This Private Island Resort in Panama Just Added Bamboo Tree Houses — With Panoramic Views and Open-air Living Rooms

Luxury resorts are embracing whimsical tree house structures, and the latest example — of many — comes from Panama’s Nayara Bocas del Toro.

The adults-only eco-resort, located on a private island off Panama’s Caribbean Coast, just added two dreamy tree houses to its accommodations, with three more in the works.

Designed by Elora Hardy’s Bali-based architecture studio Ibuku, known for its nature-inspired sustainable bamboo structures, the tree houses soar 40 feet above the ground and are partly built from reclaimed hardwood collected from the bottom of the Panama Canal.

Swirling staircases lead to the two-level one-bedroom accommodations, nestled among lush mangrove forests and landscaped gardens. The bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows and an outdoor bathroom with a shower and a hand-hammered copper soaking tub.

Sweeping 360-degree views and comfortable lounge furnishings are the highlights of the open-air living room. And each tree house is outfitted with a pulley system, which makes for a pretty unique room service experience. (The tree houses come with complimentary room service 24 hours a day.)

“At Bocas Nayara’s tree house, we wind up among the tall stilts to a glass ‘moon door’ that turns like a dancer on its center pivot,” said Hardy in a press release shared with Travel + Leisure. “Overlooking the mangroves, the view wraps around us, and we feel like we are part of it.”

Nayara Bocas del Toro opened its doors in 2021 with 16 overwater villas, a 70-foot freshwater pool, a spa, and an over-the-water restaurant called Elephant House. The Elephant House’s 100-year-old structure was flown in from Indonesia.

Later, the property made news by unveiling Kupu-Kupu Beach: an elevated white-sand beach built on stilts above the sea. According to the hotel, which relaunched under the Nayara Resorts brand in 2022, it’s the first aerial beach in the world.

The property is entirely self-sustaining using solar panels and purified rainwater to generate electricity and freshwater.

Nightly rates at Nayara Bocas del Toro’s tree houses start at $1,300.