Testimonials
Hi Barbara and Jean,
We had a spectacular time! The cooking class, the horse show, the Flamenco show, the tasting – all were excellent suggestions! (In fact, I felt like we ate our way through Spain …) Although it was hot, we finally learned why people take a siesta in the afternoon, and quickly changed to the Spanish way!
I guess my favorite town was Seville , followed by Gaudi in Barcelona , then the Alhambra . Amazing architecture! Of course everyone loved Torremolinos, and it was a great way to end our trip.
All of the hotels were wonderful. The hotel in Seville was a palace! And the guesthouse we stayed at in Grendad gave us such a wonderful taste of the “real” Spain ; the proprieter there was truly gracious, and we really enjoyed being there. (Plus we were right next to the Alhambra , and an incredible view at night!)
The hotel at Torremolinos was okay – not as good as the others, but really close to the beach, and that was great.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience, and we have ya’ll to thank for it! Muchas gracias!
Sandi and the rest of the Ross’
You did a really great job. …. The accommodations, the food, the service were all top notch. The birds were incredible. I think the final count was 206 species. Just about everyone was talking about wanting to go back….
I also thought your contribution to Panama Audubon was great. Future trips, I hope the Latin American committee will follow your example. …I would highly recommend your company to anyone contemplating travel in this area ….Thanks again for a wonderful job.
.... Of course the highlight of the trip was the full day transit. I loved it, and it made the book I was reading about the canal really come to life. I personally think people who only take the half day tour are making a big mistake. It was such a pleasure to sail across Gatun Lake after three quarters of the passengers disembarked halfway...and the view from Gatun Locks was wonderful. All in all, a great trip. Thanks again
Just a short note to say we had a fabulous time!! Everything went perfectly and guides and hosts were very friendly. We were very satisfied with all arrangements. The birds were also very beautiful and friendly. Thanks so much!!
You exceeded our expectations in every way! May be interested in Belize trip.
Los Quetzales was the highlight of our 2+ week vacation. We hiked, crossed rapidly flowing rivers, spoke Spanish, and loved our Cabin #2. The host, Carlos, was gracious and we felt honored to know the local Panamanians working with Los Quetzales who shared their knowledge about birding. Thank you for all of your help.
It was an unforgetable experience that enriched our lives.
We loved Panama and truly had a wonderful time; one of the best trips we have had! We liked every place you booked for us. Thank you again for all your patience and for putting together such an interesting and varied trip. We will definitely recommend you to anyone who is considering travel in Panama.
Coral Lodge: Must say, this was our favorite.... The snorkeling was some of the best we have ever had and the San Blas Islands are amazing. Each island looks like what you would dream up for your tropical paradise. As you know, the Coral Lodge is strikingly beautiful and lived up to our expectation. What could be better than just lowering the ladder from you room and going snorkeling?..
... I'm sure you can detect my enthusiasm for Panama
Panama City / Los CuatroTulipanes: Our favorite of the two places was Casa Mendes …. very attractive and bright with a great stereo system. We managed to catch two different nights of excellent Panama musician playing live (free) music at the Casa Gongora (Casa de la Cultura y del Artista Panameno) It happens to be just across the street from Casa Mendes. .....
Cala Mia: We liked Cala Mia … a relaxing spot on a beautiful piece of property, a point on the island with rocky shore on one side and sandy beach on the other. ....Both the staff and the guests at Cala Mia were fun and interesting. Food was good.
Canopy Lodge: ...Our best experience was one afternoon when it poured for hours. The serious birders went out, as usual. We sat under cover on the beautiful lodge deck and watched the three bird feeders just a few feet away...Accommodations there were quite nice...
"The trip on the Rio Negro over last Christmas was very satisfactory, indeed. The boat, the Tucano, was comfortable; food very good, guides were excellent. Having only ten cabins meant that the group on board was small enough so that we got to know and to enjoy everyone--quite diverse geographically and otherwise: a family from South Africa, couple from N. California, a well=-traveled librarian from Montana and her active 87 year old mother (!), a teacher from Seattle with her daughter, a teacher at the Am. School in Sao Paulo, etc. he sight-seeing was well planned and various--early morning canoeing for birds, walks in the jungle, visits to a couple of villages, two night junkets, etc. We were blessed with good weather, and 'though the air conditioned cabins were nice at night, the days were quite tolerable--needed a jacket on those early morning trips; and although we came prepared for insects, we had no trouble and only rarely used the deet! Transfers were handled as scheduled and the Hotel Tropical was an elegant resort. I am sure my daughter Joan would join me in recommending the trip with enthusiasm."
