Review of Best Inn Motel Salina 2*

I did not expect much from this tiny motel on the outskirts of Salina, Kansas, but I was very impressed with my stay. I was passing through – Salina is about the perfect halfway point from St. Louis to Denver – and the unusually low price I saw on Expedia drew me in. What really caught my attention when I walked into the room was that it is furnished with very nice, new furniture. I was expecting the usual motel fare, but that was not what I got. Not just the furniture, but the lighting and faucets were very, very nice, and of recent installation. I have never stayed in a motel with good lighting before, much less with a dimmer switch. This stuff really impressed me. The bed sheets were likewise new and fresh, and I definitely did not get that usual urge to burn the top cover of the bed in a fire just to sterilize it. On the contrary, the top cover of the bed smelled like roses (no, really! it must have been some sort of perfume or scented fabric softener applied in the laundry). The paint looked fresh, and the carpet was like new as well. I am not exaggerating. I don’t think I have seen this level of quality in the sub $150/night price point… ever. And I only paid about $40 for a night here. This was one of the few rooms I have stayed in where the fridge was plugged in and ready to go from check-in. Anyway, these are very nice touches, at any price point, and they really added to the experience. The one negative was that, although the walls were thick enough, my room had a connecting door to another room, and it was pretty thin. It was locked, of course, but it was basically an interior door and did not filter any noise from the other room at all. Turning on my room’s A/C unit helped drown out some of the noise, but without the fan on, I could basically follow the TV show that my neighbor was watching until, well, very late. Take that for what you will. It’s a $40/night room. For me, personally, it was not a deal-breaker, but it might be for you. I would return here on the gamble that my next neighbor is less addicted to late night TV, although I do hope that the connecting doors are somehow beefed up in the future. For future visits, I will try to request a different room if I walk in and immediately notice that the neighbor is being loud.