Motel 6, Beatty, Nevada

...could see signs for a Motel 6 right next to the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino along with a gas station. Signs advertised pretty cheap prices for the Motel 6 and we thought it looked lovely and clean alongside the somewhat tackier looking Casino accommodation so we drove in to enquire what was on offer.

***Motel 6's***

There are many of these motels all over the USA and if you are looking for reasonably priced accommodation ...
...Casino.

The motel was very quiet at night and there was no outside noise to speak of except for the rumble of the occasional truck rolling through the town. We were both exhausted by the heat but the air conditioning was excellent in the rooms despite the temperature outside being in the 80s at 9 o'clock at night.

In the morning the coffee pots were sat as promised down in reception and there was a small seating area ... more

***Background***

I mentioned in my Stovepipe Wells review that we couldn't get any accommodation in Death Valley but that we knew that there were a few towns nearby where we would be able to find a resting spot for our weary heads. One of these towns was Beatty, which is around 30 miles away from the Stovepipe Wells Village.

The road in is extremely long, straight and pretty boring on the way in to Beatty but we didn't let that put us off. As we drove into the town itself, we noticed that it seemed pretty deserted on the streets and I have to say that initially we wondered what type of place this was. We saw what looked to be a Casino and Hotel to the right but it looked as if it was being done up and we decided to head on to see what else was on offer and soon passed the local police station and senior centre, which appeared to be right alongside each other.

It wasn't long though until we found a saloon, a convenience store and further along the main street we could see signs for a Motel 6 right next to the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino along with a gas station. Signs advertised pretty cheap prices for the Motel 6 and we thought it looked lovely and clean alongside the somewhat tackier looking Casino accommodation so we drove in to enquire what was on offer.

***Motel 6's***

There are many of these motels all over the USA and if you are looking for reasonably priced accommodation with no frills then these are the ones for you. You can book ahead from one to the next if you are travelling like us, although I have to say we decided to wait and look for something a bit more luxurious in the towns we stopped off in on our road trip.

The rooms vary from queen to king size and some have 2 double beds in them to accommodate travelling families. Prices vary from small town to city but you can be sure they will be one of the cheapest in whichever area you are visiting. Amenities are limited but that doesn't mean that cleanliness or decoration is compromised to the extreme. Also included in the price is a free Internet facility although this one didn't actually have a wireless connection available and we had to link up by cable. Still, this is one luxury that a lot of the fancier hotels charge for.

***Booking In***

Parking up in the large area outside was easy and free as well. We walked up to the canopied entrance and were quite impressed by the attractiveness of the building. It was all in a good state of repair with palm trees growing around the outside.

Inside the double doors we arrived in a pleasant reception area with terracotta coloured floor tiles and cream wall decoration. It felt lovely and cool with the air conditioning but gave off a warm welcome feel to it. As we approached the desk a woman soon appeared to ask us if she could help us.

We explained that we were looking for a room for the night and she asked whether we preferred smoking or non-smoking and what type of bed we were looking for. We said all we really wanted was a nice room with a king bed if possible - well we were on honeymoon after all. She checked the availabilities and soon informed us that the only king room she had left was a handicapped room and asked if this would be acceptable. Well at this point, my hubby almost cracked up thinking that it must just have 3 walls or no floor, but I kept myself together and said that would be good. I think the sun had affected him but then again for those of you who have met him you may just think he was being his normal self.

She took our credit card payment for $59 for the room and we wondered what the room would be like for such a cheap payment. She then asked for us to write down the details of the car for security purposes and my hubby went out to remind himself of the registration details. Whilst away the woman was very chatty and friendly with me, asking all about where we were from and the places we were planning to visit on our trip. When hubby came back in he asked what the abbreviation for Louisiana was so he could finish off the details on the form and for some reason she thought it was IL. Not quite sure how she came to that conclusion but I said I thought it was LA. She laughed and said that he could write whatever he wanted as she wasn't going to check it anyway. We thought this was a bit strange considering it was meant to be for security but we let it pass and before we picked up our electronic room keys, we were told that free coffee was available in the morning at the reception area.

We were also handed a bunch of discount tickets for the Casino next door and this included money off breakfast, other meals, coffee and drinks. There was also one to save us some money at the gas station adjacent to the Casino. We thought this was excellent, especially since the room for the night was only costing us about £29.

***The Room***

Much to our delight, the room was bright and spacious. It also had all its walls, ceiling and floor. We couldn't imagine being offered a room that was handicapped in the UK. The walls were a clean white colour with gentle wall lights and the carpet was a dark blue and looked very nice in this reasonably sized room. The bed had a patchwork bedcover on top of a thick padded quilt and was extremely comfortable.

Also in the main room was a desk, 2 chairs and a television unit where a number of cable channels could be watched at no extra charge. There was also a phone to contact reception or to make outside calls if necessary and the point for internet access although they do not supply a cable so make sure you take one with you if you are planning to use a laptop. All in all it was a pretty basic room with no coffee facilities there but as previously mentioned coffee could be bought from the neighbouring Casino with the vouchers and free coffee could be found in reception in the morning so this didn't really bother us too much. It was a bit different from all the luxury of the Westin St Francis in San Francisco but also much better than spending another night in the Pontiac.

The bathroom was large and fitted out to accommodate someone with accessibility needs. The large bath had handles and a fold down seat along with a very good shower that felt wonderful after getting all hot and sticky in the desert areas of Death Valley. The toilet also had safety rails and although this bathroom looked a bit basic with only a couple of freebies of soap and no shampoo or conditioner, it was very clean and pleasant to use. Good selections of towels were also available for us to use.

Down the hall there was also an ice machine and we were quick to fill up our ice bucket to cool down the bottles of juice we had bought earlier. There was also a vending machine with various cans of soda and some snacks in to.

Once we had taken a rest, we headed down the road again to take in sunset views of Death Valley and to explore the ghost town of Rhyolite. It was quite late when we returned and again jet lag was hitting us a little bit so we decided not to pop over to collect our free cocktails at the Casino.

The motel was very quiet at night and there was no outside noise to speak of except for the rumble of the occasional truck rolling through the town. We were both exhausted by the heat but the air conditioning was excellent in the rooms despite the temperature outside being in the 80s at 9 o'clock at night.

In the morning the coffee pots were sat as promised down in reception and there was a small seating area to enjoy this wake up call.

***My Thoughts***

This was a very friendly motel to stay in and the staff were all pleasant and cheerful throughout our stay. Checking out was easy and we signed for our stay before leaving in the morning. Checkout was 11am but we were up and about early, as we had lots planned for that day, mainly exploring some more of the Furnace Creek area of the valley before heading onwards to Las Vegas.

Before leaving though we decided to go over to the Stagecoach Casino for breakfast and with the vouchers it only cost us around £5 for 2 cooked breakfast with egg, bacon, sausage, hash browns and pancakes, as well as bottomless cups of coffee.

We also stopped off and filled up with gas before leaving as the prices were pretty good and we also had money off by the gallon too. Before leaving we also stopped off at the local store to stock up on yet more juice and water for the road. I don't think I've ever drunk that many non-alcoholic fluids in my life before.

If you are ever looking for somewhere clean and cheap to stay whilst visiting this area then I would definitely recommend this Motel 6. It was everything we needed for a brief visit to this strange little town. 

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