Americas Best Value Inn & Suites Escondido

The room felt cramped for our family of four, and the bed was a full size even though I’d asked for a queen. That’s why I’m giving the place three stars, especially for the price we agreed on for a queen. The motel has been nicely remodeled. The men I spoke with while booking were polite and professional, and the maid was very nice about providing cleaning service. Breakfast is free from 6 to 9 a.m. One small catch: there’s no coffee available in the lobby after breakfast, since the breakfast room is attached to it and gets locked at 9.

I got bitten by bed bugs and complained to the manager. He was incredibly rude, offensive, and disrespectful. After that, even though it was my only other complaint during months of staying there on and off, mostly on, he said we couldn’t stay there anymore. We’d spent a few thousand dollars over those months and had been respectful, clean, and considerate guests. I found bugs in several rooms: bed bugs, cockroaches, flies, gnats, and spiders. Housekeeping were lovely, both as people and at their jobs. Most of the staff were hospitable and kind too, apart from the manager and one young male employee on late nights. It was pretty quiet compared with nearby places, except for loud music from the Mexican restaurant next door on weekends.

By 10 p.m. we were exhausted, so after the third room we gave up and went to sleep. We’d arrived at 5 a.m. and had already spent hours dealing with problems. The front desk clerk was new and didn’t seem to know how to help. We asked for a refund afterward. The first room seemed adequate for sleeping, and the marble shower was probably its best feature. But after a few hours, we heard a strange noise and found water pouring through the bathroom ceiling. It covered about half the floor, and black mold was clearly growing under the sink. The next room they showed us had bugs and spiders everywhere. In the third, the clerk opened the door to a room that someone had just left and that hadn’t been cleaned. There was also a $100 deposit at arrival, which seemed odd given how cheap everything else was.

My room and bathroom were clean, and the toiletries were stocked. The night clerk was friendly too. I’d read the Google reviews, so the stay was much better than I expected. I only wish the king bed had come with four pillows instead of three, but that’s nitpicking.