Palms Inn

The rooms looked well cared for and nicely painted, and the pool was fairly clean. Still, it was a rough start. Check-in took more than ten minutes, though the guy was new, so I tried to stay optimistic. The motel looked maybe a third occupied, with a mostly empty lot, yet our room was between two other groups. The neighbors smoked and drank right outside our door, which made it smelly, and the thin walls let us hear everything as they drank their beers. There was also a train running through the night. Breakfast was close to nonexistent: two lobby chairs, cereal, donuts, apples, and some juice, so you'll probably eat elsewhere. It's a family-run business, and I tried to keep a positive attitude.

A handy little stop off I-8 when there isn't much else nearby. Our room was neat and clean, with soaps and other supplies in the bathroom in case you'd forgotten yours. The front desk even offered to switch on the A/C before we arrived, which was a nice touch. We had a lovely view of the pool from our room, plus plenty of space to park our U-Haul and trailer. Highly recommended for a night.

I was in town to tackle a big chunk of Shell Game geocaches and stayed three nights. It was a really good stay for a reasonable price, and we'll likely be back next year.

My dad and I stayed here in August 2025 while moving out of state. We just needed one clean, cool place to sleep before getting back on the road, and instead we had a miserable night. The room was 88 degrees when we walked in. I carry a thermometer because of a medical condition involving heat intolerance, and I'll be including a photo. At the desk, we were told to give it 20 minutes. He later admitted he leaves every A/C unit off in summer and turns them on only when guests arrive, even in Gila Bend in August, when it's over 100 outside. The room never cooled down, not even close. At night it was hotter inside than outside. Other reviews mention the same problem, so that repeated promise to wait 20 minutes clearly wasn't true. The tiny wall unit sat in a corner nook and couldn't cool a room that size after being off all day. The bathroom was even worse, easily 10+ degrees hotter because the A/C blew the other way. It felt like a sauna. The TV didn't work either, and the front desk didn't seem to care about that. Neither my dad nor I slept at all. The heat was bad, but the total lack of concern was worse: no real solution, urgency, or care. Exhausted and facing a long drive the next day, we asked for a one-hour late checkout. Even though nobody was renting the room after us, they charged us $20-$30 extra. No apology or partial refund, just another charge. We'd stayed because the reviews looked good, and I felt misled. This was easily one of the worst hotel experiences I've had. I'd sleep in my car before paying this place again. Anywhere else would be better.