Dartford Inn

The staff were nice, which is the only reason I’m giving two stars. I wasn’t expecting a high-end place, just something decent, and this wasn’t it. At check-in, a maintenance worker followed us in from the pool and said the clerk would be there shortly. When I tried to chat about the pool, he said the health department had shut it down because it wasn’t up to code. The lobby was cluttered with junk and smelled awful, like body odor and mold. The clerk then gave us keys for a room we hadn’t booked. We reserved a two-bed room with a kitchenette through the hotel’s own website, and my husband had to show the confirmation before the guy handed over keys to the room type we’d actually reserved. That room smelled of mold and body odor too. The carpet was so bad we didn’t want to walk on it barefoot, and the sheets were stained while the covers smelled musty. We couldn’t afford another hotel and didn’t want to wait 10 days for a refund, so we were stuck. We bought air freshener and Lysol at Dollar General to disinfect things and tackle the smell. I don’t mind an old or somewhat run-down place, but I do mind one that’s smelly and filthy. We don’t recommend it. It’s a shame, because the place could make a killing if it were looked after properly.

The room had a strong musty smell, and the housekeeping guy did a great job. The rooms are extremely dated, not “rustic,” and the roughly 15-year-old AC worked horribly. The health department had shut down both the pool and breakfast. The dock was tiny and pretty much useless. There were black wasps in a sunken hole in the parking lot, and a shredded aluminum can was in the kids’ sandpit on the playground. Cats were running around everywhere.

The owners were very friendly, and this quaint little motel covered the basics with clean rooms and linens. Things were a bit outdated, but that wasn’t our main concern, and I’d highly recommend this no-frills, pet-friendly place. The downside was the owners’ three small dogs roaming loose. They weren’t trained: one jumped on our vehicle, and I can still hear its nails on the paint, then tried to get into the car while we were unloading. The owners kept the dog secured for the rest of our stay, and it wasn’t an issue again.

Larry, the proprietor, went way out of his way to help us, and that’s mainly why I’m giving this place a high rating. It’s an older property, but our room was clean and they’re making updates little by little. I’ve stayed in fancy hotels all over the world, yet this small hotel made all of us smile. We had a great time. Thanks again, Larry.