Seagate Hotel — Hotel in Isla de Vieques

Before I start my review, I just want to say that maybe this business owner was having a bad day or a bad morning because I have read prior reviews and there are a lot of great reviews and experiences, that’s why we chose this hotel… (I wish I had video recorded this whole situation because it truly was unbelievably horrible) However, we didn’t get to experience that. This is our second time visiting vieques and we love this island. So here is my experience with Seagate hotel. My husband and I arrived early and lucky us we found a driver to take us to get coffee and empanadas…according to our driver who claimed he knew penny personally and that she wouldn’t mind if we stopped in a bit early to see if we can check in, we decided to go along and go to the hotel…what’s the worst that can happen right? It was 6:30am. We were greeted by a very angry lady, cussing us out and telling us that me my husband and the driver don’t run her business and that she had messaged us that we could not check in yet. Mind you there was a hurricane and our cel phones were going in and out of signal plus we were on a ferry as well. So we didn’t see any messages from her until later. She then got in my face and that’s when I told my husband let’s just leave because even after all the yelling he was willing to stay there still. He thought she was just being sarcastic and joking but I knew by her crazy eyes and angry look that she wasn’t. Lol I told her it wasn’t a problem for us to leave and come back when her normal check in was and she continued to yell and say mean sarcastic things. She then kicked us out and told us not to come back. She was yelling so much that the driver even left! Lol I can’t make this up yall it was crazy! I have never been treated more rudely in my life. Do not stay here there’s something wrong with the lady that we met that day.( she had blonde curly hair and was wearing a black dress, KELLY I think was her name. But from reading reviews on TripAdvisor it could have been Penny. Regardless, the text messages were from Kelly…since we didn’t get a proper introduction I cant be sure which one it was lol)

I think she has mental issues because she was SO UNNECESSARILY ANGRY. We paid a $52 deposit, that was not refundable. Hope she can use that money to buy herself some manners. We ended up staying at waterside inn where they were way more accommodating and the manager allowed us to check in early with no problems and was very sweet and kind. My husband and I are business owners as well, we own a sports bar in North Carolina and we would NEVER talk to our patrons or customers the way Kelly did. It was so unprofessional and degrading. Oh and here’s the kicker, the driver left, so we had to walk all the way back to the ferry with all of our belongings until the rental car company picked us up at 7am. Thank god for Vieques UTV rental. They were on time and very proffessional. 😊 We got our rental car and continued our vacation and had a great time. I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t warn others about this place and share my horrible experience because I don’t want anyone to go through what we did. Stay away!

Also TripAdvisor has some negative reviews with similar situations and treatment that we got. I didn’t see them until I looked for negative reviews because I couldn’t believe someone can be so rude.

What’s even worse is that the responses to the negative reviews are very condescending and take no accountability for the rude and disrespectful treatment they display to guests. SMH....

Picture this. You have your Vieques trip all planned. Ferry tickets, bio bay tour that is picking you up and dropping you off from downtown. You booked a cool looking room with a view. I didn’t reserve a car because we didn’t need one for our one night stay. That was the plan. Until I got to the Sea Gate “hotel.” ||||I’ve travelled all over the world and I have never experienced anything as frustrating as this shi# show of a "hotel" before. Booked here against my better judgement but the "Captain's Quarters" suite looked cool on the website. Run down and about twice the price of other options but it’s only one night and this room has a great view. Even though it's not in the downtown area, and up a hill, with no bars or dining nearby, I was thinking the view would be worth it. We were only going to Vieques for one night to go to see the bioluminescence (with Black Beard Tours, which was amazing). ||||The first indication that things were not as they seemed was when I got a text message from a New Jersey number the day before our arrival asking what time my ferry was leaving Ceiba. No mention of any problem with the room. I answer with our arrival time and get another text asking if I have a vehicle or will call a taxi. I reply saying I might walk. There were no more texts. ||||We arrive on the ferry, make the 15-ish minute trek up the hill and there is no one in the office. So I call the phone number on the door. No answer. I call the second phone number on the door and get an answer from someone saying they are not on the island and I should call the first number. I explain that I did call but there was no answer. She says I should try and call again in a few minutes. Mind you its hot and this place is infested with mosquitos and the sign on the office says to stay out. So I call the first number again and this time I get an answer from someone in a snarky tone saying she was checking in another guest. I say OK, you knew what time I was arriving and there is no one in the office. She says she’ll be there soon. I wait about 5 minutes and she finally shows up with the other guy. There is talk of him needing to change rooms in the morning and some refund that was improperly processed. Not positive signs.||||When she finished with him she took us to the room. She walked us outside the gate, which seemed strange since the room I booked was clearly visible in the other direction. When we get to the room I say this is not the room I booked. She says that room is no longer available. I say why didn’t you say anything about that before now? She says this room is an upgrade. I say this is not an upgrade, there is no view, there is no king bed, this is nothing at all like what I booked and paid for a couple months ago. I dropped a few f-bombs. She says if I’m going to curse at her then I needed to get out and she will refund the money. I said fine. There were a few more f-bombs. || ||So there we were, in Vieques, with no room, no car and only a few hours before we were meeting for our bio bay tour. ||||Sound like fun? If so, go ahead and book with them. If not, run as far away from them as you can get.||||The owner mentioned that she inherited the place. That could explain the prior good reviews. The original owners likely knew what they were doing. Not so much today. Also, it’s worth noting that the only mosquitos we encountered on the entire trip were while we were waiting outside the office. They...

Pros: -Beautiful hotel complex -Nicely decorated rooms -Patio area to hang out outside or wash off your feet when you return from the beach -Basic good breakfast (coffee, juice, milk, cereal, bagels, pastry, fruits, etc.) -Microwave in the room, along with utensils and dishes -Flexible check-in/check-out -Host gives good local tips about places to explore

Cons: -Up a big hill, which I would not recommend for golf carts. Rent an ATV or a Jeep if you can; the golf carts really don't do well on the inclines and numerous potholes of Puerto Rican roads. -The cleaning staff will go in your room whether you want it or not, even if you're just a person who simply wants privacy. There are no "do not disturb signs" to hang on the door, and it is the hotel's policy—or maybe the health code?—that the cleaning staff must go in your room, so I would recommend not leaving out anything embarrassing that you wouldn't want a stranger to see, like lingerie, underwear, etc. The host explained that ants will come if the trash is not taken out, which I understand, but what if there is something I do not want others to see? It would be great if the host could let people know in advance that cleaning staff must come in, and/or ask the guests to dispose of the trash daily in a larger outdoor receptacle. -If you are from the mainland and really care about having a toilet into which you can put toilet paper, this is not the place for you. However, you will likely find the same situation at other places you stay at (where you must put toilet paper in the waste basket) in Puerto Rico, as many buildings have older plumbing and simply can't handle toilet paper. This is not a complaint, but rather a heads-up for people who are unaccustomed to such a situation. I suggest that the host hang a sign in the bathroom to remind guests who are not...