Heidi Motel

The extra charges really add up: a $10 cleaning fee each night, a $15 hot tub cleaning fee and setup fee, a daily pet fee, another $15 cleaning fee for a room with a kitchen, and $25 extra pet cleaning per night, among other extras. Getting to and from the room also meant driving or walking up and down a very steep hill every time we left. The beds were awful, one queen was very soft and slanted, the other hard as a board. The sheets had hair and stains, as if they hadn't been changed, and they were thin microfiber rather than cotton. There was coffee down the fridge, sticky counters, and a dirty shower. The TV only offered Hulu and the password didn't work, so we had to log into our own streaming service. We stayed two nights and had prepaid, so we had no alternative. I was glad I'd brought enough blankets and towels to avoid using the hotel's. There were some good points: communication was great, it was right on the main street, fairly quiet, nonsmoking rooms, and I didn't see any bugs.

The room was the smallest hotel room we've ever had, with beds that were okay and awful pillows. The beds advertised online as queen-sized definitely weren't queen-sized. There was almost no soundproofing either: we heard sirens and passing cars, and the upstairs neighbor kept my wife awake for most of the first night. The lot was tiny and very tight, and the steep slope made getting in and out harder. Self check-in was convenient, and the rooms were decent, though only the bare minimum. Still, it would've been nice to have an actual person to talk to when we needed help. The text service didn't follow through on promises. There was no designated smoking area, so people could smoke anywhere. I stepped outside and immediately smelled a lit cigarette, strong enough to make my daughter cough. Disgusting. Chad did try to help by speaking with the neighbors above us, but we still paid two nights of cleaning fees without anyone cleaning. A rough-looking woman brought us towels and rags at 10 p.m., and we had to call Chad to get anything done. This place has potential, but needs major improvements before I'd stay again.

The place was clean and comfortable, and great for walking around Helen. The only problem for me, as a short person in my early 60s, was how high the beds were. I had a terrible time climbing up, and once I was there I didn't want to climb back down because of my hips and knees. I also hadn't seen another hotel use a code to get into the room. That was my only complaint.

The room was lovely, clean, and nicely furnished, and check-in was easy even though we booked less than 24 hours ahead. It was really close to everything. The only reason I'd rate the location lower is that the restaurant and bar across the way played VERY loud music until 11 p.m., keeping us awake.