Sapphire Beach Resort has COCKROACHES.

Old Jul 26th, 2007, 03:03 PM
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Sapphire Beach Resort has COCKROACHES.

If anyone is thinking of going to STT and staying at the Sapphire Beach Resort, I will HIGHLY advise you to think twice. They have COCKROACHES all over the condo we rented. It was in Building E. VERY BAD. The owner is not refunding us any money. We left the condo after talking w/him & he said he will refund us the money, but now, he's going back on his word.


Don't stay at the Sapphire Beach Resort. They also have other problems with their finances & the place is not being kept up.

Just a word of advice if you want to take it.

GOOD LUCK on your TRAVELS.

RT.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 03:57 AM
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One or two? I think seeing the odd insect comes part and parcel with staying in the Caribbean- doesn't it?

I saw one cockroach at a lovely resort we stayed in in Cuba. It was icky to see, but it didn't make me wanna pack my bags and ask for a refund.

Dunno- I just *expect* that you're going to see an insect or two when vacationing in a warm climate. How many were there exactly?

Bloom
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 05:43 AM
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I'm curious--are we talking a true infestation? Because seeing some cockroaches in even the swankiest of places is common in the tropics. Hell, just about any humid, warm weather place, not just the tropics.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 05:49 AM
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I agree that seeing bugs in the Tropics is just as normal as the tide. But reports of Sapphire Resort being "run down" is nothing new. I've seen this same complaint several times in the last couple years.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 06:43 AM
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A first time poster as well. There are 'bugs' in the tropics. Again, this place has been panned on here a number of times. Perhaps she should have visited before rather than after. I'm wondering how many we are talking about also... ??
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 07:12 AM
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I've read the reviews & comments from many web forums before deciding to rent at Sapphire Beach Resort. Yes, I know & understand that seeing one or two is pretty common in tropic weather. I have lived on other islands in my lifetime & I know.

There wasn't just one or two, & we killed them as many as we could, but they kept crawling out through out the night. We found them in the couch where we sat watching TV, in the droors, near the bed, in the bathroom.

I'm not one to dismiss a place because of ONE or TWO cockroaches. I've traveled to the Carribean for quite a bit, so I've seen my share of cockroaches. I know what one or two or even 5 is "common", but do you really think that one or two won't come with 100's or 1000's? They lay 800 eggs per adult. We not only saw adult cockroaches, but the newly hatched ones as well.

I don't think I want to stay in a place knowing that they are crawling out throughout the night. Even killing at least 20, after that, we just got sick of killing them. They were still more coming out. We slept w/the lights on & the TV on all night hoping they hear the noise & see the light & stay away, but nooooo. You get the point.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 07:21 AM
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SAnParis,

Why is it that because I'm a first time poster constitute my opinion as not valid?

Do I have to be a long time poster for my opinions to matter?

Are these forums not put here so travelers like you & I can post our experiences & give advice?

If you don't want to take my advice, than that's your prerogative, but don't undermine my opinion & what I experienced.

Thank you.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 07:46 AM
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I inquired about the number of cockroaches you saw because you mentioned in another Sapphire Resort thread that the owner said it was just a question of ‘one or two’. Then you wrote “Even one or two is enough for anyone to pick up their bags and leave.” That’s the part I disagreed on. If you’re saying that there were several, that’s a different story.

Sorry you had a bad vacation.

Bloom
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 08:23 AM
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SAnParis articulated what many of us were thinking. We regular posters have learned to be skeptical of first time posters who post effectively just to bash a place. While the complaints may be authentic, it raises alarm bells for many of us. I am sorry that you had a bad experience. I hate cockroaches too, especially the really big ones!
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 01:22 PM
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Thx iamq - a little more detail may have helped to prevent the validity of your post. Frequent traveler to the Carib, many roaches, you get the idea. Lots of folks come on here one time to pan a place, or advertise it. We prefer to have neither, unless it is legit of course. Welcome to Fodors.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 01:22 PM
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& lose the caps... please.
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 02:42 PM
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RT,So sorry you had such a bad experience at the Sapphire Beach Resort.
I can totally relate to your experience.
When we stayed at a hotel in Papeete,Tahiti we were just in the room a half an hour and big coakroaches started coming out from behind the bedboards!!And the lights were on!!
Needless to say we grabbed all our stuff and let the front desk know and left.
They did not charge us for the night.
And your hotel should not have charged you either.
We get a good laugh about it now but at the time it was not a good experience.
Please do other travelers a favor and post you review on TripAdvisor.com
Debbie
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 02:59 PM
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When you put the number of cockroaches and refund in the same sentence, I'm a little wary. I understand that it was probably more than one or two....but does the number affect the refund ?

Maybe the owner would have been willing to get people in to spray (or whatever they do for cockroaches) while you spent the day at the beach or exploring the island.

It seems like you were disappointed in the resort and maybe should have just moved on without expecting a refund.

We all travel and read in advance, but sometimes it isn't what we thought it would be.

Accept personal responsibility and move on. But to bash a property (all in caps !) seems unfair to me.

Marion
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Old Jul 27th, 2007, 05:02 PM
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Problem: not enough lizards in the room.
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 12:19 AM
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MarionCK,

Quote: “When you put the number of cockroaches and refund in the same sentence, I'm a little wary. I understand that it was probably more than one or two.... but does the number affect the refund?” --- What do you mean? We were willing to pay for our one night stay & even offered that on the table to him. Although if he was considerate of the situation, he shouldn’t have us pay for it at all. He even told us he had the exterminator in there a week before we occupied the condo AFTER we told him of the problem. Obviously, the problem is still there.

