Recently renamed as "The Pelican," not much has changed in the condition of the grounds. As others have said, the place is old. There were some issues with the service. But, for $65 on spring break week for two people (even if the room was tiny), you absolutely cannot beat the price.
Nevertheless, you basically get what you pay for. We encountered a number of problems during our two-night stay. Most annoying were some issues with customer service. First, all guests are given complimentary use of several (total) canoes, kayaks, and a paddleboat, but when we tried to sign up for one at 5 p.m., we were told that the boats are only available until 5:00 to "make sure everyone is back by sunset." This is Florida; the sun doesn't set until 7:30! We only wanted to take it out for an hour. Most frustrating about this policy, though, is that it is not posted anywhere in any of the information pamphlets, nor were we told about this at check-in. So, we were unable to ever use any of the boats, which had been one of our main reasons for staying there.
Another strange customer service lapse came regarding local phone service. Our room had a DVD/VCR player with the TV (not standard at most hotels), which was awesome, but it had no phone. This would not have been a big deal, except that guests are not even allowed to make local phone calls at the office. When I went to the office to ask if I could use the phone, the woman kept me waiting while she finished a personal phone call, then told me I would have to go across the street to use the pay phone at the CVS Pharmacy. This was not a huge deal, but it seemed ludicrous that a paying guest would be refused such a basic amenity when it was so clear they had a phone available.
A third major problem with the motel is the Internet service. Simply put, it doesn't work. Save yourself a huge hassle and don't spend two hours like I did trying to figure out the problem. Just log in to the wireless network of the hotel next door and it will work fine, but do not try to use The Pelican's wireless network.
Despite all these problems, I still give The Pelican 3 stars because of the price. We stayed during high season and couldn't find anything else for less than double what we paid. The room for $65 is tiny -- not much bigger than my closet at home -- but the grounds are nice and not counting the random restrictive policies, the staff was friendly. (By the way, there is no beach for swimming, just a dock for the boats, so don't expect use of a nice private beach -- there isn't one.)
I would definitely recommend this motel to anyone looking at price as their top priority, but if you're seeking something more romantic or better quality, look elsewhere.
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