From:
John N. Walsh, III [mailto:jnwalsh3@walshins.com]
Sent: Jueves, 24 de Julio de 2008 12:38 p.m.
To: Shepard, Blake; Tatiana
Cc: ashepard5695@msn.com; Alison Shepard; Christy Shepard ; conwalsh@roadrunner.com;
nan.shepard@edu.gov
Subject: RE:
Amen! Amen! Amen! And so beautifully stated, Shep!
Abiding thanks
to you for organizing such a wonderful trip and experience. Am flying out the
door but did not want another minute to pass without thanking you, Tatiana and
wonderful Michael for such an unforgettable jorney for us all. You sweated all
the details for the benefit of each of us; we had such fun, learned so much,
became expert at Howler Monkey talk and got along so much better than other
families. What a hoot! Thank you and your four amigos so much for everything
you did for the rest of us. You are an expert herder of cats!
Fondly,
Jack 
From:
Shepard, Blake [mailto:blake.shepard@leonard.com]
Sent: Jueves, 24 de Julio de 2008 11:57 a.m.
To: Tatiana
Cc: ashepard5695@msn.com; jnwalsh3@walshins.com; Alison Shepard; Christy Shepard
; conwalsh@roadrunner.com; nan.shepard@edu.gov
Subject: RE:
Hola Tatiana,
We have also been meaning to write to you since we returned from Costa Rica.
We had a FABULOUS trip. I honestly don't know what we could suggest to improve
it. Each destination on the trip (Arenal, Monte Verde and Manuel Antonio) was
beautiful, exotic and different form the others; our accomodations worked out
well; the food was delicious; the people were wonderful; and the wildlife was
abundant and on full display. We had a big group with a wide range in ages (6
to 65), and the trip offered something for everyone. It was really hard to leave
and return to our regular daily lives after 9 days in your beautiful country.
While there were too many highlights to mention and everyone seemed to have
a different "favorite" place or adventure, we all agreed on one thing:
Michael, our host/guide/driver/interpreter/naturalist, made the trip for us.
He was extremely knowledgeable, had great recommendations for things to see
and do, put us in contact with wonderful guides at Manuel Antonio and MonteVerde
Cloud Forest Reserve, kept us on time, put up with our singing in the van, made
us laugh and got along beautifully with everyone -- all while navigating winding,
hair-raising roads. We weren't the easiest group in the world to coordinate,
but he handled us perfectly. He was just such an important part of our trip
-- we won't forget him! I hope you will let others at your company know what
a great job he did and what a truly wonderful asset he is to your company.
Let me know if and when the sandals show up -- we'll be happy to pay for postage
to have you mail them to us.
Thanks again for everything. It was a memorable trip for all of us. Give our
best and many thanks to Michael and his family!
Regards,
Blake 
De: bugsy723@comcast.net [mailto:bugsy723@comcast.net]
Enviado el: Martes, 03 de Junio de 2008 07:09 a.m.
CC: stevenrberlin@aol.com
Asunto: THANK YOU!!!!
Hi!!
Thank you sooo much for calling! I have been meaning to send you an email with
some pictures from our trip. We got back from the honeymoon then immediately
left for Tennessee for a friends wedding. Finally, things are getting back to
normal.
I wanted to thank you for everything! Saint Germain tours were FABULOUS! We
had the same driver the entire trip. He was the nicest man!
All hotels were great in their own way. They all knew it was our honeymoon
too! The Peace Lodge was by far our favorite hotel. It is so unique! Next time
you go back to Costa Rica you & your family has to stay here!! Tabacon was
nice..but not great. The hot springs were wonderful though. We found the hotel
a little boring. Plus it was too cloudy to see any action at the Arenal volcano.
Hotel Parador was gorgeous. Such a big, lush, nice property. And just as you
promised soooo much wildlife. We ventured into Manuel Antonio and Quepos almost
every day. The room issue was resolved so quickly, so thank you sooo much for
taking care of it so fast for us. We checked in, went to dinner and ½
way through dinner they let us know of our room change and moved our bags. Thank
you soo much!!
Here are some pictures from our trip…enjoy!!!!
Thank you again for everything. I am soooo sorry I didn’t email/call
you sooner. 
