To whom it may concern-
Please post the following warning on your travel
website.

To all travellers/backpackers

A warning about the PENSION OTOYA in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Have just been experienceing a backpacker's worst
nightmare at the hands of the Pension Otoya. My first night there, the owner told me that if I wanted to store some of my gear at the hotel while I travel, it would be perfectly safe and he indicated a locked storage room. I took him up on this offer (as I have at various other hotels/hostels in the past) and stored my belongings in this room while I went to a
national park. Upon my return 3 days later, I found that my belongings had been stolen. There are only two possibilities explaining this theft: either someone on staff allowed another traveller in that room who then took my belongings OR someone on staff was the thief. Either way, the hotel is completely at
fault and should take responsibility. The only
compensation I received was $50 - my possessions and lost cash total over $800! Less than a week after the discovery of the theft, my new credit card (unfortunatley, my credit card was also taken) was delivered, by courier, to the hotel. Apparently, someone on staff here informed the courier that I was out of the country (I was in San Jose the entire time). It was three more days before I discovered this was the reason my card had not arrived. When I approached the hotel owner about this, he immediately became hostile and threatened to kick me out of the
hotel.
So, not only is the hotel responsible for the theft of my belongings, the ruination of my vacation (a total of 10 days wasted), as well as emotional distress, now the hotel owner (doing his utmost to avoid the responsibility any decent and morally upright person would undertake), would like to kick me out and sweep this whole affair under the rug. As the victim, I should not have to suffer financially for what is so
blatantly the fault of this hotel.

Additionally, when the tourist board approached the hostal owner to investigate the matter, the owner outright lied to the investigator claiming that he had never had my possessions stored in his hostal! Once again proving how morally corrupt he apparently is.

So I repeat, DO NOT stay at the Pension Otoya, you
will regret it! The owner, seemingly nice, has proven himself to be without decency, morality, or shame.

Mark

Pension Otoya

Really sorry to her of your experience. Costa rica is generally a safe country with many friendly people, but there are crooks and thugs in every culture.

Anyone thinking of going to Costa Rica, my advice would be to miss out San Jose completely - it's not got much to recomend it, really, and the remainder of the country is a delight. If you need somewhere to stay near(ish) to the airport, try the Orosi Lodge, in Orosi Village. Depending on the time of day and traffic it's up to an hour away so not dead convenient for the airport, but it's in one of the most pleasant villages in the Valle Central and the owners ar extremely helpful and friendly. Breakfast is good too. There's a website which is easy to find.

We will definitely stay there next time we visit CR.

Thank you for taking the time to put your warning on the web. I will heed it! hoshin

Here is another warning. When taking a bus from San Jose to Monteverde, there will be locals boarding the bus. That is normal, but there might be thugs boarding the bus too.

We took the bus to Monteverde, and between San Jose and San Ramon, some of these thieves boarded the bus. One of them stopped by my row and insisted on sitting beside me where my friend's bag was. He helped to stow the bag up in the overhead luggage compartment. Something felt strange so I kept my eyes on the bag -- a strap dangles down from the luggage compartment. When the bus was coming to a stop at a bus stop near San Ramon, my friend decided to lock up his bag with over $1000 worth of personal belongings. At the same time, the guy sitting beside me dropped his keys to the floor. As I looked down and gave him space to retrieve his keys, his fellow accomplices pulled my friend's bag in the overhead luggage compartment toward the back of the bus and walked off the bus with it. There were three of them according to eye witnesses on the bus.

I sensed the guy beside me was a little nervous and got more nervous before the whole incident happened.

The guy that sat beside me looked a bit like Guillermo (of Jimmy Kimmel Live) -- dark complexion with a moustache ... a little bigger head than Guillermo's. http://thumbnails.truveo.com/0004/D2/A8/D2A87036D86024AE6C0C7E.jpg

If you ever take a bus from San Jose to Monteverde, keep your bags on your body or lock it up.

Hey TravelX,

Thanks to inform us about thugs.
We will remember this and be careful from stay away from tugs.



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