Testimonials
To Franck and José,
Just wanted to let you guys know that we had an amazing trip, we couldn’t have asked for a better captain and chef! The San Blas Islands are absolutely wonderfull and will stay in our minds forever!
So for everybody who is considering a trip to the magical San Blas Islands, stop doubting and hop on the Dolphin Song, with the best crew that you could wish for!!!!
Greetings Erwin and Liz,
23 may 2013, Amsterdam
Marcy Stader
http://www.facebook.com/SanBlasSailingPanama/posts/10151391683323645?notif_t=wall
Just returned from an amazing trip to San Blas. Thank you so much for arranging a wonderful trip. Everything went perfectly, and I do apologize for waking you on Sunday morning
We will recommend you and the Tai Phou highly. Marcelino was a wonderful captain.
Regards, Kate Fields
Dear Jorge,
Please excuse the delayed reply. I’ve been meaning to write about our experience since our return.
First THANK YOU for your being so attentive, professional, helpful & responsive throughout the entire booking process up until right before our arrival. Not a moment passed where we had any doubts on what you had confirmed for us. Your knowledge & patience were very much appreciated.
We had booked the PEPITA for our trip. We were originally a group of 6 & last minute became 4, with that said weren’t in the best of spirits.
That turned around upon our arrival, we were greeted by our Captain Gilbert & then the lovely hostess/chef Elisabeth.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Gilbert & Elisabeth. Half of the time you didn’t realize they were there & the other half we were laughing & hanging with them. Gilbert is the ideal captain for a trip like this- free-spirited, knowledgeable,respectful & very cool. Elisabeth is an outstanding cook that can make anything on the fly, she’s also incredibly funny, sweet & knowledgable being she is KUNA. Together they make an incredible team that takes pride in the KUNA culture & traditions. We were privileged to connect with local artisans & residents during certain island visits.
This trip was so special & memorable- we’ve discussed doing it again. We are all well-traveled & agreed never had an experience like this before. San Blas is truly magical & easy to fall in love with. We look forward to booking with you again & with Gilbert & Elisabeth.
Please send them our love & if possible can you forward me Gilbert’s email address- i’d like to send him our pictures as promised.
In the meantime, I’ve attached one of the group.
Thank you!
Nathalie
Pura Vida!
Hi Jorge, my apologies for not getting back to you sooner to let you know what a wondeful trip we had in april with Pascal and Gilbert on their lovely catamarans. It was certainly a trip of a lifetime and it all went very smoothly thanks to your organization. A bit more wind would have been ideal but you can’t control that and we had a wonderful time, both captains and their crew were fabulous, our one disappointment was that we were not able to catch fish easily in theSan Blas region but luckily Pascal made up for it on our Pearl Island adventure. Would love to say we will be back, who knows, but we are spreading the word and we have some people interested who may be contacting you.
thanks again.
Vicki and Zed Freudenreich
Hello,
We have just returned from a trip to panama where we enjoyed 3 nights with Fabian and Caroline aboard Vasa Veso. They were such fantastic hosts and this was the highlight of our 2 week trip to Panama. Fabian and Caroline were so welcoming that it was like spending time with friends, and we really enjoyed their company. They were very flexible in letting us plan the schedule to suit us, and nothing was too much trouble for them. The food was also fantastic and Caroline was great making a separate veg option for me.
Mhairi & Jamie Fitch
Jorge,
Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know the sailing trip with Fred and Marie was fantastic. We had a great time in the islands and would highly recommend this to our friends.
Thanks again.
Mark Lostak
Melody, etc.
A month late, but I wanted to let you know Heidi and I really enjoyed our 3 days aboard the Pepita with Marco and Mary in November. Francis and Rosa from Spain were enjoyable too. Marco was an excellent captain, allowing us to relax, but answering our questions and making us feel safe and at home.
Food & drink were excellent. The Kuna Yala were most gracious and interesting. I’ll recommend San Blas Sailing to others!
