D&D Brewery and Hotel... for us great place with unfriendly staff

In our 3 night stay at D&D my travel mate and I (and most of the people that we talked to at the time) got the feeling that it was an island of unfriendliness completely surrounded by some of the most endearing people that I've met in all of my travels in Latin America.
It seemed that everyone that you interacted there who worked for Robert was put off by our very presence. If it was just me and my mate then I could come to the conclusion that maybe.... just maybe WE were the problem and not the staff. But it was not just me and my English friend, but probably at least 4 other people that we talked to there as well.

I ALWAYS try to dole out kindness when I recieve the kind of treatment that we did. I speak spanish fairly fluently and would always speak with the staff in Spanish (their language) as well as try to stay out of their way in an easy sort of way.
To be fair (although this isn't reason enough), I think Rosa had a run in with a Gringo who got impatient when she couldn't understand his )English (he couldn't speak anything else).
But we all got the feeling their that the staff didn't like working their.
Funny thing is that while it wasn't what we were expecting (we though it would be right on the lake and all), the place itself and ALL of the people that we encountered in the surrounding area (even all in Pena Blanca) were super nice.
By the way, my hats off the (i forget his name now... but everyone knows him) the eccentric long haired and bearded English guy who came around in the evenings and hawked his bird watching and trekking tours. He seemed very knowledgeable about for the birders out there. He was endearing.

Finally, I must say that I didn't really get a chance to meet Robert Dale (brewer / owner) for more than 5 minutes and while he was busy doing something else though in our little contact he didn't seem to bad a guy.

Right next store was a brand new place that they had just built. Very posh like for the area, but the caretaker people that ran the place invited my mate and I in for a look around (knowing full well that we had no interest in staying there). They were absolutely some of the warmest people that we ran into during my trip. They had a pride about the place (as they had an entitlement to as the husband of the two built many of the cabanas himself). They talked to us freely. They were interested and interesting people.

I wouldn't be so hard on the people working at the D+D brewery. They have to work for an arrogant ugly American bastard. ( arrogant --adv.~ offensively exaggerating one's own importance). How somebody in Honduras could be so culturally unaware to just order his employees around in the manner we saw was surprising. I can't imagine they come to work with a big smile. I'm surprised they come to work for him at all.Warm,not very good beer, nothing special for a location,tension between owner and staff. I don't understand what other people see is the attraction. Once was enough.

You just never know... I was reading some raving reviews of the place and him, granted, some of them were on his website, but others weren't. Seems some people really had a great time there and enjoyed talking with him. I mean, man, Jim, what the heck happened there to prompt your comments? Had to have been pretty bad, and I'm not doubting you at all, it's just that this points out how hard it can be to draw an accurate bead on a place until you've been there. I do think it would be helpful to the forum, however, if you were to share what exactly happened there instead of just the ugly american comments. You've got me curious. Thanks

Actually Jim jogged my memory a bit and I think he's on to something. I didn't personaly see any of Robert's bad behavior but the first day we were there, one of the woman who worked there mentioned something about Robert getting very, very angy with workers sometimes because he thought they were over charging people on purpose.

This brings up another gripe about the place in that they use the tab system which invites errors along the way. In the few places that I have stayed in where they start a tab from the beginning of your stay i think nearly every time there was a discrepency when paying the bill.

What's more, they add like 12% tax to everything and say, hey that's the law. Nowhere else in Honduras did I ever run into seeing a price and then some tax being added on at the register. I smell bull...

And by the way, did everyone else here drink the tap water? I was told that Robert filtered all of the water at the D&D because of the brewing process....
I had a funny stomach for the rest of my trip after staying there....

He looks like a typical gringo gone south, white tennis shoes and all....
[http://www.dd-brewery.com/about.htm]

I went to D&D last year but just to eat lunch as all the rooms were full. It was okay but without question it has been given too much hype. I have had various friends that also live here in Honduras visit, and none of them have been impressed, but not to the point of leaving for another hotel, perhaps it is just all too much hype.

I did want to comment on the tax comment, yes everyone charges the 12 percent but they say it is included in the price of the item. The reason that they can do this is they dont claim to the government that they have had as many sales as they really have, only a fraction. So I am guessing that D&D might actually be claiming all the sales that make, so they have to add the sales tax at the end. Just a guess.

