I wanted to devote this review strictly for the hotel. Look for my mongering review in the Trip Report section.
On the eve of my maiden voyage to paradise, I booked the Hotel Vesuvio for a short 2 nights stay. Granted this was not my first choice. SL, Amistad, Freebird, Castillo were all contacted but none had both nights that I needed. HLH and Clarion were available but price and proximity, respectively, kept me away. Before I go any further let me thank these wonderful people that contacted me back:
Matt (Amistad) – Called me directly to set up a reservation, but it fell through since the guy he thought was checking out didn’t. I got a chance to tour his facility when I was there and all I got to say is, this is where I’m staying for my next trip. Updated, chic lobby, clean, marble floor, cold water / beverage dispensers were all that I can see. A fellow monger staying there told me his room was ‘awesome’. I'm jealous!
Nixon (Clarion) – Immediate response. Reasonable price. Second time I had a chance to communicate with him. Great guy. Just wished it was closer (walking wise) to SL or DR.
Dennis (Freebird) – Immediate response. Wonderful hotel. Will definitely use as a backup.
The good points about Vesuvio:
1. Close to SL and Amistad.
2. Close to a pharmacy where you get your vitamins at a reasonable price.
3. Nice exterior.
4. Eco-tourist friendly and family-oriented (be careful about this one).
5. Cheap prices ($45/night before discount)
Alas, all good things come to an end. The Bad follows.
On their webpage you will see a beautiful building, a happy couple hugging, a smiling lady using her laptop in her room, picture of a gourmet meal, an 800 number, etc. If you book online, your confirmation will not include a per night charge. I called the 800 number (which was just a US customer service agency serving multiple hotels) and was told my price would be $43/night. Upon check in, Julio told me it was $50/night. I produced a copy of the confirmation email, again without any rate on it, and was firmed about what the rep told me on the phone. We settled for $45. I brought up CRT; he acted as if he never heard of it. Since I’m not a VIP yet, I did not push any further, I just wanted to get a pulse.
Next, I was given a key to a room that was currently occupied. How did I know? Opened up the closet and there were panties hanging in there
. The bed had sheets were strewn about (maybe I noticed this first but went with the panties story anyways
). Pointed these shocking findings to Julio and he gave another key, and in his exact words, “Try this one.†Well, “this one†turned out to be Room 203 and was indeed un-occupied so I settled down. Closed inspection showed a double and a twin bed, hard mattresses, 10†inch old-school TV (remote optional), outdated wall plaster/paint, stains on the carpet, a night light that does not work, a bug on one of the sheet which I immediate killed, about 4 sugar ants in the bathroom, and a ceiling fan. Ceiling fan can only mean one thing – AC might not be present. I was trying to be optimistic but since I did not see a thermostat…. anyways, be careful if you booked in the summer. I went back to the desk to ‘check-out’ a remote control and room safe key. Much to my chagrin, the safe key runs $4 a night. It was at this point I blatantly referenced that his hotel is getting the shit handed to it on CRT, and be sure to check out another review forthcoming
.
Third, Wi-Fi (remember the smiling lady with the laptop?) was available but was NOT free. $7.99/day or $49.99/month. If you want to free Internet access, you can use the PC near the front desk or hook laptop to a LAN cable next to that PC. The table is only big enough for one user at a time though.
Fourth, the noise level is outrageous in this place. The previous poster pointed it out – the walls are paper-thin. I can hear conversations in the next room. I hear the guy upstairs walking. The floor creaks in the hallway. I can hear toilettes being flushed. I can hear workers unloading goods for the restaurant. And perhaps the worst noise of them all – the freaking birds! I swear, is it bird-mating season down here?!
And I’m not talking about the average blue jay or even an owl. These were Discovery-Channel-Rainforest-Endangered-Species type bad-asses that like to croaked all day and all night. Can you guys staying at the SL or Amistad attest to this, please? I know we all shared the same zoo for a backyard. Oddly enough the only noise I did NOT hear were the noises similar to the ones emanating from my room when I had the chicas there. The beds creaks with every pounding like its gonna break (which is great from my standpoint), but it can be somewhat embarrassing if I’m the only one in the hotel doing the banging
. I seriously thought I was the only one bring chicas back to this joint. I saw several ‘American’ couples there. One couple even brought their youngsters. A couple that check in Saturday night had curious expressions on their faces when my chica had to hand over her ID to the front desk clerk . So on that note alone, if you are worry about other people sensibility, you might want to avoid the hotel as your basis of operation.
Fifth, the ‘free’ breakfast is a Continental breakfast without the pastries. So your options are fruits and OJ. Or you can go down to SL like I did and enjoy a wonderful breakfast for cheap.
Finally, the hotel service was sketchy at best. Julio appears to be the General Manager of the place. His name was on my confirmation email. He was the one present (with raised eyebrows
) on both occasions when I brought chicas back. The check in incident alone dropped him down my list of people I think highly of. The night shift manager was a little better; he offered a wake up call on the day I left. However, I wouldn’t give him high marks either since he contributed to some of the late night conversations with coworkers that kept up at night (very inconsiderate). The only helpful staff member was a young lady that worked in the morning. She offered me a map and pointed out to many of the attractions around town. She even helped me located a church for Sunday mass, if I were inclined (btw, I did attend mass. I believe that one should strive to achieve a balance in life. I called it balance, other might called hypocrisy)
. Also, the maids did a wonderful job cleaning up the mess 'we' made in my room. I didn't try the resturant so I have no comment here.
In conclusion – stay here only if you have no other option, or if think sleeping is overrated, or if you’re strapped for cash. $49/night including safe key is a very good deal for this location. Even with the customary 16% tax, it is still a good value. To be honest, I spent all the daylight time at SL, DR, or mps. I only come to the room (~10pm) to conduct business and then I’m back at the SL to catch the sports on TV. It is the time around 1am to 8am when I’m actually trying to recoup from the day’s action that will make or break my experience with any hotel. This hotel failed miserably on this category. I did not have decent night sleep on either nights I was there. I felt sluggish when the resident 'roosters' step up their croaking and I had to wake up
. Then again, once I got my breakfast and coffee, all that was behind me and I was off to take in (and give back just as hard) all that San Jose had to offered.
Have fun and I hope this help.
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Besides, maybe Mrs. Whitebread will get so excited by the bed-breaking noises that you might have a shot at a little Des Moines Dumpster. 
