Midtown Cottages

The room smelled bad when we first walked in, and the office and snack and drink area had the same odor. The pool was nasty, the beds were rough, and the kitchen was tiny. There was rust on the breaker box, the curtains were bad, and doors slammed loudly enough that we could hear them from our room. The pictures don't match the place at all, they look like AI images. It also claims to be oceanfront, but it definitely isn't. I'm never staying here again.

Cookie made our late-night check-in easy and never made us feel rushed, even though it was close to the end of her shift. We had a nice chat about the hermit crabs, which felt personal rather than like routine customer service. The room was peaceful for our one-night stay, the bed was comfortable, and the little kitchenette was a nice extra even though we didn't use it. It was a pleasant surprise to find a cheap place that wasn't run down. We'll come back, and we'd be happy to make this our regular place when we're in town.

The location is handy for the Skywheel, Gay's gift store, and the beach, and parking doesn't cost extra. For a reasonably priced spot near the action, it could work, as long as you're not expecting deluxe accommodations, fancy beach umbrellas, or chairs. The managers were friendly and helpful. Since there's no elevator in the four-story building, they offered to carry things up to the room. The building is around 40 years old, though, and some railings were missing screws and the pool ladder felt shaky. Our two beds were clean, but there was a little sand in the room. The kitchen had a small stove and microwave, and the water warmed up quickly. There was smoking of pot outside rooms on several floors, and kids were running around after midnight. A gospel concert on Friday and Saturday could be heard clearly until 11 PM, even with the door shut.

Our Seahorse cottage was small, cozy, and clean, with the things we needed, including pans and dishes. The staff were really friendly and let us arrive early. It isn't on the strip, but we still had an ocean view and could walk to everything. We're planning to come back on our next beach trip.