Yachats, OR: Drift Inn And Try To Find The Front Desk Or Someone Who Cares ... Good Luck!

Drift Inn

124 Hwy 101 North

Yachats, OR 97498

Phone: (541) 547-4477

Website: the-drift-inn.com

Prices: $$$$

I found the place on Airbnb and the price was right at $50 per night, but the room was the size of a large closet and the reception I received upon arrival and in the restaurant's bar was inadequate.

There is no reception for the hotel, so I had to find a server in the restaurant to show me to my room. It was small, but semi-functional with a queen size bed (that took up most of the room), a TV and DVD player, and a small table and folding chairs. When a single chair was unfolded, it was impossible to move or store anything in the room except for under the bed (which I did).

The reservation said "bed and breakfast", but when I inquired with Gretchen, who I assumed was one of the owners/managers, she said "it was a mistake", but grudgingly giving me a coupon for coffee and a muffin for ONE of the three mornings I was staying there.

The food in the restaurant was overpriced and the bartender (and co-owner), Ernie, was a rude jerk. Required to sit at the bar even though tables were available (because I was alone I guess), I tried to make conversation and ask a question about the local draft beers to Ernie, but he was either too busy or too important to respond. The guy is a bit of an ass**** and the food was mediocre, so I do not understand why they are so busy. Must be Ernie's jovial personality!

I stopped for a beer on my way back to the room after eating at Heidi's Italian Dinners (where the food was good and the reception friendly BTW) one evening around 9:15PM and after being there for about a half hour (it was 9:45PM) I asked for a final draft beer before going to my room, but was told rather rudely by Ernie that they closed at 9:30 and it would not be possible. No "last call", a crappy attitude, and a bar that closes at 9:30pm ... what kind of place are they running?

In all, it was a cheap, very small place to stay, but they obviously do not care about hotel (and I use that term loosely) guests, focusing on keeping locals happy and drunk. Yachats was a quiet, lovely, small town and I had much warmer receptions at other bars and restaurants nearby where I spent most of my leisure time and money.

Combat Recommendation: Call Gordon Ramsey and have Hotel Hell come and give you some tips on how to properly run a hotel, restaurant and bar.

CombatCritic Gives Drift Inn 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Yachats, OR: Drift Inn And Try To Find The Front Desk Or Someone Who Cares ... Good Luck!

Key Words: Drift Inn, drift, Inn, Airbnb, in, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, hotel, bar, Yachats, Oregon, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: SNAFU = "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

St Joseph, MO: Historic Inn + Dilapidated City = Slightly Overpriced Accommodation

Whiskey Mansion Bed and Breakfast

1723 Francis Street

Saint Joseph, MO 64501

Phone: (816) 676-1529

Website: whiskeymansion1885.com

Prices: $$$$

A beautiful, restored historic mansion in a bit of a sketchy neighborhood in St Joe stand as stark contradictions, but once inside Whiskey Mansion the world outside is much less conspicuous. Having suffered arson and gutting back in the 1990s (from what I understood), this mansion, which was built by a whiskey baron back in 1885, has been meticulously restored to its former glory. Too bad the rest of St Joseph has not been treated quite so well.

Entering through the covered porch into the large sitting room, the formal dining room is straight ahead and the room where breakfast is served is to your left. A large entry hall leads to the ornate staircase that takes you to the guest rooms upstairs. On the second floor are seven bedrooms, five large with en suite baths and two "maids rooms" with a shared bath, one of which was our room ($89+tax, including breakfast). 

The rooms are nicely furnished with antiques or reproductions and have TVs with cable, a small refrigerator, heat/air conditioning (Mitsubishi), and wi-fi. There is even a staircase lift for disabled guests on the back (servants) stairs.

Breakfast is served from 7am to 9:30am downstairs and from what I understand, French toast is the norm. Baked in the oven, two large pieces with maple syrup and globs of butter on top came on the plate along with a small fruit cup with fresh pineapple and honey dew melon cubes. The French toast was good, rich and sweet, but there was a little too much of a good thing and I would hate to know how many calories we consumed. Some eggs, bacon, hash browns, and biscuits and gravy would have been nice, but I do not think the kitchen has that capability. If you are paying $100+ per night for a room, you should get more than French toast and some fruit for breakfast. Coffee and tea were self-serve.

A historic and important river city, St Joseph was the hub for westward expansion in the 1800s  with Station #1 of the Pony Express as well as its headquarters and the prime railway embarkation point for Gold Rush travelers headed west. Unfortunately, there is not much happening downtown these days and many of the beautiful old buildings and homes have fallen into disrepair or have been boarded-up. If you are looking for things to do or good restaurants to eat at, you will be challenged in this "once" thriving town, making $100 per night and up for a room a bit of a stretch. I have stayed at nicer B&Bs in much more attractive locales for $75/night, probably a price more appropriate for St Joseph, Missouri.

Downtown St Joe is more like a "ghost town" and good food has also apparently disappeared from the locale. We tried two restaurants while in St Joseph, Il Lazarone, a pizza joint, and the Hi-Ho Bar and Grill, a dive bar with what resembles food. Both were not good, so good luck with meals. I hear McDonald's are plentiful in town ... yuk. So, with deductions for being slightly overpriced, the limited breakfast menu, the lack of decent restaurants in the area, and the dicey neighborhood ...

