Old Bank

All the places to stay and eat in Old Bank [1] (Bastimentos town) are either right along the waterfront or along a concrete path on the hillside above it. The ones included here are listed from right to left as one faces the water. There will likely be several more options when you visit. Many of these are just low-cost rooms in locals’ rather dilapidated houses. The adventurous can wander the streets looking for room-for-rent signs and see what looks best.

Pension Tío Tom (tel. 757-9831, tiotomscabin [at] gmail [dot] com, starts at US$22 s/d) is a fun place to stay for anyone with a bohemian bent. Accommodations are basic and aimed at the backpacking set, but the place is clean and oozes rustic, piratical charm. The pension has three double rooms with shared bath (US$22 d; depending on demand, a single person can sometimes stay in these for US$15) and a large room, the nicest, with a private bath (US$33, for up to four people).

Rooms have free wireless Internet access, and there’s also an Internet computer guests can use. The pension has a simple restaurant attached that specializes in Asian and Caribbean food and can also do vegetarian fare, with most dishes around US$5–10 Nonguests can sometimes eat here if it’s not too busy.

Tío Tom is built over the water, on a pier that attracts 38 species of colorful fish. Note the tree in the dining area; they’ve counted 72 species of orchids growing on it. It’s now also home to Tom’s menagerie of indigenous frogs. Shortly before my first visit, a couple of guests tied fishing lines to their toes at night, tossed the hooks out their window, and fished while they slept. Fortunately for them, they didn’t snag a barracuda.

Though Pension Tío Tom has a secluded feel, bear in mind it’s in the middle of the town’s rather crowded waterfront, and trash along the shore and loud music played by neighbors are part of the local color. The pension is the home of the friendly, easygoing German owners, Tom and Ina Reichelt. They’ve lived on Bastimentos for more than a decade and know the area well. They sometimes offer nature tours [2] of Bastimentos and the surrounding islands. Tom is especially passionate about frogs and sometimes offers tours to scientists and fellow frog nuts. They speak English, German, and some Spanish.

Hostal Bastimentos (tel. 757-9053, starts at US$20 s/d) offers 28 clean rooms in a sprawling, Caribbean-style yellow wooden building with lots of character. Small, rustic rooms with rotary fans are US$18 s/d. Slightly bigger and nicer rooms are US$20 s/d. The nicest rooms are US$40 s/d with air-conditioning and private bathrooms. The best of these are quite appealing and airy. There are two communal kitchens, lots of balcony space for lazing in hammocks, and Internet access for US$1 per hour. This is an attractive, well-maintained place. It’s set back from town on a little hill, giving it a view of the town and ocean.

Roots Bar and Restaurant (no phone, 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Wed.–Mon., US$3–10) is a pleasant thatched-roof place over the water with a warm Caribbean vibe and smiling proprietors. This is a good place to try traditional Caribbean food with coconut rice and Caribbean sauces (ask for the “secret” Roots sauce). Dishes run toward seafood, including lobster and octopus.

Built in 2004, Hotel Caribbean View (tel. 757-9442, hotelcaribbeanview [at] yahoo [dot] com, starts at US$55 s/d) is in a two-story, Caribbean-style building, white with gold trim, that’s right on the water and has 11 rooms with modern hot-water bathrooms, local TV, and telephones. The rooms are small but clean and in good shape. All have air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi. The nicest are the six rooms upstairs with private balconies. Prices range from US$55 s/d to US$71 s/d for a room with balcony. The outside was in need of a paint job and the front garden was strewn with junk on my most recent visit, but it’s still fine inside. There’s a small restaurant on the water.