Testimonials

Thank you for arranging our trip to Canopy Tower in Panama. My daughter and I had a fantastic time there -- it is a truly unique place -- and you were right about the delilcious food, including many local specialties that we really enjoyed. Our birding guide, Carlos, was fantastic, and in addition to our birding tours, we saw lots of wonderful birds and mammals right out our room windows at Canopy Tower

Thanks too for giving me such a good overall orientation of Panama and suggesting a manageable itinerary for our brief 7-day stay. We loved El Valle, which you strongly recommended, as well as our visit to the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. I was a bit apprehensive about taking buses everywhere and not renting a car, but you had assured me that the bus system was great, easy and inexpensive , and you were so right. We really enjoyed seeing all the local people, including many school children, that we shared minibuses with. Thanks also for encouraging us to go during the rainy season, despite some "warnings" we had read about. It only rained a bit most days, and while somewhat humid, it was very pleasant and we didn't miss having AC in places that had fans.

Most of all, thank you for encouraging us to go to PANAMA, my second choice after Costa Rica, but chosen due to flight availiability and economy, so I am very grateful that you and Barbara were so postiive about Panama as our destination choice. Your personal attention to detail and your experience were very much appreciated.

Gail

Hi Jean.  I  thank you for everything you did to help make our honeymoon the best vacation we've had. We had such a good time.
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 will keep in touch with you and let you know dates for next year.

thanks,
Tanishia

Sailing the beautiful waters surrounding the San Blas Islands was about as relaxed as I’ve ever been.  Add the mysteriousness of a French-Algerian captain by the name of “Gilbert” (that’s pronounced “jhill-ber”) and the great cooking of his lady friend, and we had all the ingredients for a magical get-away – and it was!   JB Journeys knows how to put a trip together, showing us that while Panama has a big canal, that’s not all it has to offer.  It is an off-the-beaten path kind of place, still fairly undiscovered, filled with amazing sites, friendly people, colorful flora and fauna, and a big canal.

B Warneke, Smithville, TX

"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."

Our group traveled thru Panama by van, boat, puddle jumper plane, and train.  We started in El Valle, staying at the Canopy Lodge, just outside this lovely village. There was plenty of bird watching, hiking and swimming in a natural spring fed pond, and we also took a cooking class at the Three Sisters Café, named for 3 resident pot bellied pigs.  No, pork was not on the menu!  But I did eat my weight in clams, little tiny clams swimming in garlic and butter, and patacones..so good!  Next we flew to San Blas to board the Golden Eagle, our chartered sail boat.  Capt’n Pete met us at the “outside baggage claim” to walk us about 20 steps to the “taxi dingy” to our sail boats.  We get our first of many encounters with Kuna Indians who live on the San Blas islands.  The Kuna row up in boats to sell their molas and wrap beads as well as big just-caught lobster for our dinner.  The next 3 days we spent our time snorkeling, reading, swimming, sailing and drinking Balboa beer.  Can’t get much better than that..oh but it did.

We ended the trip at the Coral Lodge.  It was like being in Fiji, where the bungalows are built over the water.  We had the place to ourselves so again we read, snorkeled, went kayaking and drank more Balboa beer.  To get back to Panama City, we traveled the Panama Canal train and ended up at the Miraflores Locks Restaurant that overlooks the locks of the Panama Canal.   It was fascinating to watch cargo ships, fishing boats and yachts make their way thru the locks.  For a true Panama experience I highly recommend Panama Boutique aka JB Journeys to plan your trip, it will be a wonderfully memorable trip.

P Whitehair, San Jose, CA

....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.

I want to thank JB Journeys for making our trip on this amazing cruise ship so easy to go on you ladies really had it all covered for us. I am looking so forward to booking my next adventure with you...

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

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’

Jean and Barbara,
Thank you so much for arranging our groups trip to the 2012 CMA Country Music Festival it was an amazing time.  The whole week was filled with excellent live acts performing everywhere from the local pubs, Karaoke bars and  on the street if there was or wasn't a microphone.  LP Field at night was electric the crowd was so alive you rarely sat in your seat for 4 hours.  Thank you as usual for making the arrangements and travel very easy.  I look forward to booking my 2013 trip early before the event sells out faster than it did the last couple of years.  Thank you again and I look forward to traveling with JB Journeys in the very near future.  Thank you,   Richard LoGatto

JB Journeys,
I would like to thank you for the amazing vacation recommendation you presented to visit Hotel Ecoparaiso in Celestun, Mexico. Although the photographs on the website were beautiful, and your description of the resort made it sound amazing, we were still in awe of the unparalleled beauty this resort offers, the incredibly furnished bungalow, as well as every other space the resort has to offer. Read our Trip Advisor review!