De: Kathleen Todd
Enviado el: Viernes, 21 de Marzo de 2008 07:43 a.m.
Para: Julia Siri
Asunto: Hi there!!
Hi Julia!
I've been so busy since I got home that I hadn't been able to write you until
now. You know it is Spring break and their was a lot of problems and things
to take care of. Our weather in the US has been causing a lot of problems with
travel.
We had the most fantastic time! I'm in love with Costa Rica. Sylvia really
planned a wonderful trip for us. It was so much but every new stop was more
and more fantastic! The hotels were so wonderful. I loved the Parador and the
Arenal Kiora. The Paradisus was, well a Paradisus!! It was a beautiful property
but really, if someone wanted to see Costa Rica and only went to the Paradisus,
they really haven't SEEN Costa Rica!!!! Michael was a wonderful driver. I couldn't
believe all the driving he did, but I'm glad it was him and not me. He is very
good at his job and a joy to talk to.
Julia, I cannot stop talking about our trip. I can't wait to go back and see
and do more. I told Lili about the Fam you want to have and everyone is really
excited. I am putting my pictures together and writing a fam log for everyone.
I brought back a lot of pictures and brochures from all over. I really liked
the Tamarindo Beach area. The hotel was ok but the beach was nice and we loved
that town. We found the most wonderful restaurant there called the Lazy Wave.
Tel: 653-07-37 We met the French women chef that owns and runs it. It has wonderful
food and the restaurant was really beautiful and quaint. You should go there
sometime. The food was fabulous and one of the best we ate there.
Thanks again Julia for taking us out and treating us to that wonderful dinner!
We enjoyed your company and meeting Sylvia.
Well, got to go and have a great Easter! Thanks again for the great trip.
Kathleen Todd
San Antonio, Texas 78213
De: isabel vartdal [mailto:isva@yahoo.com]
Enviado el: Viernes, 04 de Enero de 2008 07:20 a.m.
Para: Sylvia de ABC Tours
Asunto: Tortuguero and Costa Rica
Dear Sylvia and Saint Germain Tours
We just wanna thank you so much for making our stay a wonderful experience.
Costa Rica was an adventure, a beautiful country with very nice people and a
lot to do. Especially our first driver from the Caribbean Dish to Puerto Viejo,
David and the last driver from Tamarindo to San Jose, (dont remember the name..)
was very nice, and drived very good.
Hotel Gran de Oro was fantastic, and the stuff very helpful!! And also Hotel
Arenal Volcano Inn - I see on your website that the hotel is rated as a two
stars on you comment....It should at least be three star, it was much better
service and nice place than Tamarindo Diria.
Thanks again, and we will recommend all our friends to visit Costa Rica and
use your company.
Best Regards from Isabel
ps. in norway its snowing and its cold...we miss Costa Rica:)
De: Marc Provissiero [mailto:mprovissiero@gmail.com]
Enviado el: Martes, 04 de Septiembre de 2007 04:50 p.m.
Para: Julia Siri
Asunto: Re: Have an excellent trip ¡
thank you julia. you guys were ... GREAT.
you have a real star in Michael. he is the ultimate professional.
thank you,
marc 
From: Desh [mailto:desh@apexmyhome.com]
Sent: Domingo, 18 de Marzo de 2007 04:21 p.m.
To: info@saintgermaintours.com
Cc: 'LatinEscapes.com! Karla'
Subject: Our Tour - Arenal & Tamarindo
Enrique,
I wanted to let you know how pleased we were with your tour guide – “Michael”.
Not only was he professional and courteous, he went out of his way to make sure
that we had all the information we needed. In additional, he even called us
at the hotel, almost everyday, to confirm that our trip was going well. Without
Michael, our trip would not have been as pleasant. You should be lucky to have
such a good worker on your team.
Regards,
Desh Mallik
APEX Realty & Mortgage
Xceeding your Xpectations
510-484-6901 (cell)
909-627-9809 (fax)
www.apexmyhome.com
De: Anita DAguilar [mailto:daguilaranita@yahoo.com]
Enviado el: Domingo, 04 de Marzo de 2007 06:42 p.m.
Para: enrique@saintgermaintours.com
Asunto: por favor de Anita y Quin..
Ola Enrique and Julia:
We hope this note finds you both well.
