Tahiti Inn

The room still wasn’t ready at the agreed 3:30 check-in, even though we’d arrived around 12:15 and spent the afternoon at the beach after early check-in wasn’t available. I asked the manager to cancel if it wasn’t ready on time, since I had two kids and just wanted to settle in when promised. He said I’d still lose the deposit. When I said I’d dispute that charge because they hadn’t kept their end of the agreement, the manager’s father came out from behind the counter and physically threatened me. They said management would fight my dispute. I recorded the interaction and just want the deposit dispute resolved. After working hard all year and changing plans for an extra beach day, this was a lousy way to be treated. I’m pretty flexible and know the hospitality business well, but this left a bad taste. There were cigarette butts and trash around, and the water fountain out front was dirty. The place’s service was so comical SNL could do a skit about it.

The location was the only thing that felt the same. After many years of coming here, my best friend and I won’t be back. We were sad to see our home away from home get so run down. The outdoor table and chairs were dirty, the concrete paths were filthy and green, the pool area wasn’t clean, and the gardens we used to enjoy are gone. Water buckets under the second-floor AC units were overflowing, and those units dripped in front of a ground-floor room. Inside, the light between the beds flickered, the sink drained poorly, the shower drain was rusty, and the fridge door wouldn’t shut tightly. There was a roach outside our door, too. We got one toilet paper roll and three bath towels, no room service, and had to make our beds and take out our own trash. The previous owners kept things clean, cared for the gardens, and were always helpful and friendly. I’m sorry this is so long, but it was hard to see the place change this much.

Nearly $800 for two nights felt like an insult. The only things that seemed worth paying for were the location, two minutes from the boardwalk and beach, a bed, and a bathroom. The Hotels.com photos don’t look like the actual place at all. We booked last minute for a beach trip with my toddler and MIL. It wasn’t a horror story, but it wasn’t pleasant either, just overpriced mediocrity. Our ground-floor room with two beds was tiny and worn out. Things were outdated and rusty, with peeling paint in places, though the bathroom wasn’t scary and I didn’t see mold. At least there was no carpet. It had been cleaned, but not spotless, so we brought supplies and wiped it down again. The beds were okay for sleeping, and the bathroom worked for showering. Check-in was fine. The two staff members weren’t especially cheerful, but they did their job. I called ahead about smoking and was assured it was a non-smoking property, though I had to call a third-party line because there’s no direct hotel contact. That wasn’t true. There’s a smoking area by the vending machines and two more inside the pool courtyard, surrounded by rooms. So the family swim area comes with secondhand smoke. We skipped the pool after reading reviews, though we saw people using it. See pics. We were only in the room at night, so we made the best of it, but I felt completely swindled by the price. If your standards are above mediocre, look elsewhere nearby. Spending a little more somewhere else seems worth it for your peace of mind.

The location behind the boardwalk was the one good thing. Room 101 was damp, musty, dark, and had nowhere to put our things. The website pictures felt like a bait-and-switch. They said it had just been cleaned, but swim trunks and a used towel were still in the bathroom. The shower window seemed to look into a storage area. I looked up regulations and understood that it should open onto a private area. Outside by that storage area, two young kids were sitting near it vaping and lurking, which felt suspicious. After sitting on the beds, my kids and I were all extremely itchy. We checked out the same day. Everything else was awful. Don’t go, save your money and stay somewhere else.