A white-faced monkey joins the family on the boat during the Monkey Island tour. Photo: Traveler Stacey Meyer

We just got back from an amazing trip to Panama, which Pierre and his team planned in 10 days!! I had heard about Panama from a friend a few years back, but it was better in every way than we anticipated. When you arrive in Panama City, you are struck by an incredible vibrant new skyline on your way to the Old Town, which is most likely where you will stay. Although most people think of the Panama Canal when they think of Panama, this country is so much more than that.

Given our last-minute timing for a holiday trip, I was hesitant about our accommodations. However, they were all incredible. Our first stay was in a lovely hotel in an amazing location in the Old Town. It was located on a square which was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and at times was filled with a local singer and locals dancing. The old town is filled with historic buildings, great restaurants and rooftop bars, and the President’s home. We were even sidelined once by the arrival of the President. Our stay in the mountains was in a beautiful garden-laden hotel walking distance to the small town, and our last stay was in an “Aparthotel”—a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in the heart of Old Town, which was a perfect way to end our trip with our 27-year-old son.

In addition to the Canal and vibrant new city, Panama is filled with nature. We spent a day on Monkey Island and at the Sloth Sanctuary. We then flew to the Cloud Forest for hiking, a coffee tour, and a day of swimming and snorkeling on white sand beaches, then back to Panama City for our final night before returning home.

The Panamanian people were all warm and friendly. Our guides were knowledgeable, and willing to answer any questions. The team was very communicative and readily available to answer any questions or help with last-minute changes, such as delayed flights. Everyone in my family thought our trip to Panama exceeded expectations. It was a great and easy get away—and always my sign of a great trip, we all had different “favorite” experiences.

I would highly recommend Panama as a place to go, and Pierre and his team to plan it for you.

Pierre put together a spring break trip very quickly for us, immediately understanding what we were looking for, within our budget, and with only about 7 weeks before our travel dates. He and his team found a gorgeous small boutique hotel in the heart of Old Town Panama City, a working coffee farm high in the mountains with hiking among waterfalls and in the cloud forest, and a rustic off-the-grid small beach resort in Bocas. The guides and drivers Pierre/team found were fantastic: they adjusted schedules on the fly to get the best visibility of the canal and to optimize our time with the wild monkeys well away from the crowded tourist boats—a huge hit with our 9 year old kiddo!

We were particularly impressed when one driver was able to quickly re-organize a complicated drive/boat transfer mid-route when one of our party was unexpectedly ill, seamlessly shifting logistics to better fit the immediate need. But most impressive was Pierre’s response when one of the hotels had an issue—he responded within 45 minutes with an alternate solution, advocated for us with the hotel itself, and continued to stay in touch and make sure everything was resolved. We were very impressed with his professionalism and his quick response!!

Two friends and I just returned from an eight-day trip to Panama and Costa Rica, arranged by Pierre’s team, who I would highly recommend. I connected with them through Wendy Perrin’s WOW List. There were several hiccups during the trip but none due to our planners (read: Delta Airlines!). When these occurred, Pierre and Michael absolutely rose to the occasion and completely rearranged two full days for us. This is one of the many reasons why I work with highly rated experts, especially as I am getting older!

In Panama, we did a partial transit of the Panama Canal one day. On another day, we took a boat trip to Monkey Island and our guide was wonderful. In Costa Rica, the highlight of the trip for me was a day in Manuel Antonio National Park. Again, we had an absolutely amazing guide who managed to make it great day for the three of us. We had so much fun!

All of our transfer drivers were prompt and informative and excited to share their countries with us.

We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Central in Panama City, perfectly located for exploring history and restaurants. El Santuario served me one of the best meals ever!!

In Costa Rica, we stayed at La Mariposa, about ten minutes from Manuel Antonio NP. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Bottom line, don’t hesitate to let Pierre and his crew plan your trip for you!!

Our trip planner Pierre was terrific in planning our Costa Rica trip. He was quite patient in setting up an itinerary aligned with our criteria, chose excellent destinations and hotels.

Although we’re independent minded, we could not have had as good a trip if we endeavored to set it up ourselves despite reading up with various guide books and websites.

Getting the insights and guidance from a trip planner, who’s “on the ground” and knows first-hand is invaluable. Thanks! Recommended highly.

Our trip to Panama with Pierre was well planned and executed. Pierre has a strong knowledge of the different vacation destinations in the country and provided good recommendations and a smooth-running experience. My husband and I have a special interest in birds and he was able to secure a very knowledgeable birding guide for us in Boquete. Also, his recommendation to visit Isla Palenque was a good one, allowing for some beach time without any crowds.

Outside of the island, perhaps the most appreciated experience he arranged for us was our private visit to the Panama Canal. Having a private guide allowed us to enjoy the experience without waiting in lines and being on a crowded viewing balcony. It was a great trip.

While my wife and I have traveled internationally extensively, we had not been to Costa Rica until we planned this trip around the New Years Holiday. We decided to make it a family affair and had all of our children and grandchildren join us there. There were 15 of us all together.

It was a little daunting to try and plan a fun trip for everyone, given that we had an age range of 4-81 years within the group of four families, each having their own interests and plans on how to get the most out of our 10 days in Costa Rica. With the help of Pierre, we were able to put together a great plan that gave everyone the flexibility to do their own thing while still getting together with family as well.

