Pine Knot Motel

I can't understand the glowing reviews. I took them to heart and checked in. I was in shock when I got inside.

The room was jammed with a full sized and a twin bed and some broken, mismatched ikea type bookcases. The twin didn't even have a spread on it and looked more like a cot. Neither bed had a washable mattress pad and were made with flimsy sheets placed right on top of the mattress itself. Creepy.

The ancient gas wall heater had decomposed and looked dangerous. There was a tiny lcd tv with a built in dvd player atop a non operational mini fridge but as there was no remote it was pretty much useless. TV reception was provided by a set of rabbit ears nailed to the wall near the ceiling.

The grey industrial carpeting was absolutely filthy with huge black stains everywhere. It quickly turned my white socks black. I couldn't understand why the owners wouldn't replace it. I mean you can't buy cheaper carpet and for the size of the room it would cost around $50.

I was not able to bring myself to get into the tiny shower. There was "something" visibly embedded in the green tile that gave it an odd texture. The fact that the toilet paper dispenser was broken and rather than fixing it the housekeeper had just taken to placing the roll on the floor, or that a plunger handle was provided to prop up the broken bathroom window did not boost my confidence.

Now I am not pretentious and for $300 a week for a room right on (noisy) Pacific Coast Highway I was prepared for a dive. This, however, was beyond any dive I have ever encountered, and there have been many in 30 years of budget travel. Honestly it was uninhabitable even for me. I was unable to make it through the week and checked out after 2 days.

It's a pity really. The place is in an ideal spot and offers such potential. If they would have spent just $500 bucks improving my room this would have been a very different review. If they gave the other 15 rooms the same treatment and cleaned up the trashy courtyard I would probably be raving about the place.