Hotel Econo Lodge Little Creek (Norfolk, USA)

The room lacks some items that you normally expect, but prepare to enjoy one of the best night’s sleep for ages. *Rooms to the rear are quieter than those facing the street.The bed is very comfortable and the sometimes yucky refrigerator in other hotels, is spotless. The air conditioning and WiFi work well and the tariff is attractively reasonable.

Always useful to know - there’s a 7-Eleven just down the street. A laundry is nearby, too and so is a Starbuck’s. It’s a bit of a drive to places like Wal-Mart and Virginia Beach. It’s close to the naval base, although Norfolk, itself, isn’t somewhere you’d want to rush back to.

Front desk personnel are friendly and attentive but not ‘in your face’.

Breakfast is certainly nothing to write home about. Again, it’s very basic with a concentration on cold items that need little in the way of preparation.

Water in the sink is steaming hot, but the shower/bath water isn’t really warm enough to enjoy. You’ll also be struck by the strange smelling water here. Don’t know if it’s from the same source, but there’s a strong smell in the lobby as well.

Start poking about the room and you’ll see that beds aren’t pulled out when cleaning – there’s loads of rubbish behind them to confirm this. Windows are grotty too, with cobwebs highlighting the fact that these don’t get touched very often. There may be a lack of non-smoking rooms so prepare to be put in a smoking one. Here, there are cigarette burns on bedding, carpets … almost everywhere.