Renter Beware! Airbnb Nightmare! Tropical Ocean Lodge for 7 in Los Pargos, Costa Rica
The rental had not “cleaned” prior to arrival. It looked as though it was cleaned days or weeks before but not looked at or cleaned prior to our arrival.
RENTER BEWARE! We only stayed 2 of the 12 nights we booked and it was not by choice. We would have left sooner if we could have but we were stuck here until we could find and make other arrangements.
See below for pictures and video as Airbnb does not offer an option to add these to their reviews but it will show you exactly what the issues were.
This could be a great place but we had the worst experience of any place I/we ever stayed at in all my years of traveling around the world and I have stayed in some very sketchy places.
There was a full blown infestation of cellar spiders (daddy long-legs), ants and hornets. When I say they were everywhere, I mean everywhere! Literally thousands of them. They were literally falling on us in the house and in the bathroom.
It ruined our trip and caused major problems for us. We had to leave. We had to find new accommodations, and my kids (14 and 16) decided they wanted to go back to the states instead of continuing our travels. That’s how bad of an experience it was. Awful!
Dealing with Maicol is like dealing with a child who doesn’t care about his guests (or anything else but himself for that matter) and refuses to take or accept any responsibility for this. I am including screen shots of our conversations so you will see for yourself what I am talking about and you will see that I gave him ample opportunities to simply reimburse me as I prefer not to write these types of reviews. I tried to reason with him but had no success and I am currently working with Airbnb trying to get a full refund.
If this doesn’t work I plan to file a lawsuit against Airbnb and Maicol. Not for the money owed but for destroying a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and my kids. They would still be here in Costa Rica with me if this hadn’t happened.
Pictures and video will show the truth of what we were dealing with. This page is added to our travel blog specifically to show everyone because there is no other way for anyone to understand how bad it truly was without seeing it for themselves.
You’ve been warned.
Here’s our Airbnb Conversation
Mar 17, 2021 – Ian- 11:33 PM
In case you missed the message I sent you last night on WhatsApp, I am resending it hear…
So we have been here since Feb 20th and have stayed in 4 previous Airbnb’s in 4 different areas of CR plus one full night hiking through the jungle then climbing to the top of Arenal Volcano to watch the sun rise plus one night camping in a tropical rainforest all before arriving at your place on Sunday.
I can truly say we have seen and dealt with all types of critters and we are very accustomed to and used to them. Tarantulas don’t scare me. I was bitten by a Copperhead snake just 2 years ago on my thumb and spent 2 days in the hospital from that and now have permanent nerve damage. Tarantulas are nothing to that.
I was stung by a jellyfish 3 weeks ago swimming at Manuel Antonio. Way worse than anything around your place.
Point being we candle a lot and it would take a lot to get us to have to leave.
Maicol, you currently have a full blown infestation of cellar spiders and hornets in and around your rental.
When there are literally thousands of these spiders and hundreds of hornets flying around it’s a problem. Just look at the pictures and I’ll send you a video I took.
We were not planning on leaving even after dealing with it the night we arrived and following day.
We went out in Tamarindo for lunch then walked around and picked up our supplies for the week. When we got back they were everywhere inside and outside. They were literally falling from the ceilings and walls outside. It’s an infestation of your rental.
We are literally down the street and it’s great. They’re bugs and ants and spiders around. We’re used to “quite a few bugs” as you put it.
Your rental does not qualify as quite a few.
And given how dry it is, I get how this could happen and I understand how it’s probably short lived. Chalk it up to bad timing.
I don’t want to argue with you. I don’t want to write a bad review. I just want to pay you for the 2 nights we were there and get fully reimbursed for the balance. Deal?
