# Roaches on vacation?



## severine (Feb 6, 2010)

After reading reviews for a resort we were considering going to on Cozumel that mentioned roaches coming out of the shower drain, I'm curious... have any of you encountered roaches on your vacations?

I am seriously bug-a-phobic. When we went to Antigua for my SIL's wedding, I saw a dead roach on the sidewalk in the city and then I couldn't sleep that entire night back at our hotel (many miles away) because I was afraid our room had them and they'd be crawling over us during the night. Yeah, I know..paranoid. I realize that just about every hotel probably deals with this. Creepy crawlies really get to me, though.

So I thought it was funny that in this review, they gave the resort 4 stars out of 5 and said they'd return. They flippantly commented that all you had to do was tell the front desk so they could spray and leave the light on in the bathroom overnight to keep them at bay.


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## Greg (Feb 6, 2010)

Lots of little red ants in Jamaica, but no roaches that I remember. Oh and we had crabs that liked to commit suicide in the hot tub. Lots of little anole lizards too.


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## severine (Feb 6, 2010)

I should add that this review was for a mid-range all-inclusive: not the fanciest, but not cheap accommodations either.

Funny about the crabs, Greg. :lol: I guess they have a lot of iguanas running around on Cozumel. We had little anole lizards at the hotel on Antigua; I remember seeing them climbing up the sides of the buildings.


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## wa-loaf (Feb 6, 2010)

Tropical areas are conducive to bugs. I'm sure they are tough to keep out sometimes in even the nicest places.


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## marcski (Feb 6, 2010)

We once found a small toad in the bathroom of a cheap motel in Sonoma county California.  The wife wouldn't stay the night so we went to a Super 8 or Best Western and it was like the Ritz.  The place had a description that made it sound like a small resort...it was a cheap motel right on the highway.


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## Dr Skimeister (Feb 6, 2010)

In the barrio they're called roaches.

In the resorts they're called palmetto bugs.

Same crunch when you step on either.


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## severine (Feb 6, 2010)

Dr Skimeister said:


> In the barrio they're called roaches.
> 
> In the resorts they're called palmetto bugs.
> 
> Same crunch when you step on either.



I thought you weren't supposed to step on them...? I've been told that's a great way to bring eggs back with you. :-?

I'm sure it's typical in tropical climates. Just wondered if anyone has actually encountered them. I figured they just sprayed the heck out of those places (good or bad, I'd prefer that to the alternative) because I doubt many people are cool with sharing their rooms with roaches or palmetto bugs...it's all semantics.


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## Grassi21 (Feb 6, 2010)

severine said:


> I thought you weren't supposed to step on them...? I've been told that's a great way to bring eggs back with you. :-?
> 
> I'm sure it's typical in tropical climates. Just wondered if anyone has actually encountered them. I figured they just sprayed the heck out of those places (good or bad, I'd prefer that to the alternative) because I doubt many people are cool with sharing their rooms with roaches or palmetto bugs...it's all semantics.



Oh, you are supposed to step on them with our bare feet and then take a shower. ;-)

Aruba had a healthy iguana population.  One day an iguana strolled though the outdoor bar at our hotel.  Well, I think it did, I was pretty ripped....


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## spring_mountain_high (Feb 6, 2010)

break em up, pack em in the bowl and :flame:


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## billski (Feb 6, 2010)

severine said:


> I thought you weren't supposed to step on them...? I've been told that's a great way to bring eggs back with you. :-?
> 
> I'm sure it's typical in tropical climates. Just wondered if anyone has actually encountered them. I figured they just sprayed the heck out of those places (good or bad, I'd prefer that to the alternative) because I doubt many people are cool with sharing their rooms with roaches or palmetto bugs...it's all semantics.


 
Look Sev, if you're going to the tropics, you'd better learn to deal with bugs - when you've got 365 day growing climate, they grow big and many.

Just keep your clothes and other stuff in closed containers - zip your luggage, keep your clothers in drawers, shake out your clothes etc.  Or get your SO to do it for you.  That's what my family does!

When vacationing, we inevitably get the the little lizards in the room (name escapes me, geckos?) they're actually just as cute and harmless as chipmunks, when you get over the initial shock. My girls still jump on the bed and scream when they are in their room. Sometimes you just see them hangin' on the wall. They disappear as quickly as they appear. 

