Well, it may not have Basil Fawlty as the manager, but it makes up for this in the number of Manuels it employs.
Day 1: we arrive to find only one towel in the bathroom, so we call and ask for some more. Within a minute they arrive (very impressive!) and we're happy. An hour later there's a knock on the door - it's another delivery of towels. I try to explain that we have a full set of towels, but not understanding a word of English the maid takes this as an invitation to bring the towels into the room and is then surprised to find we already have some.
Overnight, the toilet breaks.
Day 2: the toilet is fixed, we have plenty of towels and spend the day exploring the area. During the night, the toilet breaks again.
Day 3: the toilet gets fixed, then breaks again, gets fixed again, and once again breaks. I explain to the person who fixes the toilet that it may have a fundamental flaw, but since they don't speak English they don't understand. We call reception who agree to move us to a different room and will call us back and we repack the bags.
Two hours later I head down to reception to find out what's going on since we haven't had a call. They hand over keys to our new room (next door, so that's handy) and I head back upstairs and in front of three staff members open the door to our new room only to find that it is still occupied by a very surprised couple. The three staff members explain to me that the room isn't ready yet (at least that's what I think they said since none of them speak English). I apologise to the couple, storm downstairs where the receptionist has clearly already realised there's been a screw up and has keys for another room ready (next door to the previously new yet occupied room).
Back upstairs I hesitantly open the door to find a nice clean room and this one has a balcony! Except...well, see the picture. We're not supposed to use it. Anyway, it's a nice enough room and it has more than one towel so we stay only to find out later that the plumbing is a little dodgy and if you turn on the faucet a sound like a machine gun goes off somewhere in the walls. Anyway, it's OK as long as the faucet isn't turned on full and off we go for a wonderful Mexican meal in Santa Barbara.
Then the toilet breaks...
7 comments:
LOL! That really is Fawlty Towers!
You are to be admired for keeping your sense of humor throughout these situations and this post gave me my laugh for the day :)
Oh my! I feel flushed just reading all about these toilet woes.
MANUEEEELL !!!!
gawd, I wish I wasn't reading these in reverse (apologize for my reply to your next message, unless this improved - but I love that picture in the next post)
Tom,
Interesting adventure you are having in California, now that I am in Kona! We have switched places in a weird sort of way...
You were good to keep your sense of humor, otherwise you would make a bad situation even worse. I would start taking it easy on those toilets...I don't know what you are doing to break them...
When you get back to BI, let me know and we will have to make plans to have tea together and you can meet my bride.
Aloha
Terry
It was a shame about the toilets, balcony and the stff, because other than that it wasn't a bad hotel at all! Unfortunately there aren't too many other options in Carpinteria so I half suspect I'll be there again one day...
Tom
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