Ian
Mar 21, 2021
Ian12:27 AMMaicol, It’s been a couple of days since my last message to you about getting reimbursed. This matter will not go away on its own. I’d prefer to keep this matter private between me and you but if needed, I will take the necessary steps to get reimbursed through Airbnb. I’m still in Los Pargos so if you want to just give me the cash, that works for me. Or you can can issue a refund through Airbnb. It’s in your best interest to deal with me directly and in a timely manner. I’ll wait until Monday morning to hear back from you on this matter. If we cannot resolve this by then, I will have to contact Airbnb about it. This is not something I want to do and it’s not something you want to have happen if you want to maintain your positive review history and continue being able to rent your place through Airbnb. I’m being nice here and offering you an easy way out. It’s a peace offering. Please do not force my hand in this matter and make me take other steps to get reimbursed. It won’t end well for you. Regards, Ian
Maicol7:03 PMHello Ian, daddy long legs are fragile andincredibly easy to kill they are so fragile. I can spray them with bleach and sweep them up or just vacuum them up. This is not an infestation as you say but more of a temporary migration.They live in the forest and come to visit but are soon gone. I had the same thing 5 years ago so it’s not a usual occurrence. They are now in the other cabins and in the neighborhood and in my house but we are not worried at all and neither is the other tenant. it’s true that Daddy Long legs multiply quickly. Wasps do not fly around at night they are not nocturnal and go to sleep as soon as the sun goes down so what you saw we’re not wasps. When I need to eliminate the wasps nests I do so at night when they are dormant .This is not a hotel. It is a short-term lease for the entire house that you have signed onto with Airbnb. It is a binding contract. The jungle Lodge was marked on the calendar as rented many weeks ago during which time other reservations are not permitted. This means that you are responsible for payment of those days.You have an obligation to report to your landlord problems that may arise and to give him 24 hours notice so that he will correct or repair. You knew exactly where to find me because you were at my house looking at the area map just 200 ft away. One of the first things I told you when you arrived was to let me know if there are any problems or if you have any questions. I could have gotten rid of the Daddy Long legs and you and your kids could have gone to the beach while I did it but instead you chose to just leave.While you were looking at my map you we’re not interested in knowing where our lovely beaches are but instead you wanted to know how to get to Tamarindo and I thought that was real strange because 100% of our visitors first thing they want to do is go to the ocean. I never make deals with clients outside of the Airbnb program because I follow their guidelines. Renters are given lots of time to cancel reservations up to a certain point.
Mar 22, 2021
Ian7:10 PMI will address each of your thoughts individually for you but first:
1 – I put in a request through Airbnb for full reimbursement documenting the case with irrefutable evidence…images. Not all but some photos were used. We have a lot more. You have 72 hours to pay.
2 – You can’t simply spray bleach. They were everywhere, both inside and out. There were way too many to vacuum. Again, they were everywhere. We have photos to prove it.
3 – A temporary migration can be the same thing as an infestation when you’re living through it. We have photos to prove it.
4 – I never said wasps. I said hornets. There are/were 3 nests at the house and they were active day and night. We have photos to prove it.
5 – I am well aware your place is not a hotel and we expect some insects, spiders and other nuisances during our Airbnb stays in Costa Rica. It’s all part of living here.
6 – No one was renting your place prior to or following our stay. It would be highly unlikely our booking interfered with any other possible booking.
7 – A contract is correct and you are responsible for providing a habitable space. Your rental was uninhabitable. You failed to live up to your end of the contract.
8 – I have no problem giving owners the time to rectify “problems”. This went well beyond any problem that could be rectified in a timely manner. Yes I knew exactly where to find you but where were you when I came by the house. You were gone and unreachable. Just ask your wife and your upstairs tenant.
9 – We’ve been in Costa Rica since Saturday, February 20th. We stayed in Quepos. We’ve seen the ocean and sunsets many times before getting to Los Pargos. We needed supplies, food, gas and money/cash and the closest place for all of these is Tamarindo which is what you told me. It’s not that we wanted to go, we needed to go to Tamarindo. I came up to your place to ask where places were. I guess you don’t remember that. We were supposed to be staying at your place for 12 days. We weren’t concerned about seeing the ocean straight away. We had more important matters to deal with.
10 – We’re now dealing with and through Airbnb. I’m following their guidelines now by first requesting the refund/reimbursement through Airbnb’s resolution request form. You now have 72 hours to pay me or I will bring in Airbnb on this and then you’ll see what happens.
Ian9:50 PMAs for canceling our reservation, why on earth would we think to do that in advance of arriving? That would make no sense. Of all the places we could have stayed at, the kids picked your place and it was the kids who couldn’t wait to leave. They were very much looking forward to and excited about staying in your rental. So we never considered canceling before arriving.
Mar 25, 2021
Ian – 10:39 PM – Times up Maicol. This is your last chance to do the right thing and reimburse me for the stay we did not have. I’m going out of my way here which is not like me to do. It’s your chance to have this whole matter go away and you’ll never have to hear from me again. Otherwise, I will involve Airbnb in the matter as well as post very unpleasant reviews about your rental and not just on Airbnb but all over. I will also demand Airbnb remove you from being able to use their platform permanently. As I’ve said multiple times already, this is not the road I want to go down nor is it the road you want to go down. Is it worth it to you to risk losing part of your future long term income? Ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze. This is in your hands right now. By the end of business tomorrow it won’t be. Ian
Here’s our WhatsApp Conversation – He stopped responding to my messages
Me – Hey Maicol,
As much as we like your place,, we’re leaving tomorrow early afternoon after school.
Reason- There is a major spider, hornet and ant infestation in and around the house and it’s not safe or enjoyable for us to stay here any longer. I’m attaching just some pictures of the problem including a tarantula we just found.
I will gladly pay for the 2 nights we’ve stayed but will request a refund for the balance.
Sorry this didn’t work out. Regards, Ian
Maicol – Sounds like the tarantula came for a drink of water. We rarely see them and they are harmless creatures although kind of scary looking. The ants and the daddy long legs are a part of the natural environment and if you are in the tropical lowlands you are going to see quite a few bugs no matter where you are. If you had read my reviews and I had a all favorable reviews, they do mention that there are some unusual animals and insects. People get used to them very quickly. Nobody has ever in 27 years been harmed by any creature. My advice to you is to Buck Up, be brave, and give your children a special experience in our place of incredible beauty and tranquility, and world class beaches.
Me – So we have been here since Feb 20th and have stayed in 4 previous Airbnb’s in 4 different areas of CR plus one full night hiking through the jungle then climbing to the top of Arenal Volcano to watch the sun rise plus one night camping in a tropical rainforest all before arriving at your place on Sunday.
I can truly say we have seen and dealt with all types of critters and we are very accustomed to and used to them. Tarantulas don’t scare me. I was bitten by a Copperhead snake just 2 years ago on my thumb and spent 2 days in the hospital from that and now have permanent nerve damage. Tarantulas are nothing to that.
I was stung by a jellyfish 3 weeks ago swimming at Manuel Antonio. Way worse than anything around your place.
Point being we candle a lot and it would take a lot to get us to have to leave.
Maicol, you currently have a full blown infestation of cellar spiders and hornets in and around your rental.
When there are literally thousands of these spiders and hundreds of hornets flying around it’s a problem. Just look at the pictures and I’ll send you a video I took.
We were not planning on leaving even after dealing with it the night we arrived and following day.
We went out in Tamarindo for lunch then walked around and picked up our supplies for the week. When we got back they were everywhere inside and outside. They were literally falling from the ceilings and walls outside. It’s an infestation of your rental.
We are literally down the street and it’s great. They’re bugs and ants and spiders around. We’re used to “quite a few bugs” as you put it.
Your rental does not qualify as quite a few.
And given how dry it is, I get how this could happen and I understand how it’s probably short lived. Chaulk it up to bad timing.
I don’t want to argue with you. I don’t want to write a bad review. I just want to pay you for the 2 nights we were there and get fully reimbursed for the balance. Deal?
Ian
Me – Maicol, It’s been a couple of days since my last message to you about getting reimbursed. This matter will not go away on its own. I’d prefer to keep this matter private between me and you but if needed, I will take the necessary steps to get reimbursed through Airbnb. I’m still in Los Pargos so if you want to just give me the cash, that works for me. Or you can can issue a refund through Airbnb. It’s in your best interest to deal with me directly and in a timely manner. I’ll wait until Monday morning to hear back from you on this matter. If we cannot resolve this by then, I will have to contact Airbnb about it. This is not something I want to do and it’s not something you want to have happen if you want to maintain your positive review history and continue being able to rent your place through Airbnb. I’m being nice here and offering you an easy way out. It’s a peace offering. Please do not force my hand in this matter and make me take other steps to get reimbursed. It won’t end well for you. Regards, Ian
Me – Times up Maicol. This is your last chance to do the right thing and reimburse me for the stay we did not have. I’m going out of my way here which is not like me to do. It’s your chance to have this whole matter go away and you’ll never have to hear from me again. Otherwise, I will involve Airbnb in the matter as well as post very unpleasant reviews about your rental and not just on Airbnb but all over. I will also demand Airbnb remove you from being able to use their platform permanently. As I’ve said multiple times already, this is not the road I want to go down nor is it the road you want to go down. Is it worth it to you to risk losing part of your future long term income? Ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze. This is in your hands right now. By the end of business tomorrow it won’t be. Ian
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