Ace Motel

The room had the basics: a comfortable bed, TV, fridge, microwave, a bathroom with a bath and shower, and heating and air conditioning. But during SXSW I paid $95 a night, and the quality didn’t justify that price. The showerhead hung so low it touched my shoulders, and I’m only 5'7, which made washing my hair difficult. Breakfast wasn’t included either. I’ve stayed in places for under $20 that were much better. It had what I needed, just not for $95 a night. Hopefully the price was because of the festival.

I only found a room here because I was booking at the last minute and everywhere else in town was full. It turned out fine for two nights: the price was fair, the room was really clean, and the AC got nice and cold. The owner was helpful and clearly takes pride in the property. It doesn't look run-down, maybe it's been remodeled recently. I'm picky about four-star places, so this was okay by me.

The AC worked pretty well, and the place was close to where I needed to be and inexpensive. I could shower, though the towels feel like coarse sandpaper, so dab yourself dry unless you want to lose skin. The Wi-Fi wasn't working, and I got bed bug bites after staying in room 104. Nice to see the one-star motel quality is holding up...

We were there during South by Southwest, and the Wi-Fi seemed to be half a dozen routers sharing one DSL connection across 50 rooms. Maybe it's better when the motel isn't packed. The place itself was clean and affordable, with lots of nice little touches for a motel the 1970s forgot. We could've stayed a day or a month. A lovely couple runs it, and they seem to be putting their hearts into the place. Wishing them the best.