Hi Lori,

The trip went very well. The services provided by Condor were excellent. We had knowledgeable guides and were met and assisted with transfers at the airport and hotels.

Thanks for you help with the reservations. I would highly recommend Condor.

Ken

Hi Lori,

This note is a long time coming. Last year my wife and I took a cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Costa Rica. Our travel agent, Joyce Violet of Aircruise & Tours, arranged hotel and private car transferred through you to the Gaia Hotel.

This was our first visit to the country and the hotel. We found the hotel to be first class ( 5 Stars). Firstly the driver was waiting on the pier for us as we departed the ship. As a matter of fact he had made contact with the ship to see if we had disembarked or not. His vehicle was clean and he was courteous although his English was modest, but certainly miles ahead our knowledge of Spanish. While driving to the hotel he stopped at a store for a restroom break. When we got back to the car he was waiting with two bottles of chilled water. We then went across the river and he against stopped so we could walk back on the bridge and view a group of crocodiles sunning themselves on the shore.

Shortly after that one of the owners of the hotel called him on his cell phone to check on our progress and then speak to us and welcome us to Costa Rica. That was a first ever experience like that. Upon arrival at the property one of the owner’s, Thomas, was on hand to greet us and supervise the transfer of our luggage from the car to the hotels carts. We soon found that nearly all of the staff spoke good English and it seemed to us that they had been trained by one of our favorite cruise lines (Regent Seven Seas or Crystal Line). They were most accommodating, knew the property well and were most anxious to make our stay pleasant and comfortable. After checking in we proceeded to our room (suite?) and found it to most spacious, clean, well decorated and first class. We chose the master bedroom and settled in. The living room in the unit had a flat screen TV, music system, lots of comfortable furniture. This unit could easily accommodate 4-6 people without falling over each other. It also had a connecting door in the living room so that two families traveling together could move between the units on that level.

We had dinner in the hotel dining room and had an excellent meal. The 2 or 3 pools were most inviting. The second day we took a shuttle cart down to the main gate and asked for a ride into town. Thomas again was on hand and told us that he would take us in. He took one of the hotel’s cars and drove us around. He didn’t just take us to down, but did a mini tour including detailed information about the area and the development of the property. We did discover that the support staff, maids, bus boys and gardeners did not speak much if any English, but were courteous and helpful.

I would heartily recommend your service and this property to anyone visiting Manuel Antonio area.

Next we had another private car take us to San Jose, the capital where we stayed the Marriott by the airport. The room was small, expensive and there was a charge for everything except water and soap. I later described the property as one step above a homeless shelter. The hotel just had no personality. The reception desk was fine, the food 3 or 4 stars, the waiter 5 stars, but it left us flat. We had an early morning plane and had to be picked up at 0600. While closing one of our bags the zipper failed and the hotel located a maintenance man with a roll of duct tape to solve our dilemma. The day in between we had a Canopy Tour (Zip line) and White Water Rafting trip. The ride was lengthy in the car over not first class roads. The driver was waiting for us and his van was clean. Upon arrival at the base camp we found that we were the only people who had reservations for the zip lines and raft trip. We truly enjoy zip lines this one was very good. Because we were the only ones on the trip there was no waiting and the guides paced it to our desires. The last run was back to base camp over a valley and river. We had a good lunch and then the White Water Rafting. Again we were the only ones so had a personalized trip. Since it had rained the preceding two days we also had a scout guide in a kayak go ahead of us. That guide took my wife’s waterproof digital camera and got some great shots of us. We would give that tour a 4.5 to 5.0.

The only real downer was the $20.00 (cash) ransom the government extracted from us to leave the country.

Thank you again for excellent accommodations at the Gaia Hotel, the drivers and the Canopy/White Water trip.

Bert Magnuson, Tacoma WA

Lori,

Sorry this has taken so long to get to you but I did want to send something in writing even though I have expressed my appreciation to you in person. Trudy and I had a great time in Panama for my 40th Class Reunion in March. Since my mother still lives there, I have been to Panama over ten times after graduation, but this is the first trip where I let someone else make the arrangements. This is definitely the way to go!

The benefits of not having to worry about getting from the airport to the hotel in the incredible Panamanian traffic, especially at night, was worth whatever premium we paid. The accommodations were excellent. We made our own booking for the last night when we returned from David and I must note that we were on the rear side of the hotel, overlooking the gas storage tanks and not on the front looking out over the canal as with your accommodations. You definitely have some connections!

All the activities were well planned and went very smoothly. Having the small bus to take us from place to place with a driver and tour guide was indeed a blessing. Although most of us had grown up in Panama, it was most interesting to have someone explain the changes. The guides and drivers were incredibly courteous, professional, informative and friendly. I realize that you work with some local firms to provide the services, but I would be hard pressed to tell who worked for Condor or for another company. It was all very seamless. We heard a number of complaints from those who did not make the arrangements through Condor, and who, to save a few dollars made their own plans, regarding the royal treatment we were getting which they did not have.

