Lloyd's On The River Country Inn By OYO

The office staff were really friendly, but the room barely warmed up. I could hardly take off my sweatshirt, and the shower was tiny with no curtain. Then the pipes froze overnight. I should’ve just stayed in my tent. It’s worth driving another 20 minutes to get a decent hotel.

We were cold in room 106, even after figuring out on the second night that air was coming in around the rocking toilet. A towel there helped a little. There was also about a quarter-inch gap around the door, which we had to stuff with plastic bags, and the heater couldn’t keep up. Cold showers didn’t help. A small window in the door let the porch light shine in, so the room stayed bright and it was hard to sleep. I told the woman at check-in, and she said she’d report it to the owners in Virginia. Later I was told there’d be no refund because I hadn’t reported it. That wasn’t true.

The front desk guy was welcoming and friendly, and the setting was quiet with a natural feel. My king room had a nice little porch overlooking the river. It’s still right by the road, so it was easy to reach lots of hiking trails and towns within about 15 minutes. Great fit for what I needed. I’m not sure what else people expect from a good review.

The only drawback was the AC, which struggled against the North Carolina heat. We’d brought a small fan, so we stayed cool. Four adult friends checked in easily, had plenty of room on the beds, and found things to do at Darnell’s farm and the Cherokee casino. The owner was kind and knew the area well.