White Marlin Inn

The room smelled like liquor and clearly hadn’t been cleaned after the night before. The bedding had stains and fingerprints all over it. I asked for a full refund because of the unacceptable condition, but was denied. I was also charged twice, and the owner is refusing to refund me. I felt neither safe nor comfortable, and wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The location is the only good thing. The place looks nothing like the pictures, and it was a huge disappointment. There were canned goods left by past guests, and the towels and washcloths were stained. The room door had about a one-inch gap underneath, and one side of the curtain was hanging down, held up with thumbtacks. The bed looked like an eight-year-old had made it, and washcloths were holding the TV in place so it wouldn’t slide. The desk said check-in was at 3 p.m., though the listing advertised noon, and they wanted $50 for early check-in. At check-in they also charged a $5 processing fee. I’d recommend sleeping in your car instead.

The pictures on booking.com weren’t accurate. We had checked the pets option, but when we arrived they tried to charge extra for the dogs. There were no lights when we entered the room, so we eventually found the plug and reconnected the lamp. The bed was already messed up and clearly hadn’t been cleaned. Something was smeared all over the TV, and the shower curtain had black mold. We had to leave, and of course the booking was nonrefundable. Hoping this saves someone else from making the same mistake.

We drove five hours to VA beach and arrived around 10:30. The woman was very nice at first, but after we got settled and took our dog for a walk, she asked for a $50 deposit plus $50 per night. Pets had been included, and we told her we’d sort it out in the morning. We didn’t make it that long. When I showered, I found a previous guest’s hair caked on the shower wall, along with hair bands and a bar of soap. That was the least of it: there were roaches too, which hadn’t been mentioned. We were out within an hour. Thankfully the booking company got us a full refund. Absolutely disgusting.