Howard F
Google
Just got back from the River Lodge, and I am missing it already. Here is an honest review while memory is still fresh. I want this motel to improve so it can serve many more traveler in the future because it is a gem! Let's polish these things first (for Room 13)- flatten out the curl for the area rub beneath the bed, it made me trip many times. The area rug beneath the sofa and coffee table needs to be affix to the floor, I slipped and fell back on to the couch thankfully as I got up. The antique rattan cabinet and armoire are both beautiful, but the hinges needs to be oiled because it creaks. The magnets to close the cabinet doors are surprisingly power and as if I slammed them when I close it. The shower stall's blue tile needs a bit of clean to rid of the soap scum accumulation at the bottom. With the water turned on, the soap scum looks like black mud but it is soap scum. That's all!
We stayed at one of their sister property previously-- the Skyview in Los Alamos-- and fell in love with Nomada Hotel Group's Mid-Century Modern "Central Coast California" style. When picking our lodging in Paso Robles, it was easy to pick this property. They also have the Farmhouse closer to Paso Robles Downtown, but I picked this for its location, the iconic motel sign, and the property's layout. We stayed at Room 13, which is the elbow at this V-shape motel. Inside, it has a bedroom separated by a sliding door, to the living room area with a sofa bed, TV, fridge, bar cabinet, and another sliding door to the bathroom. The sound-proofing was very good. We didn't hear people talking outside (or dog barking) until we opened a small window gap. Maybe it was off-season, right after Christmas, but the guest parking lot was full one night. Both bedroom and living room has a fireplace. The temperature was in the 40s at night and 50s in daytime, this is right after a series of powerful storms, the indoor fireplaces really warmed up the room. There is also a ceiling mount heater/AC, and we were plenty warm inside setting it on 72 degree. The bed, pillow, and the blankets were all very very comfortable. My wife and I slept well! Cute nightstand lamps with USB chargers on both sides of the bed with adjustable brightness, in fact, all light fixtures' brightness can be adjusted. There is also a cute/artsy Lexon WIFI speaker/FM radio which I want to buy. Two large screen TV has all the popular streaming apps available with plenty of channels to watch if you just want to stay in and chill. Remember to remove your account from these streaming apps before you leave, many previous guests left their profile in their all linked to a credit card! I removed them one by one, you're welcome!
For the Deluxe Suite, there is also a little backyard with outdoor shower and fireplace. It was too cold to shower outside in December, and due to the rain, the chairs and the ground were pretty soggy so we didn't use the fireplace either. Next time! The staffs- all very very very polite! The motel's restaurant unfortunately was on pause for the holidays, which we were notified days before, again, next time. But it wasn't hard to find dining here in Paso Robles. The location is great because there is a huge shopping plaza next door with Target, Starbucks, Michaels, Ross, etc. I forgot to bring some toiletry items, so we just walked to Target to buy. The parking is great! Plenty of space, safe, and the iconic motel sign kept the parking lot lit with red hue! This is a dog friendly motel, and we saw plenty. Kids too! Every "tech" in our room worked. WIFI (I didn't test the speed) but it was enough to stream movies. In conclusion, highly recommended and I will return, if no rooms are available, I will stay at the Farmhouse.