Because of the size and diversity of our group we decided to stay at The Westin Reserva Conchal all-inclusive Golf and spa resort. The grounds were well maintained and the accommodations were perfect for our four families, including one of the families with teenagers. It has huge grounds that open out onto the Playa Conchal. The resort has transportation that you can call for or get on at various stops, but we mostly walked about and saw many iguana, coati, and at least one family of howler monkeys. This was the dry season and the temperature was in the 80s and beautiful every day. The sea was a bit rough, so we were content to walk the beach. Because of that I didn’t go snorkeling as I had planned, although the resort has the equipment for it.

Also there are many choices for meals at the resort. The main restaurant, Mitre Market, has buffet style breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a huge variety of things to eat. Many of our group ate most of their meals there. However, the resort has a number of themed restaurants, e.g. Asian fusion, Trattoria, Steak House, and perhaps 3 or 4 more. Most of these are just open for dinner and require reservations, which can be hard to get if you don’t plan ahead. On our first night, Pierre’s team was able to reserve a long table for all of our group at the Faisanella restaurant which offers an upscale international cuisine, which was quite good. We also were able to get reservations for some of us at the Italian, Asian, and Tapas restaurants during our stay. I thought the food was good but not exceptional. Since this is an all-inclusive resort, we ate whatever we wanted and loved the swim up bar. I know some of the group also ordered from the room service menu, but I didn’t. There is so much to do at the resort that we were not even close to doing everything. Mostly we hung out at the very large pool. The kids loved it all.

Part of our plan was to use the Westin as a home base and do some day trip activities from there. We did have Pierre’s team plan a few of these in advance. About 10 of us went on the Palo Verde Wetlands tour which consisted of lunch at an old but nice hacienda and a trip into the Palo Verde National Park on a small river boat. We saw some very large crocodiles and many iguana, and a variety of birds. Sofia our guide was knowledgeable and a lot of fun. She even took some close up pictures, which she shared, by using one lens of her binoculars and her cell phone. I don’t know how she did it but the pictures were spectacular. The kids that came along loved seeing the birds and animals. I recommend the river cruise.

The company also scheduled a zip line excursion for one of the days with some of our group. We all had a great time, even the 4 year old was able to go down by herself. If you haven’t done zip lining, you should try it. Everyone had a great time.

At one point some of our group wanted to try surfing with lessons. I recalled from Trip Advisor that there is a guy on the beach that will arrange an outing for you including transportation. Check out his reviews on Trip Advisor. They used him to arrange for lessons at Tamarindo Beach which is a short drive down the coast. They really enjoyed it and came back exhausted.

After our wonderful week at the Westin, we were taken up to the rain forest to the Rio Celeste Hideaway, a small upscale resort with very nice grounds. The only downside of our visit to the rain forest is that it rained almost all the time. It didn’t bother the kids as they hung out at the heated pool with a swim up bar and several hot tubs. This place is really nice and the service and help were top notch.

On the way to the Hideaway, we stopped at a chocolate farm and we all had the chance to see how chocolate is grown and made. Very unpretentious place but fun and recommended.

Also, Pierre’s team arranged for a few of us to do a rain forest hike which included the famous Blue Waterfall and then on to where two rivers merge to create the blue water by a chemical reaction. A lunch was also included. The hike was billed as moderate but the long hike and the 250 steps down to the waterfall and back again did us in before we could hike over the mountain to see the rivers merge. Our guide was very knowledgeable but the pounding rain and the hike difficulty made it not our best experience for this 81 year old and my 9 year old granddaughter.

Just a word about Pierre and his team. They did a fine job and I would recommend them to others. They kept in communication just about daily and informed us if there was a problem. Once our ride to the river cruise was delayed a short time at the main gate to the Westin. The Westin is quite strict about letting cars into the resort and in the morning sometimes this results in a bit of a traffic jam at the gate. Pierre’s company was on it and informed us immediately by text that our ride would be a bit late because of this. We appreciated the notice so we didn’t have to worry.

In all we had a great and memorable time in Costa Rica.

We travelled to Panama over Christmas. We spent several days in Panama City then the rest of the week in Bocas del Torro. Pierre and his coworkers provided advice and made all the hotel and travel arrangements, which made everything go quite smoothly. Panama City is incredibly modern, and the canal was fascinating.

Bocas del Torro is wild and incredibly beautiful. We especially enjoyed all the wildlife viewing at the Red Frog Beach Resort (red dart frogs, sloths, monkeys, snakes, birds, dolphins, and lots of fish on snorkel trips). While Red Frog Beach Resort is in a spectacular setting, the resort staff seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the holiday crowds, but Pierre and company were kind enough to straighten out some things for us (like when our reserved golf cart was not available) and even bought us dinner one night to make up for the rough check-in process. We really appreciated all of their help and enjoyed getting to know Panama better.

Traveler Tammy Frost: “We were maybe 15 feet from the edge of the canal…”

Pierre was amazing and very proactive in his communications. I decided I wanted to travel between Christmas & New Years pretty late (only 2 months before the holiday). Initially I was attempting to do the travel arrangements myself, with no luck in being able to make reservations, when I came onto Wendy’s site & in desperation filled out the survey. Pierre got back to me quickly and was able to put together an itinerary.

On the day of traveling down to Panama we were stuck sitting on our plane on the tarmac, and I reached out to Pierre to let him know & he communicated with the transportation company so that they were there when we finally arrived. Unfortunately, only 2 days into our trip, 2 of the 3 people traveling got very sick & I was in constant contact with him & he was helping as best he could remotely. I had to cancel one of our tours, but even though we were sick, we felt strongly that when in Panama, you have to see the canal.

