The Story of Villa Sanchez-Barry

Villa Sanchez-Barry is an ecotourism enterprise founded and operated by a retired college professor from the U.S. (Dr. Bob Barry) and his Panamanian wife (Gladys Mireya Sanchez de Barry).

For several years prior to retirement, Bob provided ecotours in Panama for college groups.  One of the challenges was locating comfortable, clean, safe, secure lodging in the areas of their field trips.  Thus began the Barrys' retirement plans to relocate to Panama and continue hosting groups, but provide comfortable, clean, safe, secure lodging in an area surrounded by natural beauty.

The Barrys constructed a "stilt house" (the kind you find along the Florida and Alabama coasts of the U.S.) to maximize covered patio area on the ground floor and have a wrap-around deck on the second floor with ample roof overhang to enhance the natural ventilation afforded by oversized windows.

They are located in Panama's "interior", 1 1/2 hours west of Panama City, and have views of the Pacific Ocean to the South and mountains to the North.  Villa Sanchez-Barry is 4 miles from Pacific beaches and 4 miles from mountains.

The energy-conscious Villa utilizes low wattage lighting, solar energy for clothes drying and pool heating, recycles glass, plastic and aluminum, composts organic household wastes, uses compressed gas for cooking and the heating of water, upon demand only, i.e. there are no hot water tanks with heaters.

The Villa is situated on approximately 10 acres, 650 feet above sea level, with 3 acres being used as a reforestation project, 2 acres comprising the landscaped grounds and Villa, and 5 acres still undeveloped.  Plantings on the grounds include coconuts, bananas, plantain, mango, papaya, otoe, yucca, lemon, nance, noni and guandu.

The Barrys finished part of the Villa's ground floor as a 2-bedroom/2-bathroom Apartment with kitchen, dining, and living areas.  They also constructed an additional 1 bedroom Rental Suite, and even allow tent camping. 

The newest rental option consists of a thatched roof bohio… the kind of structure used by many indigenous tribes as housing.  We have, however, added such creature comforts as two enclosed bedrooms, a modern bathroom, running water and electricity.