The Americana Hotel

The “penthouse” was filthy, with bed bugs, hot water leaks, and so much sand in the bed that it seemed the sheets hadn’t been changed since the previous summer guest. We couldn’t even stay the night we had booked. A horrible, horrendous place. It made for a dreadful 35th anniversary outing.

We were in OCMD for one night as a midpoint on a trip, and this was a cheap room right on the boardwalk. It was clean and nice to wake up with the ocean out front, though there were no frills. The location made it easy to get off 113, spend a night at the beach, and reach the Rt 50 bridge quickly. Parking cost extra, but we booked through Expedia and paid only $35 for the room, so it was still a great deal.

Booking ahead can get you a really good price, and I got this hotel for a good rate. The service was excellent, and the rooms were very clean, tidy, and comfortable. Best of all, it’s right on the beach, across from the boardwalk, and close to the beach’s attractions. The views and the whole setting made for a great stay.

We asked for two queen beds and found two queen beds plus bunk beds placed in front of the TV. The beds were also very hard. The view was described as ocean-side, but we could only see a bit of ocean, with mostly the city in view. We tried to overlook those issues and went to swim, but the pine scent in the pool area was so strong it made me gag. There were roach traps along the pool wall. That was the last straw. When we arrived, there was a strong pine smell in the lobby that didn’t seem concerning at first. At the desk, the woman asked us to pay a $75 per person security deposit, though the booking site’s policy hadn’t mentioned it. In our room the pine smell was about ten times stronger than in the lobby, almost nauseating. We complained after one night of a planned four-night stay and asked whether any money could be returned. They refused, so we had to go through our bank to get our money back.