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The current weather in Culebra

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Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: JoRay (---.131.36.94.Dial1.Cincinnati1.Level3.net)
Date:   07-24-04 13:21

Beware of Harbour View Villas
Author: JoRay(---.ameritech.com)
Date: 07-24-04

My husband and I had planned to visit Culebra in May of this past year. I called Harbour View Villas and in order to make a reservation I had to pay half at the time of making the reservation, which was $375.00 for 6 nights. My only option was paying via check, no credit card option was offered. I did this in September of 2002.

In January of 2003 I informed Harbour View that my husband's daughter had planned her wedding the same week we had made our reservation for Culebra. This is 4 months advance notice. Initially I was told there would be no problem and when I again inquired at a later date, I was told I could not get my money back unless they got another reservation. In May, I again contacted them via email to see about my deposit and I was ignored completely. I finally talked to Druso, owner, and he said all the units were not rented so I would not get my money back. I said you mean there has to be no vacanies for me to get my money back and he said yes. He said I could have a rain check but later when I inquired about that I was told I could not have a rain check because I had contacted the BBB.

They were not friendly at all during my inquiries and totally ignored my emails until they responded to tell me I couldn't get a raincheck.

The bottom line:I didn't get my money back and they didn't hold to their word about the raincheck.

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: JC (208.49.232.---)
Date:   08-06-04 12:46

JoRay,

Sorry to hear about your experience and loss of cash. When I was looking into going to Culebra last March, I ran into the same shady B.S. with HBB. I researched it and found out this Druso guy has numerous similar complaints against him, and that the Villas are dirty as hell.

We went to Culebra anyway and stayed at Posada la Hamaca (clean and inexpensive with kind hosts) and had a blast. The island is wonderful and the accomodations are great. But I have one question for the businesspeople in Culebra:

WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT DRUSO?!?!?! HE DOES BAD BUSINESS AND IS GENERALLY BAD FOR THE REPUTATION OF YOUR BEAUTIFUL, SERENE ISLAND. I'M NOT SUGGESTING YOU TRY TO RUIN THE GUY, BUT TELL HIM TO GET HIS ACT TOGETHER!!! HE'S A JERK (AS DESCRIBED BY A COUPLE OF CULEBRENSES) AND A CROOK. MIND YOUR SHOP. AND YES, YOU ARE YOUR BROTHER'S KEEPER!!!!

JoRay, I would suggest contacting the local authorities to see what type of action you might be able to take against this guy. And don't believe any nonsense, e.g. "that's how we do business in Culebra." That's a load of you-know-what. Culebra is much more savvy than that.

Can't wait to go back again.

JC

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Matt (---.va.gov)
Date:   08-09-04 12:36

I don't know about all of this... It is interesting that a lot of people have "heard" it is dirty there. I stayed at HVV in May and found it to be clean and comfortable. If you are looking for an antisceptic, Hilton-like atmosphere, I reccomend you go visit Cozumel or Cabo San Lucas. If you are going to Culebra, expect there to be a few geckos and don't wait up for a mint on your pillow.

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your money (assuming that your story is factually accurate), and I don't agree with that business practice. However, in my dealings with Druso, I have never had any such problems, nor has anyone else that I've talked to.

If anyone interested in staying on Culebra has questions about Harbour View Villas, feel free to contact me. As I said, I can give an impartial opinion as a former guest.

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Teresa (66.50.189.---)
Date:   08-10-04 03:36

Thanks to Matt for swinging this back toward a more realistic perspective. I cannot address specific incidents, but after living in Culebra 18 years it has become the norm and also quite comfortable to live among the conditions that many first-timers in Culebra might find shocking, unpleasant, or unacceptable. Open windows that allow one to enjoy those tropical breezes also allow the Sahara Dust (which constitutes 90% of airborne particulate matter here) to very lightly coat a surface or screen. Unless you are neurotic about cleaning your house every 15 minutes then it is going to be there. But it is no big deal and is not toxic. Nor are the geckos that keep our homes more clear of the larger annoying iinsects and who can leave their little presents on the walls and corners of the floor until they get swept off. We do not want diapers on our geckos. Those things get cleaned up after one has finished with the more important part of the day. And if something is broken or needs maintenance we can not "get right on it" if the materials have to be acquired on the big island which can take a two day trip to obtain. Neither can we call a handyman or repairman, they are about as easy to come by here as is snow. So please just relax, do not not expect a 5 star facility; the lack of those here is what makes this place desirable for the rest of us who prefer the other part of life. Take the opportunity to get back to the basics and please remember that all of us have a bad day now and then. Living here in a relatively small area puts us all in a fishbowl with all emotions right out there for all to see, and if a smile is lacking sometime or we let off some steam, please do not take it personally. It probably was not meant for you and we apologize. And those sometimes cranky people contribute to the character of the community that we love. I don't want them to change. Business owners here want the tourist business and really work hard to provide an enjoyable Culebra experience that the vast majority of visitors return to enjoy again. Enjoy your visit.