So we kept that prearranged tour and boy was it worth it. He had mentioned that he was going to try for the “backstage pass.” Well he was able to pull it off & what an experience it was! We got to go beyond the locked fences where the rest of the people were forced to stay, and we were maybe 15 feet from the edge of the canal. We were told by the tour guide and the managing employee of the canal who got us into the restricted area that only dignitaries, royalty & very important people were given that privilege. Then to top it off, we were lucky enough to be there when a massive cruise ship entered the canal and we watched it move through the first 2 locks and got amazing photos. So it was so worth it to drag ourselves out of bed no matter how we felt since that experience couldn’t be duplicated!!!

Definitely recommend Pierre’s company and I would definitely use Wendy’s website to find other great tour operators in other countries. Thanks!

Pierre helped our family to plan a relaxing trip to Costa Rica during the December holiday season. Pierre and his staff took great care of us prior to, and throughout, our trip. They were readily available to field questions and to help resolve the few very minor issues that arose. They handled all aspects of our trip including accommodations, transfers, restaurant reservations and activities. Thanks to Pierre’s attention to detail, we never once felt the chaos of holiday high-season vacation travel.

Pierre and his team planned a phenomenal trip to Costa Rica for my husband and I. We went on a trip for our 25th anniversary and Pierre listened to what we were looking for to plan a trip that met all of our needs. We really enjoyed our first hotel, The Royal Corin. It was exactly what we were looking for—a calm and relaxing hotel with great pools filled with water from the hot springs. A perfect place to go after a day of hiking and sightseeing. The views of the volcano were breathtaking.

We also enjoyed each tour that was booked for us—from the suspension bridges to the rafting, each tour was special in its own way. The tour groups were never too big, and we felt like we got great attention from our guides. In fact, the coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour was a private tour!

Our next hotel, Hotel Parador, was also nice, but for different reasons. It also boasted stunning views and included a variety of wildlife that could be spotted and experienced right from our hotel balcony. We had close encounters with monkeys, sloths and incredible birds, just being on the hotel grounds. All of our guides were extremely knowledgeable and knew all the great spots for animal sightings.

We appreciated how Pierre and his team organized such a seamless trip for us, which included private transportation to hotels and the airport. Because of their attention to detail, we had a relaxing and memorable trip.

We traveled to Panama with our granddaughter in June of 2024. We had only 8 days with her and made the most of our time away. Pierre was very helpful in organizing the trip. His suggestion of Isla Palenque was perfect and met all of our expectations. With most activities included, we took advantage of a cooking lesson, boat ride to a private island, stand up paddle boarding and snorkeling. The staff was incredibly attentive. Food was plentiful and very good quality.

We stayed at the resort for four days and then flew back to Panama City. We had a great time zip lining on our transfer day. June was iffy for the weather being that it is the rainy season. We were lucky with rain only one day and at night.

In the city of Panama we had a fabulous tour of the canal. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. Pierre had arranged a private guide who explained the history and the workings of the canal. On our rainy day we were able to see the sloth sanctuary but cut our boat ride short to monkey island. We also chose not to do the butterfly sanctuary as it was a nasty rainy day.

A tour of the old city of Panama with its historic walls fell a bit short on enjoyment by our granddaughter. The guide was flexible and changed the plans for the afternoon.

All in all we thought Panama was a hit.

Our recent 18-day trip in Panama was the second adventure planned by Pierre Gedeon, and it was fantastic! Pierre tailored the trip plan to our preferences, which lean towards spending a few-to-several days at each stop, and his selections generally worked very well.

Starting in Panama City, as most visits do, we greatly enjoyed 4 nights at the Hotel La Compania in Casco Viejo, also a favorite of Pierre’s, and ideally situated in the Casco Viejo historic quarter. This gave us three days to explore the city, and included a very interesting VIP tour of the Miraflores locks at the Panama Canal (tip: arrive early to see an entering ship), a tour of Casco Viejo and a boat trip on Lake Gatun to “Monkey Island” (skip this if your Panama itinerary includes any other monkey sighting opportunities).

Next stop was 6 nights at the Isla Palenque Resort, certainly the highlight of the trip. We cannot recommend this enough, noting it’s a splurge but rates vary considerably by season. The 400-acre island is shared by just 8 casitas (typically around 16 guests) and every possible need is met, from 4 meals a day from comprehensive daily-changing menus to a wealth of outdoor activities and tours. The all-inclusive meal package deserves the highest praise. Four meal settings per day (the basic 3 plus afternoon snacks) never disappoint; every single dish is a magazine-grade plating and the kitchen will accommodate any diet restrictions or preferences. Fresh seafood, delivered daily to the IP dock, is included in every daily-varied menu, as well as many Panamanian preparations. The overall setting is sublime, with several private beaches (you’ll never see anyone who is not a guest or employee) that gently slope into the water, constantly changing due to the large tidal variations. The surrounding waters are always pleasantly warm and inviting, with typically gentle surf. Plentiful kayaks, SUPs and snorkel gear are available at any time. The island jungle is lush, with monkey families moving overhead and a variety of other mammals, birds and reptiles, and there is a well-documented pre-Columbian story that is told well. The hard-working and amazingly well-coordinated staff that make the resort function deserve the highest praise, always eager to please and genuinely dedicated to the satisfaction of their guests.

