March 5, 2012

OK, so we are tired of high season

I speak for myself, but I have been talking to others as well. And let's begin by saying, we are tired of high season. Luckily, it is near the end.
As the economic crisis deepened worldwide, here on Isla Mujeres, we found ourselves with more capricious and odd tourists. No, not travelers. Those people are always a delight.
Having gone to Chedraui yesterday for the second time this year to buy Liquid Plumber after persons didn't live by island rules and flushed toilet paper irked me. Why would you come here, a tropical paradise, and not play by the rules? Our plumbing can't take it!
And along those lines, there is no reason to run AC 19 hours a day in February. Some did. At the rate of 23 cents a kilowatt hour, we have arguably the most expensive electricity in the world. Leave it on to go eat breakfast? Return to drink and play cards inside while everyone else is enjoying cool sunshine? Why come here?
And yes, it is Mexico. Labor statistics say everything is cheaper here. And we landlords are on the side of our workers and pay more than the hotels do. But tourists see the prices. They are pretty much spread through all neighborhoods equally.
So, why would you come here and not budget a tip for the maid? The person who shovels the beer and booze bottles from your apartment because you wouldn't throw them in the trash bin as you went along?
There is a hint of jealously we sense among some of the visitors to the island, that we can afford to live here and they can't. Listen up. No one is getting rich here. Most of us are just getting by.
When you call for another bottle of water on a Sunday and have an unopened one in your apartment, it is an annoyance. When the AC doesn't work in the middle of a cold front and you call for service on a Sunday, it is an annoyance. Please, don't annoy us. We can close up our places, mothball them, and not take a loss! We'll find something else less annoying to do with our time!
Just come here and play nice, OK?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't close before I can visit!! :) I'm happy to play by the "Isla rules".

ps. I hate a/c until it's 100.

Lori

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain. I am also in the accommodations business, thousands of miles from you and I've seen all kinds of bad behavior (including a man who came to seek a refund after his dog - we clearly say we don't accept pets on our website - bit one of our employees). The good ones make it worth it.

Sue said...

Amen and well-said! Cranky and tired, that's how I feel - high season can't end soon enough. But as Anonymous said - "the good ones make it worth it". So far.

IslaZina said...

The good ones are always worth it. They just don't appear in clusters like they once did. This too shall pass!