I recently went to publish a tripadvisor review of the place i stayed and worked in Carate, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, near the Corcovado rain forest, for about 6 weeks, After about 2 weeks of a pending status, my review was denied.
Dear TripAdvisor Member,
Thank you for your review. We have opted not to publish your review as it does not meet our guidelines for traveler reviews. We have listed the guidelines below
They went on to list their guidelines. a bunch of them. enlightening. for public interest, and for insight as to why i may have gone to live there and why i took off, my review, unedited, as i submitted it, is below. if my review were approved, i had plans to edit in a section comparing Terry, the part-owner, to the beauty and life-sucking Dementors from H. Potter. and that comparison makes a lot of sense.
the review -
The Tragic Tale of Terrible Terry
I did about 6 weeks of work for Terry in late 2011, giving me a more up close and personal idea of him, the lodge, the surroundings, et al. Like other travelers, I only gleamed a little bit about Osa and the Lookout Inn before I arrived. Unlike other travelers, my extended time in this area allowed me to meet and talk with locals - Tico's and ex-pat's - almost all of whom know full well why Terry is known far and wide on the Osa Penisula as Terrible Terry (TT). Now you, too, will know.
It's not so much how cheap TT is.
Yes, I saw him take bread off the dinner plates of 3 Tico workers, all of whom were still eating, place said bread in a zip lock with other bread, and then serve that bread to customers the following day.
And sure, he'd under purchase for supplies like paint, and when there wasn't enough paint left to complete a project, the project would be somewhat forgotten. Despite the fact that this was not only a supposed 4-5 star business, but also TT's home.
Nor was it the pool, which TT purposefully did not buy enough paint to complete, saying that, "...once there's water in it, the bottom will look blue." I doubt it. It will look ugly and dirty. See the "poor" review by sueosa titled "Disappointing," from 2 years ago, for a clearer idea of what the pool is like.
Nor was it TT's plans for the pool upkeep. Instead of putting an electric outlet near the pool and buying a pool cleaner, I was told the manner of cleaning the pool was to have someone suction the dirt out with a hose. I'd wager good money that TT himself does not clean the pool in this inhumane way, but rather he leaves that job for one of the underpaid and over-badgered Tico staff.
On that topic, the moniker of Terrible probably did not come exclusively from Ter's renowned poor treatment of his staff and wife. Nor was it from his jumbled emails full of incomplete sentences and thoughts, which may be very purposeful, allowing Terry to get away with committing to very little in writing.
Nor did TT get his name because many of the Trip Advisor reviews were likely created by him and the 2-5 other Stateside business partners of his. Read a few and note the inclusion of Katya's Magnificent Margarita in many reviews. I was the new bartender as soon as I became employed there. The bar lacked any margarita mix. That's merely one clear inconsistency between the 5 star positive reviews and the reality people receive there.
On the bar topic, I also cleaned it, when TT was on vacation, because it was filthy, and he would not have considered that real work while he was there. I cleaned all the bottles. All the glasses. And not just salt water filthy. Dead and live cockroach filthy. And 3 different termite pathways filthy. And bottles of liquor left uncapped and lots of dead bugs came to roost in there filthy. But I doubt that many of the people that call Terry Mr Terrible have ever had a drink at his bar, so I doubt that's the origin of his name.
Nor was it the shoestring budget this place was run on. See Wiebe_de_Witte's "terrible" review for some idea of that.
Wiebe was a guest when I was one of 3 ex-pat's TT left to run TT's business, when TT went on holiday for almost 1 month. TT being on holiday for so long is a main reason I was able to handle employment for Terry for such a long period of time.
Note - TT had known me for just over 2 weeks before he left. He knew the other ex-pat's left in charge for about 3 weeks. I kind of appreciated that TT just up and left his house/business in charge of near-complete strangers. Besides, he had the Terrible nickname for years prior, so decisions like that wouldn't likely be the origin of his most popular name.
Then, with minimal supplies, minimal fresh fruits and vegetables, while construction and sanding and painting were in full force, and while the rainy season hit its peak, TT left, and then subsequently booked lots of soon-to-be-disappointed-guests to stay. Many were double-booked by TT in the same room, for high season rates, with false promises.
One of the bookings were on their honeymoon and asked for chocolates. Terry would not approve the purchase of chocolate, and instead directed us staff to let the happy couple have a pack of reese's cups he'd left behind. It's sad.
Wiebe along with at least 2 other bookings left early. Part of the reason they left early was the promises: horseback riding, guided bird tours, mountain biking, not to mention the lack of promised amenities like: electricity, hot water, a full or even half full bar, and a safe place to walk around.
There is no horseback riding, despite the lookout's website very clearly and elegantly stating there is. This is a ploy to lure guests in. Please, feel free to ask TT specifically about them before you book.
There were no guided bird tours. I would know, as I was the off-season on-call guide, and I only began learning my birds when I touched down in Osa.