If you really read my post, I did not write everything in CAPS. Just to emphasize the word sometimes. As you mentioned, people do research before they leave, as did I. That was why we wanted to stay at the Sapphire. We wanted to have a kitchen available so we can do some home cooking on our vacation, as we sometimes do on our travels. I know for a fact that I was not at all dissatisfied with the Sapphire Resort. Au contraire, we were very happy as we drove down the hill towards the beach & condo. We were ready to have a wonderful vacation. We settled into our room & my husband & son hit the beach right away. I on the other hand, just settled into the room & relaxed from a long day’s journey. I had no thought of even wanting to move.

That all changed when evening approached. We got back from dinner, watched a little TV & before you know it, they started to come out. We were actually sitting on the couch watching TV & one of them crawled on the armrest. OK, big deal, one cockroach, we killed that one. Still watching TV & more started to crawl out, from under the couch, & the couch adjacent to the one we were sitting on. How the heck do they all come out now??? Where were they before? We couldn’t figure it out. They just kept coming out throughout the night. We walked into the bathroom, turned the light on & I see some scurry away. My goodness, not only are they in the living area, but the bathroom as well. We found some as well scurrying away when we opened one of the kitchen drawers trying to get a pan to boil water to make milk for my son. It’s all over the condo, not just the living area.

I know a pest problem when I see one. I’ve been in the food industry for a good part of my life & I’ve seen this kind of problem before.

You mentioned having people come in & pray the roaches. Well, I don’t want to have an exterminator come in & fumigate the place while we are staying there. That’s not our idea of a vacation. I don’t want my clothes to smell of chemicals or anything like that. Even if they spray, it’s not a safe place to have young children around & I sure do not want my son near that stuff. I’m sure people with children understand my stand.

This was not a bashing, but it was a warning to other travelers. I wish someone had posted info like this. I wouldn’t want others to experience what we had to experience. Do you think it’s fun for me to stay up throughout the night making sure nothing was crawling on my sleeping son?

I do my research well in advance & I plan my trips months before we go. I assure you, we were not expecting cockroaches as part of our accommodations, and it has nothing to do with being disappointed in the condo, but because of the cockroaches.

The person who should “Accept personal responsibility” is the owner & should refund us for the nights we did not use his condo.


It’s pretty fair what I’m asking.


Cdt,

BTW, I don’t mind lizards they are not like cockroaches that infest by the thousands, millions. If left unchecked a cockroach infestation can rapidly expand its numbers in a few weeks or months to become major risk to health & safety.


RT
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 04:32 AM
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I am a little puzzled about why we are giving RaspberryT such a bad time. We stayed next door to Sapphire Beach Resort (Crystal Cove) a couple of years ago. Just seeing it from the outside convinced me to never stay there. We talked to some of the guests that were not happy then. Plus, it was almost empty.

I for one am glad to see a post like this. Even if we question the number of cockroaches, it would certainly alert me to question the conditions at Sapphire. I normally spend hours researching and reading between the lines of reviews. I have still made some poor choices. Owa
 
Old Jul 28th, 2007, 05:51 AM
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I for one, believe Raspberry's descriptions, but I don't think it's necessarily an indictment of Sapphire Beach resort. No resort no matter how posh in the tropics can be devoid of cockroaches, Palmetto bugs, etc. and any place can have a really bad spell. One apartment may be horrid and the one next door could be fine. For whatever reason, if there's a nest, you're going to see plenty. I had a rental situation (rented directly from the owner) where the owner promised to return my security deposit when his local agent verified that we left the place spotless. The owner simply refused to return the security deposit anyways. After many reports/complaints of malfeasance, the man was getting fewer and fewer renters. No agency would work with him, so he finally sold his house at an enormous profit, and now decent people own and operate the property. If this condo owner values the rentability of his property, he should refund at least most of the money, or address the issue personally. Do you recall reports from a poster regarding a property in Bermuda? The rental agency countered with their side of the story and even if neither side was satisfied, it helped to give the public the full story. IMO, it is important to report bad experiences and responses of agents and owners. It broadens travelers' information base. BTW, the fact that you could kill them demonstrates that tropical cockroaches are relatively slow. The ones here up north are so speedy they can outrun any thrown shoe. Now that's what I call a bug problem.
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 05:53 AM
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I remember Sapphire Beach Resort as such a great, fun place back in the early 90's. It is sad to hear that things have deteriorated. Great beach, great location and a great eastern view of STJ & the BVI.
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Old Jul 28th, 2007, 06:13 AM
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CaribbeanSoul, you are absolutely correct about the location and beach. There was fairly good snorkeling if one made it out to the rocks. Owa
 
Old Jan 24th, 2010, 06:18 PM
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I am very sad to say that I hope I have seen this posting before I went to Sapphire Beach Resort for vacation. That place is full of bedbugs and I got points all over my arm, back, leg, chest...etc. We complained to frontdesk and showed them my bites and they just said they will deal with it. And all they did is to left a Raids infront of the room we stayed. It Sucks! The beg came back even after we spray the raids. I went home finally with all bites killing me to death. I will never never go back that place any more. May god bless people who plan to go.

Disappointed W
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