My sincere apologies to the owner of d+d brewery for the bastard part of my comment; early morning coffee!! But the arrogant part stands. Yes I'll admit he has worked hard and built a nice place. It is his establishment - he can treat his employees as he sees fit; that said I was embarassed at the demanding,ordering, lack of respect he showed to the girls working there. He managed to turn my walking toward the kitchen for a refill of water into an ugly incident,by ordering (not asking) the girl to stop what she was doing to " GET HIM SOME WATER!" Ah, the look on her face told me all I needed to know. That image will stay with me, and my Lempiras will stay away. Once was enough. J

The last poster had a good point. Ironically it reminded me of an experience I had at a local Canadian fast food place where the manager constantly was looking over staff's shoulders and making them feel incompetent (as Roseanne Barr once said 'telling them how and when to breathe'). Not only did I pick up on how little the staff wanted to be there, it really made me not want to be there. I think as customers we can all step up more and tell owners what this experience is like for us and how it serves no one, including him. In fact the next time I'm back there I'm going to do just that, probably placed at the end of a compliment I'm giving to the service (because it was good despite his constant nagging).

I once had a waitress having a bad day and dropped a soda on me in CR, the owner/manager yelled at her in the back of the cafe until she cried. When she came out I said dont worry, we all spill things, and left her 5,000 Colone tip! That put a big smile on her face.

I bet it did! You were conned. They squeezed you for sympathy dinero, then went out back to divide the swag, chortling "Stoopeed Greengo!"

I stayed there a few months ago for three nights, and I’d have to say that the D&D was a huge disappointment. We had read rave reviews about it on the internet, but it just didn’t do it for us. We also expected that it would be on or at least within sight of the lake, but it isn't. It was overbooked, but Bob, the owner, wasn’t there and no one there was in the least bit competent to handle problems, so we felt a little abandoned. We wouldn't have stayed for the three nights - no way - but for various reasons it was impossible for us to leave.

Our room was crawling with roaches. Big ones, little ones. In the shower, in the room, on the walls. There was no hot water or maid service in our room for the whole three nights we were there. Now I don’t need someone to come in and make my bed every day, but in a country where you don’t put TP in the toilet, if the TP basket isn’t taken away every few days, it gets a bit stinky. I resisted the temptation to dump it out the door in the garden. They never even explained why there was no maid service. They tried to fix the hot water, but couldn’t, and they wouldn’t reduce our bill more than a few bucks. Our porch light didn’t work, one wardrobe shelf was broken and in pieces, and there was this huge ball of wires coming out of the wall and taking up the other shelf. WTF? All the food was dripping in grease and the much touted beer wasn’t even anything special. It was better than any of the other beer in Honduras, but it isn’t nearly as good as what you get in your average microbrewery in the states these days.

I am sure that our bill wasn't correct, but after waiting for about two hours for them to calculate it (seriously) and missing our bus out of SPS because of that, we were grateful to just pay up and get the heck out of there.

OK, ‘nuff said about D&D. The lake was pretty, the waterfall was magnificent, and the bird life was fantastic, but I would recommend staying elsewhere.

Thanks to everyone for your posts on D&D B&B. I am going to Lago de Yojoa in a couple of days and was planning to stay there. I´ll find somewhere different!

Thank you Robert for all what you did..

Okey, some of you had a bad experience down Roberts place...

Telling you our story:
We have just arrived at Roberts place then I realized that I forgot my guitar in the chicken bus...
I was shocked and asked Robert If he can help me out!!
He didn't think about it one second!! So we went with his car trying to catch the bus on the road. Finally we arrived at the bus terminal but there was no bus. Robert talked in spanish to the locals If they found a guitar!! The locals did begin to call the bus drivers!
After 30 minutes the chicken bus arrived and I got my guitar back!
They did it with a smile.... It was a pleasure for them to help us..

Further I loved the beer from the brewery and the tapwater was like in Switzerland!

I hope that people who read the other comments still go to the d&d then its worth.

Robert is a very cool American and he plays very nice slide guitar :-)!

Wish you all the Best Robert..

Greetings from Costa Rica
Anja and Noël

We hate to have a rant... but we just spent last night at the so called 'Brewery' and would not recommend to anyone that it is worth the trek out to it. As people have said above - it does not live up to expectations. It looks neglected, and falling apart. It is not anywhere near the lake, and the setting of plastic tables on a concrete slab is nothing to write home about. We had sent through a reservation via their website, no response, and so we arrived and were given the last available room in the main house (tiny, pokey things) and we could not lock the door. They said someone hadnt returned the key so now there was no key.... Then we sat down to order a beer... no beer - the brewing process is not working. And not sure why a brewery wouldnt have any stock???? Then there was no gas - broken too. So no food could be cooked.
All up - dont bother with D & D Brewery. We were excited about going there - and were so disappointed. Robert wasnt there.. and as mentioned above we did feel like an inconvenience to the staff. From reading other peoples comments I feel for the staff... but if this business wants to keep going he needs to make some major changes!
We just wish we read these comments before hand - as we usually use the TT for all recommendations and missed this one. If we had read what all you guys had written we never would have gone. A pure waste of time! But again - this place was full. We are baffled???? But no one there was impressed - so not sure where the rave reviews are coming from.....

