Tara A North Beach Village Resort Hotel

The staff were helpful when we checked in, which was the one good part. The first night was okay, though the room was a little dirty and worn down. Then we spotted a cockroach the next day and later found several more in the room, so we left right away and booked another hotel. The listing photos didn’t show the room we actually got. We messaged the host, who apologized immediately, as if this had come up before. They refunded the room, but still charged us a same-day cancellation fee after we asked for a full refund because of the pests. I absolutely wouldn’t stay here.

We had no real front desk, just a call-center number that someone answered only occasionally. After our reservation was moved to another hotel in the same brand because they were overbooked, the room we got was badly outdated and barely equipped. The mattress was old and thin, the towels were nearly see-through, and two thin doors with a gap at the bottom separated us from next door, so we heard and smelled the people smoking pot there. The AC sat an inch off the wall and pulled in humidity. The sheets and floor were damp whenever we came back. The sink water was brown, so we used bottled water to brush our teeth. The bathroom light took about 15 tries to come on. At check-in they said the fire alarm needed new batteries. We returned around 11 and it was still chirping. It took more than 45 minutes for someone to show up and replace the battery. I felt bad for the guests beside us having to listen to that. This list just keeps going. The whole stay was awful. Stay away.

Even arriving around 1 a.m., we were in our room within ten minutes thanks to Jacques. The older building has a simple style and layout that we really liked. It’s tucked away and quiet, yet the beach and nightlife are both an easy walk. We had a great weekend and will definitely come back.

The good parts were the courtyard pool, right by the room, and the handy location near the beach and restaurants. There’s also free parking across the street, so don’t pay the $10 fee. Getting checked in was confusing. The video doorbell was hard to hear, then a young man told us we were at the wrong building and walked us two blocks to check in. We had to walk back afterward. The room itself was a mess: broken floor tiles clunked underfoot, the stained bedside lamp didn’t work, and a fan outside the bathroom ran constantly. The AC dripped onto the bed, which may explain the lamp shade stain. There was nowhere to sit except the bed, no hangers in the closet, and the bare walls had no pictures. The windows had blinds but no curtains. Not a good room.