Jennifer F

Review of Davenport Roadhouse

There are a lot of nice things about this inn's lo...

There are a lot of nice things about this inn's location, history and architecture, but a lot could be improved. Weird stuff started with the check-in process. We arrived about half an hour before the recommended check-in time and stood around for a while as the people manning the restaurant passed off the task of helping us among each other like a hot potato. Finally we got some paperwork to fill out, which included a waiver that said you'd be charged $100 for a lost key. However, we didn't get a key -- the rooms are locked with a keypad. When I asked about this (just out of curiosity), the guy behind the desk didn't know what I was talking about and couldn't understand even when I tried to explain that I was referring to the outdated waiver. Well, I know I read waivers more closely than most people -- it's fine.

We were told the room was ready early, but when we got there (following some pretty imprecise directions -- no one was available to show us up) we found it was still being cleaned. When we came back a few hours later it seemed the cleaning process wasn't quite finished. The room smelled strongly of bleach and the carpet was wet through. There are no real windows in the room, just glass French doors, which we held open to air it out as long as modesty allowed. Didn't work, though -- the carpet stayed wet and the air stayed bleach-y all 20 hours we had the room. (And speaking of modesty, the thin curtains that are supposed to shade those glass doors don't cover the panels completely.) I always appreciate evidence of a thorough cleaning in this weird time, but the cleanliness seemed pretty uneven -- the armchair in the room was stained, for example, and there were several spiders and millipedes crawling about. (I personally am a fan of spiders and any other critters that might eat the bad ones -- bedbugs and roaches -- but your mileage may vary.)

We ended up having a good night's sleep and waking up to the waves crashing across the road (note that the rooms facing the ocean don't actually have ocean views -- there's a translucent plastic panel, buildings and trees in the way), but the inn just didn't live up to the expectations lifted by the great location. I'd still rather stay here than a chain hotel in a strip mall any day, but know what you're getting into if you choose it.