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.utaonline.at)
Date:   08-10-04 03:57

Thanks Teresa - great post!

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: JC (199.181.111.---)
Date:   08-10-04 12:23

Matt & Teresa,

Thanks for your thoughtful responses. I'm sorry if my posting made it seem like cleanliness was the main issue here, because it's not. (If you knew Posada la Hamaca, you'd realize that my definition of clean doesn't come close to resembling an "antisceptic, Hilton-like atmosphere." And as an avid camper, I'm not scared of bugs or their little presents. ) I love Culebra exactly because it doesn't have a single chain business (except for the Getty gas station), and I hope they never extend the airstrip or build a big hotel. It's fine the way it is.

I think you missed the point, and making it seem like I'm asking for a 5-star resort is misleading, patronizing and condescending. If I'm guilty of anything it's mentioning that I heard HBB was dirty without ever staying there. My bad.

The main issue is the way Druso does business. If you go back a little ways on this forum you'll see other postings alluding to this problem. I've also seen complaints posted on tripadvisor.com. Any way you cut it, there's a trend here that JoRay has once again exposed. All I'm saying is to please try to educate Druso that he's crapping on some people (Matt excluded, of course) and it's not going unnoticed. Cranky or not, he seems to be engaging in a bad business practice.

I've been to Culebra twice and plan on going back again and again. I hope it doesn't change. But I hate hearing these stories and will continue to monitor the HBB situation. Why, you may wonder? Because I care about the island, and I hate to hear about unsuspecting visitors getting burned. If I can help save the next JoRay from losing a couple of hundred bucks, then it'll be worth it, and maybe they'll use $2 of that savings to buy me a beer!

Saludos y buena suerte,
JC

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Teresa (66.50.189.---)
Date:   08-11-04 01:23

So sorry, nothing at all personal meant or directed to any specific person, they were just general comments toward a strong trend of postings made and feel very sorry when anyone is referred to so negatively in a public forum. That's all. No more posts.

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Rio (---.rgv.rr.com)
Date:   08-15-04 12:31

Folks,

There is NO reason why anyone should have to put up with fraud and corruption. If you have not done so, call your the local FBI office (San Juan) and ask to talk to the duty agent, them these scams are going on. There is no guarantee that something will happen but I am willing to bet once the crooks know the Bureau is looking at them, I bet you they will start walking the line. Good luck and stand up against abuse!

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Luisa (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date:   08-18-04 15:44

Dear Teresa, JC and others,

I recently visited Culebra and had the misfortune of staying with Druso at his Harbour View Villas.

Guys, me and my friend were not expecting Four Seasons-quality and cleaness. But hey, the conditions Druso offers are simply unacceptable. Worst of all is that he makes you pay in advance - at a price considerably higher than any other hotel in town - so when you arrive, there's not much you can do but stay there.

He promised two beds, and gave us one. He said the beach was a "few steps away." Under the blazing heat, walking up hill to his Villas seemed like a million of painful steps. We never got fresh towels, or even the bed made. There were no outside lights at night nor places where to sit, so we were confined to our bedroom without the possibility of sitting outside to enjoy the night breeze. During the day, the view cannot be seen from the place thanks to the wild bushes in front of the villas that obviously Druso never bothers to even cut.

I don't think these are over-the-top, luxurious expectations from a hotel where one is paying to stay. If we didn't want a minimum of confort we would have camped out on the beach.

The bottom line is that you have to honor what you promise to provide, as much as the costumer honors his/her promise of paying in advance for the services.

I changed hotels after two nights (to the very nice Villa Boheme) and found out that Druso does not represent what some want to portrait as "the Culebra way". I paid less than at HVV, got fresh towels, a clean bedroom, great patio with hammocks to enjoy during the evening and, best of all, people who were responsible and responsive to the customer's needs.

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: elizabeth tragesser (---.pittpa.adelphia.net)
Date:   08-18-04 19:14

We are going to Culebra this weekend and I am overly concerned with what people had written about Druso. We are staying at the villas. Did you get charged "hotel tax" in addition to the regular fee? he is charging me that tax and I have already paid him $175 a night. Let me know.

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Re: Beware of Harbour View Villas
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Luisa (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date:   08-18-04 23:07

We were charged the same you are being charged, and that includes taxes as far as I understand. In our case, we had to pay IN FULL in advance by sending a money order to Druso.

I hope you'll have a good experience. Bring towels with you and make sure you rent a car because the place is not as easily accesible as Druso says.
There are plenty rental car options in the island, but make sure you book it in advance. We were told weekends during July and August in Culebra are very busy and car rentals run out of availability.

If I were you, and if you haven't paid, I would try to change hotels. Druso's facilities are simply not good for the money you'll be paying.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

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