PANDEMIC TRAVEL This review covers a 4-person, 10 day trip to Costa Rica 22 Feb-04 March 2022 that was expertly planned and arranged by Pierre Gedeon, based in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Our first trip to Costa Rica, involving two couples in our 60s, was relatively spontaneous, with a mere 5-week planning horizon from the day we first contacted Pierre. Mssr. Gedeon rose to the occasion by designing a great itinerary replete with excellent venues, despite the busy season, limited availability across the breadth of lodging and activity possibilities and a fairly modest budget.

Following the cues suggested by Wendy Perrin for these reviews, this trip was taken during a low point in the pandemic (perhaps the end, but we can’t know now) so other than the entry and departure requirements, the frequent need to wear face masks, and a desire to limit the size of our activity groups (which Pierre very graciously accommodated), the trip didn’t need to be planned in a special way. All of the health requirements were well explained and anticipated via Pierre’s advisement and, as I’ll mention below, specific efforts were made to limit the size of group tour arrangements, and all inter-city transportation was private with capable masked drivers. In summary, there was never a time in our arranged itinerary when we were concerned about Covid-exposure.

Beyond our trip’s planning foundation, there were several occasions when Pierre’s team provided value beyond expectations. From the start, Pierre was very available for a zoom call and extensive planning communications, and we were so surprised when he actually recognized and greeted us at the San Jose airport, bearing welcome gifts. Throughout our time in Costa Rica Pierre’s colleague, Michael Hernandez, was available within moments if anything came up. When there was a question about some arrangements – 100% on my shoulders due to overlooking some earlier correspondence – Pierre offered to cover a dinner for the group (I couldn’t accept since it was entirely on me, but how incredibly gracious to offer)! Our budget and short planning horizon didn’t permit all-private tour arrangements, but every effort was made to limit group size and on one occasion I’m certain a cooking class was arranged for just the four of us, an unexpected bonus.

The trip itinerary was a great fit for our group, following a natural progression from cool cloud-forest highlands, to a volcano-side stay in the temperate Central Valley, to a simmering beach town on the northern Guanacaste coast. Lodging choices were a great fit, with two – Villa Blanca in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest and Jardin del Eden in Tamarindo – standing out in particular. We arrived in San Jose, left from Liberia and the extensive ground transport arrangements between stays and on activities was seamless, well-timed for hotel arrivals, never late, always accommodating. Every one of the five differing wildlife, cultural and cooking activities arranged by Pierre’s team was enjoyed by the group, the vendors and guides they chose were excellent.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  I (Dominique Tran) and William Parr, we both went to Panama from 1/10 to 1/21/2022. We really enjoyed Isla Palenque Resort. It has only 8 casitas, but we felt like the whole island belonged to us. The food was very good and the staff were wonderful.
Boquete is a very quaint town that we also enjoyed very much. We were there when the Flower Festival was held, so that was a pleasant surprise. Hotel Finca Lerida was nice.
Bocas Bali Resort in Bocas del Toro was nice but not too much privacy, food and service was ok, not exceptional.
Panama City tour was very nice and we really enjoyed it a lot.
The guide and driver for each part of town was always on time, friendly, helpful and always followed Covid protocols.
Thank you very much for another wonderful vacation. Pierre and Michael, you both are truly an exceptional team!!! I would highly recommended Pierre to anyone who wants to visit Costa Rica and/or Panama.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  We had originally planned to go to New Zealand over the holidays but due to Covid restrictions that trip had to be postponed and we shifted gears to locations we could visit and landed on Costa Rica. We connected with Pierre Gedeon for this trip and were extremely grateful we did. We had been to Costa Rica before but with Covid decided it would be better to have the assistance of a travel specialist even though we were knowledgeable of the country. Having a resource that was up to date on all of the covid requirements, help us with testing and ensured we had a safe and fun trip was invaluable. Pierre was extremely mindful of our concerns and confirmed that all of our arrangements met with our requirements. We had our flights completely changed as a result of Covid and Pierre and his team immediately set to work on changing literally all of our hotels and activities. Pierre checked in on us throughout the trip to ensure all was going well and was available for questions and requests during our stay. The trip highlights for us were rappelling down multiple waterfalls, a wave runner/snorkeling experience and a zipline tour next to the Arenal volcano. All of the hotels we stayed at had amazing staff that not only were very focused on covid protocols but were so kind and engaging, it just added to the trip. All of our transportation was coordinated by Pierre which alleviated any potential stress with getting to our various locations. This trip was with our two college age children, which these days getting time with them is getting harder and harder, so having such a wonderful trip with them was extra special. Thank you to Pierre and team for making our trip spectacular!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  We very much enjoyed the trip that Pierre (through WendyPerrin.com) arranged for us. From my viewpoint here are the positive and negative aspects.