Finally, and I could add a number of other instances where Condor and your staff excelled, I truly appreciated all the follow up before the trip to make sure we had all the necessary paperwork for a smooth trip and stay. I would highly recommend Condor to anyone who is traveling to Panama and I am sure your other excursions are as professional as to this destination. I would certainly consider traveling with Condor again.

Trudy and I thank you and all your staff.  

PAUL D. REITZ
New York, NY

Lucille and i could not be more pleased with our family trip to Panama. It was an event of a lifetime and we thank you for your care in planning. There were smiles and wows everywhere we went. Each day was a treasure. Our guide, Emilie, was just perfect and "a-one". She wore her Condor shirt each day. She won the hearts and hugs of our family.

The grandchildren took in everything. They enjoyed the ride to Portobello and the history there. Cate danced at Tinajas. We spent hours around the pool just being a family (with a few Panama beers). Yes, I showed them all of my homes, schools, and places that made me what I am today.

The arts-crafts store was a big hit. It seems everyone bought something of interest. The last day we went to the new mall at Albrook. It was a madhouse with so many people out Christmas shopping. Old Central Ave was also crowded.

In the family photo, here are the folks--L to R: Nash Gorham, Marilee Gorham, Brad Cacciatore, Cate Cacciatore, Chris John Cacciatore, Chris Cacciatore, Laura Cacciatore, Mark Bevington, Kieko Bevington, Scott Gorham, and Marshall Gorham kneeling. Our children are Marilee, Mark, and Laura. I took the picture.

The Cacciatores had rooms on the first floor as did Mark and Keiko. Lu and I had third floor. Gorhams were place on ground floor in a room without a view. We made our wishes known that this was not acceptable and next day the Gorhams moved up to the third floor with a great view. You do not fool around with our Marilee.

Oh, on the Atlantic side, we had lunch at the Melia and not in Portobello. Emilie said lunch at PB was not on her list. This was ok. The family was impressed with the Melia.

Mark took over 600 pics and I took around 100. Mark had his laptop with him and each day downloaded his images and we could see the day just spent.

It was so satisfying for me to have all of us sit down to a meal. They knew that I would give some speeches and I did, however, they were not lengthy. At times, the group sensed my emotional state when describing a place or event. Our bus was just perfect. I sat up front all the time so Emilie and I could agree on where to go. I can't say enough about how we all appreciated Emilie. There was more than just one person teary-eyed when we parted.

Keiko feel in love with Gamboa Resort. Monkeys coming so close put thrills in the younger ones. Emilie's history lessons fit in very nicely. We spent time with the new museums in Panama City. Napoli was a hit and lunch at Nikos was also. We experienced two big rain storms which impressed the group.

I have added some thoughts to what I wrote previously.

With appreciation,

Boyd  http://web.mac.com/boydbevington

Dear June and Steve,

Just want to thank you for the trip you put together for the class of '54. It was quite memorable and Janice and I will remember it the rest of our lives. Just wish it had been longer. We returned home to more snow today and coooold temperatures. We are only supposed to get 3 to 4 inches this time.
Thanks again.

Bruce and Janice

My recent class reunion was well planned and so efficiently run by Condor outfitters. The guide, Connie, really knew the history of Panama and made it so interesting. We went on a partial transit of the canal and we went several places that had wonderful food,also saw a Panamaian dance group along with dinner. Our hotel was in the heart of Panama City and was excellent--including a great breakfast each morning. So, if you a thinking of going to Panama,call Condor Outfitters and they will plan a wonderful trip for you.

Dawn Gressang

I wish to express my appriciation to Condor Outfitters,especially Lori Snow. My husband Randy and I have used Condor Outfitters services over the past 4 years. We have taken two large groups (over 20) to Panama twice and Lori has done everything for us. She is so helpful and full of great advice.. This coming June Lori is planning my high school class reunion trip to panama, There again ,she has set everything up for us....Tours, buses ,restaurants, etc. i just want to take this time to thank you all at Condor Outfitters FOR A JOB WELL DONE!!!!!!

Sincerely, JoElla S. Deakins

Hi Lori, I wanted to let you know how fantastic our Peru trip was. You covered everything we needed to see in Peru. I love the country and would like to go back someday.The condor people in Peru was wonderful to us. They made sure we got to where we need to be and were on time. They were very informative. We had a great time.

Thanks again!
Judie

Good Afternoon Lori,

Sorry for the delay but I have been swamped since I returned to work. Instead of your questionnaire I can answer your questions here.

Our trip was great and the hotel, rental car, Canopy Adventure, and trip to the San Blas all went smoothly.  I would highly recommend the Country Inn and Suites at Amador as the room was very comfortable and the view breath taking.  Pictures that we took from out hotel window friends here thought looked like postcards.

