Vulcan Country Inn

I came to Vulcan for my son's wedding over the August weekend and stayed here for two nights with my little dog. The bed was comfortable, the air conditioning worked really well and was surprisingly quiet, and everything in the room worked as it should. The room was clean and looked well maintained. The woman at the desk was pleasant when I checked in. I didn’t eat at the restaurant, so I can’t comment on that. I’d read some reviews before booking and felt cautious because of a few comments, but I was pleasantly surprised. The owners seem to be working hard to keep the rooms maintained and affordable.

The staff were friendly when we arrived, and even offered to carry my bags. We’d come to Vulcan for a couple of hockey games and booked a suite with a full fridge and stove. We only had time to drop our things before heading to the next place, so the dirt didn’t jump out at first. Later I found dust all over the phone, and the microwave wasn’t clean either. The toilet was the worst, it looked like only the surface had been cleaned, and the toilet lid came off. The beds seemed fine when I checked them before sleeping, and there was lots of space in the room. The walls are very thin, so you hear everything. I told the staff at checkout how disgusting the place was, but they didn’t seem to care. We won’t stay here again.

The bar had a great atmosphere, and pool was free while we were there. Room rates were good, though the rooms themselves were average. There were cracked bathroom tiles, and some of the setup was odd. Our room smelled of smoke, with clear signs that someone had tried several times to clean smoke damage off the walls. Staff service was poor. Nobody was at the desk, so we had to call to get someone, and for anything we needed we had to go to the bar. Housekeeping knocked at 8 a.m. even though we’d requested an 11 a.m. late checkout and had a sign on the door. We’d asked for adjoining rooms weeks ahead, but the desk person kept trying to move us to rooms that weren’t connected. It’s probably the best hotel in town, though it’s definitely not five-star.

The room was alright for a place with limited options, and they did clean it daily. We picked the inn because it was close to a wedding. When we arrived to check in around 6 p.m., nobody was at the desk. We waited 20 minutes, called the hotel and the number posted there, and then the people who ran it came in. I assume they’d gone out for dinner. I don’t mind that, but a note saying they were out and when they’d return would have helped. We nearly missed the wedding rehearsal. When they came back, they didn’t acknowledge that they’d been away. Our first-floor room had doors to both the inside and outside. There was no deadbolt, though the door locked automatically from outside and had a chain. I had to try several times to open it from outside. The room had a table, microwave, fridge, and air conditioner, but only two outlets. The toilet paper roll was empty when we arrived, though there was a full one sitting on the toilet. The beds seemed clean enough, but the room smelled old and could use some airing out. While we were waiting, there didn’t seem to be anyone working in the restaurant or lounge who could help either.