EkTun resort ripped me off!!
Dec 2nd, 2008, 10:14 AM
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EkTun resort ripped me off!!
I’d like to say that my wife and I had a wonderful time at EkTun on our 25th anniversary trip to Belize but we where never picked up by Phyllis the owner on the designated date and time, 12 noon in the town of SanIgnacio in front of Eva’s restaurant. By the way, the bar across from Eva’s, Fire Water is a most unsavory place and is known across Belize as one of the toughest places in the area. It’s a place where loser and drugged out expats hang out and score drugs.
I am accustomed to having the resort we are leaving from call the resort we are going too; to make sure they are ready for our stay. When I arrived at Eva’s I received a call from Phyllis who received a call from the resort we where coming from and said that she screwed up and messed up the date we where supposed to be picked up, and couldn’t pick us up right now because she was cleaning out her fish tank. She claimed that her computer was broke and she lost her calendar in the process. Obviously she thinks more of her fish than guests. She suggested that we take a tour of some kind and call her to be picked up when it was done. I told her that if I did take a tour I would call her, but if I didn’t call her that she should pick us up at 3:30pm. There are tours around but we where traveling with expensive scuba equipment and carrying literally about 100 pounds of luggage on a humid 95 degree day. As lovely as the people of Belize are, I’m sure our things would have been riffled through while I was on a tour. So we decided against it.
My wife and I wasted most of the afternoon at the polluted river running through town being offered drugs, and made our way back to Eva’s at 3:15pm. We kept waiting and waiting for her to show up. We tried calling her multiple times with no answer. We waited over an hour and my confidence in being picked up was waning with each tick of my watch. The sun started to go down and my wife and I decided to make alternate plans and go to another resort.
The people at Eva’s where very nice and even let us use there personal cell phones to call EkTun and make alternate plans at another resort. Consequently, we told them which resort we where going to, and that if Phyllis showed up to tell her where we where and could contact us there. Of course Phyllis did not contact us, and I had to finally call her. She did not pick up the phone and I left her a voice message stating that I was disappointed that she was not waiting to pick us up at Eva’s, and that I expected her to refund the $585.00 deposit that we had sent her via a check several months before.
She emailed me back saying that it was good that we didn’t come because the toilets in the cabins where broke and termites had infested a door, and that we where probably unfit to experience such hardships and that the deposit was hers. Well it pretty much escalated from there with me trying to get my $585.00 deposit back or have her donate the proceeds to the Octavian old peoples home in San Ignacio, and her blaming the whole thing on my wife and I because we didn’t go on a tour and give her more time to get her place ready. Her logic is unbelievable!
You can imagine that the whole incident upset my wife and I, while wasting time to find the correct Belizean agency to mediate our case. Even though we went all the way to the top of the hospitality minister of Belize we couldn’t get our money liberated from the claws of Phyllis. In fact the minister who seemed to be a very nice man said he personally made calls to Phyllis and was in some heated conversations with her. He ended up suggesting that I take legal action against her.
Her utter lack of concern of us, and the fact that she didn’t pick us up at 12:00 noon or 3:30, and didn’t have the decency to call us to apologize or bend backwards to make it right makes me feel that she simply wanted to take our cash with out giving us the service we contracted her for. Not a feel good.
I am accustomed to having the resort we are leaving from call the resort we are going too; to make sure they are ready for our stay. When I arrived at Eva’s I received a call from Phyllis who received a call from the resort we where coming from and said that she screwed up and messed up the date we where supposed to be picked up, and couldn’t pick us up right now because she was cleaning out her fish tank. She claimed that her computer was broke and she lost her calendar in the process. Obviously she thinks more of her fish than guests. She suggested that we take a tour of some kind and call her to be picked up when it was done. I told her that if I did take a tour I would call her, but if I didn’t call her that she should pick us up at 3:30pm. There are tours around but we where traveling with expensive scuba equipment and carrying literally about 100 pounds of luggage on a humid 95 degree day. As lovely as the people of Belize are, I’m sure our things would have been riffled through while I was on a tour. So we decided against it.
My wife and I wasted most of the afternoon at the polluted river running through town being offered drugs, and made our way back to Eva’s at 3:15pm. We kept waiting and waiting for her to show up. We tried calling her multiple times with no answer. We waited over an hour and my confidence in being picked up was waning with each tick of my watch. The sun started to go down and my wife and I decided to make alternate plans and go to another resort.
The people at Eva’s where very nice and even let us use there personal cell phones to call EkTun and make alternate plans at another resort. Consequently, we told them which resort we where going to, and that if Phyllis showed up to tell her where we where and could contact us there. Of course Phyllis did not contact us, and I had to finally call her. She did not pick up the phone and I left her a voice message stating that I was disappointed that she was not waiting to pick us up at Eva’s, and that I expected her to refund the $585.00 deposit that we had sent her via a check several months before.