6 people came out there, spending good money, told there'd be great mountain biking. There wasn't and isn't and it's doubtful there ever will be mountain biking trails. So the mountain bikers hiked, and I hear a person or two almost slipped and died on the Stairway to Heaven steps.
Most all of the walkways on the Lookout Inn grounds and up the Stairway to Heaven are made of wood. This wood would have been put in many years ago. I scoured all of it before I left, as I had witnessed way too many people slipping and falling. The black color of this wood is not from paint, but from lack of maintenance. Usually the sediment was 3 or more millimeters thick. And it had seeped in the wood, making many of the boards and railings rotten and a real deathtrap. I can hear TT now, saying something like, "There's no money in maintenance and upkeep and safety."
Not directly TT, and that's part of your tragic tale - that you feel you need that direct correlation, specifically a direct monetary correlation, to do something right.
Nor do I think TT got his name because he's excused away as eccentric.
Nor does it seem logical that TT received his name because he owns an overall exceptional piece of property in a top 100 most beautiful place in the world.
I daresay TT received his name because he manages to single-handedly make a wonderfully beautiful place seem so ugly; because of his way, his presence, his rampant insecurity, his always hustle or make a markup on something attitude.
Right now, I see Terrible Terry's story as a tragedy. Because he knows all of the above, and still chooses the hustle. And he's probably been successful enough with that way to make a profit and not feel he needs to change a thing. As he pulls the wool over guest's eyes, I think he tries to pull it over his own, as well.
His wool did not reach my eyes, and thus I offer you this tale.
On my first day in Carate, I told TT I thought he had a nice thing going on at the Lookout Inn, and that I was looking to continue that, if not make it better. I believe I kept my word to TT with the work I put in there. I continue that promise by writing this review.
Perhaps after reading this, and being confronted by some questions and realities by his partners, guests, and potential guests, TT will want to make his business/house more like a home. Maybe then, his tale will go from a tragedy to something resembling a comedy. Even better, into a profoundly serene vision, much like Osa is.
I'm not banking on that ending, however, which is why I left Carate the day TT returned. Maybe after he leaves, the wildlife that he may or may not have left poison out for, as well as shot to death, despite his property being on a nature preserve, will return to his property.
Dear TripAdvisor Member,
Thank you for your review. We have opted not to publish your review as it does not meet our guidelines for traveler reviews. We have listed the guidelines below
They went on to list their guidelines. a bunch of them. enlightening. for public interest, and for insight as to why i may have gone to live there and why i took off, my review, unedited, as i submitted it, is below. if my review were approved, i had plans to edit in a section comparing Terry, the part-owner, to the beauty and life-sucking Dementors from H. Potter. and that comparison makes a lot of sense.
the review -
The Tragic Tale of Terrible Terry
I did about 6 weeks of work for Terry in late 2011, giving me a more up close and personal idea of him, the lodge, the surroundings, et al. Like other travelers, I only gleamed a little bit about Osa and the Lookout Inn before I arrived. Unlike other travelers, my extended time in this area allowed me to meet and talk with locals - Tico's and ex-pat's - almost all of whom know full well why Terry is known far and wide on the Osa Penisula as Terrible Terry (TT). Now you, too, will know.
It's not so much how cheap TT is.
Yes, I saw him take bread off the dinner plates of 3 Tico workers, all of whom were still eating, place said bread in a zip lock with other bread, and then serve that bread to customers the following day.
And sure, he'd under purchase for supplies like paint, and when there wasn't enough paint left to complete a project, the project would be somewhat forgotten. Despite the fact that this was not only a supposed 4-5 star business, but also TT's home.
Nor was it the pool, which TT purposefully did not buy enough paint to complete, saying that, "...once there's water in it, the bottom will look blue." I doubt it. It will look ugly and dirty. See the "poor" review by sueosa titled "Disappointing," from 2 years ago, for a clearer idea of what the pool is like.
Nor was it TT's plans for the pool upkeep. Instead of putting an electric outlet near the pool and buying a pool cleaner, I was told the manner of cleaning the pool was to have someone suction the dirt out with a hose. I'd wager good money that TT himself does not clean the pool in this inhumane way, but rather he leaves that job for one of the underpaid and over-badgered Tico staff.
On that topic, the moniker of Terrible probably did not come exclusively from Ter's renowned poor treatment of his staff and wife. Nor was it from his jumbled emails full of incomplete sentences and thoughts, which may be very purposeful, allowing Terry to get away with committing to very little in writing.
Nor did TT get his name because many of the Trip Advisor reviews were likely created by him and the 2-5 other Stateside business partners of his. Read a few and note the inclusion of Katya's Magnificent Margarita in many reviews. I was the new bartender as soon as I became employed there. The bar lacked any margarita mix. That's merely one clear inconsistency between the 5 star positive reviews and the reality people receive there.
