Sunset Inn

I felt like I'd wasted my money. The room was old, the facilities badly outdated, and even the bedding seemed to date from when the hotel opened. I wouldn't recommend it. I was charged $177 for one night during the St. Augustine Christmas Lights 2025. This hotel should be shut down.

I've been here long-term because it's central and reasonably priced for the area. The rooms are clean and efficient, management mostly leaves you alone, and it's usually quiet.

I'd read the earlier reviews, so I was pleasantly surprised by my stay in November 2024. I could see the work that had been done to improve the place. It's not perfect, but the price is great for being so close to the best of St. Augustine. The new owner was nice and checked in when we crossed paths to make sure I had everything. The air conditioning gets as cold as you need.

There were maggots, or some kind of wiggly bugs, in the sink when we turned on the water, and brown water came out of the shower. The bathroom smelled of mildew, and I wasn't willing to bathe or brush our teeth with that water. We used bottled water. I showed the front desk woman what was in the sink and reported the problem. We paid $100.00 for the room, though Google Maps showed $73.00. She offered $30.00 back, which we took, but I think the full $100.00 should have been refunded for such a horrible room. We were in a bind: we had arrived a day early, had no room at the place we were staying for the rest of the week, and needed somewhere to go. We asked the woman at Southern Oaks in for a suggestion. She directed us to sunset, saying the place next to her was known for throwing people's belongings onto the lawn. It was almost 11 at night after a nine-hour drive, so we went. There was a strange mildew smell as soon as I walked in, but we felt we had to make it work. The check-in office smelled bad too, which should've been a sign. We asked if the rooms were very clean, and she said yes. I checked for bed bugs before we lay down, as I always do, and didn't see any. But I put the top sheets on the floor so my teenage girls wouldn't walk on it, and we all kept our shoes on. I saw leaks around the property, and the drains and water clearly need maintenance. We asked for our money back, and the desk woman said we lied about having two kids and two adults, claiming there were four adults. My girls are 14 and 15, though they're as tall as us. We didn't lie. I had no reason to, and I believe in telling the truth. I wouldn't recommend staying here. I'm worried someone could get sick if something crawly gets on or inside them. I have a video of the things in the water and am curious what they are. Some had a string hanging from them that reminded me of a hookworm. If they're not maggots, what are they? Google Maps family, take a look and tell me what you think.