Days Inn by Wyndham Lamont/Monticello

We only stopped because a major storm was closing in and we needed somewhere safe. The two queen beds gave the kids room, but check-in came with an attitude because we'd accidentally left the booking at the default of two adults while rushing to find shelter. I know that was my mistake, but I've never had a lodging place be so rude about it. The room was small and dirty, with a peeling finish in the tub, and the metal skirts at the bottom of the beds banged loudly whenever they were touched. The McDonald's next door was convenient, though our experience there was poor too. Breakfast was three packaged danishes and one shriveled orange at 9 a.m., nothing else, barely enough for two people. The room cost about as much as a Comfort Inn or Hampton Inn, though it felt more like an extended-stay property. It did give us a safe place to wait out the storm. I wish I'd gone on to Tallahassee, but didn't want to risk getting caught on the road in those conditions.

The breakfast is pretty skimpy, just oatmeal, grits, or packaged Danish. Still, I'd stay again. It was a reasonable price right off 10, and quiet, with a clean, comfortable bed, pillows, and linens. The motel has been remodeled, though it's still older. It seemed fairly clean, but I check behind the bathroom door, and that test failed. There was something smeared even on the inside of the door.

It was an okay motel, though the area around it felt pretty isolated.

The front desk welcome was the only good part of our stay. We asked for a king bed and got a queen instead. The floors were so filthy our feet turned black, and the toilet and tub area was dirty around the baseboard. There was also a hole in the ceiling where the vent fan should have been, and the tub had big chips in it, so we didn't want to use it. Breakfast was nearly nonexistent, with no bread for the toaster, just packaged rolls. We thought we'd give it a try despite the bad reviews because it appeared fully booked. Big mistake. There were only eight cars in the lot, and we walked our dog late and again early.