Sorry to bother you again, but I see that our accomodation in Belize has been changed from Caye Caulker to San Pedro, according to the new tours brochure. Was there a problem with the accomodation or is there another reason for this? I see the website still says Caye Caulker. This is a bit disappointing, as I had been doing some research on what to do in Caye Caulker - I don't want to do the optional snorkelling excursion, as I'm not a swimmer. I see there are quite a few different things to do in San Pedro, from visiting galleries to river rafting and various boat/catamaran trips (many seem to include snorkelling, but I presume you don't have to do that part and just stay on the boat - the catamaran tour sounds good with food and drink included and the chance to spot some wildlife as well. I'm just wondering, would the local guide be willing to help me (and anyone else who may be interested) to organise this or a similar trip?

Best wishes,

Bob

There's no problem with the accommodation, it just that our agents over there could not get any availability in Cay Caulker. They have instead confirmed availability in San Pedro, which is still as relaxing.

A local guide will of course be willing to help you to organise this - they will know what is good to do, more than anyone (hopefully).

Kindest Regards,

Monty

That is very encouraging, thank you very much for the information!

Best wishes,

Bob

I am booked on the Mexico, Guatemala and Belize holiday next February and, having received a copy of your 'Holiday Inspirations' booklet recently, I notice that we are now staying at the Banana Beach Resort in San Pedro, Belize instead of the Sunbreeze Hotel. This represents the 3rd change of hotel in Belize since the holiday was originally advertised, which prompts me to ask the following questions...

Is the information provided in the booklet correct?

If so, what is the reason for yet another change?

I have significant concerns having looked at reviews on Tripadvisor for this latest hotel which, whilst having some positive reviews, many include quotes saying that the property is 'far out of town', and 'outdated'. There are also numerous references to 'seaweed giving off a really bad smell', but most worryingly of all, there appears to be security problems at this hotel whereby guests have had personal belongings stolen from their hotel rooms.

Compare these comments with the completely positive opinions expressed about the Sunbreeze Hotel on the same site, and the following description in the 'Lonely Planet' guide which states that 'The Sunbreeze has lovely, clean and comfortable rooms with 2 double beds. Views range from nice to downright lovely'.

Based on this information, the latest change sounds like a significant downgrade in both accommodation and location (despite the supposed 4 star rating) and I have to question JY's motives for this. Whatever the reasons, continual changes of this nature do NOT sit well with me, particularly when such changes do not appear to be for the better.

Your comments would be appreciated.

Mike

Due to very limited availability in Belize there have been numerous hotel changes. A lot of the hotels in Belize are smaller properties that can’t accommodate larger groups which is why our agent has had to source alternatives for us. I appreciate this must be very unsettling for you.

Banana Beach is a pleasant place and is approximately 15 – 20 minutes from downtown. Both hotels are of similar categories so it is by no means a downgrade, however we are looking at better alternatives for you.

Regarding the seaweed problem, unfortunately this phenomenon is caused by the climate change and has appeared all along the Caribbean coast down to South America. We must say it is also in Cancun and all along the Riviera Maya. The government and the local hotels are doing their best efforts to clean up every day. The worst month for this was August and the problem has now apparently been reduced.

I hope this helps.

Kindest regards,

Monty

Mike - thank you for flagging up the second change of hotel in Belize and for your comments. I had not been aware of this and it is a worrying development considering the poor reviews the Banana Beach hotel has received. I do tend to take reviews such as Trip Advisor with a pinch of salt but if there is a consistent trend in the reviews it is very off putting.

Monty, I hope you know me to be fair minded but I don't agree with your comment stating that seeing as both hotels are rated four star that this latest change is not a "downgrade" - as anyone who has travelled widely will verify that star ratings are not any kind of reliable indication to the standard of a hotel. I have been in three star hotels that have been fantastic and four star hotels that have been appalling - as I understand it, the rating is more to do with providing certain amenities rather than standards of comfort in the rooms or the quality of the food in the restaurant, for example. I do hope JY will take Mike's concerns on board and ensure that we have a great hotel in a good location for our time in Belize.