We are filled with gratitude to all of you at St. Germain Tours.
Our experience of Costa Rica will forever leave an image of all things of beauty.
The service from your company and the
followup from the personnel was optimal.
We enjoyed meeting you and we were extremely pleased to have Michael as our
driver.
Please give Michael and Tatianna our heartfelt Thanks.
Becky's personal touch of my special tour of Limon leaves me mesmerized in adventurous
memory.
We would be most grateful if you could forward the photos that we took with
you at the wedding dinner to
be included in our photo gallery. email address: daguilaranita@yahoo.com
Blessings, and we look forward to the next trip to Costa Rica to include the
Pacific Side (though I am quite partial to Limon)
Anita D'Aguilar y Quindith Lispcome
From: Mocamom36@aol.com
To: beckysmoller@msn.com
Subject: Costa Rica
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 16:47:49 EST
Hi Becky,
Sorry for the late response... there's been so much to do to get back into the
swing of things! We had a great vacation in Costa Rica. We enjoyed the Four
Seasons (what's not to like?!) . Arenal was fun . The zip line was exciting,
though I had trouble making it across. I was the only one in my family (although
there were others in the group) that had problems and needed assistance from
the guides . (It seems that the one we did requires a hand on the zip line as
opposed to a bar in front, which may prove a little more difficult.) I'm not
sure if I'll ever live this down!!! Our Cano Negro excursion was very interesting
-- from the boat ride seeing lots of wildlife to our trip into the town. We
were glad to see the village where our daughter spent time last summer. In addition,
we enjoyed all our arroz con pollo meals and I have to recommend the restaurant
Don Rufino in Fortuna. We thought the Tabacon was just alright. The room was
fine and my family enjoyed the springs. When we first entered, it seemed very
busy, although as we headed up to the springs we found ourselves enjoying many
pools in privacy. (The whole thing is just a bit touristy for may taste.) Unfortunately,
it was cloudy through our entire stay and the volcano was not visible in the
evenings.
We LOVED the Peace Lodge. It was great to end our trip at such a unique place.
With the hiking, fishing and our evening visit to the frog building in addition
to the beautiful rooms, it really was very special.
Finally, all the Saint Germain people in Costa Rica were very helpful - they
did a great job. Thanks for all your help.
Roberta
From: Woodbridge International [mailto:michael@woodbridgetravel.com]
Sent: Jueves, 11 de Enero de 2007 12:51 p.m.
To: Julia de Saint Germain Tours
Subject: Another Job Well Done...THANKS!
Hi Julia-
Here is another email that I received from Casey Rooney & Andre Mancl. Thanks
again for a job well done.
Hi Michael!
What an absolutely wonderful trip! :) The Parador was spectacular, the weather
was great, and so were the people, activities, monkeys (my favorite), etc! Everything
was perfectly planned and all of the drivers were on time - we were quite impressed!
Thanks for planning such a great Honeymoon - "Luna de miel" - for
us!
We will be sure to pass your name along to anyone we know going to Costa Rica!
Pura Vida,
Casey & Andre
From: Woodbridge International [mailto:michael@woodbridgetravel.com]
Sent: Jueves, 11 de Enero de 2007 12:47 p.m.
To: Julia de Saint Germain Tours
Subject: Good Job
Hi Julia-
I received this email from the travel agent of Curt Hafner. Thank you for doing
a great job. Also, you might want to forward the letter to the manager at El
Parador so that they are aware of his minor complaint.
Michael
Hi Pat,
I wanted to drop you a quick note regarding our trip to Costa Rica.
In short, we had an absolutely wonderful time and everything planned came off
extremely well. My family commented, a number of times, regarding how well this
trip was planned. One comment I will provide you with regarded the El Parador
Hotel in Quepos; this is a beautiful hotel with a stunning view, but I think
they came up short in customer service. All too often, when we made minor requests
(e.g. pool towels, seating arrangements for our larger party, etc.) they seemed
put-out and very slow to accommodate. I found this service to be in stark contrast
to the service at the other hotels, especially given the price difference.
We came to really appreciate your planning when we met some of our Church friends
who were on the same return flight. They had an absolutely miserable time, because
their travel planner placed them in a hotel, whose staff only spoke Spanish
speaking, in an area called Jaco. It appears that this local has little to offer
in things to do. I believe their next trip will be planned through your agency!