The service of the staff was exceptional; they were respectful of your privacy and were never invasive, yet they were always eagerly awaiting to fulfill any request you have. The beauty of the natural landscape really did not settle in until the second day, when we were on the beach and could look for miles in each direction and not see another person. The resort was completely sold out during the Holiday week and it felt like we had the resort to ourselves, except when you took one of the incredible yoga classes or during breakfast, lunch or dinner. The tours of the Cenotes (natural water sink holes) the Hacienda, and the pink Flamingo Reserve are to be experienced by anyone seeking gorgeous gifts from nature. Participating in the Mayan/Mexican traditional New Years Celebration was a night filled with warmth, spirituality, and enjoyment. Hotel Ecoparaiso in Celestun Mexico is not to be missed! The resort seamlessly combines an appreciation of nature and a respect of the environment with relaxation and luxurious comfort. This was truly a unique experience and one that I wholeheartedly recommend! Thank you!!!  

Peace,
Rich
December 2011
 

 Barbara and Jean helped me plan a wonderful trip to Panama as a gift to my two nieces who were recent high school graduates. I wanted to give them an adventure to remember without scaring their mother to death. Panama Boutique gave me great suggestions for out of the way and little known places across the country that got the girls a variety of experiences in the jungle, in the mountains, around the cities, as well as the usual beaches and islands. It was painless for me and the girls had a great trip.

I highly recommend Panama Boutique,

David

Our trip was outstanding...almost beyond words.  I have traveled to many parts of the world but have never experienced a friendlier atmosphere than our time in Copan Ruinas.  It started with our being welcomed into the Hacienda San Lucas family by Argi and, later, Flavia.  I became fast friends with Carlos, the watchman, who would take me around the property each evening and morning to show me the birds.  ............. Marian thoroughly enjoyed her cooking class and I thoroughly enjoyed the resulting empanadas and pico de gallo...they even got me into grinding the corn.

The feeling of being a part of the family extended to everyone we met in Copan Ruinas.  All the guides, the owners/workers in the shops, the Tuk Tuk drivers, etc.  were terrific.  Our birding trip with Yobani started out wet but the whole day was wonderful.  ............

Our tour of the Ruins was wonderful but it was made even more amazing by our guide, Marvin Diaz.  ............

Nery Gonzales took us to tour the Chorti village of Llanatillos.  Meeting Nery was also a wonderful treat.  .............We got one of the local children to guide us up the trails to the home of Teresa de Jesus. Jesus and her family were very accommodating and watching the pots take shape in her talented hands was amazing.  See was a wonderful artist.  After we finished there, we went back down the trail to the center of town and then up the other side of the valley to the home of Lucas who specialized in smaller pieces of pottery...some small enough that we could carry them back with us to the states so we bought three bowls from her.

Even our fellow guests made the trip special.  We were admiring the beautiful paintings and jewelery on display in the Hacienda.  As you know, most were done by Frida, Flavia's daughter-in-law.  A day or two after we arrived, Frida and her son, Yax arrived so we able to talk with her about her art and the New Mayan Alphabet.  ...............

I like to think that traveling to other countries learning about the people and culture of those countries makes me a better person but I've never enjoyed a trip as much as this one nor have I felt that a trip was as life-changing as this one.  Hopefully, this trip has inspired us to work to improve the lives of others.  Based on conversations with Nery, Frida, and Argi, we are seriously thinking about setting up a program at Sul Ross State University to allow a student from Copan Ruinas to get their undergrad degree at Sul Ross.  ...............

Thank you for doing such a wonderful job in organizing our trip and for introducing us the Hacienda San Lucas.

Bill
Copan, Honduras  January 2012

Jean,
..I wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for all that you did to assist me in having a great birthday vacation. My trip to Colombia was excellent the retreat center was great and the food just awesome. Your professionalism and dedication in getting me to a location that was aligned with what I was looking to experience is greatly appreciated. I am very much looking forward to booking my next journey with you!!!

 I want to thank you for first being so understanding of my last minute request to switch my plans to Colombia and even getting me a hotel in the fun city of Bogota when my flight was changed by the airlines.  My journey to Colombia was one of the most amazing experiences I had in my life from the everyday Yoga the awesome food and spending all of those days with the amazing Kogi tribe who let us into their world and what a beautiful, loving peaceful healing world it is.  I look forward to being with the Kogi tribe again in the future and receive more of their gifts.

Live to Love and Laugh,
Richard LoGatto

“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.”

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.