Julian Binns
Melody,
Just a quick note to say thank you so much for providing us with such a wonderful, relaxing and adventurous vacation. It was exactly what all of us were wanting and needing. Sorry about getting alittle anxious about our delayed flight to San Blas Islands and also our rooms not being ready for us upon our return to Panama City. I hope you can understand our concern with both of those issues but neither took anything away from our memorable trip to Panama. Now, may I make one suggestion……..The fishing gear on the Pepita (and maybe all the boats) needs to be updated with much more fishing gear. You need new and more fishing lures for the island to island sailing and deep sea fishing opportunities…..You need many more lead sinkers (all kinds of weight selections for different kinds of fishing)…..You need all kinds of different hook sizes for different kinds of fishing…..You also need new handlines and different sizes of fishing line. I would simply talk with a professional fisherman in Panama City and ask him or her to put together complete fishing equipment for all your boats and keep them well stocked throughout the sailing season.
Thank you again, BOW
Dear Melody,
I know that Bow has already written to you but I also wanted to write and say how wonderful our trip was.
It was everything I hoped it would be for our family. The Pepita was perfect, the water was beautiful, the cascade was amazing, but I believe it was because of Karina and Emmanuel that our trip was so perfect.
San Blas Sailing is fortunate to have such a wonderful crew. Karina and Emmanuel were so much fun, they are wonderful cooks and did everything they could for us to ensure that our experience was unique. I know that it is because of them that our trip was extra special.
It was a pleasure to meet you and your mother. Thank you for all of your efforts. The trip was PERFECT!
Best wishes,
Ann Seltzer
Dear Melody: We returned to Canada on February 25 after spending two glorious weeks in Panama – one of which was aboard Pepita – in the San Blas Islands. Our crew consisted of Captain Karine and First Mate Emmanuel. They were superb and the food, drink, sailing and daily activities were amazing. Your organization is first-rate and words cannot express how pleased we were with the boat and your organizational efforts. Rafael and Reina were also great and we appreciated the shuttle service they provided to and from the various airports – along with the half-day tour of Panama City. Please post this message on the client reference portion of your website. Thanks again. It was a magical trip to Panama!
Best regards, Michael Anderson and Donna Erling from Toronto, Canada and Susan and Martin Lambert from Perth, Canada
Hello Again Jorge,
Please excuse my delayed reply.
THANK YOU!! The package did arrive safely and the music is playing again!
I am very grateful for you assistance in retrieving the items from the Pepita and shipping them to the US. Your attention to these matters on our behalf have only increased our regard for San Blas Sailing.
All of my friends so enjoyed their week on the Pepita…Gilbert and Gloria took wonderful care of us, as you did after we left the boat.
We hope to sail with you again soon!
With Warm Regards,
Alyson
Dear Jorge,
This is just to thank you for your good work.
The trip to Panama went just fine and tks to you. Everything was perfectly organized.
The best from all the trip was the cruise in San Blas in the Pepita.
The capitan Gilbert was great and we had a wonderfull time!
Tks again an all the best for you
Regards
Estela
Bernard, Veronique and Melody
My daughter Katie, her friend Crystyna and I want to thank all of you including Gilbert for a fantastic charter in San Blas! Of course the Islands and Sea are beautiful but it takes good people to have a great experience. I want to thank you for accommodating the girl’s schedule and permitting us to do such a short charter. I will be back for a longer charter and I will be sure to share our experiences and recommendation with others here at Costa Blanca Golf Villas and elsewhere. We are all fortunate to have a good friend in Dr Ivan Valderrama and I thank him for referring me to you.
Regards
Stephen Dodd
Bernard
We really enjoyed our sail during Semana Santa on the Pepita. I have a website that I maintain for friends and family to keep up with our adventures in Panama. I wanted to forward you the web address do you can see pictures from our trip.
http://www.geocities.com/mom_hood/hood_lums.html
Michelle Hood
Hi Jorge:
We just got back from Panama and I wanted to write and tell you that we had a most wonderful time sailing on the Pepita. I especially want to commend Captain Gilbert and the fabulous Elizabeth. They both made what would have been a great vacation into an extraordinary one. My wife and I are already talking about making a return trip, and have told several people about the fantastic time we had on our trip. Thank you for everything and we certainly hope to see you all at San Blas Sailing soon.
