Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

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.

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