Howard Johnson by Wyndham Rock Hill

It's an older place, and the room is very basic, so don't be fooled by the photos. Still, it had what we needed and was reasonably clean. The linens were old and a bit threadbare, but the bed and pillows were comfortable, and there was plenty of water pressure and hot water. Breakfast was basic too. The service stood out: everyone was friendly and very accommodating. All in all, it worked well for us.

I grew up here, then moved away from Rock Thrill 35y ago and came back for a funeral. We could walk from the motel along a continuous curbed sidewalk to Cherry Park, which connects with the city's much larger sidewalk network. There's also a nearly all-walkway loop to the north, under and over eye77. Driving around is straightforward too. Riverview Road and the roads beyond it make it easy to get to the former Celriver site. Near the YMCA branch there are interesting all-weather exhibits about the old synthetic fiber plant. The area is well lit now, with visible overnight security. To reach Winthrop campus north of the Main street area, Eden Terrace is a pleasant, direct route that avoids Cherry Road traffic. At breakfast, there was hot water on tap and a full range of basic breads, oatmeal and grit packets, and drinks.

Being able to park right outside our door was a real plus. For a budget motel, this was a top notch overnight stay, with none of the unpleasant surprises mentioned in so many bad reviews. If our experience stays the same, I'd come back again and again.

A handy stop between Toronto and Florida or Georgia, just off hwy 77. The place was clean and well lit, and breakfast was a pretty good continental spread. The price was good too. I accidentally booked through booking.com for the night before we were due to arrive, but the manager kindly refunded me.