CombatCritic Gives Whiskey Mansion B&B 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... Bombs Are Good!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: St Joseph, MO: Historic Inn + Dilapidated City = Slightly Overpriced Accommodation

Key Words: Whiskey Mansion Bed and Breakfast, Whiskey, mansion, bed, breakfast, B&B, hotel, inn, Francis, Street, St Joseph, Saint Joseph, Missouri, TravelValue, travel, value, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Omaha, NE: Average Room, Bad Breakfast, And High Price Equals Poor Value

Comfort Inn - Omaha
330 N 30th Street
Omaha, NE 68131

Phone: (402) 345-2222
Website: choicehotels.com/ComfortInn

Prices: $$$$

On the outskirts of downtown Omaha, the location was convenient, but a car is necessary if you want to eat or do any sightseeing. The hotel is your basic five-story box, there is a gym, but there is no pool or hot tub. 

A free "hot breakfast" is advertised and, although true, the hot food consisted of powdered scrambled eggs, bright orange potatoes (potatoes should not be orange unless they are sweet potatoes), and what I assume were breakfast sausage links that likely have a shelf life somewhere into 2035. I have had MREs that tasted better and fresher than Comfort Inn's hot breakfast. There was a sign above the eggs saying: "due to avian flu, locally sourced egg products will not be available for the foreseeable future" or something along those lines. Delightful ... appetizing!

Our room was decent, your typical chain hotel room, with a king size bed, TV/cable, desk and chair, and a small sofa. The wi-fi was very difficult to access and when I asked the woman at the front desk what the problem was, she told me "I don't know, that's the right password, that's all I know". When I asked why the log-in screen would not display so I could enter the password, all I got was a shoulder shrug. Very professional. Considering that our phone's signals were so weak (all over Omaha, including the hotel) that it made it impossible to access the internet or make even a phone call, decent wi-fi at our $100 per night hotel would have been very helpful. Why a city the size of Omaha has such a weak cellular (T-Mobile) signal is beyond me, particularly so close to downtown. Bizarre.

The biggest drawbacks were the leaky toilet in our room that refilled itself (very loudly) every 90 seconds - night and day, the poor wi-fi access, the crappy breakfast, and the front desk woman with a chip on her shoulder. Otherwise, Comfort Inn - Omaha was mediocre at close to $100 per night. A basic room like ours in a budget hotel with no pool in Omaha, Nebraska should cost no more than $70, closer to $49 would have actually been more appropriate.

CombatCritic Gives Comfort Inn - Omaha 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Average Room, Bad Breakfast, And High Price Equals Poor Value

Key Words: Comfort Inn, comfort, Inn, Omaha, NE, Nebraska, hotel, breakfast, wi-fi, gym, pool, 30th, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Luxury? Inn and Suites - Silverthorne, Colorado

The cheapest, I didn't say "cheap", lodging in Keystone Resort (Colorado) area is the Luxury Inn and Suites. Located in Silverthorne, Colorado just north of I-70 and one block east of the main drag, the hotel/motel is conveniently located near shops, restaurants, markets, and more.

I paid $69 weekday and $90 weekend on Hotwire, but when I got to the hotel they were advertising $54.95 weekday rates. My payment to Hotwire came to $320 plus tax for four nights, which seems a bit high for a 1 STAR property, but the rooms are clean with a small fridge and microwave, AC, TV with HBO, small indoor pool with Jacuzzi, and continental breakfast included. Even though I paid an average of $80 per night, a value in this overpriced tourist area, I do not appreciate paying $15 more than the advertised rate people simply walking in off the street pay. Hotwire.com should be ashamed of themselves!

Breakfast is "OK", with hot coffee, bagels, English muffins, and donuts still in the plastic box from the supermarket ... classy!  The staff are not very friendly, but helpful when pressed into action.  They seem to care less that you exist, much less being a breathing human being and "valued" customer? Checkout is at 10:00 AM, so do not plan on sleeping in.  I was lucky enough to talk the manager (owner?) into an 11:30 AM checkout on my last day, but it took some persistence and smooth talking to get him to grudgingly agree.

The rooms are moderate in size and fairly clean, although the tile in the bathroom was cracked and some of the furniture looked as though it was purchased at the local Goodwill. Wireless internet is free, but slower than molasses in January...aargh, aargh. The "king" bed I was supposed to sleep in was a few testicles short of kingliness, looking more like a "queen" to me (no disrespect intended to my LGBT audience). It was fairly comfortable nonetheless.

The indoor pool was small, yet clean, with a decent size Jacuzzi that had whirlpool jets with a prostate problem...not a very forceful stream if you know what I mean. 

Exterior doors are open all night with no supervision, so if you are looking for security, keep on looking!

CombatCritic gives the unluxurious Luxury Inn and Suites 4 OUT OF 10 BOMBS for travel value...and they only did that well because everything else is a rip-off in the holiday destination of Keystone (Silverthorne/Dillon/Frisco), Colorado. 

Read more travel, hotel, restaurant reviews ... AND MORE on my blog:

http://www.combatcritic.blogspot.com

CombatCritic ... OUT!