Robert Dale and his regular staff wish to apologize to all guests who have visited the D and D Brewery recently. Mr. Dale is extremely upset about any disappointment or inconvenience that a civil action against him has caused to his valued clients. As a tactic in a divorce proceeding between Robert Dale and Zynthia Diaz, Ms Diaz has effectively and physically been in control of Mr. Dale’s premises since May 30th. The regular employees have been denied access to the workplace, and Ms Diaz is totally incompetent without them. Brewing beer, maintaining a tropical garden, and directing safe access to the local wildlife and trails are specialist activities, and Ms Diaz can not properly deal with reservations or provide decent food. Civil proceedings move slowly, but Mr Dale expects to regain control of his business and will have D and D Brewery running efficiently again as soon as possible, probably within the next week.
Mr Dale and his attorneys are working diligently to restore the old atmosphere that made the D and D Brewery a pleasurable vacation experience.

Sincerely,
Robert J. Dale
Brewmaster
D and D Brewery

Edited by: loretana

Why cant Robert Dale himself attend to these complaints?

Also, the original poster filed this story on Feb 28, when Mr Dale was in control of the business, not after his Ex gained control.

Let me guess, his wife is Honduran?

In response to the query, "why doesn't Robert Dale address these complaints himself?" may I explain following:

Robert is a friend of my family's and has been for many years. I know his character and would stand up for him anytime, anywhere. I have been a guest at his charming establishment twice in the past five years, and plan to return this October.

He is currently staying at an undisclosed location (on the advice of his lawyer) in a effort to defuse what has turned into a chaotic and unnecessary situation.

Robert has been in the process of a divorce from his Honduran wife of nine years, Zynthia Diaz. The process started back in January, and Robert has made every effort to accomodate her demands. Robert owned the land his brewery and guest accomodations are on in Los Naranjos several years before he met his soon to be ex-wife. He has been an asset and productive member of the local economy since 2001 when he started D and D Brewery.

Robert has called me daily and asked that I post his letter on TT. He is very upset that his business and guests are being disrupted due to this divorce proceeding, and is making every effort to return to his business and put it back in order as soon as possible. He has no internet access at this time, but will probably post here this coming week.

Edited by: loretana

I have read all of the postings concerning Mr. Dale's establishment and it sadden's me that most everything that has been posted is negative. I, too, personally know Mr. Dale and would be the first to inform all of you that he takes great pride in his establishment and his staff.

In knowing the civil proceedings that he is currently going through, you must consider the fact that they did not start yesterday (referring to the comment that a post was made in February). All that said, I would hope that some of you would share your compassion for a moment and realize that if he was "snappy" to one of his employee's, maybe it was due to stress, granted not a good excuse, but I'm sure we have all experienced this at some point in our lives.
Bob is a very kind and considerate person, albeit, he may be a little rough around the edges at times, he would want nothing more than for any of you who had a terrible experience, to give him another chance when he is back in his establishment.
Please be a little patient, consider the circumstances and come back to D&D Brewery when Bob is once again at home in his little piece of "paradise".

Another first poster on the LP, and friend of you know who....

Dale must be having a heart attack....

Simmerdown, few people make it to Honduras for beer...

Linda and I stayed at D&D for 4 or 5 nights in early April 2009 and had a wonderful time. It was during Semana Santa and Robert and staff (Rosa mostly) went out of their way to accommodate an extension of our stay during a very busy week in Honduras. Bob offered us advice on what to see in the area, coordinated with Malcolm to help us hire a truck for the day, and coaxed our friend into playing guitar with his small group for the restaurant one evening. The D&D was a pleasant place to stay but was certainly no Hilton or Marriot and at 15 USD per night no one should expect it to be! Perhaps those who have expressed disappointment have forgotten they are travelling in a less-touristed area of Honduras than Roatan and Copan? It's essentially a hostel in a tiny town in rural Honduras, after all! Expecting luxury, a lake view, or even daily cleaning of your room might be a bit much and, dare I say, smells more like a whiney, pampered tourish, rather than poor service by Honduran standards.

