REISEBERICHTE

• Hi Maria Elena
  I just wanted to thank you again for doing such a fabulous job of organizing our holiday and for taking such good care of us when we were in South America. We had a wonderful holiday aboard the Athala in the Galapagos, and our Peru extension was excellent as well. We were very impressed with the level of care we received. There was a representative to meet us every step of the way, and we always felt as though we were in good hands. We wish you continued success with Columbus travel, and we would be very happy to provide an excellent recommendation should you ever require one.
  Best regards,
  Catherine and Bryan Clake
  
  
• Maria Elena,
  I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful trip on the Athala. Your oversight made everything run perfect and we appreciate it. Bicho and Lobo were excellent guides and our families are still talking about the trip. We have traveled extensively around the world, but I do believe this was my favorite vacation of them all. In fact, we are having an Athala reunion barbeque this weekend at our house to share our photos and stories. Once we pick out a few favorite photos, we’ll send them to you. Please give our best to the crew and thanks again for an amazing vacation.
  Regards,
  Kurt von Emster
  
  
• We recently took your Galapagos Island cruise on Athala II. We thought the trip was fantastic, one of the best we've ever taken--and we've traveled all over the world. We wanted to give a special thanks to Fernanda Borja for all her help in planning and scheduling this trip. She is a true asset to your organization. We found the boat to be extremely comfortable, the meals were all quite good, and the crew outstanding and very helpful. We also want to compliment you on your choice of Jimmy Iglesias as tour guide. He is extremely knowledgeable, was helpful to each and every passenger and was especially aware of passenger safety. Besides all this, he has a wonderful sense of humor. and the trip would not have been nearly as enjoyable without Jimmy.
  Sincerely,
  Gail and Ted Neher, Colorado, USA
  
  
• Dear Fernanda:
  I wanted to take a moment and tell you how absolutely amazing the Galapagos Island cruise was. First of all, the Athala II is a beautiful ship with comfortable and well-appointed rooms. I couldn't believe the size of the bathroom! We were treated very well by the crew. The little touches also made quite a difference as well. We had lovely chocolates in our room at night and our towels were decoratively displayed upon our bed each day. The chef, Darwin, created the most delicious meals for us at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am surprised that the boat did not sink with all that we ate! Also, after each dive or walk, we were welcomed back on board with hot chocolate or some other snack. Not a detail or small pleasure was forgotten. Our guide, not to be left out, was also first rate. We spoke to many of our fellow travelers to the Galapagos and everyone raved about what they saw on land and in the sea. None, however, raved about their accommodations and food like the passengers aboard the Athala II. Thank you very much for such an amazing way to see such an amazing place.
  Regards,
  Lesley-Jane and Brad, United Kingdon
  
  
• We are home in Pennsylvania safe and sound and I wanted to email you and tell you that we had a fabulous time in all our travels in Ecuador. Thank you for all your input and correspondence over the last 8 months! I was a little worried about booking everything online, but all was perfect! …The Athala II, is an awesome boat, the crew, the food, the itinerary were perfect. Yoyi and Juan were so much fun and accommodating, I would highly recommend this boat and cruise to everyone. We were the 1st, 8 day cruise and it was perfect!
  Denise Eddinger, Pennsylvania, USA
  
  
• Hello Bertha and Fernanda, I just wanted to thank you both for all your help and to tell you that we had a fabulous trip on the Athala. The Athala is a beautiful, luxurious boat; the crew was fantastic and the food delicious. I have attached pictures of the crew in their sparkling white uniforms and one of the Athala too. Our chef, Darwin, was superb; Omar (bartender) served us juices and hot appetizers when we came in from snorkeling; and Camillo, Freddy, Jose, and all the crew members were always kind and helpful and lots of fun too. We were treated like queens & kings ..... the best I have ever experienced. It was quite a treat (and the crew was so proud of their ship too). Thank you again.
  Sharon Allen, USA, July 2007
  
  
• I really can’t imagine a better level of service.
  Yolanda, Ottawa, Canada
  
  
• It really was a trip of a lifetime. We had a wonderful time. The Athala 2 is a beautiful boat and the staff & crew were fantastic. Thank you again.
  Maura, USA
  
  

Yolanda, Ottawa, Canada
Posted on: 5:11 pm, May 30, 2007

We just got back from one week on the Athala 2 and it was outstanding. It is a beautiful new boat with a great itinerary (go for the full week, we had others on the boat that went for either 3 or 4 nights and missed out on a lot). The itinerary was aggressive, but well worth it – I can’t imagine having missed out on any of the sites we took in. The boat was very spacious – it fit very comfortably the 16 passengers, 10 crew members and 1 naturalist guide.

I would recommend cabins on the main deck as they have private balconies – a real treat. We often sat out on the balcony early in the morning or late evenings to watch sea lions playing just a few feet away from us. The cabins are spacious with a lot more storage than we ever needed, the beds were comfortable, great Aveda bath products and there was always a lot of hot water. Excellent food (and lots of it) thanks to our fantastic chef Darwin – we were even greeted with fresh juice and snacks after our excursions!

The one thing that impressed us the most was how truly phenomenal the 10 crew members were. They were each of them professional, friendly, patient and accommodating. They really made this trip outstanding for us. (Especially Camilo, Martin, Freddy and Omar!! – we just loved them!) There is also a dedicated cruise manager on board (Yoyi) who was equally excellent – she really did everything to please the passengers – if someone made a suggestion for an improvement it was implemented right away. I really can’t imagine a better level of service.

Prior to arriving on the Athala we had been in a long string of high-end hotels before finally ending up in the Galapagos for our final week and never received a level of service that even came close to the Athala 2. We really will remember all 10 of them extremely fondly – they were absolutely fantastic.

Our naturalist was good (and very popular with the other passengers) but there doesn’t seem to be one permanent naturalist on board. There was a different one scheduled for the week after we left. We would not hesitate to go on the Athala 2 no matter who the naturalist was – if the crew was the same that would be all we’d need to ensure an awesome trip!


Meg_np, Boston
Posted on: 8:52 am, June 01, 2007

I just want to second Yolanda's review. I was on board the Athala II at the same time for the 5d/4n portion and had an exceptional time. The boat was spacious and immaculate and the service superb...all of it surpassed my expectations. It truly was an amazing trip and the crew of the Athala 2 had a huge role in making it so.


ChicagoILGirl, Chicago
Posted on: 1:28 pm, June 05, 2007

The crew - they consistently went out of their way to ensure the customer's comfort… And the islands themselves were something new each day - where else can you snorkel with penguins, sea lions, turtles and sharks, then hike to see marine iguanas sprawled in the sun?

All in all, a great vacation that I would recommend (and have recommended) to any who are interested in going to the Galapagos. From looking at the other boats we encountered on our trip, I would not have wanted to be on a different boat (and particularly not on a larger one, as the islands became somewhat overrun when they offloaded).

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