The guides were all fantastic. They were all very prompt, knowledgeable, safe drivers, and went out of their way to make sure our trip was enjoyable. We especially liked our main guide in Panama City (Luis Macias), the coffee tour guide (Octavio), and our driver/guide on the last day in Boquete (Florentino).

The hotels and rooms were excellent. The staff at both places (Hotel Central in Panama City and Panamonte in Boquete) were superb. The room in Boquete was not as nice since we needed to share a bathroom with our grandson. That was not horrible but definitely made it less desirable than the Hotel Central, the Panama City hotel.

We enjoyed the various tours. Our main reason for making the trip was to see the Panama Canal and the two tours (one to an observation tour and the other on a boat through two of the locks) were very good.

We very much enjoyed the coffee tour and the hanging bridges nature walk. Both were excellent. The nature walk the next day (in Boquete) was not nearly as nice and the condition of the bridges made it downright scary. I would eliminate this tour.

The trip to the artist’s home/studio seemed a bit self-serving. I did not enjoy that outing.

I very much appreciated the availability and flexibility of Pierre and his colleague Michael via email before and during our tour.

I thought our last day in Boquete was very poorly planned. We had a morning tour that we did not like. Then unfortunately we had to have Covid tests (not the tour company’s fault). There was a $53.50 charge for extra tour guide time which seemed inappropriate since we were not being taken to the airport until 3:15 pm so why should there be an extra charge? While waiting for the test results the guides took us to a place for lunch and we had them join us. They were very grateful but I would have felt very odd if we were eating and we just left them to fend for themselves. It was our pleasure to treat them and have them sit with us. After lunch and obtaining our Covid test results we were taken to the office to pay the $53.50. This seemed like a waste of our time. I am sure the company could have just billed us for this fee rather than taking me to the office to pay while my wife and grandson waited in the van.

After that, we still had about 2 hours until we had to leave for the David airport for our return flight to Panama City. Our guide, Florentino, took us on an impromptu tour of Boquete. I think Pierre made one suggestion (El Parador Hotel) and Florentino had some other suggestions. We went to see Valle Escondido (a gated community mostly inhabited by foreigners) which we found fascinating. He showed us all sorts of things in the town and I enjoyed this little bonus tour VERY much. This tour made that day much more enjoyable. Initially, I was very annoyed because it was hot, our hotel wanted us out of our room by noon, and we had nothing planned from noon until our 3:15 departure. This seemed like very poor planning and made me very disappointed in your services. Pierre and Florentino turned that around with some very fast thinking and we are very grateful for that.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL We just returned from an amazing trip to Costa Rica designed by Pierre and his colleague Michael. We couldn’t be happier with the entire experience, start to finish. In our initial phone conversation, Pierre understood that we were looking for a stress-free balance of activities and relaxation. We also needed a bit of assurance that it was a good time to travel to Costa Rica. Pierre shared information and gently reassured me that Costa Rica is eager to welcome back tourists and that Covid protocols are being followed and respected. He couldn’t have been more correct. Costa Ricans are incredibly friendly and lovely people, and we felt Covid-safe in every hotel, on every activity, and in all situations. Pierre and Michael ensured that our trip was stress-free by arranging everything – private transportation, wonderful activities, professional guides, and beautiful lodging. They even arranged for our Covid tests to be taken in San Jose the night before returning to the US. The trip was flawless, and they exceeded our expectations. Thank you, Pierre and Michael!!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL We (Dominique Tran and William Parr) just returned from a 17 days trip to Costa Rica (April 2021). Very good food, very nice people, and wonderful sites to see, how can you not have a wonderful time? At the start of the trip, we missed our flight, Pierre managed to rearrange everything so that we did not miss anything on our itinerary. All the places that we stayed were very nice. We felt very safe eating inside the hotel and also eating out, because it seems everyone followed COVID-19 protocol (mask/hand sanitizing). All of our transfers were always on time. Pierre/Michael’s team always checked on us every two or three days to see if everything went well. For the excursions, we did have options to wear or not to wear mask because the groups were very small (from 2 to 6 persons). Most of the time, it is only two of us. However, all drivers and guides wore their masks. The crowds are not there, so it is very nice. On our last night at Arenas del Mar hotel in Manuel Antonio, on one of our PCR test (required for returning to US) they used middle name as the last name, but the hotel were able to call the lab around 6 in the afternoon and fixed it right away. I would highly recommended Pierre/Michael’s team, they are the best.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL We went to two wonderful locations in Costa Rica with the assistance of Pierre Gedeon in January of this year. Initially, we were supposed to go to Panama but because of Covid, we had to change our itinerary quickly. They proved the worth of a good travel agent because our flights were delayed repeatedly and they handled adjusting our hotel reservations quickly and efficiently. (Along with transfers, etc.) All of this was done from WhatsApp! The activities that were planned were terrific. A great mix of active events and time at leisure to soak in the sun. In short, when you are going on vacation you don’t want to worry about getting things right. Pierre’s team got everything right. Questions were encouraged and answered quickly. We have already started planning our next trip with them.