One more note. When we lost our camera, Bob was very helpful in offering to be a go-between if it should turn up in town, to the extent that he was willing to front the reward we offered and ship it back to us without any sort of deposit left with him. We certainly saw no abuse of the staff or anything similar and our bill, even after several days was very accurate. I guess I'd challenge you to find a better place to stay in the Lago de Yojoa area - after Bob is back at his establishment, that is.

Wishing Bob all the best through these troubled times.

Two Satisfied Customers

Okay Okay

Obviously Dale is asking anyone he can that stayed there to write on the LP Forum. As the posters above, all first timers, which lends little credibility and even more suspicion to the entire rebuttal.....

Gee, all of sudden these people register on the LP, and find this thread???

Give me a break- Dont forget to respond on Trip Advisor too-

[http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g292016-d1230280-Reviews-D_D_Brewery_Bed_Breakfast-Honduras.html]

Expecting luxury, a lake view, or even daily cleaning of your room might be a bit much and, dare I say, smells more like a whiney, pampered tourish, rather than poor service by Honduran standards.

You are making a whole set of assumptions here that reveal your bias. No one said they expected luxury. We were paying US $35 (not $15 as you assumed) for our room at D&D and paid about that for most of our three weeks in Honduras without any complaints about other places. I think I have a very good understanding of what that should get you in rural Honduras and D&D didn't come close to delivering it. I also specifically said I didn't care about daily cleaning of my room; but having overflowing waste cans of used toilet paper for three days is disgusting and you insult Hondurans to say that is acceptable. Expecting hot water when you are paying for hot water is not exactly being whiny and pampered. Sheesh. We didn't have a good time at your friend's place and just maybe it has something to do with how he runs his business. I would have to say that you are not doing him a service to post on here in such an insulting and argumentative tone.

Karchita and SoloHobo,

You have correctly identified my bias...I enjoyed my stay at D&D Brewery and would go back again. No secret there...I said as much in my post. You did not enjoy your stay and that is your bias, clearly.

Robert Dale isn't a friend of mine, just the proprietor of one of the many hostels that I stayed at in my travels. My intent in my post was to communicate to the readers of this thread what my own experience+ was and that's all I described. I didn't assume you were paying $15 a night...that is what +I was paying for my stay there. I enjoyed it and, when things return to normal at the D&D, I think others will too. Please don't attack me for caring enough about this issue to register on ThornTree and post here. Why is my opinion worth less than yours? Just because I haven't posted here hundreds (Karchita) or tens of thousands (SoloHobo) of times?

I reiterate that we witnessed nor heard about any abuse of the staff. All the people we met there seemed to enjoy their stay. Our bill was calculated fairly and Robert and staff helped us and others in many ways that they didn't have to. I heard no complaints at all from anyone while I was there.

That's it, guys. You'll get no petty arguments from me, nor thousands of posts. People should make their own decision about whether to stay at D&D based on facts and truth. That's all I've got to offer them and you.

DREBNENKI

How did you know about this thread and complaint?

Answer that? We didnt fall off a turnip truck yesterday. I have 10,000 post due to contributing and reading post over 7 years on this region. I know that its amazing coincidence when all of sudden these post appear out of nowhere from people that just joined the forum, and only offering a out of the blue opinion and thats the end of it.

If it were not for the regulars that keep tabs on all this, who would keep the posting honest. It obvious D & D Brewery has some issues, and the owner is perceived by multiple people as a arse.

Had the response of #15 not been made, the entire post would of been buried and forgotten, but now its turned into a nightmare for the brewery.

I am waiting for another new poster to make a first post, saying how great this place is, wanna bet?

Solo Hobo, I heard about this website through my daughter and she was telling me some of the things said about a person that I know, personally. I am truly sorry that you feel you must attack new comers to this website, no matter what they are saying. I thought that this was a forum where you could post information about certain places, I did not know that by doing so would open people who enjoyed their time at D & D Brewery to ridicule just because they have a different opinion than you do. I don't know where you originate, but thank goodness I live in a country where we are still allowed to express our opinions, whether others agree with them or not. I believe I would classify you as "bias" and the "arse".

I have not taken a position on the Brewery or Mr Dale, or the post complaining about him, the rooms or the service.

I have not attacked anyone? Where did you get that? I am asking why these people come out of the woodwork.