We had a wonderful time in Panama. I'm so glad you told us about the Embera Overnight. It was the highlight of our trip. We learned alot about the tribe and had many memorable moments. .... The Posada Ecologica was also very nice. ... The views were amazing! ... El Valle is a sleepy, charming little town. We loved it! We did lots of hiking, horse back riding, and mud baths. ..... The Anton Valley Hotel was also very nice. We would definitely stay there again. Thank you so much for all your help. Everything went smoothly and we all truly enjoyed Panama!
We can't thank you enough for the seamless coordination of transfers. It worked flawlessly and we were amazed at how well orchestrated everything was. We never had to wait and our rides were always on time. We were also impressed with the good quality of the hotels as well as the activities and tours. We were highly impressed with Coral Lodge and look forward to visiting in the future.
The trip was wonderful – it was relaxing & exciting at the same time. Everyday brought new places & adventures. The mix was just right.
…this was the best trip I’ve ever been on.
Trip to the Embera Village with Ann Gordon was the number one highlight! What a GREAT day and a GREAT person! Birds and guides were wonderful too. Saw 225 species total and 75 lifers among them. Many great photos. More on the trip and will send a few bird pics when I get them edited. Thanks for everything . It exceeded our expectations.
We had a wonderful time in Panama. .... Panama was very good to us. I'm not sure exactly how many pictures we took but I know it's over 3,000. Panama is a photographers dream location. The different ethnicities, the different climatic zones, the tremendous variety of wildlife, I could just go on and on.... We enjoyed every place we stayed and every guide we dealt with. Ivan's B&B is a little jewel, and I highly recommend his place. ... Carlos and his beautiful Los Quetzales was everything I'd hoped for and more. .... Thank you again Barbara for all your help in planning our Panama trip. .... I could talk up Panama until I'm blue in the face, and would be honored to be an ambassador for future travelers to such a special place.
....we had an absolutely wonderful time all around. Cala Mia is a little bit of heaven. It reminded me at
first of an area that Ontarians cottage at in Georgian Bay, a large bay off the southeast tip of Lake Huron. We loved the water, the heat, the little floating dock with it's little bird family living on it, the kitchen staff and
food [wisely, they don't overserve]and just the general atmosphere that insists on you relaxing. Evelin was delightful and very helpful in getting Christian there, along with your GREAT help [would the Hotel in San Jose even have let him stay another night without your help and your Mastercard???] It was a great portion of the holiday and definitely our favorite.....
Thank-you and Barbara once again for orchestrating a wonderful holiday for our family, and interrupting your own to make sure we were taken care of on more than one occasion
.....All the best for a wonderful year. You guys are the greatest!!
Cheers!
Pam, Andrew and Christian.
We had a great time. All your transfers, etc worked perfectly. We really enjoyed Hore as our driver a couple of times......
It rained a few times but never affected our plans. Humidity was hard to get used to....
Our highlights were the village, the boat tour with Christian and snorkeling. We liked the Bocas Inn the best, loved the canal view at the Country Inn....
So, thanks for all your help. We all have a lot of great memories.
Jean,
We are back in NJ and all agree that the trip absolutely great, and superbly well organized! Thank you...! You have a wonderful reputation in Panama.....
Arriving here to 45 degrees and rain makes us appreciate the weather in Panama even more...!! We loved Cala Mia, the villas, the food, and the great staff. All pick-ups worked to perfection, and your timetable for driving was also right on the ball.
Balboa Inn in Panama City is an excellent location, and their taxi driver Julian turned out to be a treasure....
Thank you very much again,
Rita, Malcolm & Richard
“We had a fantastic trip to Trinidad & Tobago…arrangements were perfect: accommodations, guides, and transportation were all top-notch. The birds matched as well – 18 species of raptors and more blue-crowned mot-mots than we ever imagined. Thanks to JB Journeys, we had a smooth, fun trip and were able to do what we wanted: see lots of birds, all day long.”
Penny & Ann
Hi Jean. we want to thank you very much for everything. we had no problems w/ anything.
I want to tell you what a wonderful surprise the Coral Lodge was for us. I enjoyed it so much! That was truly paradise. We had to island and all the staff to ourselves for the first day and night. I couldn't have asked for a better place to be. This place exceeded our expectations. The food was excellent. We had a wonderful guide named Evelyn, who was terrific. I can go on and on about it. The champagne was lovely, thanks. Each tour was fantastic. We loved the Kuna's and we went on the Santa Isabel tour as well. All great. Each tour throughout was amazing. Gamboa and Playa Bonita were nice. A little on the expensive side.
We are already planning to go back. Probably around the same time. ....
I again thank you for everything you did to help make our honeymoon the best vacation we've had. We had such a good time.
I will keep in touch with you and let you know dates for next year.
thanks,
Tanishia
