Starlite Motel

The manager was excellent, if chatty, and cleaned up the soiled bedding himself without a problem. My room was spacious, the furniture was acceptable, and the motel had a large grill and patio table for our group on the covered patio. The mini-fridge and microwave were handy. The bed was extremely firm, though, and the air conditioner made alarming noises if I ran it all night. My non-smoking room smelled strongly of cigarettes from former guests. Most of all, housekeeping and maintenance need attention. I had to ask the manager to change the bedding at check-in because the bedding, bathroom, and carpet all had the same hair on them. Since there was a pandemic, I felt I had to sanitize the prepaid room myself. After getting fresh bedding and cleaning the high-touch surfaces with my just-in-case kit, my four-day stay was fine with the do-not-disturb sign up. The locks barely held the door shut, and looked as if they had been broken open before. Some finish nails sticking out of ripped-off baseboards had to be avoided. One downstairs room in our group also had cloudy, foul-smelling water from the faucet. It's a nice little town, and with a clean room this is a decent place to stay. Lots of young families were there while we visited. Dobson Creek Coffee Company and Stella's Bakery down the road are good for coffee and breakfast or lunch.

The room was roomy enough for both our bicycles, and the shower was clean. The bed is firm, and there were a couple of scuffs on the walls and floor trim. Outside, it looked freshly painted, with flower pots everywhere, which felt homey. The check-in lady was polite and chatty. For the money, I think it's a very acceptable room. We wouldn't have picked it if there'd been another place in town, given the reviews, but in my opinion the reviews led us wrong. I'd stay again.

The rooms were awful, and the carpet was so filthy I made my kids keep their shoes on. Thankfully, we'd brought our own bedding. I'm sure the room bedding hasn't been cleaned in decades. The staff were unfriendly, and when I called to reserve, the person on the phone acted like my arrival after midnight was a huge inconvenience. I wouldn't pay $10 a night here, let alone the $50-plus we wasted.

Earnest is one of the best motel managers we've ever met. He's polite, professional, always helpful, and keeps the place as clean as he can, even without enough funding or support from upper management to maintain it in top-notch shape. Nineteen stars for him, zero for upper management. The motel itself is about 30 years overdue for upgrades. Still, it's a good place to stay, with free WiFi, clean rooms, great views of the Mission Mountains, a great location, and a pet-friendly, people-friendly atmosphere.