On the otherside of the coin, I am always suspicious of people slamming a place when its their first post, which is also unfair. On many occasions I have emailed the business to get their side of the story, as their is always two sides to a story, as we all know. You would be surprised what the competition will do on these branches to make negative comments about a place they are competing with or a ex employee with a ax to grind, happens every few months, and we always smoke them out.

My issue with this entire thread is the fact a spokesperson makes comments about it all in defense, then after I try to get more info as to why, the truth comes out. Then like a bolt of lighting, you, and others, start speaking about how great the owner the place is, although all these NEW POSTERS have not contributed one ounce of travel advice on the TT Forum.

Whats funny is the fact few people go to (inquire) about this area of Honduras in the scheme of things, and read back on these post, had the post just been lleft alone, it would of been buried back in 100 post's from a month ago, instead, almost 700 people have now read about this place, and nobody has done Mr Dale any favors by posting in his defense, for all we know, they are all the same person (s).

Bias? No
Arse? Now thats a personal attack!

also, what about the Trip Advisor comments I posted on the LINK above...seems things have gone awry indeed.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the D&D Brewery last October. We loved it. We had just come from Tela and had driven through hurricane rains all day on our motorcycle. Upon arriving to D&D I was so thankful for the friendly staff and the gorgeous cabin we splurged on, specifically, to warm up in the Jacuzzi. After being in central america for 7 months, D&D Brewery was heaven. We stayed there for about 4 nights during a tropical depression, and I couldn't have asked for a better place to wait out a storm. Every night we had amazing meals (the corndogs were to die for) and it was so nice to have a real dark beer for a change. I guess since this online argument has to do with the staff, I should give my two cents. Friendly, that's the only way I could describe everyone. This includes Robert, his wife, and the staff. I never got the feeling that anyone was unhappy. Robert was awesome and showed us his bad ass collection of artifacts and played music with us in the evening. It was nothing but good vibes the entire time as we wasted our days moving our tent from the constant (but unavoidable during hurricane season) puddle, playing chess, eating great food, and drinking real Northwest beer. I met some amazing folks while staying at D&D and have kept in touch with them since ( which is how I found out about this absurd argument taking place). Malcom was only a bonus to our entire experience.....the best bird guide ever!!!! I hope to re-visit D&D again, and I hope is exactly the way it was last time I was there. It is obviously Robert Dales baby, he's the brewer from oregon, and to be honest, is the only reason we even considered going to the brewery in the first place. I live in the northwest, and to be able to enjoy some former northwest company and good beer after being on the road for half a year was unforgettable. Thank you Robert, for the memories.....I will return in the future only if you are the man brewing the beer, and entertaining us with some good ol folk music. And we still need to exchange some music on the computer!! :)

Wow, can you believe it, another first timer, one that spent 7 months in Centro America and just joined the LP TT Forum today, and they only have glowing reviews of the place, amazing. Yes, we know Mr Dale is asking all his old clients, to post reviews of his place, but who are you? How do we know your legit, you have no history here, so like the others, you have no credibility.

Gee MotoSouth, can you offer any other advice, tips or opinions on all the other places you stayed and ate? There are plenty of people asking for advice and help, so dont be so selfish and just plug this place and leave....come on, stick around, or are you leaving like posters #25 and #23?

SoloHobo

"My issue with this entire thread is the fact a spokesperson makes comments about it all in defense, then after I try to get more info as to why, the truth comes out"

I posted for Bob Dale/D&D Brewery, and prefaced my first post with that fact.
But I really believe that you have forgotten that this is a forum, isn't it? Why do new posters have no credibility?

I know through my many posts on "Baja Nomad" (I own a home in Loreto, Mexico) that folks surf sites specific to their travel interests and there are many, many "lurkers" who are finally compelled to post when they have relevant and true information about a given location. In this case, travellers who actually stayed with Bob Dale at his place.

Trust me, we are not all the same person, and I do not believe that these conversations have "turned into a nightmare for the brewery".

What I do believe is that Bob will soon return to his little garden of eden, brew a nice crisp porter ale, and play dobro and mandolin to his heart's content, and the delight of his many friends and clients.

Edited by: loretana

You are outright lying to imply that the posters that are new on this thread, found this Thread without the assistance of Mr Dale's or you and his friends.

They have no credibility because they have no history on this forum, so they might as well all be the same person, as we have no idea who they are, they joined only because they were told to make positive bias comments that were only positive, but offer no other advice on any thread on any region on the entire TT.

