garden, and cut down plantains with their help. When my youngest son got a fever, Ursula took off the afternoon to take us to the Health Centre and help translate. It was a stressful time, and it was wonderful to have her help!
The owners have rescued some orphaned sloths, and it was great to be able to interact with the sloths and help feed them. It is hard not to be happy when you look at a sloth. Both boys now say that sloths are their favourite animals!
We loved El Valle, and we loved Casa Mariposa. We would love to return one day!
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Date of stay: October 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
My husband and I spent one night in El Valle (sadly we wish it could have been longer). Ursula and Harry were great hosts. The land around the hotel is so lush with nice areas to read and relax on a hammock. It is a very short walk to the market and the row of restaurants. The highlight though was watching their pet sloths get fed and holding one of them. They were adorable soft creatures. My husband now wants one : )
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Date of stay: April 2013
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Hello. The sloths are not for public display and cannot be viewed unless you are staying at the inn which is quite lovely, btw. It is like a small jungle with hammocks here and there. The owners are Swiss and will kindly spend time explaining their fauna and, of course, the sloths are the main event that I will never forget.
Western Cape, South Africa5 contributions2 helpful votes
Casa Mariposa Swiss Guesthouse .
Calle Principal,
El Valle de Antón.
Telefon: (507) 908-7014
Mobil: (507) 6883-7543 Ursula
Mobil: (507) 6354-1251 Harry
One cannot post an email address or website link here
Dear Lea, we would like to answer you that question but tripadvisor does not accept any answer with information about site or adress - sorry you have to look it up yourself we have both
There are more places to choose from in the El Valle de Anton area.
LOCATION
PanamaCocle ProvinceEl Valle de Anton
NUMBER OF ROOMS
3
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CASA MARIPOSA | UPDATED 2024 Guesthouse Reviews (El Valle de Anton, Panama) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Casa Mariposa
Which popular attractions are close to Casa Mariposa?
Nearby attractions include Butterfly Haven (0.5 km), The Sleeping Indian Girl (0.9 km), and Aprovaca (The Orchid Nursery & Conservation Center) (0.6 km).
