5/5 Ilene P. 6 years ago on Google
I
operate
a
small
sea
kayaking
and
cultural
tour
outfit
that
does
trips
in
Guna
Yala
(aka
San
Blas
Islands)
on
the
Caribbean
of
Panama.
I
discovered
Istmo
on
the
Pacific
coast
and
created
my
dream
itinerary
of
combining
a
4-day
stay
and
yoga
retreat
at
Istmo
with
a
4-day
sea
kayaking,
snorkeling,
and
cultural
adventure
in
Guna
Yala.
Both
coasts!
Along
with
my
co-leader
(the
yoga
instructor
@yogacurrents),
and
our
group
we
had
a
GREAT
time
at
Istmo.
It's
a
wonderful
place
for
a
yoga
retreat:)
Way
before
our
trip
started,
Ayesha
was
professional,
straight-forward
and
prompt
with
her
emails.
She
answered
hundreds
of
questions
for
us
and
made
sure
that
we
were
taken
care
of.
She
arranged
an
airport
pick-up
for
us
and
everything
went
really
smoothly.
The
grounds
are
beautiful,
peaceful
and
inspiring.
Birds,
flowers
and
trees
everywhere.
I
love
the
hammock
pavilion
with
a
view!
It
was
very
easy
to
slip
into
"yoga
vacation"
mode,
which
is
exactly
what
I
wanted
my
guests
to
feel.
I
am
happy
that
we
chose
to
do
Istmo
before
the
San
Blas
portion.
We
were
greeted
with
ice
cold
hibiscus
tea
and
shown
our
lovely
accommodations
in
very
clean
cabanas,
tucked
into
the
trees.
The
yoga
studio
is
a
great
space,
that
makes
you
feel
like
you
are
in
nature.
It's
a
great
benefit
that
they
offer
mats,
blocks,
straps,
and
blankets.
Istmo
is
a
short
walk
to
the
beach,
which
we
took
advantage
of
to
watch
the
sunset
each
evening
and
go
swimming.
The
add-on
activities
that
Istmo
arranges
are
wonderful
additions
to
the
trip.
Some
of
us
enjoyed
stand-up-paddling,
while
others
had
a
great
time
on
the
El
Valle
tour,
which
included
a
trip
to
a
zoo
and
canopy
zip
lining.
We
had
a
12-year
old
with
our
group,
who
raved
about
this
tour!
One
of
the
highlights
of
Istmo
is
the
quality
of
the
food.
I
had
read
many
reviews
that
said
this
as
well.
Sean
(co-owner)
is
a
fabulous
chef.
The
meals
were
perfect
portions,
delicious
and
nutritious.
It
was
so
great
to
have
fresh
fruit
and
fresh
juice
waiting
for
us
after
our
morning
yoga
session.
They
were
also
very
accommodating
to
offer
us
a
packed
lunch
on
the
day
that
we
left
to
go
to
San
Blas.
The
smoothies
for
sale
are
also
amazing!
Sean,
Ayesha,
and
their
two
kids,
are
super
friendly
and
made
us
feel
very
welcome.
We
really
enjoyed
spending
time
with
them
during
down-time
at
the
retreat.
We
are
already
planning
our
Jan
2019
Yoga/Kayak/SUP/Snorkel
Retreat
and
are
very
excited
to
use
Istmo
(hopefully)
again
and
again.
I
recommend
Istmo
for
a
retreat!
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