Starfish Beach

Starfish Beach, or Playa Estrella, is the postcard of Bocas del Toro, a shallow, sheltered crescent on the far tip of Isla Colon where the water lies so calm and clear that cushion sea stars settle on the sandy bottom in plain sight. On a still morning it delivers exactly what the brochures promise, warm water you can wade for a hundred metres, soft pale sand, and the odd bright orange star glowing under the surface. For a gentle swim and an easy, cheap day in the Caribbean, it is one of the best value beaches in the archipelago.

The value comes from how you play it. Most visitors arrive on a full boat tour that lumps Starfish Beach in with Bird Island and a snorkel stop, and that is the expensive way. The savvy move is to go independently, a shared colectivo taxi across the island to Boca del Drago and a short walk along the coast, which costs a fraction of the tour and lets you set your own pace. Eat at one of the simple local restaurants on the sand, take the free lounger or hammock that usually comes with a meal, and a lovely day here need not cost much at all.

The honest catch is twofold. The first is timing, because by late morning the tour boats land in a steady stream and the quiet crescent fills with people, so the magic really belongs to the early hours. The second is the starfish themselves. There are fewer than the name implies and fewer than there used to be, thinned by years of visitors lifting them for photos, so the kind thing and the only thing to do is look without touching and never take one out of the water. Go early, tread lightly, and the beach rewards you.

If the sand is packed when you arrive, do not force it. Walk back toward Boca del Drago for a quieter stretch and a cheaper lunch, or plan your visit around a calm, dry morning when the water is clearest. To compare the other beaches and cayes across the islands, see our guide to the best beaches in Bocas del Toro, and for a daybed or a boat day, the Bocas del Toro beach clubs directory lays out the options.