Beachwood Motel

The location is amazing, but the room and service were awful. It smelled like pee mixed with cigarettes, and the curtains didn’t block the lights blazing outside the window all night. I paid $135 for one night. Some idiot kept revving his engine in the parking lot all night, and nobody did anything. I asked to stay a second night, then they wanted to charge me $165. Just crazy. Even so close to the beach, it isn’t worth the price. Absolutely don’t recommend.

The beach boardwalk is a block west and the train tracks are a block east, so it isn’t quiet. The rooms also have a memorable je ne sais quoi. Still, this place feels like the safest spot for miles along the beach. If you want to be left alone without a constant maze of rules or the usual worries about tow trucks and thieves, this is the spot. The staff are vigilant enough that even the urban campers behave, without nosiness or drama. I left a room full of holiday shopping with the door literally open toward the other wall, unattended from noon until 10 pm, and nobody went in. That says a lot about how well staff keep things secure. It’s a low-key break from the rules, heat, and drama of coastal cities, where you can just do your own thing.

We left after the first night of a Thursday-to-Sunday booking and moved to another hotel because my daughter had trouble sleeping near the tracks. There’s no AC, and the motel is really close to the train tracks. It’s not the owners’ fault they’re so close, so I still gave them 3/5. The woman at the front office was very nice when I explained why we were leaving, and they refunded the days we didn’t stay, which I thought was kind. It’s conveniently close to the beach.

It was cheap and better than having no hotel, though the mold smell was really strong. I had no allergic reaction, so it was just a smell. The bedding was soft, the fan was nice and powerful, and there were no bedbugs. The woman also worked out a deal with me on the payment, which was good.