Refund & Cancellation Policy

Last updated: July 2026

We want your day on the water to be easy from the first message to the last toast, including if your plans change. Here is how deposits, cancellations and rescheduling work.

This policy applies to bookings made directly with Panache Sailing, operated by Embarcaciones Panash Limitada (corporate ID 3-102-494898), Marina Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

At a glance

Your booking	Full refund	50% refund	No refund
Shared morning or sunset tour	48 hours or more before departure	24 to 48 hours before	Less than 24 hours before
Private charter, one catamaran	15 days or more before	8 to 14 days before	7 days or less before
Private charter, two or more catamarans	30 days or more before	14 to 29 days before	Less than 14 days before

All deadlines are counted back from your scheduled departure time, in Costa Rica local time (GMT minus 6, all year).

If we are the ones who cancel, you always get a full refund or a free reschedule, whatever the notice.

Your confirmation email tells you which of the three applies to your booking.

How to cancel or change a booking

Send your request by email to info@panachesailing.com. Our reservations team confirms every cancellation and every change in writing, and that written confirmation is what makes it official. If you have been talking to us on WhatsApp, message us there too so we see it faster, but always send the email.

Our reservations desk reads email every day from 8 AM to 5 PM, Costa Rica time. A request that arrives outside those hours is picked up the next morning, so please do not leave it to the last hour before a deadline.

Rescheduling is subject to availability on the new date, and to any difference in price between the two dates.

Shared tours: morning and sunset

Deposit and payment. Bookings made more than 14 days ahead need a 50% deposit, with the balance due at least 24 hours before the tour. Bookings made within 14 days of the tour are paid in full at confirmation. If a balance is not paid by its due date, we may release the space and treat the booking as cancelled on that date’s terms.

If you cancel.

48 hours or more before departure: full refund, or a free reschedule.
24 to 48 hours before departure: 50% of the total is charged.
Less than 24 hours before departure: the full amount is charged.
No show at the boarding point and time: the full amount is charged, and the booking cannot be rescheduled.
Illness or a proven emergency: we look at these one by one, and we will usually offer a reschedule or a credit for a future date.

Minimum to operate. Shared morning and sunset tours run with a minimum of 12 guests, and we confirm your departure 1 to 3 days before your date. In low season (May, August, September and October) departures depend on reaching that minimum. If it is not met, you can reschedule or take a full refund.

Private charters: one catamaran

Deposit and payment. 50% deposit at booking, with the balance due 7 days before the tour. Bookings made within 7 days of the tour are paid in full at confirmation. If the balance is not paid by its due date, we may release the date and treat the booking as cancelled on that date’s terms.

If you cancel.

15 days or more before the tour: full refund.
8 to 14 days before: 50% refund.
7 days or less before: no refund, and the booking cannot be rescheduled.

Reschedule. Free with at least 7 days’ notice, subject to availability.

Private charters: two or more catamarans

Larger groups sail on more than one catamaran. If that is your booking, these are your terms, and we confirm it in writing before you pay.

Deposit and payment. 50% deposit at booking, with the balance due 15 days before the tour. Last minute bookings are paid in full at confirmation.

If you cancel.

30 days or more before the tour: full refund.
14 to 29 days before: 50% refund.
Less than 14 days before: no refund, and the booking cannot be rescheduled.

Reschedule. Free with at least 15 days’ notice, subject to availability.

If we cancel

Weather. We sail in the rain. Rain alone is not a reason to cancel, and some of our best mornings start grey. If sea conditions, wind or lightning make it unsafe, or if the port authority closes the marina, we cancel and you choose between a new date and a full refund.

Technical or operational reasons. If a catamaran is unavailable or any operational issue puts your safety or the experience at risk, the same applies: a new date, or a full refund.

Force majeure. Events outside our control, such as a storm, an earthquake, a road closure, a national emergency or an order from the authorities, are handled the same way.

We never charge a fee when the cancellation is ours.

Refunds: how and when

Refunds go back to the card or account used for the booking. We cannot refund to a different card or in cash. Once we process a refund it usually appears within [5 to 10] business days, depending on your bank.

Refunds are calculated on the total amount you paid, taxes included. If your bank charged a currency conversion or international fee at the time of payment, that fee belongs to your bank and is outside our control.

If something has gone wrong with a booking, please write to us before contacting your bank. We answer quickly, and we would much rather fix it directly.

Arriving late

With hotel pickup. Our transport waits up to 10 minutes past your scheduled pickup time. After that the van continues its route so the rest of the guests sail on time, and the booking is treated as a no show.

Driving yourself. Please arrive at Marina Flamingo at the boarding time on your confirmation. Catamarans leave on schedule out of respect for everyone on board, and a missed departure is treated as a no show.

Changes to your group

Shared tours. Guests are priced per person. If your group gets smaller, the guests you cancel follow the shared tour deadlines above. If it gets bigger, we will add them if there is space.

Private charters. The charter is priced per boat, so the price does not change if fewer guests come. Tell us your final number the day before so the crew can prepare food and gear.

Holding a date

We can hold your date and your spaces for 24 hours from your request. If payment and confirmation do not arrive within those 24 hours, the space is released automatically and goes back on sale.

Boarding and safety

Our captain is responsible for everyone on board. For the safety of the whole group, boarding may be declined in the rare case that a guest’s condition would put themselves or others at risk on the water. A booking declined for that reason is treated as a no show.

Tours cut short at a guest’s own request are not refundable for the unused part.

Bookings made through other platforms

If you booked through a travel agency, a hotel concierge or an online marketplace, their cancellation terms and their refund timelines apply, and refunds are processed by them. Bookings made directly with us follow the policy on this page.

Questions

Email info@panachesailing.com. We are at Marina Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and our reservations desk is open every day from 8 AM to 5 PM.