-Matthew
Melody,
I wanted to thank you and Enzo and Nadia for a wonderful experience. Everything was beyond our expectations. Enzo and Nadia are excellent hosts. We felt at home, and enjoyed their company. Enzo knew where to go and asked us continually where we wanted to go. His love for the Kuna and his friendships that he has developed are extraordinary. He took me to many coral reef sites for snorkeling and I found the experience to be outstanding.
Thanks for your professional help. All the reservations and scheduling worked out perfectly.
doug
Hello Melody,
First of all I like to thank you for your help in making my holiday an unforgettable one. Everything went smooth and I enjoyed every minute of my stay in Panama.
San Blas is a paradise and Nadia and Enzo are wonderful people who did everything possible to please their guests.
Dumb that I forgot my camera…(I guess I was too relaxed!) but I am pleased you have it meanwhile and I would be grateful if you could Fedex or mail it to me (whatever you consider the safest manner) to the following address:
Anneke ten Have
Hello Veronica,
I am just sending you a quick message for now to tell you that we had the most fantastic holiday on the Gardelin. Enzo and Nadia extended us the warmest hospitality and took amazing care to make sure our holiday was special in every way. It was very interesting to see the ways of the Kuna. They are a facinating culture. What a unique part of the world. Thank you so much, I´ll send you a note later. We are heading up to the mountains now.
Sincerely, Sharon McGoldrick
Melody,
Tim and I had a spectacular experience on our sailing trip.
Enzo & Nadia were amazing hosts. They made our experience unforgettable – their hospitality, knowledge, and commitment to making us happy were simply extraordinary.
If I were you, I would do everything possible to keep them as part of the company. I simply cannot say how great they were. They were instrumental in making this a phenomenal experience.
Thanks for your assistance and best of luck.
Akbar
Hola Melody,
Happy New Year! I just wanted to let you know that I had an amazing experience aboard the Gardelin. Enzo and Nadia are so nice and so talented. It was such a unique experience living on a sailboat for several days, snorkeling in crystal clear blue waters, and visiting the beautiful islands of San Blas. I am so glad I went on the trip and am grateful for the service that San Blas Sailing provides…I would definitely recommend the trip to anyone and would go again myself. Actually, I would be interested in a sailing adventure to another part of the world. Do you happen to know other companies who offer similar services in other countries? Or perhaps some of the captains from San Blas are also traveling to other areas? Definitely let me know.
Here are some of the photos from my trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lukester8/sets/72157603593704095/?page=4
Thanks again!
Cheers,
Luke
Hi Jorge,
The trip was wonderful! Nadia and Enzo truly are wonderful hosts.
Thanks for writing, as I was going to write you. Unfortunately Carol has no vacation time from now until April, so it would not be possible for her to take a trip to panama during the time you have stated. Is there a possibility that she can receive a refund or to prolong the dates of when she can sail? I do realize Enzo and Nadia return to Italy 6months of the year.
Thanks for your help and understanding with this, Sara
Hi Jorge,
Just wanted to say thanks again for everything – I had an amazing time with Enzo and Nadia on the Gardeline – it was an absoluty amazing experience.
I left a review about my trip, and your company on the trip advisor website. Feel free to read it!
Thanks again,
Josh
Jorge,
The sailing trip was wonderful. Piero and Simonetta are terrific and we loved the boat, the food, the company and of course, the islands. Thank you so much!
Lauren
Aloha, I recently experienced sailing San Blas on the Dream. It was the best experience. The staff in the office who helped me through the difficulties of not being able to board the plane (due to my expired tourist visa) to the crew of the Dream. Each and every one was kind, professional and genuinely cared about my comfort. I can\’t tell enough people about my trip. I have posted pictures on Face book… started a blog…and continue to talk about the great time I had. BTW…Simoneta whips up delicacies unexpected from a galley on a sail boat.
To the office staff… thank you, thank you, thank you!
Amy Ferguson
Pierro and Simonetta were exceptional hosts. Thanks to them we had an incredible time!
Here is a link to the pictures:
http://flickr.com/gp/dlevengood/1Gmp0u
Diana
Dear Melody,
Many thanks for all your help with our trip with San Blas Sailing. We loved our time with Captain Peter and Marlena on the Golden Eagle and are only sorry that it went so quickly. Pls pass on our thanks to Peter.