We had an Iguana decide to tour poolside at our resort last month. The critter was three feet long. Kinda funny. All the tourists (I suppose I'm included) just sort of gasped, and remained motionless while it made its way to the bar for a pina colada  

Palametto bugs can be huge. Wait till you see them fly. I almost got beaned in the head by one in Texas. If you stay at a decent enough place, they will sweep out your room - ours was impeccably clean, each day. It's just something you do.

I know the comment about the light and spray seemed flip, but that's just how you handle it. There's really not a better way.

Or, you can just stay in the frozen north and bask in a bug-free environ!


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## campgottagopee (Feb 6, 2010)

Anytime I've come across a roach on vacation I just smoke it 8)


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## severine (Feb 6, 2010)

You guys are funny! :lol:

Yeah, Bill, I know. I think it's my dad's stories of growing up in the projects that have freaked me out about roaches in particular. ::shiver:: But yeah, tropics=prime bug-growing climate. There's a difference between the _idea_ of them being there and being confronted with it though, KWIM?


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## billski (Feb 6, 2010)

campgottagopee said:


> Anytime I've come across a roach on vacation I just smoke it 8)


 Don't you wait for it to stop wiggling and squealing? :blink:


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## skidbump (Feb 7, 2010)

you do realize that most restuarants have roaches so do most grocery stores


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## wa-loaf (Feb 7, 2010)

skidbump said:


> you do realize that most restuarants have roaches so do most grocery stores



They actually love the glue in cardboard boxes. It's always a good idea to get rid of cardboard when you bring any home in case there are eggs or hitchhikers.


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## severine (Feb 7, 2010)

skidbump said:


> you do realize that most restuarants have roaches so do most grocery stores


Yes. But like I said: there's a difference between theory and being confronted with the facts.

Tupperware had a promotion going for a while where they promoted putting all your store bought goods into their storage containers and throwing out the cardboard for that reason, wa-loaf.


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## FRITOLAYGUY (Feb 7, 2010)

severine said:


> After reading reviews for a resort we were considering going to on Cozumel that mentioned roaches coming out of the shower drain, I'm curious... have any of you encountered roaches on your vacations?
> 
> I am seriously bug-a-phobic. When we went to Antigua for my SIL's wedding, I saw a dead roach on the sidewalk in the city and then I couldn't sleep that entire night back at our hotel (many miles away) because I was afraid our room had them and they'd be crawling over us during the night. Yeah, I know..paranoid. I realize that just about every hotel probably deals with this. Creepy crawlies really get to me, though.
> 
> So I thought it was funny that in this review, they gave the resort 4 stars out of 5 and said they'd return. They flippantly commented that all you had to do was tell the front desk so they could spray and leave the light on in the bathroom overnight to keep them at bay.



Anywhere down here where its tropical you will encounter that even the best hotels at Disney have roaches actually u might run into whats called a palmetto bug, picture a roach that flies it will freak u out too if it takes off.  Just part of living where its warm.


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## FRITOLAYGUY (Feb 7, 2010)

severine said:


> After reading reviews for a resort we were considering going to on Cozumel that mentioned roaches coming out of the shower drain, I'm curious... have any of you encountered roaches on your vacations?
> 
> I am seriously bug-a-phobic. When we went to Antigua for my SIL's wedding, I saw a dead roach on the sidewalk in the city and then I couldn't sleep that entire night back at our hotel (many miles away) because I was afraid our room had them and they'd be crawling over us during the night. Yeah, I know..paranoid. I realize that just about every hotel probably deals with this. Creepy crawlies really get to me, though.
> 
> So I thought it was funny that in this review, they gave the resort 4 stars out of 5 and said they'd return. They flippantly commented that all you had to do was tell the front desk so they could spray and leave the light on in the bathroom overnight to keep them at bay.



 Honestly it depends when u are going, i havent seen a palmetto or roach since id say october they dont like it chilly, but from may-october watch out and right after it rains thats when things really get hoppin so to speak.  But pay no mind to 5star hotels if u are going when its above 85 everyday u will see them so save the money and get a days inn youll have the same experience.