Pierre was outstanding, from the initial planning, to meeting us at the airport in San Jose, to checking in with us during the trip to make sure all was going according to plan.

Pierre, Michael, and the rest of Pierre’s staff were amazing! They helped us plan a wonderful 8 day trip to Panama for a family of 10- including my parents (ages 79 and 80), my brother’s family (with two children ages 8 and 10), and my own family with two teenagers (ages 14 and 16). This was not an easy group to work with as my mother has trouble walking and we were all traveling to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday. None of us had been to Panama before and Pierre’s team really went all out to plan a well-thought out trip for us. We started and ended in Panama City with a 5-day trip to Bocas del Toro in between. We were able to celebrate Christmas in two wonderfully comfortable villas on the Red Frog Island Resort. The Panama Canal partial transit trip was a highlight for my father and the overall time together was terrific. In fact, Pierre and Michael made sure that every aspect of the trip ran smooth— from transportation to knowledgeable guides to even ensuring we had upgraded rooms our first two nights at the Central Hotel in Panama City. When we arrived, there was a wedding going on in the hotel and Pierre made sure that the hotel provided us better accommodations to give us quiet. Pierre and Michael checked in with us the entire trip to make sure we knew what time to meet various guides and what to expect. They also made sure that we had a wonderful birthday celebration on our last night in Panama City. Finally, the unexpected part was what their tremendous efforts when my brother left a laptop computer back in his villa at Red Frog Island Resort in Isla Bastimentos and only realized it a couple of hours later when we were about to board a plane back from Isla Colon to Panama City. Pierre worked tirelessly to ensure that Red Frog Island Resort found the laptop and then arranged for it to arrive in Panama City by that night. My brother was then able to retrieve his laptop a few hours before we had to board our flight home! This was no easy feat— the laptop had to go from Red Frog Island Resort to the airport on Isla Colon via water taxi and car and then onto a plane to Albrook airport in Panama City and stored with the cargo team at the airport overnight before we could pick up the laptop. Anywhere along that path, the laptop could have not made it— and the fact that it was handled so smoothly was a real testament to Pierre and his team! We returned to NYC relieved , impressed, and thrilled to have had a wonderful celebratory trip to Panama. I would highly recommend Pierre, Michael, and the entire team to anyone interested in planning a trip to Panama. My father had a wonderful 80th birthday celebration. My mother did not have to walk too much. And my nephews, daughters, and entire family enjoyed the entire trip. Thank you Pierre, Michael, and your entire staff for a great trip, wonderful planning, logistics management, and outstanding service! Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful 7 night trip in Costa Rica planned by Pierre and his team. They really listened to what we wanted and delivered! Our goal was to have a balanced mix of real relaxation and interesting activities. The two resorts recommended, Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa near the Arenal Volcano and Hotel Arenas del Mar in Manuel Antonia were both superb choices for us – among the best hotels I have stayed in. All three of the excursions arranged by Pierre were also top notch in every way. All of our drivers were prompt, knowledgable and friendly. I would not hesitate to recommend Pierre to anyone contemplating a trip to Costa Rica. Pierre’s team checked in with us throughout the trip to make sure all was well and to remind us when we had an upcoming excursion. There was a lovely gift bag filled with Costa Rican candies, cocoa and coffee in our first hotel to welcome us, along with an extra copy of our itinerary. So thoughtful and appreciated! The only downside to our trip was the amount of travel time involved, because the places we visited were at least 3 hours from the international airports in Liberia and San Jose, and there was a 6 hour drive from Arenal Volcano area to the gorgeous beach at Manuel Antonio. Consequently, our 7 day trip really included 2 complete days of travel (12 hours going and 16 hours returning as we had to change planes in Miami) plus a half day’s travel between our two hotels. If you are uncomfortable during a long car ride or traveling with children, I suggest exploring all the options with Pierre to ensure that everyone is comfortable.