Best, Ted, Robin and Sophie Maynard
Hi Jorge,
How are you?
I had a great trip with the golden eagle. I enjoyd it very much. Now i am back in Amsterdam were it is very cold but luckely the sun is shinning… I was wondering if you can sent me the la cuenta. For my administration. Is this possible?
Greetings,
Chantal
Dear Melody,
It was wonderful to meet you in Panama. Thank you for your help organizing the whole sailingtrip. Everyone in the family had a great time, we have enjoyed the beautiful islands and the sailing immensely. And the very unspoiled nature, what a treasure to have for your country.
Peter was a fantastic captain. He is very knowledgeable and cheerful, he made the trip even better for us.
We did have a safe trip back to the USA and on to the Netherlands.We are back at work and back in the cold and the rain…. Best wishes from all of us Hanneke Enthoven
Hello Nimya and Melody,
We send the link with the pictures of San Blas sailing to Mats, but we don’t know if he received them;
So we send the link to you too;
Please give the message to Mats;
Greetings from a cold weather country (yesterday snow,)Belgium.
Alain and Ria Bauwens
Dear Mats, Melody,
After leaving the San Blas early morning last friday we have all safely reached our respective homes now. For you, and especially Mats off course as our host, we feel we are obliged to let you know.
Furthermore we want to express our thanks for the very memorable experience on board Da Capo. An experience impossible without the open way in which Mats introduced us to San Blas and most of all, into his personal domain Da Capo. After the very quick departure from Corazon Airport with hardly anything but a quick handshake as a thank you/goodbye we would like to thank you, Mats, once more for your hospitatlity and compliment you on your knowledge about San Blas and the Kuna, your craftmanship as sailor and master-chef (in the order of your own choosing) and yourself as a person. It is regretfully unlikely we will ever meet again, but the memory will remain with us.
We wish you all the best, sail safe and happy.
Niko, Helma, Eric, Miriam
Hi Jorge,
Thanks for your response, much appreciated. I have to say, we went to see 3 or the 4 main archipelagos in Panama during out 2 week stay (San Blas, Las Perlas, and Bocas del Toro) and beyond a shadow of a doubt the San Blas/Kuna Yala and the San Blas Sailing experience was by far the best part of the trip. The only thing we wish we did differently was to do the San Blas portion of our trip last as it was impossible for things to get better from there.
From first contact with you, until the moment Nino dropped us off at the airport and we boarded the plane back to Panama City the entire experience with San Blas Sailing was first class. The food was fantastic (thanks for arranging the Champagne, and Nino managed to serve us 5 lobsters for dinner the first night for my girlfriend’s birthday), the wine was great (we have sought it out since returning to Canada, and believe it or not the LCBO has trouble keeping Fuzion in stock), the scenery awe inspiring, and the unmatched feeling one gets of being in a private paradise in San Blas made the entire experience quite likely the best trip of our lives (and I have had the good fortune to do a fair bit of travelling). Our captain, chef, and new friend Nino was excellent on all fronts, and I really enjoyed some of our late night chats and the opportunity to practice my Spanish and he was a key in making the trip a great experience. He cooked us fantastic meals (we ate chicken, lobster, shrimp, steak, pork chops, paella with crab/lobster and coco rice), customized an itinerary for us that was even more than we expected, was there to help with anything we needed (often thinking of things before we did), and would even serve us wine, cheese and crackers on the front of the boat at sunset without us even asking. It was pure bliss.
To say it was a great trip would be an understatement and we have already been singing the praises of San Blas sailing to many people and have suggested to people that it is a must-do. I am sure you will be seeing some of our friends who live in Panama and have yet to see San Blas.
Thanks for being the best part of a great trip to Panama.
Drew Lindsay
Dear San Blas Sailing and Captain Nino,
We have been reviewing our past year this weekend, and wanted to write and thank you for the the part you played in making it so special during our trip in February.
Our stay on the Liberty catamaran was magical, and Nino’s friendliness made it all the better. We hope that you will be able to pass on our biggest thanks to Nino, and possibly the pictures attached.
