Americas Best Value Inn Ocean Inn

The customer service was excellent from check-in through checkout, and housekeeping kindly mopped the floors the next day without any fuss. Still, they were so sticky that my new shoe inserts started coming out with my feet. The sheets felt extremely rough even after they were changed. The location is great, and the price is competitive with other hotels nearby.

I've stayed in more than a thousand hotels, and I'd tell anyone visiting St Augustine to keep this place as a last resort. The property itself wasn't clean, and it felt more like a jail, someone's house, or a soup kitchen than a hospitality business. Every time I left my room, I felt like I was being checked over. The staff were the worst part. At night and early in the morning, it felt like a movie set. The owners let local people who seemed less fortunate stay there with animals and all their belongings. Doors slammed all night, dogs barked, people yelled, and people smoked marijuana by the pool near the chained-off area with dogs. The afternoon employees hung over the balconies drinking and acting obnoxiously. The list goes on. Save your money. There are many more suitable places nearby. Avoid this one.

We liked that it was clean, quiet, and reasonably priced, about five miles south of downtown St. Augustine. There are two grocery stores nearby, and Winn Dixie is walkable. We also walked across the street to a donut and coffee shop. The room had a coffee maker, microwave, and mini fridge. My only complaint was the hard pillows. I wish I'd brought one from home.

I wouldn't choose this place again or recommend it unless I had no other option. The room felt dated, and the sheets, pillows, and blankets didn't look or feel clean, so we put our own bedding on top. We showered with our shoes on and didn't use the towels. The mini fridge could be turned up enough to use its top section as a freezer. There was no full-length mirror, and the TV only got about six channels. The smoking rooms had ashtrays. Around 9 a.m., housekeeping banged hard on our door and startled us awake.