Tearing ourselves away from IP, next stop was the Mount Totumas Lodge, transitioning from 90F sea temps to mid-70s in the 7000’ highlands on the West side of Volcan Baru. The “transition” going uphill from Volcan requires an hour-long 4WD trip on an extremely rough road. We’re no strangers to rough off-road 4-wheeling, but this is a seriously torturous route. For serious birding enthusiasts, MT is nirvana, with opportunities to see quetzals, 3-wattle bellbirds and other iconic species of the upland cloud forest, and very capable guides are available. Keep in mind that this is a mountainside property, so the hiking trails are on steep terrain. Mount Totumas could be described as a bit rustic, and we suggest avoiding the otherwise-appealing upstairs rooms on the second floor of the lodge if the howling of hurricane-like winds sweeping over the metal roof all night (as if it will be torn from the building) seem bothersome. MT is too remote to leave for meals (or anything else) once you’re there, so a creative kitchen/staff provides 3 square meals a day; some were quite good, but there is no selection other than a vegetarian option to the main course. Beer and wine (only) are available for reasonable prices. There is a significant (award-winning) coffee-growing operation onsite and the tour was very worthwhile, though expensive.

Next stop was the highland community of Boquete on the East side of Volcan Baru, arranged to highlight and explain the Panama life that has attracted the many expats who enjoy this area. We stayed 3 nights in the Riverside Inn, a very pleasant and desirable hotel on the edge of the community, alongside the river that runs through the valley. The adjacent restaurant, The Rock/La Roca, is upscale for the community and offered some great meals, including breakfast that comes with the hotel stay. We spent a full day touring the Boquete area with Raul, the very capable “relocation expert” that Pierre arranged to be our guide. Seeing the variety of neighborhoods and facilities in the area through his eyes was extremely valuable and provided a perspective we wouldn’t have known otherwise.

Then back to Panama City for another wonderful night at La Compania in Casco Viejo before returning to the US. Throughout the entire trip, the logistics were unfailingly perfect, with always on-time car/boat/air transit arrangements.

We were absolutely thrilled with the spring break trip that Pierre planned for our family. From the very first call he proved that his instincts were spot-on with what would work best for our family. Most people tend to visit multiple places when they come to Costa Rica, but we wanted one place that we could enjoy for a week that offered both a beach and rainforest experience. Manuel Antonio and the Arenas Del Mar hotel were absolutely perfect for that. I cannot say enough good things about the hotel. The wildlife sightings there were far and away better than in the national park. There were squirrel monkeys, capuchin monkeys, scarlet macaws, iguanas, and two- and three-fingered sloths right outside our doors. But what really set the hotel apart was the staff. I have never visited a place with kinder or more caring staff. At the end of the week our son announced that he would not be leaving and would henceforth be living there. The activities that Pierre planned for us were perfect (zip lining, a waterfall hike, surfing lessons), again with guides that could not have been kinder or more accommodating. I’ll never forget our son’s 7th birthday and watching him leap from a platform hundreds of feet in the air to swing on a Tarzan rope while our zip-lining guides sang happy birthday to him. Pierre and his team were extraordinarily responsive to us during the trip when we completely changed one of our plans and asked for an additional surfing lesson. Overall we can’t wait to use them to book another trip.

Jackie and Kevin Hope got upgraded to a Cliff Condo with this balcony view at the Red Frog Beach Resort.

Wow! The best way to describe our trip in one word.

Thanks to Pierre and the whole team, my wife and I had a fantastic trip in Panama from Feb 22nd to March 3rd, including 3 nights and 4 days in Panama City, 3 days and nights in the beautiful mountains of Boquete at the Valle Escondido Resort Golf and Spa, 3 days/nights at beautiful Bocas del Toro Red Frog Beach Resort and a final night and half-day back in Panama City at the old city.

We loved how the trip was thoughtfully split up almost like three separate adventures! The itinerary was very well put together and really took the pressure off us with all of the scheduling and planning pre-arranged so all we had to do was just enjoy all the sites and experiences of Panama.
There were a couple of thoughtful surprises along the way, like when we checked in to our cozy little bungalow in Valle Escondido Resort to find a welcome bottle of wine with a nice card and a couple of glasses by the bed ready to drink after a busy day of sightseeing and travel! A delicious charcuterie board with local meat, fish, fruits and veggies plus a bottle of wine at our condo (upgrade) upon our arrival to Red Frog Beach Resort. Thanks Pierre!

It was a pleasure to meet and travel with our destination drivers and guides — Juan in Panama City, Luis at the Boquete Tree Trek, Robin who drove us from Boquete to Almirante Port (stopping for numerous sloth sittings!) and Cesar our guide to the three lost waterfalls. All were so knowledgeable and engaged in their mission and usually going out of their way to make sure we got to see and experience the occasions to the fullest. Thanks so much for the wonderful memories and photos!

There are so many wow moments on this trip we could write a small adventure novel but to summarize, Panama was awesome, and we are definitely looking forward to going back.

A few of our highlights:
– Bristol Hotel and Restaurant Salsipuedes. Delicious dining and breakfast buffy!
– Sailing through the Panama Canal — Monkey Island and Sloth Sanctuary (Lunch with our guide Juan at Gamboa Rainforest Reserve!)
– Hanging Bridge and Lost waterfall tours — Stunning views and experience with our great guides Luis and Cesar!
– Boquete Transfer to Almirante Port with our driver Robin who made numerous stops along the way for pictures and cool points of interest including 4 sloth sightings!
– Red Frog Beach Island resort — Dolphin Bay — Coral Key and Islas Zapatillas!! We didn’t want to leave at this point
– Final night at the Hotel La Compania — wow luxury at its finest! And our last day at the old city market where I picked up my 1993 Panama License plate!

