Candlelight Inn & Suites

We were exhausted after driving all day from central NY toward Florida, and by around 11pm there were no other rooms available nearby. We passed the place a few times because it was so dimly lit. Once we got there, we knew it was a mistake, but we were too tired to keep looking. At check-in the desk agent told me there was a $5 discount because they didn’t want to pay for fiber optic cable, so only basic cable was available. I was too tired to care, but my friend, who waited in the car, later said she saw several drug deals during the 12 minutes I was inside. The room was on the ground floor at the end of a hallway. When we opened the door around 11:30pm, a terrible smell hit us, like the lungs of a 90-year-old heavy smoker being cut open. I smoke too, and usually that smell doesn’t bother me much, but this was awful. The carpet was badly stained and had chunks missing. One wall sconce dangled by a wire, the other had no bulb. Outside the window was a chain-link fence just six inches away, overgrown grass about five feet high, and a rusty little barbecue with an empty Newport’s pack on it. We were disgusted, but just wanted sleep. We checked for bed bugs and thankfully didn’t find any, though there were questionable marks and what we assumed were blood stains. We took all the bathroom towels and slept fully dressed on top of them. Most of the night, people kept pounding on the locked side entrance, which was unsettling. There was also a two-inch gap under our room door, and we could hear every passing “by the hour” guest. Around 5am I tried to take a quick shower to wash off the smell, but the tub started filling because it wouldn’t drain, so I had to get out early to keep it from overflowing. Then a piece of dry-rotted wall fell near the sink. I thought it was a bug, jumped, and nearly slipped backward into the tub. We’d had enough and hurried out. Before returning the keys, we looked at the door people had been pounding on and saw a pool half full of black-green water. It was late May, not December. I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels on road trips, and this was worse than any of them. It sounds made up when we tell it now, but it really happened. I hope it’s better these days. What a strange place.

I just come here for a drink. They have Shot house Sunday on Sundays, I believe it’s $5 for ladies and $10 for men. Drinks are priced well, there’s a DJ, and it’s good old-fashioned fun.

Nasty!!! The bathroom was disgusting, and the hallway carpet wasn’t even in place. The toilet leaked every time I flushed. They wouldn’t move us to another room, and it took six days to fix it!!!

I paid for 30 days up front, but about 20 days into my stay, the hotel’s power was shut off because the electric bill hadn’t been paid. The owner and management are the same people. When I asked for the rest of my money back, I was told no and that I should take them to civil court. The Wi-Fi only worked in the lobby, and most of the time the TV got no more than six channels. The owner made excuse after excuse every day, which should’ve been a red flag. I’m having to file a civil suit just to get my money back. The power was still out six days later. They screwed the doors shut to keep thugs out, but that also traps guests inside in case of a fire. How can you run a hotel and let the power get shut off, then refuse a refund? Please beware and DO NOT ATTEMPT TO STAY HERE. The owner is a Black man from Virginia who obviously has no idea how to run a business. His business license should be revoked.