She emailed me back saying that it was good that we didn’t come because the toilets in the cabins where broke and termites had infested a door, and that we where probably unfit to experience such hardships and that the deposit was hers. Well it pretty much escalated from there with me trying to get my $585.00 deposit back or have her donate the proceeds to the Octavian old peoples home in San Ignacio, and her blaming the whole thing on my wife and I because we didn’t go on a tour and give her more time to get her place ready. Her logic is unbelievable!
You can imagine that the whole incident upset my wife and I, while wasting time to find the correct Belizean agency to mediate our case. Even though we went all the way to the top of the hospitality minister of Belize we couldn’t get our money liberated from the claws of Phyllis. In fact the minister who seemed to be a very nice man said he personally made calls to Phyllis and was in some heated conversations with her. He ended up suggesting that I take legal action against her.
Her utter lack of concern of us, and the fact that she didn’t pick us up at 12:00 noon or 3:30, and didn’t have the decency to call us to apologize or bend backwards to make it right makes me feel that she simply wanted to take our cash with out giving us the service we contracted her for. Not a feel good.
Dec 3rd, 2008, 02:14 PM
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Sorry for your negative experience
Would be interesting to hear Phyllis's side of the story.
FYI all deposits are NOT refundable if you elect not to stay.
Your review VERY different from
www.tripadvisor.com
“Unbelievable beauty coupled with genuine hospitality”
Ek' Tun
Save Review
5 of 5 stars
A TripAdvisor Member
6/6 found this review helpful
My husnband and I just got back from a most memorable honeymoon at EkTun in the Cayo District in Belize. If you love the outdoors and have an appreciation for nature, while staying in comfortable surroundings, make your plans to go to Ek Tun NOW. My 8-5pm work requires me to travel extensively. I also have done much recreation travel and thought I'd seen it all. Not so. Little did I know what a treat awaited my husband and I at Ek Tun.
While in this part of Belize in one day, we saw 3 Tucans, 4 tree frogs, various 2.5 inch long insects(harmless) a howler monkey, numerous hummingbirds, bats, numerous birds and fauna and on and on. The 250 acre grounds that make up EkTun are staggeringly beautiful. I truely thought I'd died and gone to heaven!! Phyllis, our host, has gone to great lengths to beautify her property, without disturbing the natural integrity of the rainforest.
Ek Tun is not easy to reach, however once there you won't want to ever leave. Phyllis is a superb cook and hortoculturist and genuinely cares about her guests. She goes above and beyond to accomodate every request. The two cabana's are lovely and very clean and can accomodate up to 5 people. Each morning coffee/tea were brought to our doorstep to help us begin our day. One day we went kayaking down the Macaw River, (right outside our cabana) another day we went tubing. The rainforest is accessable right outside your cabana. There are several trails that take you through pristine territory. A real must. A beautiful mineral pool has been recently added that my husband and I had a difficult time leaving. A waterfall and lovely landscaping surround this natural pool. Words don't' do justice to this property !! you gotta see it to believe it.
All said, EkTun is not for everybody. If you are the type of traveler that needs a blow dryer and cushy accomodations with little adventure, this is not for you. If you prefer the Hilton over a B&B this isn't for you. If you like adventure mixed with terrific food, (borderline gourmet) and staggering natural beauty with a most hospitible host this place is a MUST.
To get away from it ALL with lovely accomodations stay at Ek Tun. I know that my husband Keith and I will return again soon.
Would be interesting to hear Phyllis's side of the story.
FYI all deposits are NOT refundable if you elect not to stay.
Your review VERY different from
www.tripadvisor.com
“Unbelievable beauty coupled with genuine hospitality”
Ek' Tun
Save Review
5 of 5 stars
A TripAdvisor Member
6/6 found this review helpful
My husnband and I just got back from a most memorable honeymoon at EkTun in the Cayo District in Belize. If you love the outdoors and have an appreciation for nature, while staying in comfortable surroundings, make your plans to go to Ek Tun NOW. My 8-5pm work requires me to travel extensively. I also have done much recreation travel and thought I'd seen it all. Not so. Little did I know what a treat awaited my husband and I at Ek Tun.
While in this part of Belize in one day, we saw 3 Tucans, 4 tree frogs, various 2.5 inch long insects(harmless) a howler monkey, numerous hummingbirds, bats, numerous birds and fauna and on and on. The 250 acre grounds that make up EkTun are staggeringly beautiful. I truely thought I'd died and gone to heaven!! Phyllis, our host, has gone to great lengths to beautify her property, without disturbing the natural integrity of the rainforest.