On the bar topic, I also cleaned it, when TT was on vacation, because it was filthy, and he would not have considered that real work while he was there. I cleaned all the bottles. All the glasses. And not just salt water filthy. Dead and live cockroach filthy. And 3 different termite pathways filthy. And bottles of liquor left uncapped and lots of dead bugs came to roost in there filthy. But I doubt that many of the people that call Terry Mr Terrible have ever had a drink at his bar, so I doubt that's the origin of his name.
Nor was it the shoestring budget this place was run on. See Wiebe_de_Witte's "terrible" review for some idea of that.
Wiebe was a guest when I was one of 3 ex-pat's TT left to run TT's business, when TT went on holiday for almost 1 month. TT being on holiday for so long is a main reason I was able to handle employment for Terry for such a long period of time.
Note - TT had known me for just over 2 weeks before he left. He knew the other ex-pat's left in charge for about 3 weeks. I kind of appreciated that TT just up and left his house/business in charge of near-complete strangers. Besides, he had the Terrible nickname for years prior, so decisions like that wouldn't likely be the origin of his most popular name.
Then, with minimal supplies, minimal fresh fruits and vegetables, while construction and sanding and painting were in full force, and while the rainy season hit its peak, TT left, and then subsequently booked lots of soon-to-be-disappointed-guests to stay. Many were double-booked by TT in the same room, for high season rates, with false promises.
One of the bookings were on their honeymoon and asked for chocolates. Terry would not approve the purchase of chocolate, and instead directed us staff to let the happy couple have a pack of reese's cups he'd left behind. It's sad.
Wiebe along with at least 2 other bookings left early. Part of the reason they left early was the promises: horseback riding, guided bird tours, mountain biking, not to mention the lack of promised amenities like: electricity, hot water, a full or even half full bar, and a safe place to walk around.
There is no horseback riding, despite the lookout's website very clearly and elegantly stating there is. This is a ploy to lure guests in. Please, feel free to ask TT specifically about them before you book.
There were no guided bird tours. I would know, as I was the off-season on-call guide, and I only began learning my birds when I touched down in Osa.
6 people came out there, spending good money, told there'd be great mountain biking. There wasn't and isn't and it's doubtful there ever will be mountain biking trails. So the mountain bikers hiked, and I hear a person or two almost slipped and died on the Stairway to Heaven steps.
Most all of the walkways on the Lookout Inn grounds and up the Stairway to Heaven are made of wood. This wood would have been put in many years ago. I scoured all of it before I left, as I had witnessed way too many people slipping and falling. The black color of this wood is not from paint, but from lack of maintenance. Usually the sediment was 3 or more millimeters thick. And it had seeped in the wood, making many of the boards and railings rotten and a real deathtrap. I can hear TT now, saying something like, "There's no money in maintenance and upkeep and safety."
Not directly TT, and that's part of your tragic tale - that you feel you need that direct correlation, specifically a direct monetary correlation, to do something right.
Nor do I think TT got his name because he's excused away as eccentric.
Nor does it seem logical that TT received his name because he owns an overall exceptional piece of property in a top 100 most beautiful place in the world.
I daresay TT received his name because he manages to single-handedly make a wonderfully beautiful place seem so ugly; because of his way, his presence, his rampant insecurity, his always hustle or make a markup on something attitude.
Right now, I see Terrible Terry's story as a tragedy. Because he knows all of the above, and still chooses the hustle. And he's probably been successful enough with that way to make a profit and not feel he needs to change a thing. As he pulls the wool over guest's eyes, I think he tries to pull it over his own, as well.
His wool did not reach my eyes, and thus I offer you this tale.
On my first day in Carate, I told TT I thought he had a nice thing going on at the Lookout Inn, and that I was looking to continue that, if not make it better. I believe I kept my word to TT with the work I put in there. I continue that promise by writing this review.
Perhaps after reading this, and being confronted by some questions and realities by his partners, guests, and potential guests, TT will want to make his business/house more like a home. Maybe then, his tale will go from a tragedy to something resembling a comedy. Even better, into a profoundly serene vision, much like Osa is.
I'm not banking on that ending, however, which is why I left Carate the day TT returned. Maybe after he leaves, the wildlife that he may or may not have left poison out for, as well as shot to death, despite his property being on a nature preserve, will return to his property.
The Lookout-Inn. Carate, Costa Rica. Osa. The Lookout-Inn, Carate, Costa Rica, Osa. Things to know about The Lookout-Inn. Carate, Costa Rica. Osa. The Lookout-Inn, Carate, Costa Rica, Osa. Things to know about The Lookout-Inn. Carate, Costa Rica. Osa. The Lookout-Inn, Carate, Costa Rica, Osa. Things to know about The Lookout-Inn. Carate, Costa Rica. Osa. The Lookout-Inn, Carate, Costa Rica, Osa.
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