www.CostaRicaTicas.com

not at all but when im on vacation and the only ones in the resturant to eat and it takes 30 mins just to find someone to speak english to get me a coke and order my food its pain in the ass. esp when im paying almost 100 a night for my room and there is 3 of us in the party. just not close to the service i got at all at the taormina hotel .

Te escucho mae. Estaba en una cafetería en Chicago el otro día. Algunos ticos de vacaciones estaban en fila frente a mí. Por supuesto, solo hablaban español y tenían colones. El barista pasó una eternidad en corregir sus pedidos, porque ella no hablaba español. Luego ella insistió en que pagaran con dólares. Pobrecitos Ticos ... que despiche.


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+1

+1000

Not to gouge the poster too much, but +1 millon.
Seriously, if you take the time and effort to learn even just the basics of Spanish, it will greatly increase the value of your experiences in CR, both with with the chicas, but with everything.

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" Omit no happy hour that may give furtherance to our expedition."

if she's only the maid, that's normal, but if she's part of a service group, and not only her, but waiters, etc. do not speak at least moderate English in a hotel that caters to English speakers, then that's not smart on behalf of the managers and owners if you ask me.

I've only stayed at SL, Don Carlos, Dunn Inn and HDR, but all workers who have to interact with N Americans speak at least reasonably good English.

I would be irritated if I'm dropping about a c note a night and then it's a hassle trying to do something as simple as order breakfast.

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

HDR has the most amazing breakfast if you get the all you can eat, none of these other places comes near, but jeez...$16! I splurge periodically now that I'm retired here, and I go in early, and starving, load up on bacon and eggs, that chicken dish, some beans, plantains, I end up with 3 platefulls by the time I'm done and waddle out of there and don't need to eat lunch, can go all day and eat a late dinner to get my money's worth...

For what it's worth, you can sit on their back porch and people watch as you enjoy your breakfast there, but to get the best and most choices, eat there 7 am or even earlier.

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

Absolutely! Altho no problemo por mi, yo hablo, but I'm thinking a hotel that caters to English speakers, and so many know not a drop of Spanish save "hasta la vista, baby", it's a poor management decision.

Maids, yea, no problem, point to towels, say "yo quiero mas" and wave a 1 mil colon in her face, but if incidents occur like what this guy is saying, you're trying something simple like ordering breakfast and they can't figure out wtf you are asking for, and no other gringo hotels allow this, The owner/owners should say to management, having been a manager in my working life, "take care of this problemo o tu be looking for diff trabajo, digggg???

Isn't there menus where you can point and say "me wanteee this-o"??? "Numero dos por favor, sol side up...."

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

The larger point is that when in another country it is the responsibility of the traveler to adapt to the local culture - not the other way around. Why not extend the same courtesy as visitors to other countries that we expect from visitors to our country.

This doesn't mean that you have to be fluent in Spanish, just learn enough to be polite and get basic necesities. Also, talking English more loudly, or using derrogatory comments (such as "me wantee" or "me liko") doesn't work. They still won't understand you, but they will understand your tone. When you act like an asshat, you can expect to get treated like an asshat.

Anger and annoyance is often a mask for feeling insecure and inadequate. The staff at Castillo is fantastic - and so is Dinarah - and there is nothing to change or improve. Suck it up and learn some Spanish, and try a f***ing smile while you’re learning it... a little bit goes a long way. It will improve the overall experience in many ways.



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there are plenty of hotel maids in the US that don't speak a lick of english.

Yo,

"Why not extend the same courtesy as visitors to other countries that we expect from visitors to our country. "
It's an imprint upon your brain when young, courtesy or not is learned. Yeah, I'm older but traveled and
lived in a few "third world " countries, never had a problem anywhere. There is a book written by Burdick and Lederer that should be required reading. Stupid is as stupid does.

Regards, 911 Driver

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The happy hour is a device either for getting rid of social obligations hurriedly en masse or for making overtures toward more serious social relationships, as in the etiquette of whoring.- Brooks Atkinson

.

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

[quote="TresRios"]

"using derogatory comments (such as "me wantee" or "me liko") doesn't work. They still won't understand you, but they will understand your tone. When you act like an asshat, you can expect to get treated like an asshat."


You DO realize that I'm...uh, lessee, well, here's the English language explanation :

fa·ce·tious
fəˈsēSHəs/Submit
adjective
treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
synonyms: flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, tongue-in-cheek, ironic, sardonic, joking, jokey, jocular, playful, sportive, teasing, mischievous; witty, amusing, funny, droll, comic, comical, lighthearted, jocose;;;

"unfortunately, they took my facetious remarks seriously" as used in a sentence...

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Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em down and brand 'em...

.

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

A couple of quibbles.

Hotel Castillo has multiple TVs (4 or 5 IIRC) in the bar (which is what I think makes a "sports bar") while Hotel La Amistad has two (but the bar is intimate and not organized as a 'sports bar').

What corners do you think Matt cuts? The potato controversy?

And I haven't noticed a staff quality "reduction" at the Castillo when Matt, Darren, Dominic aren't present. And I've spent a lot of time there.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison