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Cockroaches in Westin Lagunamar

tinkerbell2

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As an Elite owner, here I was enjoying another nice stay at Lagunamar....until our 2 BR villa got infested by cockroaches. The manager on duty promptly moved us to another villa but this certainly halted our last day of vacation . Really the relaxing benefits of the spa treatments are all gone ! Is this common ? I would appreciate the input of other owners. We had just signed for an explorer package. And we have an extended family reunion in February planned at Lagunamar. How really clean is this otherwise very beautiful resort ? Should we rescind ? Cancel the winter trip or is this an isolated incident ? I appreciate all comments
 
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DeniseM

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All tropical locations, including Hawaii, have cockroaches. Did you have anything in your unit that might attract them? Crumbs from children carrying food around? Uncovered food on the counters? Food in the garbage disposal? Unemptied trash cans?

You really can't eliminate cockroaches - you can only eliminate their food supply.
 

tinkerbell2

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So ,in your opinion Denise , this isn't necessary the sign of property neglect, therefore I assume no need to change vacation plans. Should I seek compensation ? When you go in the tropics, where do you store your food : cupboards in ziplocks or eveything in the fridge ?
Thanks !
 

SMHarman

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So ,in your opinion Denise , this isn't necessary the sign of property neglect, therefore I assume no need to change vacation plans. Should I seek compensation ? When you go in the tropics, where do you store your food : cupboards in ziplocks or eveything in the fridge ?
Thanks !
In a less tropical climate it is considered a sign of property neglect, in the tropics it is part of the way of life, just like you expect to hear the Cicadas rubbing their legs at sundown.
WLR cleaning and maintainance seems up to Westins high standards and you were promptly reaccomodated.
You might get a few StarPoints if you complain but it is part of the challenge of doing business on the equator.
 

LisaRex

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When you go in the tropics, where do you store your food : cupboards in ziplocks or eveything in the fridge ?
Thanks !

I'm not DeniseM, but I say yes to all of the above. I always bring along a hefty selection of ziplocks and garbage bags. They are so light, so versatile, and take up so little space. In addition to keeping food, they can be used to tote wet clothes, dirty shoes, picnic lunches, opened bags of chips, or to keep lotions/shampoos from leaking in your luggage. This past vacation one quart-sized ziplock saved us a few hundred dollars when we got caught in a horrific thunderstorm while riding bikes on Hilton Head. We were soaked through, but our smart phones were safe and dry in a ziplock.

So, yes, everything that is opened (chips, bread, cereal) gets stowed in a ziplock. Many things that I wouldn't otherwise refrigerate (bread, bagels) get tossed in the fridge, not just for sanitary reasons, but because the high humidity makes them stale/moldy. Plus, keep in mind that most vacation rentals hire exterminators, and that means that they are spraying chemicals in the kitchen. Best to keep your food safe from those chemicals. (P.S. I always rinse off my plates and glasses before using them, too.)

All this being said, there is a difference between one or two half-dead cockroaches and an "infestation." Are we talking one or two half-dead cockroaches or a dozen live ones?

P.S. The best deterrent against cockroaches in the tropics are geckos. You'd be amazed at how many people get squicked out by "lizards" when they should be happy to see them.
 

DeniseM

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What Lisa said!
 

rickandcindy23

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We are very careful with garbage in Hawaii as well. Some of the nicer resorts have places to throw away garbage in the hallways, and some even pick up trash on a daily basis to control the bugs, but they are not entirely going to disappear because we are careful.

We never leave a crumb anywhere, and we cover up everything edible. I sweep and vacuum as needed. My mother-in-law, 85, bless her heart, walks around the living room eating cookies, and when she goes out to the pool, I get out the vacuum and get rid of those crumbs. She is pretty oblivious she is even dropping crumbs. I am paranoid she is going to attract bugs into our living room.
 

Beaglemom3

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I lived in Hawaii for a long time. Cockroaches are common there and not a sign of neglect or filth for the most part. You're in the tropics and that's how it is. I lived across from the cane fields once. Let's not talk about cane spiders. Another way of life if you live in the country.

I've gone to real estate open houses for newly built houses in Hawaii and saw a coachroach or two scampering away.

Every few years, houses are "tented" for termite extermination. This helps with the cockroaches, too. Again, it's just the way it is.


As my learned TUG friends pointed out, eliminate any chance of food attraction. This includes crumbs, beverage bottles with any liquid in the bottle or food odors on countertops.

Oh, they like dark places and shun the light. In my old house in the "jungle" in Waikiki back in the '70s, we kept lights on in the kitchen and closets. Not ecologically correct, but it helped.

On returning from Hawaii, I always put my luggage outside and open it there. I shake out everything first and vacuum my bag. I do this with the "care packages" I get from my family there as well. Roaches like to hide everwhere, cardboard included.

Da buggahs love da kine stuff..



-
 
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l2trade

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in addition to food measures others have described, i always ask for a high floor. i figure if the roaches want to invade my room, at least they will have to climb further for it. 1st floor rooms are the worst. all they bugs outside need to do is crawl under the gaps of the front door.
 

lizap

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This is a very accurate statement. Usually in tropical climates and the South, roaches, as we call them, are just a fact of life. We have our home sprayed professionally throughout the year, but even with that, we still ccassionally see a roach. Having said that, if I saw more than 1 during a stay, I would asked to be moved. Where there's one, there's usually more..