We booked our trip to Panama to coincide with the full crossing of the Canal (which only happens twice a month) and had thought the rest of the trip would be easy to organise ourselves. The Panama City bit was easy and that we did book on our own, but then we just weren’t sure where to go. Pierre Gedeon came to the rescue. With limited time (we had booked our flights and we were just 3 weeks away from departure) he got a very good idea of us and the sort of things we would like to do, and be happy to do, and put together a very nice little programme for us. We did a day trip to Anton El Valle from Panama City, which quite honestly we would not recommend. It is a not very comfortable 1.5 hour drive from Panama City. We did a short walk to a quite pretty but unremarkable waterfall, visited a butterfly farm which was quite interesting, saw the local fruit & veg market with nothing much to buy. We felt it was a waste of a day. After 5 days in Panama City we flew to David, where we were met by our guide/driver and driven to the attractive little hill town of Boquete. The first thing we did was to go on a little hike to try and see the famous quetzal, which we did – very exciting. I found the hour long uphill walk at 6,000 ft a bit tough going and our guide decided that the next morning’s excursion to the hanging bridges probably wasn’t a good fit for me, so he instantly changed my itinerary to go to the honey and butterfly farm, which was perfect, and my husband enjoyed the hanging bridges. We stayed at a delightful coffee farm, Finca Lerida, with beautiful grounds and birds galore. Pierre factored in a day at leisure at the Finca, which was very welcome as we’d had a lot of very early morning starts. We were then driven over the mountains to Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean. En route we stopped at an indigenous village for lunch and a tour of their chocolate production. This was such an interesting tour, but again a slog uphill, this time in heat and high humidity. In Bocas, Pierre was able to get us into Turtle Beach House, a truly delightful small B&B about a 20 minute drive from town. Sadly, we had just 2 nights there, which just wasn’t enough. We will know better next time. Flights and transfers (bar one) worked perfectly, and we much enjoyed our winter getaway.

We wanted to see the non touristy Nicaragua so we’d have a better perspective on how Nicaraguans live. We also wanted activities that highlighted the Nicaraguan landscape. Pierre planned the itinerary based on our goals. He added physical activities like kayaking, hiking in the could forest, biking in Grenada and horse riding. He also showed us beautiful landscapes of Nicaragua – from colonial cities to tropical islands, eco lodges, natural reserves, lakes and rivers. The local guide, Giovanni in Grenada was excellent in his depth of knowledge and information not readily available on the web. The execution of the tour from start to finish was seamless and if minor issues arose, they were handled promptly. The choice of accommodations was great and we appreciated that Pierre encouraged us to go to Jicaro lodge. The trip was well planned and well executed.

Pierre did a terrific job designing my last minute (literally 5 days) trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. He battled end-of-year holidays, staff shortage and his client’s lack of planning! He took into consideration my interests and goals to help create unforgettable moments.

Pierre’s knowledge of the region was obvious from the outset. He made lodging, activities and itinerary decisions like a pro. Given the available preparation time and my lack of familiarity of the area, I could not have arranged this travel experience on my own.

Pierre helped us plan our late-December/early-January family trip to Bocas Del Toro, Panama. We had many last minute changes (sick & injured elderly parents that could no longer go on trip & friends taking their spots). Pierre helped us navigate all of the changes & made it work. We had to change some in country flights around & get transfers (some of which were pretty late) to make it to our destination, but we did make it! Bocas Del Toro was lovely & where we stayed was very remote. The only bad things were the bugs & our air conditioning didn’t work (it was pretty hot). We got a ton of bites, even with lots of bug spray. Pierre also set up a tour of Panama City & the Panama Canal. Our guide was very knowledgable & kind. We had a really fun trip.

Pierre Gedeon agreed to help us plan a relatively last minute trip to Panama and he was very professional, responsive and gave us great advice in terms of maximizing our time in Panama; he also stayed in touch throughout our vacation to make sure we had a flawless journey. We really appreciated the guides he arranged for the Miraflores Locks and Gatun Lake: we learned so much. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the resort he proposed on Isla Bastimentos (Bocas del Toro). We would be very happy to work with Pierre again.

From the time our family decided we wanted to visit Nicaragua, we asked for the advice of a specialist in this area – as we had no idea where to even start.  Michael on Pierre’s team talked to us about our interests, a draft itinerary was made. With a few tweaks, we were satisfied with the ideas. Our original plan was just to go for a week, but we quickly saw it would be worth our time to spend a few more days – so we went for 11 days.

We are so glad we spent the extra time there. We all came home very pleased with the trip, what we saw and experienced. The recommendations were spot on – we couldn’t have done this ourselves. We wouldn’t change a thing.

