Winter Haven Gardens

It's an inexpensive, no-frills place to sleep, and the staff were polite and did try to help. The hotel was mostly clean and well put together. The pool was nice, though there wasn't a hot tub, and breakfast was very nice. The issue was with toilets that kept clogging and wouldn't flush properly. When I asked them to fix one and clean up afterward, they blamed my teenagers and then left the toilet uncleaned.

The staff were very friendly, but the towel situation needs better communication. One associate brought plenty when we asked, while the next day another said we'd have to wait for housekeeping. We paid for two nights and left after the first. The floors felt greasy and unclean, the beds were too stiff and hard for me, and there was a cockroach on the entertainment center. The pool wasn't heated and was ice cold. We won't be back.

The meals were good and the service was good, and I added a star because of the meals. The hotel is really nice for its age and location, very clean, spacious, comfortable, and there were no bugs. I would have given it five stars, but some of the rules were frustrating even though I understand the reasons. It's hard to take them all in when you first arrive, and a few simple changes would help. It would be useful to have the rules written out and handed to guests. I can manage not having coffee pots for tea and coffee in the rooms, but there should be a few plastic covered cups. I also disagree with charging for takeout containers. We wanted to bring dinner to our room, and I hadn't thought to bring money to pay for containers. I was too hot and tired to go back upstairs to get it. And why not put a sign on the ice machine saying ice is available at the desk? The ice signs should be covered or taken down. Having to pay for tea was frustrating too. Please make a few simple changes.

The only good thing I can say about this hotel is that the lobby was clean and nice. Once we checked in and drove through the gate, it became clear that the property seemed more like low income housing for many residents. There were broken down cars all over the parking lot, and people had set up smoking areas outside their doors with lawn chairs and ashtrays. One even had a smokers pole outside. The cigarette smell in our room was overpowering. My son struggled to breathe and had to go back outside. The ceiling was stained with nicotine, and the sink had stains that looked like blood. I went back to the front desk to tell the employee, after I could finally get out of my parking spot because someone who appeared to be a drug dealer was making a delivery to one of the women staying there. The desk worker didn't seem surprised. He immediately said I would get a refund, without offering another room or even apologizing. I booked through booking.com and have contacted them and the property through messages, but haven't received any information about the refund. I believe the positive reviews were written by people who live here permanently. Avoid this place at all costs.