Guestbook

We sailed in early December. We had four couples aboard and all went well for space on the boat. It was great sailing and seeing the islands. Captain Fabio was great and personable. It was all great except the food. The last day we managed to catch a tuna, but other than that it was all mostly cereal, canned tuna and lunchmeat sandwiches on white bread, and cookies. I do not even eat this stuff at home. Very basic and we were not sure there was enough each meal. It seemed there was no fish available from the Kuna. I think that all in all there should have been provision for that eventuality. So I do not think we ate well at all, nor enough. True I did not do this trip for the food, but the FAQs led me to believe that food was no problem.
Also note that no beer/liquor is allowed to be sold before 0900. So if you head to the boat in the early AM from Panama City be forewarned if you think you can stock up on the way to Carti. Buy your beer the night before in the city.
Still, it was a great trip and we had a lot of fun and laughter.

Ken

I have to say i am very impressed with the way you efficiently site and your posts are so informative. You have really have managed to catch the attention of many it seems, keep it up!

dear andiamo-team,

my name is stephanie and i´m from germany...
my boyfriend and i we´re planning a 3 weeks trip to panama, san blas and boca del toro. and what could be better than spending 3 or 4 day with you guys on a nice boot traveling arount the san blas islands. please let me know if there is a possibility to start the trip around february 15th +/- 1 day. and how much it would be. how many poeple will be there on the boat with us? how to sleep? in 2 bed cabins? we´re not experienced in sailing but are really looking forward to it! hope to here soon!
lots of regards, merry XMAS stephanie

Sailed in early November and enjoyed our time on Andiamo. I'm not sure that I could recommend the experience for everyone, but for those with a spirit for adventure, you will be fine. Not too many ways to experience the San Blas and Andiamo offers an affordable opportunity. Read through the website thoroughly as all of the information there seems correct. Note that not all of the accommodations are created equal AND, if you have 9 guests (+ crew) on board as we did, you will be cramped and have common areas invaded as sleeping areas. Not horrible if everyone is getting along as we did, but something to be aware of. Also would echo that a good dingy would enhance the experience.
Cheers,
Greg

this trip was fun. the boat made me feel like i was at home or on a friends ship. and the crew made me feel like i was with family. the trip was worth every penny so save yourself some coin from the bigger ships and be apart of the Andiamo family. you will not regret it.

Hey Tony! One of your guests posted about The Andiamo on Travelpod!



Yeoman Amy

http://www.travelpod.co.uk/travel-blog-entries/katertot1978/4/1311102449/tpod.html

Sailing San Blas at the ANDIAMO was the best experience ever in Panama!!!
Great place, great people, food and the BEST CREW onboard!
Trying hard to get into another trip soon!!
Best wishes,
Laura

Thanks to Captain Phil and Dino - what an amazing trip!!! We had a blast enjoying paradise on the Andiamo through the San Blas islands!

We had a great time on Andiamo and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Here are some specifics:

· Mitzy and Pre/post-trip Arrangements – Mitzy was very responsive and ensured that provisioning included the kids needs. The transportation to the river was fine and it was nice to meet Mitzy there. There was a bit of a hiccup with the return transportation, but it seemed that it was just a bit of bad luck.

· Andiamo – The boat was fine…accommodations were good, our beers were cold, fun games on board, adequate snorkeling gear. The only thing missing was an inflatable/outboard to access some of the further snorkeling spots (but I gather that has been ordered for next time?).

· Captn Phil – Awesome. He really cared for the boat (he wouldn’t let me swing from the halyards and even stopped me from jumping in from the pushpit…two things we always do from our boat, but that Phil wasn’t comfortable doing on Andiamo…I respected his priorities to put the boat first). He was very professional, yet lots of fun. We especially appreciated his jumping in to take the lead on dinner or to help entertain the kids so someone else could make dinner…a great team player. The only complaint was a less-than-adequate knowledge of American college football coaches from the 1980s.

· First Mate Dino – Awesome. Dino was always happy and also took great care of the boat…and us. He was often rudely awoken by one of the kids calling out for mom/dad in a the middle of the night…or falling under the table. I wish that we could have had better conversations with Dino…we’ll brush up on our Spanish (and Kuna) for next time.

As requested by Phil, I also intend on putting up a review/photos on the Andiamo website to plug the family-friendly side of Andiamo.

Overall, we had a blast and I would recommend it to anyone. I even did plug it to Rich at Finca dos Hefes in Boquete (produces Café des Lunas) only to find out that he had been on one of your trips!

Thanks,

Gary

Spent two nights with Captain Phil aboard the Andiamo and an additional night on El Porvenir. The San Blas Islands are as amazing as the photos reflect. Had a great time booking all of this with Tony, who had an amazing amount of patience with my abundant and compulsive questions. Travel plans needed changing when the roads flooded out, but Tony handled everything.

Our family of four shared the boat with two other couples. Our group with Phil and Dino were 10 total but all fit well and the group was quite fun! Offering the opportunity to do a little more work and pay a little less created the perfect scenario for our family. Our kids were able to help with some of the sailing, cooking and fishing. Washing dishes and cooking jobs were easily shared. Total blast to purchase Lobster from the Kuna fisherman, fresh delivered to the boat. Phil was an excellent chef! The snorkeling, fishing, and evenings at anchor in the amazing San Blas were absolutely beyond description. We spent a month in both Panama and Costa Rica and our time in the San Blas was for sure the highlight, from the flight in all the way to the night in El Porvenir. If you are looking for a chartered cruise, and abundant personal space this is not the boat for you. The Andiamo felt like the perfect balance between being an active participant in the experience and being catered to as well by a competenet and patient captain. For us the fact that this was a well loved, working vessel added so much to the experience. We felt like we could be real sailors and perhaps someday we will!!!

Thanks Phil and Tony we will definitly be back for much longer the next time.