Our local hang outs had changed a lot since we last went there...over 27 years ago but the trip was still exciting, fun, and with lots of adventure.

Our main goal was to go see relatives down there but the Canopy Adventure was really great.  Skip Burger, our guide, and his wife, Jill, were most courteous and I would highly recommend them.  My sister, son and I had a blast with the canopy trip.  Skip also took us to Portobello and then to lunch at the old Cristobal Yacht Club as extra.

The accommodations on the San Blas Island was just fine.  There are about 10-12 huts with two twin beds in each, a building with showers/bathrooms, a building to sit down and eat our meals (lobster for lunch and King crab for dinner, freshly caught), a bar and a kitchen.
Hammocks were put out tied to the palm trees which made it really relaxing.  After snorkeling for a couple hours, unfortunately it rained for several hours.  However, we still were able to go visit Rio Sidra where the Kuna Indians lived.  They did not have as many goods to sell as I remembered.  In fact, there were more items to buy at what used to be the YMCA in Balboa.  A Kuna Indian found out that my son, 20 years old, did not presently have a girlfriend so she offered her daughter up to marry him...the girl looked about 12 years old!!  He would go to jail here in the States.  It was a good adventure for Ryan considering it was his first time overseas.  The guide, Maurice, was most helpful and informative.

I would highly recommend Condor Outfitters, Inc. to anybody so you can use my name as a reference.  I don't have any friends traveling at this time or the near future.  However, I am looking at going to either St Thomas, the Bahamas or Cancun next year.

Thanks again,

Kathy

Lori & Sue:

We can not adequately express how happy we are with our recent trip!  Everything exceeded our expectations.  Frankly, we cannot believe that you allowed the trip to proceed with but one couple.  But . . . it made it wonderful for us in that it gave us total flexibility!  In a few instances, we were able to tailor the day's activities to our needs.  This enabled us to visit places that were very meaningful to us; places that we remembered from years past when we lived in the Zone.

A special note regarding Recontur!  They were superb!  We were particularly impressed with Mr. Melvyn Oller.  We spent three full days with him - what a blessing!  Recontur has a mighty fine asset in Mr. Oller.  I hope that Recontur appreciates how fine a guide he is!

Finally, the accommodations were magnificent!  Especially, the suites at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort and the Coronado Resort.  If you accommodate all your guests this way, we don't understand how you make a profit!

Once again, thank you for providing my wife and I a wonderful experience.  Condor Outfitters can count on our recommendation!

Jim & Mary McGough

Well we're back from our great Panama adventure and had an awesome time. I don't have time right now to write a lengthy email of feedback, but here's a short summary:

 
Thanks for all your help and recommendations - it really was a fantastic and memorable trip!!

 
Kathy Taylor

Hi Lori, 

Well, we're all back in the US after a fantastic time in Panama.  Of course I enjoyed the trip (there's no place like home) but our friends couldn't stop talking about the wonderful time they had.  During our trip they confessed that they thought spending 2 weeks in Panama was too long, but they changed their minds when they realized how much Panama has to offer (and as you know we could have done alot more). 

Thank you for putting together a great intinerary; favorites were the Embera Indian tour and the partial transit.  The group enjoyed the Gamboa Resort; some said they'd like to stay there on their next visit to Panama.  The Country Inn, as you said, has a 5 star location and maybe a 2 in customer service and 3 in cleanlines.  But we're all experienced travelers so we worked around it. 
  
All pickup and tour transfers were on time. Our ReconTour guide Roberto Peart was great.  He was our guide for the City, Embera and Tinajas tours.  Extremely knowledgable, very professional and alot of fun.  (As you may have noticed the Kelly group likes to have fun.)

It was good meeting you; sorry that we didn't get a chance to visit.  Thanks again for the wonderful trip you planned for us.  I will keep you in mind for future Panama trips and other Latin American destinations. 

Carol     

Hi Lori,

We returned on Tuesday, and our trip went beautifully.  All accommodations were great.  We loved Boqouete and I certainly hope to go back again someday.    Thanks for all your help in setting things up for me so traveling was made easier!

Sincerely, Kathy Wells

Hi Lori,

The hotels were all great. I can't really say we had any issues anyplace. Playa Tortuga helped arrange a fishing trip for the next morning after we arrived around 3 pm. Hotel Bambito was very nice and had the best bellhop. Their dinner buffet was a steal at $10.50. In the city, both Country Inn and El Panama were both great. Didn't know the Yacht Club is a real building now. The Decameron was exceptional. I have never been to an all-inclusive anywhere and this was great. My description is a "cruise ship that doesn't go anywhere". We skipped El Valle and just hung out. Dottie and I rented golf clubs and played 18 on their nice course. The fishing to Gatun Lake and the 1/2 transit were both fun.

Ed