Super 8 by Wyndham Santa Clarita/Valencia

Backwoods Inn is just up the street if you’re into steak. The rooms were cozy, everything was clean, and the staff were friendly. There’s a pool and jacuzzi, and it’s animal friendly. The price is hard to beat, so I’d come back.

I needed a place near a Christmas party and got a very clean room with friendly staff. The beds were easily the best part, so comfortable. I work in the SCV and used to live there for quite a while, so I’ve passed this place many times and know it fills up fast. The television service needs work, though. It wasn’t easy to find your way through the channels.

We had a pleasant stay of almost a week. The room was clean and decent, and the bed itself was very comfortable, though the flat sheet they used instead of a fitted one came off every night while the kids slept. The staff were really nice. We liked the strong hot tub jets, and the kids, ages 16 and 10, enjoyed the cold, refreshing pool. Laminate floors throughout meant no stale carpet smells. Breakfast was a letdown. It was grab-and-go from a counter, with packaged danishes, bananas, small apples, toast bread, butter and jelly, granola bars, individually wrapped Madeline cookies from Costco, orange juice, and coffee. Parking was also tough because the lot is very small.

In room 242, I found the bed surprisingly comfortable, but I’m almost certain it was a queen, despite the hotel saying the beds are kings. The room itself was in rough shape, with a cracked, dirty-looking bathtub floor and stains and marks on the walls. The thin walls let me hear everything in the neighboring rooms. Hallways had a strange unpleasant smell, and the parking was so cramped that coming and going felt stressful. The advertised free breakfast was misleading. It was only a few random packaged snacks, with no waffles, pancakes, or anything hot or fresh. Between that and the room’s condition, I wouldn’t stay here again.