Text 15252, 89 rader
Skriven 2014-07-28 22:57:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: one super 8, one sub 720
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The second fanciest joint in Sitka, next to the Westmark,
apparently is the Super 8. The construction is pretty new,
furnishings first-rate, and, wonder of wonder, the
bathrooms are modern, clean, and comfortable. Fresh
carpeting, nice bedding, firm comfy beds. Speedy Internet,
better than most prestige hotels I've stayed in. The only
caveat, sniffed a friend, was the tube TVs. One might
imagine oneself in a higher order Hampton or even a
Hilton or Sheraton, from the room alone. Except for the
place being only two stories tall and the motorcycle and
truck parking right outside the window.

It's a mile and change, down the road and across what
I've been told is the first cable-stayed bridge built in
the United States), then up about four blocks through
the central business district to the only traffic circle
in town. It would have been not the greatest walk, so
three of us shared a taxi - $9. There is also only one
stop light in town, and it is the most cited landmark -
one measures the distance to the museums, the library,
the totem pole park, the Subway - from the stop light.

Breakfast is very ehh, with toaster waffles, bread,
cinnamon rolls (baked specially for Super 8, the label
says), little packs of cereal. Cheap-tasting orange
or apple juice.

But the people behind the desk - when they're not
cleaning the laundromat next door or doing general
chores around the motel - are pleasant and helpful.

The drinking water out of the tap is super excellent.

Oh - the soft drink vending machine charges 50c less
than the local supermarket for the same product.
Unfortunately, it got overuse and went out of order by
the time Lilli felt her diet cola addiction calling.

I'd put this place pretty high on my list and would
return, if there were a reason to go back to Sitka.

By contrast the Super 8 in Juneau is a distinctly
average property. It by contrast has a shuttle that
takes one to and from the ferry slip and/or the
airport, the former several miles down the road,
the latter almost walking distance. As Juneau has
more call for lodging, it has three floors. Lilli
and I were given a suite on the first floor, right
by the dumpster. Fancier TVs, beds with old springs
that groaned with every change of position. Old
furniture that may once have been nice, carpeting
ditto that smelled rather like gymnasium. One of the
lamps leaned about as much as the Tower of Pisa. The
bathroom, on the same pattern as the other place,
managed to be depressing - the tub drain didn't work
properly, and the room, despite fan that went on and
off with the regular light and a flood lamp whose
timer didn't tick down right, was wet and borderline
moldy. Advertised Internet was difficult to use. One
of our colleagues discovered insects in her bedding.

Breakfast - similar to at the other place except
with the substitution of these thickly iced pastries
for the cinnamon rolls; there were also more bad
juices - passionfruit and cranberry cocktails (I
would say minimal if any juice content). One good
thing was hard-boiled eggs, almost pullet ones, but
protein nonetheless.

The staff were pretty nice. There was a computer in
the lobby that seemed to run off the same connection.
To be fair, the previous day there had been a 5.9
earthquake just a few miles down the road; this had
taken down most communications services for much of
the day, and we arrived just as things were getting
cleared up.

I'd stay here again, maybe, under the same set of
circumstances - when we were here, most of the other
hotels were sold out and the rest near downtown were
making hay. This place is 8 miles away from the city
and almost cries out for a car - a taxi downtown runs
about $25; there is a public bus, but it comes maybe
once an hour during the day.


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