A big thank you to Wendy, Pierre and the whole team at Monkey Adventures, Panamazing, Cloud Forest Travel, Boquete Tree Trek Resort, Red Frog Beach Resort. (Sorry if we missed anyone!)

We had an amazing time and look forward to another adventure soon!

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, seen from a small-plane flight. Traveler Judy Calvert

Pierre and Michael were a pleasure to work with, very empathetic and engaged. My trip started out for my husband and I, but I ended up going solo and any necessary changes were seamlessly handled. We had a couple of minor issues while I was in country, but the beauty of having a WOW Lister was that I wasn’t stressed at all as I knew they would handle it for me—which they did! Unfortunately, I brought the rain with me, during a time of year when the weather should have been great, so it did limit some of my wildlife viewing. My recommendation to anyone going who really wants all the sloths, birds and frogs is to do as many tours as you can so you have more opportunities. The Sloth Institute daily property tour at Tulemar for a $25pp donation is so worth it—Sarah found all the sloths including moms with babies BUT it’s all about timing as to whether they are awake, moving and showing you their faces—so doing it again may be worth it the next day.

I had small-plane transfers (12 pax) and vehicle transfers, and all was incredibly smooth and easy and professional. To be able to crisscross the country, see both Caribbean and Pacific and have lovely properties (with yummy welcome amenities) and experiences is entirely due to Pierre. At Tabacon in La Fortuna, the Himalayan Salt Scrub Rock massage is a MUST and all the thermal spas are so great. El Silencio in the mountains gave me an amazing hummingbird experience. Arenas del Mar provided such easy access to walk down to the main Manuel Antonio beach—absolutely stunning. The food was extremely good everywhere I went. I’m torn about reviewing Golfito and the Playa Nicuesa Rain Forest Lodge—it wasn’t for me—turned out to be more rustic than I am now comfortable with, and on my own. BUT, I can certainly see how in better weather they would have the birds and frog viewings I was craving—I did manage to see about 6 huge red macaws in the tree by my cabin! Icing on the cake was Pierre himself picking me up at 6am to take me to the airport in San Jose for my departure—service!

We had a great experience working with Pierre Gedeon and his team on our vacation to Costa Rica (February 18 to 25, 2024). We came to the trip-planning process fairly late, so we realized things were filling up fast and we had to move quickly to nail down hotels and logistics. Pierre was also mindful of the time crunch and acted quickly to put together some itinerary options and he conveyed urgency without adding stress. The hotel selections he made synced with what we were looking for and we were really impressed by the logistics he put together. All the car transfers worked seamlessly so we didn’t have to stress about getting from one place to the next, so that was definitely a piece of added value that Pierre provided.

We went to Manuel Antonio, which is awesome, but super crowded, so any travelers who don’t like crowds might want to skip that area or plan to visit the famous national park early in the day before it fills up. We also went to the Osa Peninsula, which was awesome, and comparatively uncrowded, so folks looking to avoid crowds should definitely consider visiting that region. It takes a little longer to get to, but is worth it. The natural beauty and remoteness of the Osa Peninsula is pretty special. Pierre and his team reached out during the trip to make sure we were doing ok, which was a nice touch, and they were open and responsive to making adjustments along the way. I’d use Pierre’s services again in the future (for Costa Rica or some of the other locales where he works, including Panama) and would recommend him to friends and family.

My husband and I had a fabulous 25th anniversary trip to Panama planned by Pierre and his team. We started out with one night staying in the old city in Panama City. At Pierre’s suggestion, we stayed at the American Trade Hotel. It was fabulous. It was like a throwback in time but with all the modern luxuries. And the location was perfect for exploring the old city and going out to eat. Pierre arranged a dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant that could accommodate all of my husband’s dietary restrictions. To our surprise they seated us at a secluded table on a balcony overlooking a plaza.

The next day was on to Isla Palenque. Absolute paradise. Pierre arranged all of the travel from the car to the airport to the pickup at the airport in David and the boat ride then to Paradise. I never would have found this hotel on my own. I have never been to such a fabulous hotel. It is on a private island. 400 acres. Eight casitas and one villa. There are nearly 50 staff members for less than 20 guests. The water was 85°. The sand was soft as silk. The restaurant was excellent and very accommodating to our dietary restrictions. We went snorkeling, sea kayaking, paddle boarding and dolphin watching. We still had plenty of time to do nothing on the private beach. I really cannot recommend this place and Pierre’s company enough.

On the final day we had about 8 hours in Panama City before our evening flight back to the States. Pierre arranged a private guide of the canal and the city. That was also fabulous.

Pierre and his team organized a great trip to Panama for us — 2 sixty-plus-year-olds who were looking for some cultural moments as well as some serious relaxation. We started in Panama City and with Pierre’s guidance organized our vacation dates around a fascinating partial transit tour of the Panama Canal, which is only available a few days each week. We also enjoyed our visit to the Embera indigenous village, especially the boat ride to the waterfalls. I was worried that this might be exploitative, but the tours are run by the Embera themselves. Lunch of fish and plantains in a palm leaf was delicious. Our city tour the next day was hindered by the fact that it was a national holiday, but Pierre’s team came through and organized a hike to the top of Ancon Hill for great views over the city and a visit to the fish market, with lunch. Our hotel — La Compania — in the old city was amazing and Pierre wisely booked us a courtyard room to avoid the street noise. We loved being in the old city with its restaurants, bars and ambiance.

