I normally don't go out of my way to write a review on something unless my experience was extremely exceptional or horrendous. My experience at "Casa ?Por Que No?" in Las Galeras was of the horrendous type, and I wanted to share some feedback with DR1 users.
My boyfriend and I enjoy traveling and backpacking, and for the past couple weeks we have been back packing around the DR. We used this site a lot in preparation for our trip (thanks everyone!). I have nothing against the owners of "Casa ?Por Que No?" but I felt compelled to share my thoughts with anyone who might find themselves looking for a place to stay in Las Galeras.
We relied pretty heavily on the "Lonely Planet" guide for accommodations. The book recommended "Casa Por Que No?" as a Top Choice, so we decided to give it a try. For various reasons, we decided to stay in Las Galeras for 3 nights, so we got to know the hotel very well. Overall, we were not pleased with the demeanor of the owner. I initially got a condescending impression from him on the phone when I called ahead the day before to make the reservations. He and his wife, who live at the hotel (only two rooms on either side of their house) are French Canadian, so I thought maybe the slight language barrier gave me a distorted impression. However, upon arriving at the hotel, my boyfriend and I (we're American) were constantly being condescendingly mocked for not understanding a joke or comment of his. At first we thought that maybe we weren't getting his sense of humor, or maybe he was just trying to be more personable. But the more we interacted with him, the more uncomfortable we bacame. We also felt like we weren't able to enjoy a peaceful stay, because the owners were constantly watching when we left and came. For example, one day we were both feeling ill, and it was very rainy outside, so we decided to sleep in and play dominoes for most of the afternoon. As we left, the owner's wife stood at the front door of the hotel, broom in hand, and said "You were in your room all day, I was waiting for you to leave so I could clean!" It seemed a little too aggressive for our liking ? we were just trying to enjoy our vacation!
In addition, the owner?s wife offered to cook us dinner on our second night. Nothing was ever said about a bill, though we assumed they would add it on to our room charges the last night. The lonely planet book even said something along the lines of "The owners wife can whip up a Thai dinner for you one night," implying that it could be a part of the accommodations paid for. As we left on our final morning, we called out into the owner's house to see if anyone was home. We didn't get a reply, so we decided that since they usually waited for us, and they weren't there, that we were all squared away. As we walked down the path to leave, the owner stopped us and yelled at us for leaving without paying for the dinner. We tried to give our sincerest apologies for the miscommunication. The dinner -- which consisted of greasy bread, plain egg noodles, some shrimp, and a pillsburry-style cake slice, and some yellow tail wine, cost us $80 in US dollars. My boyfriend and I felt bad that we had not asked about the bill, though the owner was not understanding about it at all. "What, you thought you didn't have to pay? Did I ever say the meal was free?" We tried our best to repeatedly apologize, but to no avail. What was slightly annoying for us is that fact that we are both young (24) travelers, and it seemed a bit presumptuous on their part to 1. not tell us the prices before hand and 2. assume we had that much money. Overall, I got a very negative impression of Casa Por Que No, and would not recommend it to anyone. There are plenty of great hotels in Las Galeras, try ANY of the other ones out!
I think I feel especially inclined to share my thoughts because this hotel was a "top pick" in the lonely planet book. Just wanted to encourage people to try something else with a cheaper rate and friendlier service
My boyfriend and I enjoy traveling and backpacking, and for the past couple weeks we have been back packing around the DR. We used this site a lot in preparation for our trip (thanks everyone!). I have nothing against the owners of "Casa ?Por Que No?" but I felt compelled to share my thoughts with anyone who might find themselves looking for a place to stay in Las Galeras.
We relied pretty heavily on the "Lonely Planet" guide for accommodations. The book recommended "Casa Por Que No?" as a Top Choice, so we decided to give it a try. For various reasons, we decided to stay in Las Galeras for 3 nights, so we got to know the hotel very well. Overall, we were not pleased with the demeanor of the owner. I initially got a condescending impression from him on the phone when I called ahead the day before to make the reservations. He and his wife, who live at the hotel (only two rooms on either side of their house) are French Canadian, so I thought maybe the slight language barrier gave me a distorted impression. However, upon arriving at the hotel, my boyfriend and I (we're American) were constantly being condescendingly mocked for not understanding a joke or comment of his. At first we thought that maybe we weren't getting his sense of humor, or maybe he was just trying to be more personable. But the more we interacted with him, the more uncomfortable we bacame. We also felt like we weren't able to enjoy a peaceful stay, because the owners were constantly watching when we left and came. For example, one day we were both feeling ill, and it was very rainy outside, so we decided to sleep in and play dominoes for most of the afternoon. As we left, the owner's wife stood at the front door of the hotel, broom in hand, and said "You were in your room all day, I was waiting for you to leave so I could clean!" It seemed a little too aggressive for our liking ? we were just trying to enjoy our vacation!
In addition, the owner?s wife offered to cook us dinner on our second night. Nothing was ever said about a bill, though we assumed they would add it on to our room charges the last night. The lonely planet book even said something along the lines of "The owners wife can whip up a Thai dinner for you one night," implying that it could be a part of the accommodations paid for. As we left on our final morning, we called out into the owner's house to see if anyone was home. We didn't get a reply, so we decided that since they usually waited for us, and they weren't there, that we were all squared away. As we walked down the path to leave, the owner stopped us and yelled at us for leaving without paying for the dinner. We tried to give our sincerest apologies for the miscommunication. The dinner -- which consisted of greasy bread, plain egg noodles, some shrimp, and a pillsburry-style cake slice, and some yellow tail wine, cost us $80 in US dollars. My boyfriend and I felt bad that we had not asked about the bill, though the owner was not understanding about it at all. "What, you thought you didn't have to pay? Did I ever say the meal was free?" We tried our best to repeatedly apologize, but to no avail. What was slightly annoying for us is that fact that we are both young (24) travelers, and it seemed a bit presumptuous on their part to 1. not tell us the prices before hand and 2. assume we had that much money. Overall, I got a very negative impression of Casa Por Que No, and would not recommend it to anyone. There are plenty of great hotels in Las Galeras, try ANY of the other ones out!
I think I feel especially inclined to share my thoughts because this hotel was a "top pick" in the lonely planet book. Just wanted to encourage people to try something else with a cheaper rate and friendlier service