Howard Johnson Plaza Dezerland Beach & Spa

The breakfast they call continental was just bread, with no butter or coffee, and they wanted another $10 for butter. The staff seemed selfish and unconcerned with guests. My room was dirty, the AC didn't work, and there was no hot water. You get what you pay for, I guess. It was really, really bad. Don't stay here.

Don't stay here. We regretted booking this place as soon as we walked in, even though we chose it last minute for the beach location. The room was filthy, smelly, worn out, and way too expensive for what it was. There were bugs, stained sheets, scratched and stained furniture, dirty bathroom and shower, and barely any water pressure. The shower squealed the whole time. The beds were hard, the carpets stained, the walls yellowing, and paint peeling everywhere. The elevators were old and frighteningly slow, the ice machine was broken, and vending machines failed on several floors. We felt safer sleeping on the sand than in that room. The front desk kept trying to upgrade us at extra cost. We didn't even sleep there, but they refused to refund us and were extremely rude. We were charged for a beach chair with towels that wasn't there, along with lots of other fees, including parking. Nobody told us breakfast wasn't included, so we paid for the buffet and got stale toast and coffee. It's charged per person, even for that. This was a living nightmare, and I wish we'd checked reviews before paying. My boyfriend and I won't put ourselves through that again.

There were hidden charges for parking, hotel tax, and the beach umbrella, which cost us $15. On top of the umbrella, they charged a daily $15 hotel tax for a towel we never used. The lobby smelled as soon as we entered, and our room was dirty. We saw bugs on the furniture at night, and the beds were nasty. The windows looked like a fire hazard. The bathroom was awful, with a battered tub and a toilet that barely worked, and I don't know if it could even be cleaned properly. The pool was small. A child pooped in it, and it took the pool man 20 minutes to get everyone out. Seriously, never stay here.

The beach is right there, the pool is nice, staff are friendly, the beds are comfortable, and the place was decently clean. The food was okay too. We chose it as an economical way to stay by the beach, and that part worked. But the wireless internet they call high speed was painfully slow, like dial-up on valium, and air kept blowing noisily from the vents. If you need reliable fast internet for a working holiday, or can't sleep with that constant hiss, I'd look elsewhere. Earplugs might help with the vent noise.