Svendsgaard's Danish Lodge Americas Best Value Inn

We’ve been coming here since around 1969, and it’s still our favorite place to stay. The rooms are older, but clean, well equipped, and available in different sizes and styles. Each morning there’s coffee and Danish pastries in the lobby. Chomps is right across the street for meals, coffee, and baked goods. The central location means we can leave the car in the lot and walk to most shops and restaurants. I’d call Svendsgaards directly for the best rates.

The location is convenient, right on the strip and within walking distance of everything, but I’d have rather stayed farther away in a more renovated room. Ours smelled so bad it gave me a headache, and the room felt filthy. The sheets were stained, the bathroom was dirty, and the shampoo and conditioner tubes had already been used. Paying $350 for that was awful. Staff were friendly when we checked in, at least.

At $246 for one night, I expected much better. Our room, #54, felt neglected and dated, with sun-damaged, torn curtains, old linens that didn’t seem clean, and mismatched worn pillows. The hotel itself gave me an unclean feeling and clearly needs paint and maintenance. Even the ice machine was broken, so we had to ask inside for ice. We weren’t told about breakfast, checkout, or the pool, and the man at reception barely greeted us. It seemed like we’d been put in a rarely used section with no updates. We love visiting Solvang, but I don’t think we’ll stay here again.

We left less than an hour after checking in, but weren’t refunded for the night. The room was dreadful: dirty carpet and curtains, awful bedding, someone else’s hair in the tub, and large ceiling patches from several leaks. We’d been told it had a queen bed, but it was full size, much smaller than the queen we said we sleep in. The front desk guy was nice, though he said he couldn’t issue a refund. The lobby looked old, but was much cleaner than the room. Such a letdown after driving here for vacation, especially since we paid $250 and barely sat in the room. I’d give half a star if I could. Save your money and stay somewhere else.