The sailing at the end of our honeymoon certainly made it complete.
Best regards
Ben & Maja
Hi,
Just wanted to drop a note letting you know what an excellent time we had on our trip aboard the Liberty with Captain Nino. He was a fantastic host, guide, captain and cook making for wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. Here are some, photos or our vacation - I hope Nino gets to see sometime.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/julijohnson/PCM2009
Richard and Juli
Bernard, Veronique and Melody
My daughter Katie, her friend Crystyna and I want to thank all of you including Gilbert for a fantastic charter in San Blas! Of course the Islands and Sea are beautiful but it takes good people to have a great experience. I want to thank you for accommodating the girl’s schedule and permitting us to do such a short charter. I will be back for a longer charter and I will be sure to share our experiences and recommendation with others here at Costa Blanca Golf Villas and elsewhere. We are all fortunate to have a good friend in Dr Ivan Valderrama and I thank him for referring me to you.
Regards
Stephen Dodd
Dear Melody,
It was wonderful to meet you in Panama. Thank you for your help organizing the whole sailingtrip. Everyone in the family had a great time, we have enjoyed the beautiful islands and the sailing immensely. And the very unspoiled nature, what a treasure to have for your country.
Peter was a fantastic captain. He is very knowledgeable and cheerful, he made the trip even better for us.
We did have a safe trip back to the USA and on to the Netherlands.We are back at work and back in the cold and the rain…. Best wishes from all of us Hanneke Enthoven
My experience with San Blas Sailing’s service and the charter itself were very positive. My family was experiencing some serious health issues which required us to change our plans more than once. The folks I worked with in the San Blas Sailing Office were very accommodating.
Once in Panama and in San Blas, the charter service was excellent. I sailed on the “Liberty II” with Captain Nino, but we also spent significant time with Captain “JC” and the “Tai Phou”. The food and wine were excellent and very plentiful. The sailing was relaxed and I had a very, very good time.
I highly recommend San Blas Sailing, Captain Nino, The Liberty II and Captain JC and the Tai Phou!!
Mark Stickler
Pennsylvania, USA
Melody and Jorge
My apologies for being so slow to write and thank you for a wonderful trip.
Your patience and assistance in getting us up there plus the pure joy of
being there and having the wonderful Nino looking after us was all quite
perfect. Thank you again and I sure hope it won’t be long before I am back
for more.
Edwina
We just want to thank you, Jorge, and Melodi for your help in booking our flights, hotels, and the sailing trip. We had a fabulous time!!! Nino was our capitan on the sailboat (it was wonderful havong a local person as our guide)- he’s a great cook and fisherman, too! We enjoyed the canopy tour in Boquete, and are SO glad we stayed at Isla Verde.
Muchas gracias!!
-Annie y Steve
My wife Theresa and I enjoyed the best charter of our lives on board Levitha with Arlette and Hans this past February. The boat was immaculately clean and professionally handled, the food was spectacular, the drinks were cold, and the weather was warm. We received five-star service from dawn to dusk!
We would like to thank San Blas Sailing for making the flights, taxis, and hotels very easy for us. Next time we’ll go for a longer charter!
I have a “care package” to send to Arlette and Hans. Would you please send me a mailing address for the package?
Thank you,
Charlie Mayer and Theresa Guenther
Dear Melody,
My husband and I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had on the Liberty. Nino was absolutely wonderful and an excellent cook as well. The Kuna people were so nice and we enjoyed the wonderful Lobster, Coconut and Rice lunch they made for us. We bought beautiful Mola’s and they will always remind us of the wonderful trip we had to the San Blas. The natural beauty in the area is just amazing. Even though our food delivery was a day late, Bernard brought us a few things he had from his boat.
From the moment we made the decision to book a trip with your company, to the moment we departed on our trip, San Blas Sailing was wonderful to work with. The company, Nimia, Nino and you assured us that the trip would be” smooth sailing” and indeed it was. Thank you again for helping us create wonderful and lifelong memories! Debi Leekoff
Hi Melody,
I would like to thank you again for your efforts and we were very pleased that everything worked out with reserving the Liberty for us. We have had a great time and fell in love with sailing again. Many years ago we have taken a flotilla sailing vacation in Greece and this trip brought back many sweet memories. I was wondering whether you might have any references for bare boat sailing in Latin America. Does ‘San Blas Sailing’ have any plans to rent out boats (without skipper) in the future?