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## billski (Feb 7, 2010)

skidbump said:


> you do realize that most restuarants have roaches so do most grocery stores


I don't know about most, but I worked in one in downtonw Boston where I thought I was sweeping up dust, litter and food crumbs, but after I swept it into one pile, it began to move...


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## severine (Feb 7, 2010)

FRITOLAYGUY said:


> Honestly it depends when u are going, i havent seen a palmetto or roach since id say october they dont like it chilly, but from may-october watch out and right after it rains thats when things really get hoppin so to speak.  But pay no mind to 5star hotels if u are going when its above 85 everyday u will see them so save the money and get a days inn youll have the same experience.



This would be May, so I guess I should plan on seeing them. And won't have the benefit of the cold to leave the luggage out in when I get home either. The thought of bringing them home with me is terrifying.


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## billski (Feb 7, 2010)

severine said:


> This would be May, so I guess I should plan on seeing them. And won't have the benefit of the cold to leave the luggage out in when I get home either. The thought of bringing them home with me is terrifying.


 
You should probably get a handle on what the probability is of bringing them home.  
I really doubt you'd bring home eggs on the bottom of your shoes.  
While roaches are one of the few creatures still alive since prehistoric times (they seem to survive everything), the overwhelming majority of people visit and never bring any back.  This is what I really hate about the net and mass media.  They can magnify a few dozen events in disconnected places into a pandemic, without looking at the statistics which bear out the real facts.

If you're really concerned, keep your luggage closed when you're there, shake out everything before you repack for the trip home, then wash it as soon as you get home.  It's no guarantee, but it will make you feel better.


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## FRITOLAYGUY (Feb 7, 2010)

severine said:


> This would be May, so I guess I should plan on seeing them. And won't have the benefit of the cold to leave the luggage out in when I get home either. The thought of bringing them home with me is terrifying.



Honestly i think thats slim to none for bringing them home i wouldnt worry about that too much, and May your coming well ya you might run into a few, and they are like spiders where theres one theres usually a family, theres something about water they like when i lived in orlando for 2yrs i only saw one once, as soon as i went out to st pete a surrounded by water on all sides i saw one i sprayed under cabinets etc and about 5more came out i guess they couldnt handle the fumes, ever since then i only ever see them when its hot and after it rains, i know your a bug phob but they really dont want anything to do with u and they dont bother you, you should be more concerned about the lizards and iguanas


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## severine (Feb 7, 2010)

I used to have an iguana for a pet. They don't scare me!


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## drjeff (Feb 7, 2010)

Worse case scenario if you come across some critters,  wrap them in bacon and deep fry them, since they'll be deader than dead and anything tastes good wrapped in bacon and deep fried! :lol:

Frankly though when I've been in the greater Cancun/Cozumel area on past vacations, I've been more worried about drinking the water than the bugs!


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## noski (Feb 8, 2010)

Get some "Space Bags"- the kind you can squeeze the air out of. Then you can store your clothes in the big zip lock bag while at your lodging, and squeeze out all the air so you have room for souvenirs in your suitcase when you pack. When you get home, dump your clothes straight into the washer.


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## Greg (Feb 9, 2010)

For Sev:


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## drjeff (Feb 9, 2010)

Greg said:


> For Sev:



Awww, baby ones!  How cute


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## severine (Feb 9, 2010)

You're mean, Greg!  I don't know how you can eat lobster... it's like eating a huge cockroach!

Have you taken the girls to the Bronx Zoo? In the Madagascar building, they have an exhibit that you sort of walk into and you're surrounded by them. YUCK!

I was thinking today, however, about the time Brian went to the Epic ETU at Stowe when I was pregnant... we brought our dog along since I couldn't ski anyway and stayed at some hotel on the road leading up to Stowe that specialized in dogs...and came home with fleas. Not fun.


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## billski (Feb 9, 2010)

For those who are really a bit buggy, the Harvard Museum of Natural History has an enormous collection of Arthropods.  They are all neatly displayed on tiny little needle skewers.  Kind of like hors d'ouvres!


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## severine (Feb 15, 2010)

I've decided that reviews that mention bedbugs are far worse than cockroaches. ::shudder:: My sister-in-law stayed at an upscale hotel and some of those buggers hitchiked home with her. You don't even want to know what she had to go through to get rid of them afterward... Not fun, nor cheap.


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