Thanks again for helping us in realizing this wonderful vacation,
Curt Hafner
De: Marilyn Schild [mailto:marilyn@presleytours.com]
Enviado el: Lunes, 20 de Noviembre de 2006 09:09 a.m.
Para: 'Enrique de Saint Germain Tours'
Asunto: Tour
Good Morning Enrique!
Thank you so much for everything you did to make our tour to Costa Rica a huge
success! All of the evaluations were excellent and everyone loved Pablo, our
guide. One of the ladies wrote, “Pablo excelled in all areas. We can’t
say enough about his knowledge of plants, animals, customs, etc. He has wonderful
people skills and made it a fun learning experience. He represents his country
well and makes us want to come to Costa Rica again and invite friends to also
visit this beautiful country.” Pablo did an extraordinary job of sharing
information with us, keeping to the schedule and adding stops where available
and where time allowed. He assisted with making sure our luggage arrived quickly
to the rooms, make certain everyone was doing okay (and we had 2 81-year old
ladies with the group), helped select a terrific restaurant when we had a choice
and was extremely helpful to everyone. His people skills are outstanding, His
positive and quick personality, and his ability to share interesting knowledge,
make him a tremendous asset for Saint Germain! You could not have given us a
better guide! He is truly an excellent professional guide!
The group enjoyed the itinerary and each person indicated a different attraction
for their most enjoyable place to visit. The motor coach and driver were very
good. We felt safe with both of them. The group enjoyed the typical meals and
are probably having “gallo pinto” withdrawal. The group was disappointed
that they couldn’t see either Poas or Arenal but I will make copies of
photos I took last year and send those to them. That’s something “Mother
Nature” controls and they all realized that.
Everything went very well while in Costa Rica; however, our flight from Dallas
to St. Louis was delayed due to earlier weather conditions so we didn’t
get back to our cars in St. Louis until after 2 a.m. I drove home from there
so I didn’t get home until 5 a.m. That was a long day since I can’t
sleep on a plane or at the airport.
Thank you so much for a wonderful tour. I will look forward to returning with
teachers next summer. We are marketing those tours throughout our state and
hope we have enough bookings to make them run.
Please let me know if you need additional information regarding the tour. Again,
I appreciate everything you did to make it a wonderful experience!
Marilyn Schild
Presley Tours
PO Box 58
Makanda, IL 62958
Phone: 618-549-0704
FAX: 618-549-0404
marilyn@presleytours.com
Hi Enrique,
Just wanted to say thank you for looking after Jane Hughes. She really enjoyed
her trip to Costa Rica and said that you provided very good service to her.
Thank you very much and I hope we can start sending you some more clients.
Please give Julia a big hug for me.
Cheers,
Rita Carroll
President
Destiny Tours Intl. Inc.
Tel: 519-823-9799 Toll Free: 1-877-823-9799
Fax: 519-823-2474
rita@destinytours.com
www.destinytours.com
Sent: Jueves, 30 de Marzo de 2006 01:41 p.m.
To: Julia de Saint Germain Tours
Subject: Clients Williams/Mark x 6
Hi Julia-
I just got off the phone with the agent of Williams/Mark & Party. She told
me her clients had the best time and everything went very smoothly and her clients
were very happy with the services provide. Good job to you and your team!!
Also, Thomas Cluley had left his black day by day organizer at Villa Caletas
in the internet room. Can you please call Villa Caletas and see if a black organizer
was turned in by their staff?
If they have it, the client is asking if the hotel can Fed-Ex it to him. He
has given me his Fed-Ex account number so that there is no charge to the hotel.
Below is his information:
Fed Ex Acct #2835-7580-2
Address:
Thomas Cluley
6334-34 E. Viewmont
Mesa, AZ 85215
He is lost without it so he is hoping and praying that they have it.
Please keep me posted on what you have found out.
Thanks!!
Michael
From: Joane Turner [mailto:joane65@cox.net]
Sent: Jueves, 19 de Enero de 2006 09:57 a.m.
To: info@saintgermaintours.com
Subject: Our Recent Visit
Buenos Dias, Senor Gustavo..................
