We finally were on the road to our Estancia, La Maipu. Argentina is famous for its’ ranches (estancias), and we were so stoked to stay in the same place for two nights, and to experience a working ranch. We were excited to go horseback riding again, to possibly shear some sheep, and to hike around the gorgeous terrain. So stoked that we made the effort to drive down a desolate road along 3 lakes, 70+ miles each way, to go to this particular Estancia.
On the internet it seemed like a great deal. Some of the all-inclusive Estanicas we really wanted to go to (like Helsingfors- $440/night) were priced steeply, whereas Maipu presented at only $140/night… But shortly after we got there, we realized we were gravely mistaken. We were shocked to learn that dinner (which was not included) turned out to be $25/person. Not the world’s biggest deal, but unfortunate considering that there was nowhere else to eat, and all they took was cash (a hot commodity considering the closest ATM was 4 hours away!) and it was frustrating that we were uninformed of the discrepancy. We then quickly learned that the activities were also not included in the price we’d pre-paid to be there. Horseback rides were going to be $50, no matter whether they were for 1 or 8 hours, etc.
Because we hadn’t seen this coming and were low on cash (from buying gas, and El Chalten) we took a while deliberating what to do. It was then that the hostess realized she was not going to be making much money from us and got disdainful toward us. In Spanish, she made rude remarks that implied we were wasting her time. Considering that we four were half of her guests, I was shocked by how off-putting she was.
It got worse. That evening, the Flory’s counted over 50 (cinquenta!!) bugs they killed in their room, no, in their BEDS; needless to say, their sleep was a little rough. I am sorry, but that is just unacceptable when we are paying $140/night. The next morning, when I tried to tell the hostess about that problem, she brushed it off, saying that bugs are normal (en serio?!). Unbelievable.
Being too disgusted to continue engaging that conversation, I switched the subject to ask what was included in breakfast. The night before we’d discovered the outrageous price of tea during dinner (6 US Dollars per bag!), but the tea was now on the table with other breakfast items that were free. So I asked simply if tea was included with breakfast, or if it still was $6?
This apparently put Ms. Maipu over the edge, because she then began berating me in Spanish. As I’ve said, my 15 years studying the language hasn’t brought me close to fluent, but I know enough to pick out phrases like: I’m not trying to rob you, I don’t care about 6 dollars more or 6 dollars less, if you guys don’t want to follow my rules, go stay somewhere else, I’ve been doing this for 7 years and have never had any problems with any guests until you…
Right. Didn’t see that coming. And the funny part was she never answered my question, so I responded to her tirade with, “…so, is the tea included with breakfast or not?” When the Flory’s joined us, she said it would be better for her and better for us if we left that morning. Intense. And just for good measure, she yelled at Joel for putting their nasty, beetle-ridden blankets on the ground in their room.
She was super sketchy, and the least hospitable person we’d ever met. She lied to a couple who left before us, saying the estancia had no gas, and their generator was out. Promptly after they left, the lights ‘curiously’ came back on… Joel wrote the Estancia booking company saying that in the 35 countries he’s been to so far, he’s never had this poor of service. Ah, the power of the internet. We’ll make sure anyone we can reach knows not to stay here. Compliments go far, but complaints go farther, and when your business is hospitality, being hospitable, I would argue, is a key component of one’s job.
