Alex Romashko. Date of travel: Nov 2004
If this hotel review looks too long to read, here's why we will never again book at the Posada de las Flores- My wife and I took my parents on vacation to La Paz. We booked our 2 rooms at the Posada 8 months in advance (we were the only occupants there), for all 7 days of our vacation. Two days into our stay, our reservation was mysteriously "lost" from the Posada's computer system, and our rooms were given to an Italian tour group that was filling every room in the hotel. We had to leave and find lodging elsewhere. The longer story is a bit more interesting. When we arrived at the hotel, my wife (who speaks Spanish at work as a pediatrician) checked us in for a 7 day stay, without any problems. When we were informed 2 days later of the fact that our reservation was for only TWO days, we produced a receipt on Posada letterhead verifying the reservation/date, number of days, and Posada reservation ID#. The manager explained to us that our reservation# did not exist in the computer (it apparently did when we checked in without a problem two days earlier). He also went on to tell us (with a forced quizzical look on his face) that he did not recognize our confirmation sheet as a current one, and that someone in reservations (in another city, of course) must have sent us the wrong confirmation. He did not have an answer when I told him that I called one month before we arrived to confirm our 7 day reservation, and was told that they were "looking forward" to our arrival. We were then shown our check-in form from when we arrived, which mysteriously had us booked in the hotel for two days. Why didn't the receptionist raise an eyebrow when my wife told her (in fluent Spanish) we would be staying for SEVEN days? And if our reservation didn't exist in their computer system, why did they have a pre-printed form with our names on it waiting for us when we arrived at the hotel? Hmmmm.... The next day, the owner, Giuseppe, came and informed us that a large Italian tour group had booked the entire hotel (several months after we did, as it turns out). He told us he felt "terrible" about our situation, and that it was a "bullet through his heart" for this to happen. We were initially offered 2 comparable rooms in any other hotel in La Paz, which we would have to pay for! We agreed to leave, but negotiated that the Posada would book us in another hotel and pay for 2 of the 3 remaining nights of our disrupted vacation. After expressing his sorrow over our situation, he promised us two of the "best suites in La Paz, with ocean views." We booked two very nice ocean view "master suites" at the Marina Hotel, as agreed upon. We also went to the Posada front desk and put the new reservation in writing to avoid any confusion. Needless to say our trust in the Posada was waning, so we called the Marina Hotel that night to confirm our rooms. As it turns out, the Posada manager had called the Marina during the day and downgraded us to 2 parking-lot view rooms, each one being 5 bucks cheaper than what we had been paying at the Posada. We immediately confronted the Posada night manager with this, who told us that he would be unable to contact the owner Giuseppe, and that they would take care of it "in the morning." Not trusting this, we re-reserved the rooms we had been promised. The next morning, we were told that the master suites at the Marina were indeed ours to use. We called the Marina later that day, and this time learned that the Posada manager had downgraded us to ONE parking-lot view room. After some very stern talking from me, my wife, and my father, we got our original promised rooms back the second time. We moved out and never looked back. What is good about the Posada? The majority of the staff is from La Paz, and seemed genuinely embarassed by what was happening to us (one receptionist, Olivia, was so sweet that she put flowers on our towels after the room was made up, and brougt us coffee and bread early in the morning before a diving trip). Unfortunately, they were helpless due to the management level decisions being made. One even expressed that this whole situation was an "embarassment to La Paz." I can't say enough good things about the daily staff. Also, the Hotel itself is very pretty. What's bad? All of the above. As the priciest place in the city, what a rotten way to run an operation. We were booted in favor of more money from a full house. We were lied to repeatedly. A short vacation that should have been relaxing was filled with tension and aggravation. Avoid this place. However, do know that La Paz is an incredible city with wonderful people, and is very much worth your visit. Tour Operator: self-planned