QUOTE=Beaglemom3;1545745]I lived in Hawaii for a long time. Cockroaches are common there and not a sign of neglect or filth for the most part. You're in the tropics and that's how it is. I lived across from the cane fields once. Let's not talk about cane spiders. Another way of life if you live in the country.

I've gone to real estate open houses for newly built houses in Hawaii and saw a coachroach or two scampering away.

Every few years, houses are "tented" for termite extermination. This helps with the cockroaches, too. Again, it's just the way it is.


As my learned TUG friends pointed out, eliminate any chance of food attraction. This includes crumbs, beverage bottles with any liquid in the bottle or food odors on countertops.

Oh, they like dark places and shun the light. In my old house in the "jungle" in Waikiki back in the '70s, we kept lights on in the kitchen and closets. Not ecologically correct, but it helped.

On returning from Hawaii, I always put my luggage outside and open it there. I shake out everything first and vacuum my bag. I do this with the "care packages" I get from my family there as well. Roaches like to hide everwhere, cardboard included.

Da buggahs love da kine stuff..



-[/QUOTE]
 

tinkerbell2

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Thanks everyone for your input. I thought I would share with you how things turned out for us at the end. First the on call manager changed our villa promptly, within an hour at 10 pm. He told us this was the first time it happened in 5 years. The next day I went to the sales office and spoke with the corporate rep . He remembered me as I just had my owner's update the day before. They gave me another 6500 SPG points.and an apology Finally the concierge told me it is a recurrent problem especially in the rainy season and they just had a week of rain. Apparently they fumigate every 15 days in the rain season and once a month otherwise. The roaches we saw were not very vigorous ( thank God !) but still numerous. We told managment they could improve their housekeeping service especially with garbage disposal . Once at mid week is not enough, especially in these conditions. ( tropics,rain , critter prone weather ). It will be interesting to see what they do on the long run and if it really is a recurrent problem. I hope not as we really love this resort.
 

dioxide45

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We told managment they could improve their housekeeping service especially with garbage disposal . Once at mid week is not enough, especially in these conditions. ( tropics,rain , critter prone weather ).

This was an issue that I had at WLR. I was unable to find a trash chute anywhere in the building. We had our DND sign on during the mid week tidy so we didn't get the clean. I had to track down a housekeeping person to had our trash off to. I don't know if there are trash chutes in the buildings or not. If there is, they should be easier to find.
 

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I'm horrified to read about roaches as we will be at Lagunamar on Nov 2 for a week. We stayed there last year (same time frame) and never had an issue with roaches or any other bugs. We have been going to the Royals for 12 years and have never even seen a bug on the property never mind in the unit. I certainly hope this is an isolated instance. I live in FL and although there are many insects of all sorts in the tropical climate, they are not in my home and with proper pest control, I do not expect them to be in any timeshare I inhabit.
 

Ken555

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This was an issue that I had at WLR. I was unable to find a trash chute anywhere in the building. We had our DND sign on during the mid week tidy so we didn't get the clean. I had to track down a housekeeping person to had our trash off to. I don't know if there are trash chutes in the buildings or not. If there is, they should be easier to find.

At all Starwood properties, just call and they will pick up trash. And, you may reschedule a midweek tidy...


Sent from my iPad
 

Sea Six

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I live in Florida, and I'd rather see a roach every once in a while than live in a house (or time-share) that is so heavily sprayed with chemicals that not a single one could survive. Even our pest control guy says they can control them somewhat, but they certainly can't spray enough chemicals to kill them all without doing some damage to the homeowners and their pets.
 

VacationForever

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At WLR, are the roaches 1/2 inch or 2 inches long? In the tropics, the roaches are 2 inches long and those are the ugly and nasty. I was once bitten in the shower as it ran across my foot and I was pretty much in a shock. It was very painful and took a while to heal.
 

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This topic is giving me the ebee geebees as i just booked there for next summer. Hope it is an isolated incident
 

KCI

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We'll be there Nov 2-9 so will report back when we get home on the 16th. Hopefully, that was an isolated instance cause last year we never saw any bugs anywhere.
 

tinkerbell2

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I certainly hope it was an isolated incident as I love this resort. This was my 3rd stay there and it never happened before
 

bobpark56

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No trash chute? Wha to do?

This was an issue that I had at WLR. I was unable to find a trash chute anywhere in the building. We had our DND sign on during the mid week tidy so we didn't get the clean. I had to track down a housekeeping person to had our trash off to. I don't know if there are trash chutes in the buildings or not. If there is, they should be easier to find.

Just put your trash bag(s) outside your door. It/they will disappear in short order. This has always worked for us.
 

momeason

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I live on the coast of NC. Until we moved to the coast, we went w/o an exterminator. We have to have one now. Roaches are a problem for all of us.
They also call them water bugs...we live on the water
 

DavidnRobin

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Just put your trash bag(s) outside your door. It/they will disappear in short order. This has always worked for us.

Not sure about WLR, but at other resorts - there is a trash can by the elevators that can have trash bags put into. It is unwise for folks to not bag their trash tightly no matter where it is disposed. Also, cockroaches often lay their eggs on the corrugated part of cardboard boxes (cardboard boxes are ill advised on sailboats in the tropics for this reason) - so do not bring cardboard boxes into villas.

Also, just continue to stare at the beautiful aqua-torquoise-blue water - that helps ;)
 
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