Best wishes to you for 2006!
Ineke
Salut Melody,
We want to thank you, JC and everyone at San Blas Sailing for the absolutely WONDERFUL trip that we had on Tai Phou. The whole trip was just perfect and JC made for the best host and his cooking was absolutely delicious!!! Upon leaving, we all agreed on 3 points: 1. the trip was worth every cent; 2. we should have done the trip for longer and 3. we must do it again; therefore, I would say it was an absolute success.
I am hoping you can send our biggest thanks again to JC and also that we left some fishing rods on Tai Phou. Please tell him that he can either keep them or give them to the Kunas as Christmas gifts and that there is no need to send them back to us. Also thank you for the CDs – it brings us reminders of just sailing with a good breeze! Oh and if he can let us know the postal address – we took photos of some Kunas and the big Mero that they caught the last night we were there and would like to mail JC some print outs to give to Marcelino & Lonny.
Merci beaucoup!
Anne Heinichen
Jorge -
I wanted to thank you again for helping us plan our trip to the San Blas.
We had a great time! Marcelino was amazing. We wouldn’t have changed a thing about the trip!
We also put a post on trip advisor responding to the previous negative review. Here is the link http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298434-i9425-k3405567-San_Blas_Sailing_caution-San_Blas_Islands.html
- see comment #9! I also thought Marcelino may want to see it if someone would translate it for him. He is a great captain and anyone who speaks even a little Spanish would love a trip with him.
Additionally, Marcelino asked that I forward our pictures too. He said he could look at them on JC’s computer. The link below is to our pictures from our entire Panama trip http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=258258664905%3A2087243047&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Please thank JC and Marcelino for us.
Dawn Ballin
We were lucky to be the first San Blas Sailing’s guests on Levitha. It is a catamaran that works perfectly for 2 to 4 guests. Hans and Arlette are superb hosts! They made us feel really good and took us to beautiful places. The cabins are comfortable and share one toilette. The food was simply delicious! Arlette loves to cook and she pampered us with great and abundant menus, and even daily baked bread! We have been in San Blas before, and it is always recommendable to bring your own delicatessen, but we have to admit that this specific time it was completely unnecesary since they provided us with first class food and appetizers! There are however some things that is always recommendable to bring: ice, wine and any special drink you want to share on board. We enjoyed our time on Levitha, shared great moments within ourselves and with Hans and Arlette. They are very nice people and we are looking forward for our next vacation in San Blas!” Patricia Tello, Panamá City.
Hi Jorge….it’s been a pleasure to hear from you again. Hans and Arlette are two wonderful people; they did everything to make us feel great and I’d say they succeeded. . Arlette is a truly great cook and has the catamaran clean and in perfect order. The days sailing in San Blas with them have been just unforgettable. I highly recommend anyone to spend some time with them on their catamaran discovering unpolluted beaches and a unique population in the world.
Stefano Favre, Italia
Dear Ulf and Christina,
Today both of us have returned to our desks on shore, after one week with you on Roxy, and another week in Panama attending Annie´s academic activities, and my professional activities.
We both wish to thank you for such a wonderful experience.
I specially would like to mention that we enjoyed the cordial and smooth atmosphere on board, we have managed to be in your company some times, and on our own some other times, plus the bonus of San Blas and the indians and their very particular way of life.
The food was excellent, the sailing also was very good, and we really hope that both of you got to Panama City and back again safely.
All the best from Argentina to you!
Annie and Gustavo Nordenstahl
Bernard
Just to tell you everything went fine. It was an unforgettable week, lots of fun… just perfect. I agree Jerome is great…A shame we didn’t see the 2m grouper. Tell me when you are planning to send again your catamaran to Las San Blas? We are volunteers to fill in some vacant places…
Regards to JC and Vero
- Ricardo Rcelio@castelo.com.br.
Como quedamos te mando unos petits mots.