We started in the Cloud forest of Selva Negra and just loved our time there. Then our stay in Leon at The Convent was perfect. We hated to leave. But when we arrived at Jicaro Island, we were overwhelmed as none of us really had any idea how wonderful this place was. Again, we could have enjoyed an extra day or two there also. We just can’t say enough good things about this resort.

Our last stay, on the Solentiname Islands (Macarron Island), was truly something special. Although the accommodations were pretty basic, we felt we were privileged to get to stay in such a remote place. My only wish the entire trip was that there had been hot water at this hotel – even for an hour or two! But we managed and would highly recommend it for those who like to be off the usual travel path. The food here was outstanding, as well as the opportunity to see village life, the art done here, and the Los Guatuzos Natural refuge.

And even our overnight stay in Managua before we returned home was great. We stayed at the Hotel Los Robles and thought it was wonderful. We could easily have enjoyed an extra day here.

This was a perfect trip and this review is really so brief. I could give all our activities and guides a stellar review as well, Nicaragua will always be a special place to us after this trip!

Pierre was totally instrumental in helping us plan our 15 day Holiday trip which began in Nicaragua, then a few days in Costa Rica and finally a few days in Panama. We Skyped with him early in the planning stage and he listened carefully and then expertly matched the activities to our interests. He is a true professional and even met us in Nicaragua after several days into our trip to check on how the trip was progressing. In Nicaragua we took the ferry to Ometepe and stayed at a nice eco-lodge there; our guide Eric there was fantastic, spoke English well and showed us “his island”. Back in Granada, our guide Gustavo and his driver Roberto were both excellent and a highlight of the trip was a day we spent on a private island near Granada in Lake Nicaragua. In Costa Rica, we first went to Villa Blanca(a hotel that was the former home of the president) in the Los Angeles cloud forest where we stayed in a lovely private casita; after that, we traveled further north to La Fortuna and stayed at the fantastic thermal spring & spa resort, Tabacón. We had a 2 bedroom suite that we shared with our son and his new wife and that was incredible…huge with a canopy bed for the newlyweds, jacuzzi, etc. The pools and food there were excellent as was our day rafting the Rio Balsa with our private guide Jonathan Morales(he really made the trip special for us) of the Desafio company there. After a few days at Tabacón, we flew to Panama City and our guide introduced us to the Panama Canal…another highlight. We did not do a boat trip thru the canal at Pierre’s recommendation (so as not to inappropriately waste time in a boat) and that was definitely a great idea. For the final few days(including New Years Eve & Day) we were at Boquete in the mountains in the west of Panama; a beautiful town with nice hiking, cooler days, and a wonderful hotel, Panamonte. All in all a GREAT trip with terrific guides and superb planning; we would consider going back to Nicaragua using Pierre to plan a trip further north to the cigar tobacco region(Estelí) as well as Leon and Volcan Momotombo. Prices are very reasonable in Nicaragua, and the people, while poor, are very nice and accommodating, and there is plenty to see and do.

Our trip was perfectly planned and every detail ran 100% well. We spent 3 nights at beautiful Jicaro Lodge, an eco-lodge in Lake Nicaragua, it was over the top well done. It was a great base to tour Grenada, the volcano, and a lovely boat ride. Then we went onto the amazing Mukul Resort, this Auberge Resort is beyond beautiful, words can not do it justice, golf, food, beach, pool, views, service. We were completely overwhelmed. Every guide was smart, timely, efficient. All transportation went without a hitch. I give Pierre Gédéon a five-star review!

Pierre listened to our requests and matched them perfectly. We had lots of activity as desired and a chance to see a good sampling of the country very efficiently. The guides were excellent and were flexible to our needs. We traveled to Nicaragua in late Nov. 2016- a great time since end of rainy season and few tourists. This is a country of proud, friendly people still early in development of the tourist trade so it is a chance to see it as it is before the changes take place.

We had an amazing trip to Nicaragua, thanks to Pierre and his team. Osnar talked to us first to get a feel about the type of activities we wanted to do and the type of places we wanted to stay. He did an outstanding job planning a trip that suited our needs perfectly. We got a great taste of Nicaragua, visiting 3 different and unique places. He answered our numerous questions during the planning process. All the logistics of our trip were flawless. We would highly recommend a trip to Nicaragua and using Pierre and Osnar to plan the trip!

I am writing to you to express my gratitude with Pierre Gédéon and his staff. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Mukul, Granada (Tribal Hotel) and Jicaro Lodge. Our guides, our drivers and the accommodations were all first-rate. Pierre was most patient with me and was extremely professional.