We were guests of your country from January 8-15th. During that time, we were
fortunate to have had Michael as our driver. He was always prompt, courteous,
and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about your beautiful country from him. He
was a big part of our wonderful vacation, and one of the reasons we'll be back
some day.
Muchas gracias,
Joane and Steve Turner
Hi Julia:
I just want to thank you for making all the arrangements for us to visit Costa
Rica. We had a wonderful time in your country, and really appreciate your perfect
handling of all our travel arrangements. We hope to arrange for a return visit
in a year.
Again, thank you, and warmest regards,
Phoebe
dea@oxy.edu 02/12/04
I
would highly recommend this tour to anyone going to Costa Rica for the first
time. Hats off to Enrique Balsevicius, our tour guide, who showed us the many
wonders of this beautiful country. Enrique’s vast knowledge of Costa Rica’s
history, wildlife and vegetation, together with his warm personality, made our
trip a most memorable one. Many thanks to Julia, who made all the wonderful
arrangements for our excursions and comfortable lodgings. Three cheers to Ruben,
our bus driver, whose experienced driving skills successfully got us to our
destinations each day through all sorts of road and weather challenges. Our
appreciation to Freddie, who drove us from San Jose to and from the El Diria
Hotel in Tamarind Beach on the Pacific side. Each day there brought sunny skies,
a beautiful sandy beach to walk on; a lovely room overlooking exotic gardens
surrounding a beautifully sculptured, scenic pool to swim in. The two weeks
in total were most enjoyable!
from
Anne, Joe and Renate Wolba
Toronto, Canada
Renate Wolba
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
480 University Avenue, Suite 1000
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1V2
416-962-3836 or 1-888-838-3836
rwolba@etfo.org
Dear Julia,
My apologies,
I meant to well before this send you a most sincere thank you for your aid in
arranging our trip. It was much more than we expected. Your country is just
wonderful.
We were away
this week in Philadelphia, meant to get back to you earlier. We will certainly
recommend you to our friends, and if we get back next year will most certainly
contact you. It's late here now, expecting snow for morning.
Everything
went smoothly, hotels very good, and drivers were terrific. When I get a chance
will comment on places we visited and places we stayed.
Again thanks
for everything,
Fondly, Raye
& Bob Cooke
March 8, 2004
Hi Julia!
We've been meaning to write to you before...but we have been busy 'shovelling
snow'. Attached are some pictures of snow for you. The first week back after
Costa Rica, Nova Scotia recieved the largest snowfall ever of 95cm!! No kidding...
Boy! Were we ever sad to be back after the wonderful honeymoon we had!
We want to thank you and your company again for an excellent trip and memorable
experience. This trip is all that we can talk about to our friends and family.
Like mentioned before, we will definately recommend you to anyone. Also, if
you want to ask us about any accomodation --- please feel free to ask. Poas
rent a car was great and staff were extremely friendly. The only bad thing for
us was going through Toronto on the way home. We almost missed our connection
to Nova Scotia because that airport is so disorganized. We left our duty free
liquor on one of the carts...(more upset about loosing a bottle of the Costa
Rican drink Guaro....) Oh well...we are safe and sound and had a great time!
Attached is a picture of Fauna at Playa Grande (Las Tortugas -- one of our favorite
places!) and some pictures of snow from our storm for you. (the 'bump' is our
car covered in snow)
Take care and thank you again.
Fauna and George
gosborne@hfx.eastlink.ca
02/26/04
Dear Enrique, i just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your
company for making our Vacation complete. From the moment we arrived to the
last tour your company excelled in every department.Everything was outstanding.
Special thanks go to Adonis from the tour company who was so knowledgeable and
curtious it was a pleasure just to listen to him. Thanks to you also Enrique
for suggesting the highlights tour which we thought was the highlight of the
vacation, what an exceptional day once again thank you.
Yours Sincerely
Mr. & Mrs J McDermott
jimintheus@bellsouth.net
Dear Julia,
Amazing! Amazing country and if the experience has been so perfect it is largely
thanks to you and St Germain. Thank you for preparing this exceptional visit
to your very beautiful country with a standard of professionalism and quality
that should inspire other tour operators.
Best wishes for your continued success,
J. Derek Brennan jdb@icys.org