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[quote=freedick]hi guys
so that you know what you're getting yourself into, should you rent from cartagenapartments.com, they have apartments in one building called "el conquistador".
the photos on the site do not reflect the reality of the building. it is a run down building from the 60s, paint is chipped/rusted all over, everything in the apartments is filthy, cockroaches galore, you must unlock a heavy grill to enter your apartment, sheets smell like [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord113][CodeWord113][/url], and, gravest of all, it is an extremely guest-unfriendly place.
the cherry on the cake is when they don't pick you up at the airport after saying they would...
caveat emptor.[/quote]there as a couple of ok apartments in the building. i stayed in 814, in november 2005, due to last minute trip, during miss colombia ( what a wild trip). the apartment was clean with a semi-view. but the building itself is a shit hole. the worst part about the buldings was the lack of functioning elevators.
rent from mery or juan ventura
I've found that there are some sex workers who rent apartments in El Conquistador. Of course they canīt be refused entrance. I had a session with Dayana from Medellin yesterday. She was cute, but had a crappy attitude. Normally works at LDV.
Fortunately Mery helped me out with a new apartment, and now I have no reason to return to El Conquistador. Good riddance!
As far as whatīs wrong, Tom, I was thinking of specifically Lusitania. Isnīt that a casa in Barranquilla, not Cartagena? The cabbies here dont seem to have heard of it.
[QUOTE=Bartchamdo]I've found that there are some sex workers who rent apartments in El Conquistador. Of course they canīt be refused entrance. I had a session with Dayana from Medellin yesterday. She was cute, but had a crappy attitude. Normally works at LDV.
Fortunately Mery helped me out with a new apartment, and now I have no reason to return to El Conquistador. Good riddance![/QUOTE]
Is the El Conquistador the large apartment building in Laguito near the Hilton Cartagena?
If so, then it must have really gone down hill in the past few years. I stayed there for 2 weeks about 5 or 6 years ago. I had a 2 room suite on the 15th floor and could see the beach from the balcony. It was a decent suite, not luxury but nowhere near rundown. It had a kitchenette where I could prepare simple meals and a small refrigerator to keep water and things cold.
I had no problem bringing chicas to my room. In fact, I had an oppposite problem; taxi drivers sending chicas to my room without my asking and security not sending them away. The room was very clean. No problem with roaches or soiled sheets and towels.
I paid around 70,000 pesos per night which at the then exchange rate was around 35 USD per night. I felt it was a good deal.
Apparently the apartment rental business in Laguito has gotten downright nasty and somebody is disparaging the business ethics of Mery Salence. While my view that Laguito is a den of vipers is well known, and while I have no plans to return there in the forseeable future, in the past I ALWAYS used Mery's apartments (except when I had free use of a friend's place). I ALWAYS found Mery scrupuolously honest, reliable and VERY helpful. I call her "Santa Maria" (St. Mery) which causes her to blush.
The woman has had more than her share of ill fortune in life, from her marriage to one of Laguito's biggest losers (and that is saying something!), to her special needs daughter (Sally) for whom she will have to provide for her entire life. The woman has suffered enough already!
While the adage "trust no one" certainly applies to the apartment rental business, I cannot endorse Mery's business ethics in strong enough terms. So if anybody hears any negative comments about her I urge you to get other opinions AND CONSIDER THE SOURCE (and motivation) of anybody that disparages her.
[QUOTE=Surfer]apparently the apartment rental business in Laguito has gotten downright nasty. I was just informed that a certain former SAS commando (and unapologetic fascist) has removed "his" apartments from Mery's stable to place on a new internet rental site he has developed, and that he is engaged in a campaign of defamation against Mery.
This person was formerly quite close with Mery, and was a vocal critic of the despicable acts of her ex husband (another stature challenged European MF named Eddie who is ALSO in the apartment renatl business in Laguito). Now it appears that he has turned against her due to greed. This same individual CLAIMS high ethics and says he donates ALL the profits earned by "his company" (a fascist secret society?) to Colombian charities.
