I was travelling with my teenage daugher, on a mother-daugher trip. It's our time alone-together, with none of the hassels of everyday life. Unfortunately, Hacienda El Jibarito is the only time we have been totally disappointed and frustrated with an establishment that we booked. The horror began trying to find it at night. No one at the front desk could help with directions... we literally drove around for hours -- we don't speak much Spanish. Luckily a kind heartered family went out of their way and drove us to the doors of the Hacienda. We had booked our room earlier in the day and were planning on spending a few nights there. The room was wierd -- located very close to the front desk. When I checked in they asked if we wanted to pay for breakfast. I paid $10 per person for the breakfast. The room had very high ceilings, little furnishings, one of the lights didn't work and we asked the front desk to help -- they never helped us. The water in the shower was cold -- the towels felt like sandpaper and the bed was not very comfortable. The next morning I was up quite early and wanted to get a cup of tea. There was a Cafe on the main floor, but I was told that my $10 for breakfast wasn't good there that I would have to pay additionally for a cup of tea. I was directed upstairs to the $10 Breakfast area and when I arrived I was informed that I would have to wait until the breakfast area opened. I waited patiently for them to open and then discovered that they only served coffee and hot chocolate. The "waitress" told me that the Cafe on the main level sold tea... I tried to explain that I had already paid for breakfast. So down I went to the Front Desk to try to sort this out. It seemed perfectly logical to me that they would certainly accomodate my request for tea -- as part of the $10 I had already paid. I was wrong -- the Front Desk was surprised that anyone would want a cup of tea and said they were sorry, that I could have tea, but I would have to pay for it in the Cafe. In answer to that, I asked for a refund of the $10 breakfast, since I wasn't eating anything. "Oh no", they said we don't refund money, it's against our policy to do that." I asked to speak with the Manager or owner... they went away and then returned to state that they had spoken with the owner and they were sorry, no refund and I would have to pay for the cup of tea in their Cafe. Needless to say, we did not stay another night, we packed up and left. Maybe it was good that we decided to leave, because the next place that we stayed The Blue Boy Inn in Rincon -- was heaven on earth. Everything that Jibarito wasn't Blue Boy is. Attention to service, comfortable, beautifully furnished, fabulous food -- and yes, they serve tea -- and didn't make me feel that I had landed from Mars. We loved Blue Boy Inn so much that we have rented it with serveral other families for Christmas Week 2011. If you are going to the Rincon area call the Blue Boy -- you won't regret one minute of your stay there.
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