We then enjoyed the relaxation part of the trip, 6 nights at amazing Isla Palenque. This very small resort where everybody knows your name was everything we wanted: peaceful, beautiful, great food and drinks. When we felt the urge to move a bit we went hiking in the rain forest, kayaking and did an island-hopping trip with snorkeling and lunch on a deserted beach that was wonderful. What a great place!

We had our WOW Moment on the last day and Pierre surprised us with a trip to Boquete and the mountains. We enjoyed our visit to the local farm and coffee plantation and it was interesting to see this other side of Panama. I would say that the Boquete Flower and Coffee Festival was a bit of a disappointment, although not Pierre’s fault. I’m sure it is more lively at night and on weekends. The flower displays themselves were not as extensive or interesting as I’d hoped. Howvever, overall our trip to Boquete was a success.

Thanks to Pierre and his team for a great trip to Panama!

Pierre designed a trip that was perfect for us! We started in Panama City where we had a walking tour and a VIP tour of the Panama Canal. Usually canal visitors can only look from a balcony but we were able to walk out onto the canal deck and see the operations up close with our private guide.

Next we had a short flight to David and then drove to Boca Chica and spent 3 days at the beach. Christmas Day was spent on the water in a private boat. We snorkeled, swam and had a picnic on a private island. We even water skied! Our resort, Bocas Del Mar, was an excellent choice for our family of 5. We had 2 rooms and 1 had a kitchen, which is helpful when trying to feed hungry kids.

Following the beach we drove to Boquete. Spending time in the cloud forest was like a completely different trip. We stayed at a coffee plantation and drank the best coffee I’ve ever had. We did a guided, challenging hike to the 3 lost waterfalls. A highlight was shopping at the market with a chef and cooking traditional Panamanian food in his restaurant.

We flew back to Panama City for the last day and did a private tour of Monkey Island, a boat tour on the lake of the Panama Canal. We were up close to the ships traversing the canal. A highlight was seeing (and feeding!) the wild monkeys. Our guide was able to get a monkey come onto our boat, where we fed it a grape out of our hands.

Pierre arranged private bilingual drivers. They were prompt and professional and were happy to tell us about local culture and current political issues. They even stopped at grocery stores at our request. Another guide helped us barter at a market. Our lodging was comfortable and in great locations. The entire trip was well planned and went smoothly. Thanks Pierre!

My husband, 21-year-old son, and I had a fabulous time in Panama, organized by Pierre Gedeon and his team. We were late in planning the trip for the week after Christmas but Pierre was able to help us with the right recommendations and accommodations. We stayed in the old part of Panama City—very charming and beautifully decorated for the holidays. Seeing the Panama Canal was the highlight of the trip for us—an absolute must-do for anyone visiting. We could not visit the private exhibit halls because they were unexpectedly closed, due to no fault of Pierre’s, but he was kind enough to treat us to a dinner to make up for it. We also visited monkey island (taking a boat next to big ships in the canal was awesome) and the sloth sanctuary.

We visited Boquete in the mountains for 3 nights and absolutely loved it. It still retains the charm of cloud forests without the commercialization of Costa Rica’s Monteverde. Highlights there included an adventurous 4×4 jeep ride to the top of Baru Volcano for sunrise and seeing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, a fun cooking experience with the chef of Ngadri restaurant, hanging bridges, and tour of a coffee plantation.

We celebrated New Year’s in Panama City at one of the rooftop restaurants with great music and an excellent multi-course dinner and Champagne. Very memorable. All 3 of us really enjoyed Panama and look forward to going back again.

Pierre Gedeon planned a delightful 8-day trip to Panama for my husband and me in November 2023. We are both retired and in our mid-70’s. At the time, there were protests in the country due to a copper mining contract. Before our departure, Pierre contacted all our guides to ensure all would proceed smoothly, which it did. Every transportation contact and guide were top notch—always on time, knowledgeable and helpful. The American Hotel in Panama’s Casco Viejo was lovely. Our spacious room with a balcony overlooked a charming square with a view beyond of the Gulf of Panama, where ships anchored awaiting entry into the Panama Canal. We enjoyed many walks through the beautifully maintained Casco Viejo, with its colonial architecture, historic sites, restaurants and shops. Pierre arranged a wonderful bicycle tour of the city for our first day, followed by two days of excursions. The first was by car and then boat to a small Embera village, where we learned about the history and crafts of this indigenous group who were so welcoming. The next day we travelled by boat through Gatun Lake, viewing at close distance large ships passing through the canal. We then traversed some lush waterways where we stopped to view up-close three different species of monkeys. This was followed by a car ride to a Sloth Preserve and Butterfly Garden. The Gatun boat trip was our favorite excursion for the natural beauty, as well as the cool air after the heat of Panama City.

We then flew to David and were transported to Boquete, where we stayed in a beautiful resort Valle Escondido surrounded by the mountains and lush vegetation of Boquete. Due to the protests, we had the resort almost to ourselves and were treated royally, especially at the restaurant. We had two days of excursions, the first on the Pipe Line Trail up into the Cloud Forest, where we ended at a 1,000-year-old Ash Tree. The hike was long but easy and it was magnificent to be hiking in the clouds. The second day we hiked to three of the Hanging Bridges, but rain kept us from going to the remaining three. Breathtaking views but a more rigorous climb. Our hike ended at a lodge with a restaurant, where we enjoyed lunch and a beautiful view of the Baru Volcano. We were then met by our coffee plantation guide, who did an excellent job of explaining the unique coffee varieties of the area, including the famed Geisha, showing us each stage of the growing and roasting process and then sampling by smell and taste the varieties of coffees made by the Ketowa Coffee Plantation. We have since ordered many pounds of this coffee as Christmas gifts.