When people make negative remarks about a place, and they have been a member of the forum with posts going back on many subject, or were inquiring prior to travel, then report back to give advice, than we know its legit, but this flagrant abuse by you and your friends of the forum has only earned a worse reputation for Mr Dale, and the brewery.

Keep on trying Loretana, your fooling nobody, and in fact, maybe you should contribute to the Honduras threads for travel advice as well, or is your only interest this one thread here? Oh just so you know, if you didnt notice, there is no advertising, those post get deleted by the Moderators, which I alert them too, and they are removed. So dont come here and make post advertising your friends business, then you get banned from here.

The original comments about D&D Brewery were obviously correct, both about him, and the place itself, and it is what it is.

Again, these are more complaints.

[http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g292016-d1230280-r26536305-D_D_Brewery_Bed_Breakfast-Honduras.html]

SoloHobo

My goodness, you are a nasty piece of work, aren't you?
Do you "flame" everyone who posts here that doesn't meet your standards, whatever they are?

Bob Dale forwarded a letter to me because he is upset that his business has been turned upside down by his soon to be ex-wife. At his request, I posted it. Yes, I would consider that Bob's attempt at damage control. I have no idea who the other posters are, nor have I had contact with any of them.

Who died and left you in charge? Or just possibly, are you the competition from down by the lake?

The reality is, the business has issues and honest travelers posted their concerns and issues.

Until they are corrected, it seems Mr Dale has to live with the problems stated above.

For posters out of the blue to come here and make one post to pacify Mr Dales request is obvious, and biased.

Nasty? No, how about diligent in keeping the forum a honest network of people sharing their observations and advice out of free will and desire to help others, not post sham stories and disappear back into cyber space.

RGR8Apples original post is unsolicited and he has a history on this forum, unlike the sham onetimers trying to repute his story.

Nasty- Thats more a fair description of how Mr Dale speaks to his native Honduran employees, according to the poster.

It's not just SoloHobo who is a tad suspicious about the flood of new posters leaping to his defence - I am too. Unfortunately in a place like this it's impossible to know someone's credentials until they have posted a few times. Obviously people have to start somewhere, which is normally with questions. If their first few posts are solely to defend someone who is being criticised, then it certainly smells of an orchestrated campaign.

I'd like to add that I'm in Honduras at the moment, and I've found it a wonderfully friendly country wherever I've been, and the people I've met, both local and expat have always been charming and friendly. I didn't stay at the brewery myself, but I met an English traveller in Copan who had phoned Mr Dale to make a reservation only for him to be extremely rude to her on the phone.

I know he's having a hard time at the moment, but being rude to staff and customers is not going to make the situation any better.

Also, considering he is going through a divorce at the moment, is defaming his ex-wife on a very public internet forum really a wise way to cool down the situation?

And yet another first time poster has joined just to promote this establishment (See "Places to stay/go as a Single Female Traveller") without adding another single of information.

You're right, lockedintheattic, SoloHobo isn't the only one who doesn't buy all this.

All of you "Holier than Thou" people who think you are someone because you have posted to this website more than once. Actually, as nasty as each of you have been to "first timers" I am surprised that anyone comes back here. You all "Assume" that the folks who are posting for the first time are the same person. Assume all you want, you know what that does......and assuming that Mr. Dale has requested that I post here is absurd since I haven't spoken to Mr. Dale in many, many years!

With the attitude that one receives from SoloHobo and the like, one might question if you were not one and the same person?!?

I am sorry you feel that way, but considering all the NEW post are only defending Mr Dale and D&D Brewery are only posting on ONE thread, ONE subject, ONE Branch. What conclusion should people come to? Coincidence? They dont seem to have any other motive, or need.

Why would anyone want to post anywhere else on Lonely Planet? So that they can be questioned and critized by others who have posted more than once. I was going to post about my travels to El Salvador, England and Ireland but with the attitude that I have received from posting here several times, it seems to be a waste of my time. Thank you for making this a GREAT experience! I hope that on other threads there are not people like you to discourage newcomers.

Actually, SE Asia and Thailand and the USA are all the same, as those I also post on and see it daily.

You dont seem to realize, but a trip report or post conveying ones travels is a great way to share your trip. But there are also post on the LP Forum, that have other motives. Its very obvious the ones that have a agenda, they tend to be 1st time posters, and the case above, this a blatant attempt to defer these biased post and keep things legit.