I ALWAYS found Mery scrupuolously honest and VERY helpful. She even placed me in one of "his" apartments years ago for a very reasonable charge. I am curious what you, a Laguito resident, have heard about the schism.[/QUOTE]
I know both parties and have high regard for them both. Mery is a fine lady, and I haven't heard about any kind of defamation campaign against her. I doubt that greed plays much of a role, if any, here.
One question I have always had. Mery, or anyone else, has the key to your apartment. She then rents it out 20 days of each month, for example, she says, and gives you your money for 20 days.
How do you know it was rented out 20 days of the month and not 24? Some of these people could be pocketing several days of rent each month.
The other apartments that rent out through an office on the ground floor, like Tocauhagua, have records of who signs in and on what day, so the owner can check it out.
Another question, Mery will try to rent out an apartment to me for $50-65 a night. I tell her I had my eye on another at Tocahaugua for $35. Sometimes she lowers her price.
How do you owners know what the apartment gets rented for? Is it blind trust?
I know a guy in Tocahagua who ended up selling because the money never ended up getting to him. For example, the administrator charged his aptment for cable each month, but the cable was piroted by a splitter in the ceiling and nothing was paid to the company. It was that way with everything!
Supply and demand. I've negotiated w/ Mery Too! But, The one time she couldn't accomadate me I stayed w/ Juan V. Edificio Caribe real. Can any one say cucarachas? I left for Barranquilla and sayd I'd return, but wanted another apartment, But returned and they gave me the same keys, same apt.:( Not to dis Juan V, I've shocked a couple of faithfull w/ that story, But Juanes V NO MAS para mi. Mery has taken care of my forgoten $140 electric razor, negotiated fairly, Been honest, and is sweet. I think much of her. I say she is good people! I've given her bottles of wine from CA. And pies bought in CGT airport because she deserves it. My freinds from england paid $200 a night w/ ? in september2BR! I met three Los angelinos paying $300 a night 3BR? w/? I advised both to talk to Mery. My last day in CTG I stopped by Merys Apt to say goodbye. And Meet another owner she represents in CTG. That is what she does! They are freinds!! She represents her freinds well. I'm sure any owner would confirm this. And NO I'm NOT an owner, Not YET. But I would trust Mery to care for my property!
I think Mery is of upmost trustworthy quality. 10 times used her.
I count her as a freind.
John
[QUOTE=Surfer]apparently the apartment rental business in Laguito has gotten downright nasty and somebody is disparaging the business ethics of Mery Salence. While my view that Laguito is a den of vipers is well known, and while I have no plans to return there in the forseeable future, in the past I ALWAYS used Mery's apartments (except when I had free use of a friend's place). I ALWAYS found Mery scrupuolously honest, reliable and VERY helpful. I call her "Santa Maria" (St. Mery) which causes her to blush.
The woman has had more than her share of ill fortune in life, from her marriage to one of Laguito's biggest losers (and that is saying something!), to her special needs daughter (Sally) for whom she will have to provide for her entire life. The woman has suffered enough already!
While the adage "trust no one" certainly applies to the apartment rental business, I cannot endorse Mery's business ethics in strong enough terms. So if anybody hears any negative comments about her I urge you to get other opinions AND CONSIDER THE SOURCE (and motivation) of anybody that disparages her.[/QUOTE]
Surfer is 100% correct on this and I applaud his defense of Mery. I too rent from Mery and Juan Ventura. Mery has been nothing but wonderful to deal with, is honest and goes out of her way to help others. case in point, one trip I got really sick and Mery was the One who called the doctor and took me to the doctor. She had no obligation to do that, but that is the type of person she is.
I also do not all of the details about what happened between Mery and the gentleman whom I will not name, in his defense regarding the business relationship, but this is absolutely absurd to bag on Mery.
[QUOTE=Surfer]I ALWAYS found Mery scrupuolously honest, reliable and VERY helpful.[/QUOTE]I was also very pleased with Mery's service and the quality of the accomodations and I can recommend her without hesitation.
I will stay with her again when I go back.
