MainStay Suites Williamsburg Historic Area

The room was spacious and clean, but the kitchen was barely usable: one frying pan, a serving spoon, two forks, and several butter knives. I could have paid less for a regular room and ordered food anyway. For a four-day stay, ordering out is still cheaper than buying a set of cookware. They also hadn't told me the indoor pool was closed for renovations. I only found out when I asked at check-in.

Stay away. The photos give a very misleading impression. Our room was worn out and dirty, with a stale cigarette smell. The stove didn't work, the carpets were wet and smelled like dog pee, and the furniture was badly beaten up and clearly not looked after. The phones and smoke detectors didn't work either. I'm not even sure the place is licensed to operate. On the way out, we saw fresh dog crap by the door and a passed-out drug user slumped in a running car. The cops arrived as we were leaving. I didn't feel safe here. This is the projects of Williamsburg.

The staff were very nice, and parking was plentiful. The room itself had plenty of problems: hair in the shower, dusty towels, and a strong bad smell in the hallway on our floor. The tub wouldn't drain, so on our last night we had to shower in a room on another floor. The microwave door was broken, and the coffee maker had no basket, so we went downstairs for coffee. At checkout, a note said the clerk had stepped away to help another guest. We waited about five minutes, then left our keys and a note saying we'd checked out.

For less than $300 for two nights over July 4th weekend, the price was pretty good, especially since we booked on short notice. The staff were nice, the room was okay, and it's under half a mile from Colonial Williamsburg, so you can walk there. Our windows looked into the huge pool room, which isn't in use anymore. That was kind of nice since we got no morning sun. There was a big kitchen, but we didn't use it because the fridge was very loud. The hotel is meant to be smoke-free, but the hallway constantly smelled like marijuana. Our room didn't.