Hotel Econo Lodge Historic Area (Williamsburg, USA)

Doubt if a frill has ever been anywhere near this hotel, but it is clean and the beds are comfortable. Need extra towels? No problem. Breakfast is limited in choice – but filling and free. WiFi seems to work fine. Travelers on a budget can’t really ask for more.

Members of staff in this family run hotel are friendly and helpful. This isn’t always the case in low budget hotels. Check in can be a bit of a pain because they want you to see the room before committing to it. Good practice though as it avoids confrontation later.

The popular historic area is an easy 15-minute walk away, or just a few minutes in the car. The bus for Colonial Williamsburg leaves every few minutes and there’s a great Italian restaurant – just 30 yards away.

The area itself isn’t attractive and there are some strange folk hanging around. Rooms to the front of the building are better solutions to any potential problem.

In this pet-free, smoke-free environment, there’s strong evidence of a cat presence nearby – judging by the strong smell of cat pee. Non-smoking rooms have a similarly strong smell of cigarettes, accompanied by nicotine stains ... a real give away!

Breakfast is very limited – but it IS free. Bed linen is cheap and pillows are tiny. Some items need replacing; the TV remote doesn’t work and neither does the hairdryer. Whilst it is generally clean, cleaners seem to have run out of energy as they approached the bathroom. Not quite as clean as elsewhere.