Rodney N.
Yelp
First of all, I want to give this 2.5 stars, but you can't.
Quick review (if you don't have the inclination to read it all): Do not stay here if you are a snob, or expect things to be perfect. DO stay here if you need to save money and don't mind some quirkiness, unclean restrooms (just dirty sinks from hand washing I guess) and a very rustic feeling.
Ok, so onto the full review.
I got a last minute job in Moab and needed a place to stay cheap. I had two choices for cheap, stay in a tent or stay at the hostel. I knew it was going to be hot this time of year, and as far as I could tell their rooms had swamp coolers that would help with the heat. I also read every review here and had a pretty good idea of what to expect when I got there.
I booked 3 nights in one of their private rooms for $28.32 per night with tax. The man on the phone was very friendly and told me they had 3 refrigerators and a kitchen that I could use to cook any food I brought.
When I arrived the front desk was busy, I waited maybe 5 mins to check in, which I don't consider excessive. The man figured out my total for 3 nights, then I presented my credit card. He asked if I had cash. I said no, sorry. He said, well we prefer cash, but this is fine.
I have no problem paying cash, but they need to tell you that when you book, and if they had, I would have brought cash. (just a note to any employee reading this, spread the word to whoever answers the phone) I'm just not the type of person to carry $85.xx in cash all the time.
Anyway, back to the review. I went to my private room, opened the door and got a slight whiff of some odd smell. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't offensive, just slightly odd. Maybe it was just the smell of old. Because this place looks pretty old. Well, to be honest, not that old, more like run down. I am guessing these buildings were built in the last 30 years and then allowed to just decay. The main building with the dorms and the bath house are obviously the oldest, next in age I am guessing are the private rooms, then the newest are the cabins, which, although I didn't see the inside, appear to be pretty nice from the outside.
Back to my room. The floor was clean, although a very outdated carpet, but still, it was fine. The bed was made with clean sheets and there were two nice bath towels and 3 bars of motel sized soap. The bed had a head board with two levels of shelving which I found very convenient for laying my wallet, phone, etc. In the one corner was a chair, and in the other was a small table with a lamp and the towels. There was also an envelope from whoever cleaned the room, asking for a tip if I liked the room. (hey, I've seen that in chain motels too, well, pre-printed envelopes, not hand written).
I flipped on the light switch and the over head fluorescent tubes flickered, but didn't turn on. I turned them off and back on and they came on and suddenly the room was filled with more light than a baseball stadium it seemed. I have to wonder if whoever built this place has stayed in a motel, because I have never seen a room with that much light. They could have gotten away with a nice round fixture with a couple soft white bulbs and I wouldn't have felt like I was in an interrogation room when I flipped on the light. There was a lamp in the opposite corner, but it really was too inconvenient to use, so I never even tested it.
The room was hot, so I immediately turned on the swamp cooler. It whirred to life and began blowing cool air into the room. It had two fan settings and seemed to work pretty good. Not as cold as an AC, but it still was cool. The bed was decent, not too soft, not too firm and there were two pillows with mismatched pillow cases (like I said, quirkiness). I immediately took off the bed spread, like I do in most motels, since no place ever washes those and then started pulling back the blanket and there was a small, winged bug underneath. I am not sure what kind of bug it was, or how he got there, but I picked it up and threw it outside.
I googled for images of bed bugs and this was NOT a bed bug. I felt ok, as I saw no other bugs in the bed, or anywhere in the room. I had brought a sleeping bag and my own sheet, because frankly I was concerned (from the reviews) that the sheets might not be clean or usable. To be fair, they did appear clean and I probably would have slept on them if I didn't bring my own. So I opened the sleeping bag and placed my sheet on top. I knew I would not need a blanket in the heat of summer.
I put everything in my room and fired up my computer to check the wifi. (code is in the office) It actually worked, and pretty well, and was FREE! I then decided to BBQ some burgers I had brought.
Well, it looks like I am at the limit of my 5,000 characters. You can read more about this place on my blog: http://www.rodneyonthecheap.com/2012/08/find-cheap-gas.html