The Surf Beach Motel

The room was very clean and had a beachy feel. We had a hard time getting the TV to work, but the manager got it running quickly and was helpful. The water took ages to heat up, and the pressure was weak.

I’ve been coming to this motel nearly every year, and this was my first time in a three-bedroom unit. I was told someone would clean it, but nobody came, so I did it myself each day. Some of the furniture and other areas need updating, and I still wish there were a pool. We had problems with the restaurant on both visits: the nachos the first night weren’t like what we’d had before, and the next night my takeout took over an hour while other people got theirs first. I also wish I’d known there was a full kitchen, since there were no paper towels. The worst part was being charged $50 for a chair that broke while we were sitting in it. I couldn’t reach anyone at the property. After I got home, Booking said I had to pay for it. I called and left a message, but nobody called back. For the price, I guess you can’t expect too much, but this was a bad experience.

We paid 805 dollars and expected a clean room with working air conditioning. Instead, we found a nasal strip on the box spring cover and hair in the bathroom drawers. The AC kept shutting off all night, so for five nights we were sweating. The housekeepers were kind and lent us a fan for the rest of our stay, but nobody offered to move us and we kept hearing excuses. The online pictures didn’t match the room we got, and there wasn’t much shopping nearby, so we had to drive around to find food and surf shops. The restaurant food and service were good, and beach access was easy, so we made the best of it and enjoyed the beach. Still, we won’t book again.

Maggie at the desk is a real gem, and my room was huge and clean. I was in town for a conference on Amelia Island and chose this motel because it was only five minutes away. I could’ve stayed cheaper in Jacksonville, but then I’d have spent an hour traveling each way. It turned out to be a fantastic value, and I’d recommend it to anyone vacationing here. The only thing I didn’t like was the lack of outlets. I had to get an extension cord to run my laptop and printer on the desk.