DB
[QUOTE=Belmont]Supply and demand. I've negotiated w/ Mery Too! But, The one time she couldn't accomadate me I stayed w/ Juan V. Edificio Caribe real. Can any one say cucarachas? I left for Barranquilla and sayd I'd return, but wanted another apartment, But returned and they gave me the same keys, same apt.:( Not to dis Juan V, I've shocked a couple of faithfull w/ that story, But Juanes V NO MAS para mi. Mery has taken care of my forgoten $140 electric razor, negotiated fairly, Been honest, and is sweet. I think much of her. I say she is good people! I've given her bottles of wine from CA. And pies bought in CGT airport because she deserves it. My freinds from england paid $200 a night w/ ? in september2BR! I met three Los angelinos paying $300 a night 3BR? w/? I advised both to talk to Mery. My last day in CTG I stopped by Merys Apt to say goodbye. And Meet another owner she represents in CTG. That is what she does! They are freinds!! She represents her freinds well. I'm sure any owner would confirm this. And NO I'm NOT an owner, Not YET. But I would trust Mery to care for my property!
I think Mery is of upmost trustworthy quality. 10 times used her.
I count her as a freind.
John[/QUOTE]
I have spoken with Juan about your complaint. Juan does not represent the owner in Caribe Real where he found an apartment for you. He arranged the apartment for you to try to help you out when Mery could not. He did make an error by relying on the statement of the owner that the apartment was okay. Sometimes when the inn is full, you must make do in the manger.
Mery does provide good customer service, but so does Juan. He stood by my side twice to translate while I had emergency laser surgery to attempt to correct a retinal tear. I could write a very long post about what Juan has done for me and many others.
You have unfairly tarred Juan with your broad brush.
The rumors I heard about Mery have turned out to be true. I have heard from several reliable sources that Mery has lost the majority of her apartments after getting caught stealing. At least a dozen of the apartments are now being managed by other people and several of the other owners are looking for new people to manage their apartments. I canceled my reservations with Mery since there is obviously going to be uncertainty if she will be able to provide the apartment when I arrive.
Just a couple of months ago everyone was saying how great she was but now it turns out she was stealing for a long time. It is the owners themselves who are coming forward now to tell people Mery is no longer renting their units. How fast things change!
It seems that with your history of two total postings to this board, that maybe I should take everything you say here as the absolute truth, as poined out by cachero in the cartagena section.
Nobody knows exactly what happened with the whole situation with Mery, but hey maybe you can enlighten us with even further details
I am waiting for your third offical posting, with more facts to substantiate you first two postings .
It does not matter how many times I have posted here. I have been in Cartagena plenty of times.
Here are some facts:
1) On other sites there are owners posting that they are no longer dealing with Mery because she stole from them.
2) Mery's own web page now has only a couple apartments available. All the others have already been removed. You do not need to take my official third post as proof of this, you only need to look at her site.
3) The apartment I booked in February is no longer available through Mery. Had I not asked this question then I would have been screwed when I showed up in February only to find out she was out of business.
4) Other people are coming forward saying that they had problems with Mery in the past. Seems that they did not want to say anything beforehand since people like yourself try to kiss her ass too much.
5) People are saying the few remaining apartments she is offering will be cut off very soon as the other owners are shopping for a new manager.
6) Juan Ventura and some new people have already taken over managing some of Mery's apartments.
What I am saying here I am hearing from multiple sources including former people who she rented apartments for and from former clients. It is just going to be a matter of time before this all comes out.
[QUOTE=MJG Dogs]It seems that with your history of two total postings to this board, that maybe I should take everything you say here as the absolute truth, as poined out by cachero in the cartagena section.
Nobody knows exactly what happened with the whole situation with Mery, but hey maybe you can enlighten us with even further details
I am waiting for your third offical posting, with more facts to substantiate you first two postings .[/QUOTE]
I don't kiss anybody's ass, I just share my experiences so don't make assumptions *******. You are right though, there was a problem bewteen Mery and one of the owners whom had several units before. There is that better?