Carlsbad Village Inn

We booked by phone for four days at $79 a night, but were charged $544, and none of our deposits were returned. The room was never cleaned during our stay. We arrived Thursday to find a quarter roll of toilet paper, one towel, and no soap or shampoo. We asked twice for housekeeping and got nothing. The floors were filthy, the toilet was so low that it felt like a daycare toilet, and the water pressure was too weak to wash our hair. The bed was full of sand. With no turn-down service for four days, we had to shake the bedding off ourselves. We were glad we brought beach towels, since there was just one towel for two people. I’ve stayed here for 30 years, but this was the worst visit I’ve had. It’s in my hometown, but I’ll never stay again. Horrible business.

I paid almost $100 for one night in a room that felt like a prison cell. It was dirty, the beds were broken and uncomfortable, and I worried there might be bed bugs. There wasn’t a single amenity. Everything in the room seemed broken, and it was noisy, with people rummaging through the dumpster. The woman at the desk told me to park under a bank’s security light and surveillance camera instead of in their lot because there was a chance of a break-in. If I’d known the place was affiliated with Motel 6, I never would have booked. They shouldn’t be operating, and should be turned into a homeless shelter.

We were offered a choice between a full bed and a smoking room for our one-night stay. We don’t smoke, so we took the full bed, only to find bed bugs in it. We switched rooms right away and made do for the night in a tiny room with no soap and just one towel. At 8:30 the next morning we tried to check out early, but a sign said the person would be back at 9:30. The person inside wouldn’t even take our key. We had to come back between 11 and 3 to get our $100 deposit, and then they tried to charge us for the wrong room and for not checking out on time. The service and policies were very poor. Families should know the location and clientele are far from kid-friendly.

The staff were great, and though parking was limited, we managed to work it out. The main problem was the room. It was supposed to be non-smoking, but smelled like someone had smoked in there, and the odor had clung to everything. After we got home, even the clean clothes in our bag smelled.