Ek Tun is not easy to reach, however once there you won't want to ever leave. Phyllis is a superb cook and hortoculturist and genuinely cares about her guests. She goes above and beyond to accomodate every request. The two cabana's are lovely and very clean and can accomodate up to 5 people. Each morning coffee/tea were brought to our doorstep to help us begin our day. One day we went kayaking down the Macaw River, (right outside our cabana) another day we went tubing. The rainforest is accessable right outside your cabana. There are several trails that take you through pristine territory. A real must. A beautiful mineral pool has been recently added that my husband and I had a difficult time leaving. A waterfall and lovely landscaping surround this natural pool. Words don't' do justice to this property !! you gotta see it to believe it.
All said, EkTun is not for everybody. If you are the type of traveler that needs a blow dryer and cushy accomodations with little adventure, this is not for you. If you prefer the Hilton over a B&B this isn't for you. If you like adventure mixed with terrific food, (borderline gourmet) and staggering natural beauty with a most hospitible host this place is a MUST.
To get away from it ALL with lovely accomodations stay at Ek Tun. I know that my husband Keith and I will return again soon.
Dec 4th, 2008, 10:59 AM
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Quoting a single favorable Tripadvisor review to counter this poster's comments does not seem at all helpful, esp. if it was not yours.
However, it could be pointed out that a taxi ride to wherever Phyllis was (what was the name of the place? EkTun or not EkTun?) could have saved a lot of trouble. BTW, how can you have a "wonderful time" at a resort (EkTun?)after cancelling the whole thing? confused...
However, it could be pointed out that a taxi ride to wherever Phyllis was (what was the name of the place? EkTun or not EkTun?) could have saved a lot of trouble. BTW, how can you have a "wonderful time" at a resort (EkTun?)after cancelling the whole thing? confused...
Dec 4th, 2008, 11:27 AM
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I've never been to Belize, but I believe I know my way around the forums.
Ek' Tun has pretty good reviews on TA, with only maybe a couple of exceptions. The same goes for owner Phyllis Lane.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Cayo.html#MIDC
If the OP had a longer forum track record, his negative opinion would carry more weight.
To sylvia3, I wish to point out that the OP says: "I’d like to say that my wife and I had a wonderful time at EkTun.... but....."
Ek' Tun has pretty good reviews on TA, with only maybe a couple of exceptions. The same goes for owner Phyllis Lane.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Cayo.html#MIDC
If the OP had a longer forum track record, his negative opinion would carry more weight.
To sylvia3, I wish to point out that the OP says: "I’d like to say that my wife and I had a wonderful time at EkTun.... but....."
Dec 4th, 2008, 11:51 AM
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You can't take a taxi to Ek Tun as it is very remote and you must be picked up by someone at the resort take ride throught the jungle and then boated across the river to the resort. Otherwise, I would have taken it upon myself to get there myself.
To qwovadis, I agree that if I would have canceled the trip I'm stuck losing the deposit. But I didn't cancel. Phyllis canceled on my wife and I, and didn't pick us up at the contracted time, not just once but twice. I'm a very patient person and easy going, but when it happens twice in a row it's time to make other plans. It's a total lack of respect to be left not just once but twice in the same day.
The ironic thing about the whole situation was that Phyllis emailed me a week before we left on our trip to Belize and asked me if we could purchase a tropical fish net and bring it down for her. Which we did. We actually brought down two to give her. One of each size. Ultimately she didn't pick us up right away after her calendar flub because she was cleaning her fish tank! She must really really love her fish. She had an hour of time to get in her vehicle after getting a call from the previous resort to pick us up and noon. I guess she just didn't feel like it, and I'm hoding two really expensive tropical fishing nets.
To qwovadis, I agree that if I would have canceled the trip I'm stuck losing the deposit. But I didn't cancel. Phyllis canceled on my wife and I, and didn't pick us up at the contracted time, not just once but twice. I'm a very patient person and easy going, but when it happens twice in a row it's time to make other plans. It's a total lack of respect to be left not just once but twice in the same day.
The ironic thing about the whole situation was that Phyllis emailed me a week before we left on our trip to Belize and asked me if we could purchase a tropical fish net and bring it down for her. Which we did. We actually brought down two to give her. One of each size. Ultimately she didn't pick us up right away after her calendar flub because she was cleaning her fish tank! She must really really love her fish. She had an hour of time to get in her vehicle after getting a call from the previous resort to pick us up and noon. I guess she just didn't feel like it, and I'm hoding two really expensive tropical fishing nets.
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