If you take the time to read back a few days here, you will see three 1st time post making trip reports and overviews of their travel, at which I took the time to thank them for posting, and maybe some people made other comments to support or suggest other advice based on the posters opinions. Its too bad many of these the trip reports posted just get lost and buried back in the anals of the postings. The really good ones, and informative ones that pertain to info we rarely get and the guidebooks dont have up to date info, like Darien Gap crossing, I post a link to then on the FAQ at top of the branch. If you read the FAQ at the top of each branch, you will see its the regulars that add these many times, to keep fluid situations up to date for a traveler, especially places few people go, well off the beaten path, but important none the less.

People can make up their own minds as to the intentions and motive of a post, I am only pointing out the suspicious nature of the above post by these phantom 1st time posters.

Its up to you to share your travels on El Salvador, England and Ireland, but some branches people dont post trip reports, some branches they do. I have always posted my trips on a given forum even its just a camping trip to Kentucky. If it helps 1 person have a better vacation or trip, then thats cool with me. [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?messageID=14191630&#14191630]. Also feel free to click on my name, and then on my History, and read all my responses to all post, and the advice, opinions and perspectives I project, you can debate them, or not agree with them, or suggest the contrary, thats what this forum is all about. If you judge me by this one post, you would see it is a anomaly that I question the motives and sincerity of the responses.

We sure would love to hear more about El Salvador thats for sure, few people go, and even fewer people post a report.

Great to have so many new posters that are familiar with El Salvador. Im wondering if any of them will bother to respond to http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1787372&tstart=0

I would first of all like to acknowledge that yes, I registered with Thorn Tree exclusively to post about the D&D Brewery and yes, I'm biased; how could I not be about a place that I fell totally in love with, where I met some of the most generous people of my life and of my 6-month trip through Central America? Robert Dale showed the most incredible hospitality to myself and a friend who I was traveling with when we arrived in Penas Blancas after dark and with no transportation to the brewery; he picked us up himself and gave us a bed that wasn't even normally rented out. I chose to return to help out with the hotel for 3 weeks so that I could stay longer and learn some guitar skills from Bob, and experienced first hand how the business was struggling due to personal issues - since I was helping with reservations and customer service, it definitely got unpleasant. Most of the time, though, all the guests were having a wonderful time exploring the area and enjoying the beer (which is very, very good). This issue should not have ballooned like it has to affect a fantastic place to stay and a group of wonderful people who happen to be under a lot of stress - but as it is, I really hope that all the people I care so much about are back to happily brewing, birdwatching, and playing some wicked slide guitar pronto. That way, I can go back soon too.

If only the other posters were honest too...at least we now know my theory is correct.

End of story....

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I recently had the pleasure to crash in at D&D brewery meeting Bob and his cook Dillinger on their first day back after having been 'closed' for 5 months. What luck!!! The place is a little piece of paradise after having been on the road for so long with great service, awesome rooms, good food (need I mention the beer, plus homemade root beer) and excellent company. While I tend to shy away from places run by foreigners as I prefer to support local business and experience as much different cultlure as possible while travelling, this is one time when I am glad I broke the habit!

The Lago Yojoa area is so beautiful and D&D brewery seemed to offer the only real expertise and assistence in getting to difficult, less travelled places like parque nacional santa barbara and also hooked me up with an excellent local guide knowledgable in local bird species to take me out on the lake. D&D Brewery are the only real eco-tourism base in the area, Im sure you could explore the lake without them, but why would you when you can learn and experience so much more with their help and experience in the region.

They sent me off to a rarely travelled village where I just pitched up and asked for soem dude by name who I located and happily took me into his home and arranged everything I needed for a trip into the parque nacional santa barbara, ecotourism at it's first and most enjoyable stages. So greatful to have crashed in on the brewery now that its back open.

I know there were some previous problems, it was a little apparent as all the staff worked the days I spent there to put the shine on the rough edges that occurred as a result of the 5 month departure of the owner Bob. But even despite the halt in services for five months, Bob and his team provided excellent service their first day back.

Dont the let the previous bad reviews deter you, I assure you, everything is great now and well worth the trip, whatever pleasure you're seeking!

Erin

Wow Erin, you went all the way to Honduras, never posting any questions on the LP forum, then come all way back, and make 1 post, on this thread thats been buried since July 19th?

How did you manage to find this thread, or even know it existed?

Let me guess, BOB told you....

Good call Solo...looks like your making a quick recovery from the surgery.

I would think Bob the owner would just assume to have this entire thread buried and dead forever, not very flattering to read the 1st post or page, and he should of instructed Erin to make a new post, even though a new poster praising a establishment without any history always draws the scorn of regulars to question the motive. Though we are all very familiar with the motives of most the posters trying to prop up Bobs D & D Brewery, they all have a underlying motive that I feel not genuine nor honest in the scheme of things.