I am still waiting for my thread on the Iberostar Tucan Playa del Carmen to appear, which I posted last weekend. Mike, this will probably alarm you further, but there was quite an extensive fire in the hotel a few days ago and it is currently closed. I was hoping for an update from JY regarding whether we will be staying there or not. I presume that this is still being chased up; however thanks to a thread I'm following on Trip Advisor I see that the hotel hopes to re-open in mid December, so it looks like we will hopefully be able to still stay there.

Coupled with the vagueness given on a previous thread regarding the optional excursions that will be available on this tour for the add-on (out of date information was given, which related to the current Mexico tour rather than the new one), I am worried that things are not coming together well for this tour. Booking a first departure for a new tour is a bit of a risk as it may have teething problems but I am not filled with confidence regarding this tour which is a real pity as I should be looking forward to it. It is very expensive and I hope that JY will give their Central American agents a real slap across the knuckles as the organisation and information so far for this tour have not been good.

I hope to be reassured but at this stage I am wondering should I ring JY and seek to switch to the February Cuba tour instead!

All the best,

Bob

Now I'm even more concerned than I was before I highlighted this hotel issue! Your reply seems to suggest that we may not be staying at the Banana Beach Resort if your agents can source a better alternative - hardly a glowing recommendation!

I would also ask why we have to learn about these alterations from studying a 'Travel Inspirations' magazine and booklet, instead of being in receipt of a letter from JY informing customers on this tour of these changes?

In that way, at least customers would feel that they were being kept abreast of developments, and would hopefully be reassured of JY's best efforts to overcome accommodation issues. Instead, I personally feel very uncomfortable about the whole organisation (or lack of it!) of this tour. For example, when Bob originally queried the change from Caye Caulker to San Pedro, you said that your agents 'had confirmed availability in San Pedro' (ie: the Sunbreeze Hotel) which now appears not to be the case!.

Bob - I agree with your all your comments regarding Trip Advisor, hotel star ratings and JY's Central American agents and, like you, will seriously consider switching to another holiday if I'm not reassured in the very near future. And thank you for letting me know about the hotel fire in Playa Del Carmen; that doesn't do anything to put my mind at rest either.

Monty - If I decide to change, what is the chance of getting a space on the Burma tour in February or March? Both tours are currently shown as 'sold out', but would you be able to pull a few strings if I decided to switch?

In addition, would I lose a percentage of my original deposit if I decided to change? I need to make a decision soon as the balance of this holiday is due no later than 16th November.

Regards

Mike

Don't worry too much. I am sure everything will be sorted out and will be fine when you travel (hope so!). If I were you, I would stick with this tour and not go to Cuba. Keith, who I have met on 2 Just You holidays went there in September and he was a bit disappointed with Cuba. He had different visions of the country from his childhood! He said the shelves were bare in the shops and they were asked, not sure by whom - the local guide or the tour manager, to take all the unused toiletries provided in the hotels so they can be given to the local people. I am sure Sally will do a review on her return so we will know exactly what Cuba is like.

Jaya

I have passed your comments over to our customer service as they will be able to guide you in everyway. I apologise that you feel like this, but I can assure you that our holiday creator and the agent are working hard to give you the best experience of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

Please let me know if customer services does contact you.

Kindest Regards,

Monty

I'd just like to say that I echo Mike and Bobs' comments on this thread. I too am very anxious at what appears to be below par organisation for this trip. Not the usual Just You first class service.

Have a good weekend

Sally

It's good to see that you have responded to Mike's concerns which echo mine but it would have been nice if I had been included in your answer and apology!

I do hope that JY will take both our concerns seriously and everything will be fully addressed. I have enjoyed 11 JY and 2 TS tours and despite a number of small glitches on various holidays, I have enjoyed all the tours. I do hope I will be able to write a glowing review of this holiday come the end of February! I have faith in JY to sort all this out, but a bit more reassurance would be very helpful at this point!

Best wishes,

Bob

PS Jaya, thanks for your comments - I await Mick and Sally's comments regarding Cuba with great interest!!