This was our first Wendy Perrin experience and we felt that Pierre Gedeon did a fantastic job in planning and then ensuring that each phase of our trip was managed correctly. We are looking forward to a possible future trip to Costa Rica, where we hope to use his excellent services again.

We chose Pierre for our family’s first trip to Costa Rica at Wendy’s recommendation. Pierre and his team were wonderful trip planners with every detail well thought out. With all four of us six feet or taller, we really appreciated the spacious private transfers between the airports and hotels. We thoroughly enjoyed both areas (La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio), even knowing we were losing most of a day getting from the former to the latter. Arenal Manoa Hot Springs resort was exactly what we wanted, with an unobstructed view of the volcano. Having a team “on the ground” allowed us to switch the timing of one of our excursions when our older son woke up ill. (Thankfully, he recovered very quickly.) We were thrilled to experience incredible wildlife and stunning lush vegetation on our Mistico hanging bridges tour with an incredible guide (Indira). The kids loved the ATV adventure—and although I was hanging on for dear life, I did, too!

In Manuel Antonio, we all loved the intimate sunset snorkeling and dinner boat cruise. Overall, we got our steps in, and then some, so we greatly enjoyed our free day to relax on the beach at Tulemar and swim in the warm Pacific waters. Speaking of Tulemar, what a WOW it was to walk into our 2-bedroom villa with views for miles and then wake up to monkeys visiting on our balcony. The property is teeming with wildlife, the staff is very attentive, and you can easily walk to restaurants and markets—a perfect combination. Our only misstep of the trip was choosing the mangroves kayaking excursion that two of the four of us found tedious and unpleasant. One unexpected surprise for us in Costa Rica was the availability of gluten-free options. Though not a highlight, we found the food overall to be tasty and reasonably priced. Costa Rica is an excellent, affordable family destination, and Pierre’s office will ensure that you get the most out of your time there.

Pierre Gedeon made us feel at home during our four nights/five days’ stay in Panama City. The itinerary and the accommodation put together by him was perfect for our likings. He made it even better by assigning the same tour guide (Ari) for all our excursions, which made it a very memorable trip. Ari possesses wealth of knowledge about the country as well as in general. Pierre accommodated all our change requests, even some on short notice. We really enjoyed our stay at American Trade Hotel, well situated in old town. It gave us great flexibility to walk around and explore local businesses and culture on our own during off hours. All excursions went on time and without any issues. They exceeded our expectations. Old town tour, sloth sanctuary, monkey island, old locks at Panama Canal, San Blas island, etc were on our agenda. We highly recommend Pierre to those considering to visit this beautiful country. Our original plan was to visit Costa Rica only but we decided to add Panama visit as afterthought. And we are glad we did and Pierre and his team made it memorable one! Thank you Pierre and Wendy Perrin.

We’re back from beautiful Panama and had an awesome trip! We worked with Pierre to plan a trip for our family of two adults and two teens that would include both plenty of adventure and activity along with great food and some relaxation, and he successfully hit all of our asks for a memorable vacation! We started off in Panama City, where we immediately went to the canal to view ships that stick to a strict schedule. After that we did a half-day tour of Panama City, where we learned about the very interesting history of the country and the Canal. After a stay at the gorgeous Hotel La Compania and an incredible dinner at Fondo Lo Que Hay, we flew up to Boquete for some mountain adventures! Our kids loved the swinging bridges hike and the afternoon of zip lines. Our driver that day was a local who gave us the tip to order our lunch in advance so that it would be ready in time (Panama enjoys a relaxed dining pace). The zip line adventure was awesome and we were so lucky with the weather — no rain, common in the afternoons this time of year. All four of us decided to flip upside down and it was just so much fun! The family also enjoyed the selected hotel in Boquete, where we loved the breakfasts, enjoyed the pool and fitness center, and had a very competitive round of mini golf. After a second night in Boquete, we headed to our next (and favorite) destination, Isla Palenque. Wow, where do I start? We were taken by boat to the island resort where each of the staff knew us by name. We were treated to fantastic meals — every single one of our family was happy, including one very picky eater. The seafood was delicious and the fresh farm-to-table produce, homemade pasta, homemade ice creams (new flavors daily), fresh eggs, etc. were all so wonderful. The guided adventures and tours were so much fun! We tried them all…bird watching, hikes, snorkeling and island-hopping adventure with a picnic, rock fishing, kayaking, bracelet making, and a cooking class! We also SUP’ed multiple times and swam every day. I’d be remiss not to mention the howler monkeys on the island; how fun. While the entire island experience was memorable, I particularly enjoyed the empanada-making class that I took with my 15-yr-old son, the island-hopping adventure picnic and snorkel, and the beautiful sunsets with my daughter. Finally, I cannot compliment the resort staff enough — they treated us so well. They even made a custom birthday cake for my husband with one day’s notice. After Isla Palenque we headed back to Panama City for one final night before flying back to Los Angeles. It’s rare that I want to go back to a particular resort as I love exploring new places, but I think I would be happy to vacation to Isla Palenque every year (the kids liked it better than Hawaii because it was so relaxing and NOT CROWDED!).