Its like the twilight zone.....

He needs to respond to the negative reports and reviews on Trip Advisor, and forget about the LP TT.

Awesome read... This thread alone is worth coming back for.

Perfect timing Jack. I hope all is well, long time no hear.

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This post has been removed because it may not have met our community guidelines.

Don Juane, Why is it so hard to accept the fact that other people may have legitimate complaints about D&D? I can accept the fact that some people go there and like it. Really, really like it. Ok, if that's your idea of a slice of heaven, that is fine with me. I would certainly give it a miss. Why isn't that fine with you? I think other travellers need to hear all points of view, not just the zombie cultist D&D do-or-die version of reality.

And nobody complained about sheets not being changed while paying $10 a night in the bunkhouse. Did you even read what others were saying?

And about the beer ... You enjoyed them and that's fine, but please don't pretend that they are any better than any slightly skilled amatuer beer maker can produce after one or two attempts. They sure wouldn't win any prizes even in an amatuer homebrewing competition in the US.

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in the past week, along with thorn tree, a couple of first time posters in trip advisor praising the brewery. the lastest and newest had to be written by bob. i won't go there and plan on visiting honduras and that area next winter. the first time posters and the reports of how bob treated his help made my mind up. i get real sick of going to a gringo owned place and they treat their help like second class citzens, have seen it more than once in my travels. they pay them next to nothing, the going rate in a lot of 3rd world countries, and think that they own them.

Its my opinion that this entire thread does more harm than good, and is best left to die off in the TT cemetery, as everyone that reads this, sees the first page, and pretty much it paints a sad picture of both the owner, and the establishment.

It would be in the best interest of D & D Brewery to have this all just go away. The majority of comments above supporting the place are obviously all friends of the owner in some capacity, as they all have no history on the TT forum other than this particular thread, which to me is biased, and not a honest assessment of the place, period.

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Yes, I agree Bob at D&B Brewery has some issues to work out and I hope he can accomplish his goals.

Great idea.I wasn't planning on visiting the brewery till I got to post #49.

" If anyone disagrees with me or holds other opinions about the little brewery in Honduras, I personally urge you to travel there incognito, ensure you are in reality talking to Mr. Dale, take photos and make covert recordings. Then come back to us and give us all a full report."

Wow..I've never traveled incognito or worn a wire at the places I've visited. A cloak-and-dagger vacation is just what I need after all those zip-lines. Will they let me enter the compound with a camera?
Let's establish a secret nod before we get there so I know who you are without breaking my cover.
Oh yippeeee!!! I can hardly wait.
Don't let those other nasty posters get to you.
They don't understand that one person's Eden is another person's Waco.
See you soon.

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DonJuane

There are al sorts of post on the LP forum, from ravings to slamming a place, and each type is always suspicious from a the regulars poster perspective, and it not uncommon, on the branch, or many others (SE Asia) for scrutiny to be applied to a post claims, thats what great about this forum, as it keeps everyone honest, and no advertising.

You seem to fail in grasping the overall nature of the forum, and now are slamming people that offer advice and opinions on a regular basis to help travelers get correct info. The posters who added positive reviews to the D&D Brewery were not at all interested in adding or contributing to the forum, and sharing stories or advice on life and travel in CA or Honduras, they had one single motive, at the the obvious request of the owner/management, to prop up the establishment and paint a picture very rosy.

You also fail to notice to the poster that started the entire thread, was a somewhat regular poster that signed in to the LP Forum long before his opinion of the place was posted, and all the regulars with a history on this branch also have given their two cents, and all the 1st time posters were biased, and motivated for other reasons than the rest of us, to make a single post and never come back again.

In regards to you telling me to get out and travel, thats funny, In the last 3 months I have been to 2 countries, 14 cities, stayed 34 nights in hotels, been on 14 R/T flights, and am planning a 3 week trip to EU and Morocco next month. Hopefully none of the reviews I am reading on the LP TT in EU or Africa branch are as biased and misleading as the gang D&D has attempted on this place in Honduras. I would expect the regulars on those forums to be equally vigilant in their detection of phony posters as we have here.

Now, lets drop it already, who frickin cares about this anyway, there have been 2 post per week about Honduras, and none concerned micro breweries or D&D.

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I actually prefer places that are not American owned or run, as I am escaping America, and prefer a locally owned or foreigner owned business. No plan to go to Honduras unless I go scuba diving in on Roatan.

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