There is still time before your trip and I am sure that everything will be sorted out for the better and you will have a wonderful experience. For selfish reasons, I do not want you to change the holiday as I am looking forward to reading your review! - only joking. I am not too concerned about the hotels (yet) as I am sure Just You and the local agents will put us up in good quality hotels - I hope so.

Jaya

Cheers,

Bob

Our Mysteries of Mexico,Guatemala & Belize tour is a very exciting and authentic tour of these wonderful and developing countries and an opportunity to experience them before mass tourism takes away that unique local atmosphere and charm.

As tourism is still such a developing thing in this region changes to hotels can sometimes be made, however a hotel of a similar or higher standard will always be offered to our customers.

As we are aware that we may have to make a change to the hotels we sell this holiday on the basis of “Such as hotels” the names of the hotels that we feature in our brochures is at the time of printing are the ones that we intend to stay in. When we do have to make changes to the hotels featured in our brochures we will always act in the best interests of our customers to ensure the enjoyment of your holiday is not impaired.

The confirmed names and addresses of all the hotels that you will be staying in will be confirmed in your final travel documents and I am very confident that all our groups travelling on this tour will go away and have a wonderful and very enjoyable holiday with us.

James

Your latest comment is spot-on as usual. I noticed the dreaded word 'budget' in several descriptions of the Banana Beach as well, and it's really not good enough considering JY's prices aren't what one would describe as 'budget'.

From Monty's last reply to me, I rather got the impression that Customer Services would be in touch regarding these concerns but I've heard nothing so far. Hopefully we'll hear some good news shortly, but I would certainly like to know what the current situation is, and if any progress has been made to resolve our concerns within the next few days.

Monty - can you chase this up for us please?

Cheers

Mike

The point that James made to me was that in many developing countries they are not able to sign binding contracts with hotels in the first instance, rather the way it works is that local agents source the hotels and agreements are made nearer the departure date. This is why hotels on "such as" tours are only confirmed in the final documents. From talking to James I realize how complex it is for JY to organize tours in countries where tourism is in its infancy - but as he says in his reply, this does result in a more authentic holiday experience for us seeing more of the real country rather than a sanitized tourist encounter. JY could play it safe and just organize tours to established mass tourist destinations, but we as customers would be much the poorer as a result!

Hi Mike, I spoke to James about our concerns regarding the Banana Beach hotel and he is going to pass these on to the local agents and he is confident that we will be happy with our hotels not only in Belize but throughout the trip. James did offer to transfer me to another holiday, but this is the tour I really want to do and all that he said gave me confidence that the hard-working holiday creators at JY will keep working with the local agents to ensure that all goes well on this tour. The tour manager will talk to those of us who are doing the add-on before the end of the main tour to discuss excursions, airport transfers and other matters. I hope this puts your mind at rest, as I certainly feel much happier and I can now look forward to the holiday again!!

Best wishes,

Bob

Katy

I have made our holiday planning team fully aware of all the comments raised on here and they have given me their assurance that they will keep an eye on the feedback about the Banana beach hotel especially with regards to the seaweed.

Although this time of the year is a particularly bad time for it due to the nature of the weather in this region of the world with lots of storms and rough seas around.

James

Many thanks for sharing this information with us, I really do appreciate it. However, while I understand the points made by James regarding arranging tours in countries where tourism is in its infancy, I still don't believe that we have received a satisfactory explanation for being moved into the Banana Beach Resort from the Sunbreeze Hotel. If binding contracts are only signed nearer to the departure date, why did JY previously say that they 'had secured accommodation in San Pedro'?

If James (or anyone else from JY) would like to contact me then I would be happy to quiz them further on this but meanwhile, like you, I will just have to hope that both the JY holiday creator and the local agents will be able to iron out these problems between now and next February. And as Katy says, a really good, experienced TM would be a real bonus.

Oh, and bye the way, there is no mention of 'such as' hotels for this holiday in the original 2015/2016 brochure; this caveat only appears in the 'new for 2016' brochure that was issued a short while ago - months after we originally booked.

Cheers

Mike

Best wishes,

Bob