A couple things to note: June/early July is shoulder season, heading into Panama’s rainy season. This worked out well for us as we only had one really rainy day. However, I think we were pretty lucky, as the next week looked really rainy. Also, I loved that there weren’t as many tourists around, it felt like a nice change after our last trip to Europe where we were shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone. Also, please exit Panama City’s new airport terminal 2, this is important as that’s where all of the passenger pickups are now. Because it was shoulder season we had no problem getting into the top restaurants in Boquete and Panama City, but you may want to reserve in advance.

Pierre really added a lot of value on this trip for us. He steered me away from Bocas del Toro due to the rainy season and introduced us to the amazing Isla Palenque. All of the tours and transfers would have been much more difficult to arrange, and everything he picked was top-notch. He checked in with us ahead of each of our location changes to make sure all was well. Please follow the packing list and suggestions, too — Boquete was chilly and we all needed our extra layers. Bug spray and sunscreen are a must! And bring a lot of smaller dollar bills ($1s, 5s, 10s) — tipping is expected and everything runs on USD.

Thanks for a great trip!

Our family of three decided in November we wanted to travel somewhere for the New Year holidays and chose Central America for our general location. We contacted Pierre Gedeon, a travel expert on The WOW List, for his help with travel options. We had used Pierre in 2017 for a fabulous trip to Nicaragua that we still fondly remember today. He suggested Panama and the trip planning began! Given that this was short notice and over the holidays, Pierre still put together another memorable trip for us.

We started out the first two days in Panama City and had an awesome guide, Rebecca, for our city tour. Rebecca showed us all the key city sights, but just as important was that she was very attuned to our interests and conversed rather than lectured. We had such a lovely day. One of my favorite stops was her recommended coffee shop, which we ended up going back to at least four more times!

The evening after the tour, we were given our WOW Moment — and what a Moment it was!! We were picked up in a Panama school bus — Diablo Rojo — with all the neon lights flashing and the salsa music playing! It took us from the hotel to the Historic Old City, where we had a great typical Panamanian dinner at a local restaurant, then enjoyed the view from a rooftop bar with a glass of wine. Finally, back to the hotel on Diablo Rojo! What a fun outing!!

Our next two locations were in the mountains of Panama — spending three nights at each place. Pierre did a phenomenal job getting rooms and guides arranged for us at these places. The first was in Boquete, at Hotel Hacienda Los Molinos. It was very charming with a gorgeous view of the area. We did two all-day tours. First was to an agro-organic farm called Hacienda Mamecillo. The family was such a gracious host, especially considering this was on Christmas Day. They produce all their food organically, as well as a special coffee. It was so interesting and impressive. The meal they served was, honestly, one of the best meals we have ever had — worthy of any fine dining anywhere.

The next day was spent with a well-known local expert birding guide, Raul, and we were rewarded with many sightings to add to our “life list.” But more than that, it was a pleasant day spent with Raul and learning about the local nature there in the cloud forest. We will request him again if we are able to return in the future.

Finally, we headed to our last destination at the Mount Totumas Ecolodge. Jeff, the owner, and his staff could not have been nicer. Panoramic views of the cloud forest from the main lodge deck were amazing and the variety of birds spectacular, all at arm’s reach. The local expert birding guide, Reinaldo, is highly skilled with sharp eyes. During our nature walks, we were again rewarded with many sightings added to our life list. Each day Alma, the head chef, prepared tasty meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was fine dining in a remote cloud forest retreat. It was wonderful!

Even though we planned this trip on such short notice, and over the holidays, Pierre was able to put together a really wonderful and memorable trip for all of us. We couldn’t be happier! Its only been 5 days since we have been back — and we are still missing Panama!!

With very short notice, Pierre Gedeon put together a wonderful 3-day trip to Panama City. My goal was to see the canal and a bit of old Panama City, and the goal was met.

I decided that somehow I had the time to see the Panama Canal (which I had been reading about) and Pierre made that happen. There were 2 days of seeing Panama City with my own guide and driver, and then a day on the Canal. Pierre recommended the partial canal tour and it was perfect timing. The local guide and driver were excellent, even letting me add the biodiversity museum after the canal tour.

A week before I was leaving for Panama, my sister and husband decided to join me and Pierre was able to add them to the tours—it was seamless.
The guide also showed us the non-touristy side of Panama City, where we were able to see the gym where Duran trained and play dominos with the locals. We also had lunch in a non-touristy restaurant with delicious sea bass with mustard sauce. We would have never seen this side of Panama without him.

There were some service issues with the hotel, beyond Pierre’s control, but he tackled the issues anyway.

I just scratched the surface in Panama, but when I return to Panama I will certainly contact Pierre again. He was terrific and will have some new ideas.

We wouldn’t hesitate to use Pierre’s office again. This was our second time using them and they again created a fantastic itinerary. Both times we’ve used them we’ve had unexpected issues that they had to respond to, and they performed well each time. This time, we had to delay our trip for medical reasons by almost a year, and they responded with kindness and professionalism.

We want to go back Panama again and we know exactly who to call when we are ready.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL We hired Pierre and his team to plan our son and his new wife’s honeymoon. He planned a wonderful getaway for them that included a couple days in Panama City, a super interesting tour of the Panama Canal, and 5 days at beautiful Isla Palenque where they had their own private bungalow and could do as much or as little as they liked, every day. The food was spectacular and the staff at Isla Palenque was expectional. Pierre also included a welcome/congratulations dinner when they first arrived along with a tour of Panama and roof top drinks to celebrate their wedding. He was wonderful and their trip was so great!

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.