Irem2021年12月

Our fairly global, nature-loving, and adaptive family of 3 with a 15 year old with no dietary or otherwise health restrictions stayed 4 nights on the Swala Catamaran. This was our 2nd experience sleeping all-inclusive on a sailboat at sea (the other was in the Aegean Sea in Turkey), and our first time in the country of Panama, where straight afterwards we stayed in Panama City for 4 days and Contadora Island for a week. We wanted San Blas just because it’s a VERY special destination, still protected effectively by the Guna people not only historically and culturally, but also naturally. We love to snorkel, kayak, paddle board etc. Daniela was our initial contact; she has truly has exceptional communication skills and is very flexible, able, and energetic. From the VERY beginning she set us up with the right transportation people and made every preparation step just easy. And on the boat, she ran from one task to the other, non-stop… Fernando, the owner and captain of the boat calls her a “one-man army” and we couldn’t agree more. The boat also includes a resident dog, Tchai (short for Tchaikovsky), who was rescued from the streets of Panama. He is VERY pleasant, easy going. He’s distant and very content, yet very cute and friendly when approached, i.e., he does not seek attention at all. The catamaran itself is old but well taken care of, clean, and creature comforts in place. Overall, the Swala team is very much in synch, experienced, and not only are they proud of the work they do, but they seem to enjoy it fully. This we thought is not possible to order or buy, therefore we thought it’s priceless. They truly care about the environment and do their best acting carefully around the reefs and managing waste. They are also friends with the Guna people, having learned the language and built a strong rapport with so many of the islands. We had many exceptional experiences such as visiting a Guna island family, getting fresh coconuts, and seeing their kitchen huts, etc. Furthermore, Fernando and Daniela force nothing on you, they simply manage the itinerary around your preferences and desires. The experience on the boat is not luxury by any means, everything is low-key, casual, and relaxed. On the other hand, we all thought the food and beverages were exceptional. The focus with all the dishes were on what is freshly available, catering from local Guna islands and trading boats, primarily featuring fruits, lobster, and fish. One day, a local fisherman brought in a freshly caught red-snapper, a huge one that was about 3 foot long and clearly way too much for the 5 of us on the boat. Even though the fisherman had other smaller fish available as well, Fernando just could not hold himself and bought the red snapper (and did not waste it)! The tropical well-drinks and appetizers for sunsets were a surprise and gourmet quality not only in taste but also in presentation. Many dishes they made on board were really creative, combining ingredients we had not thought about putting together before. This I believe, is because they want their clients to have the best experience. Even though we’re very organized and typically never forget anything behind, we ended up leaving our waterproof camera on the catamaran at departure time. When we texted her later on, Daniela bent over backwards to make sure we got the whole camera back, even though we would have been happy with just having the memory card put in an envelope and mailed to us. Just a small note about San Blas Islands: be prepared to douse yourself in sunscreen in the daytime and bug repellent after sunset for the sand flies because you don’t even feel bitten until it’s too late, like 48 hrs late.

Susan2020年12月

Daniela and Fernando could not have been more hospitable!! Their communication with us, leading up to our stay was invaluable. Any hiccups we encountered, they were gracious with handling and helping us! The catamaran was beautiful and well taken after... but the best part was the hospitality! I never once felt uncomfortable or strange... they made us feel like part of the family! Wish we could have spent more time with them.. but hope to be back after the covid mess! P.S. the passionfruit rum drink that Daniela hand squeezed was amazing... as was all the food ( even with my picky, dietary concerns). Excellent communication and service..which is not as easy to come by as you would think!!