Staybridge Suites Jacksonville-Camp Lejeune Area by IHG — Hotel in Jacksonville

I came to Jacksonville, NC to see my Marine son stationed at New River. I have stayed here before but it's been a while. Last time, I stayed, I didn't have a room with a kitchen as they were all booked. I also know I felt the price was a bit high for nothing but beds so I moved down the road to a competing hotel and this is where I usually book at as I normally don't have a need for a kitchen.

They do have a great free breakfast spread which is why I kept it on my list of hotels if I ever wanted/needed a kitchen; Especially considering if a hotel offer rooms with kitchenettes most hotels don't offer any free breakfast with kitchenettes (just FYI).

MY STAY (16 JULY- 22 JULY 2024):

My room was clean and was nicely stocked with all that was needed for my stay. I reserved a 1 bedroom suite with 2 Queen beds. The staff was polite and friendly and always greeted me with a smile. They allow pets which is fantastic as I travel with my 2 jack russells. There is plenty of outdoor space for your 4 legged fur babies no matter what size they are to be taken out for ‘relief’ and they have poop stations in the back that are ALWAYS clean and well stalked with bags (although I always have my own) for all your pups pick-up needs… (yep, I went there as I feel its mandatory I do mention the doo-doo 🤭) PS: If you ever see one of us dog owners leaving/letting our doggos leave their calling card and we don't ‘pick up’ after them- PLEASE… call them out and tell them to pick up their mutts poo! I find it very disrespectful NOT to pick up after your pet 🤨…

To my fellow pet owners who may have made the horrible executive decision to NOT pick up after your pet: This hotel is one of the few hotels left that has very kindly allowed us to have our pets! Don't ruin it for everyone and give them an excuse to stop allowing our pups at this hotel by leaving piles of toxic bio-waist around the property for others to step in! 😤 (rant over)

On with the hotel review…

They have an outdoor pool, basketball court, gym, for your 2 legged ‘babies’ which I will add, there were tons of wee-ones there during my week long stay that were THRILLED with the pool so it was definitely a winner. The hotel has a courtyard at the back with BBQs for you to entertain a few guests for lunch/dinner if you want during your visit. Tues-Thurs, there is a PM ‘social hour’ with free evening food and drinks for guests which is a neat idea as well.

There’s a hotel pantry if you're feeling peckish at any hour of the night or if you arrive late (as I did at 1 am) and are in need nourishment even if it is from a microwave box. The AC was cold and the beds were comfy. There's a ‘quiet hour’ where guests are expected to keep the noise levels down. For the most part, during my stay, the hotel was just that- quiet. Unfortunately, there was a family above me who checked in a day or two after myself, who allowed their children to bounce around the room like elephants well after the ‘quiet time’ curfew (not the hotel's fault). A quick call to the front desk (which I was hoping not to have to do) and the shenanigans above me soon calmed down.

LOCATION: The hotel is centrally located for those who haven't been to Jacksonville. Right off one of the main thoroughfares. Right next to Target, Sam's Club, Walmart, and there's a Publix across the road to stock your kitchenette. Loads of restaurants- take your pick and your be a few min away.

BASES: Camp LeJune/New River/Johnson is literally 5-10 min away traffic pending. (My son made it to me before the pasta was finished boiling).

CONS: Only one- They book up fast. Why? Because they are a good hotel. Period. So book early if you want to stay here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: There are a lot of hotels to choose from in Jacksonville but there are only a few that are worthy of your hard-earned cash in my opinion. After having traveled here and experiencing a few different hotels for myself for almost 5 years… STAYBRIDGE SUITES one is one of them. (It is the ONLY hotel in Jacksonville I have written a review for so...

The facilities: very nice and clean. Comfortable, felt like we had stayed at our own travel lodge. The place, although modern, feels inviting and gives you a home away from home vibe. Nice, clean pool is surrounded by the buildings in the back so it feels like it is in a nook, along with the gas firepit. Great place to relax. We were down for our daughter's graduation from MCAS and I would unquestionably choose this hotel if we were ever staying in Jacksonville again.

The room: ours was a one bedroom, double queen suite. There were us four adults and it was plenty of room for all. Everything we needed was there. From a full size iron/board to a dishwasher with detergent, all dishes, silverware, full size fridge even had a pitcher in it. Notably, our room did not have a safe. No big deal. Beds were comfortable. Dual zone heating/cooling for main area and bedroom. Plenty of outlets. Shower water was HOT with good pressure. NOTE: if you want light touch maid service over the weekend, you must let the front desk know before 5 PM on Friday or you'll be out of luck.

The breakfast buffet: good, but lesser selection of hot items during the week. Weekend offering was better. Depending on the day, the items in rotation were eggs, turkey/pork sausage/bacon or smoked sausage, and a crock pot of homemade breakfast potatoes (which were hands down the best thing on the menu). Along with the hot foods, there was a large and extensive selection of other items like waffles, cereals, breads and bagels, grits, fresh fruits, Chobani Greek yogurt, Otis Spunkmeyer muffins/cinnamon buns, etc. Milk, almond milk (which made my wife happy since she's lactose intolerant), juices, and regular, dark, and decaf coffees were also available. All of very good quality. This buffet added a lot of value to our stay!

The staff: saved the best for last. From initial check-in to check out and everything in between, this hotel's staff were friendly, helpful, and on point in every way. Front desk staff helped us out when we needed to extend our checkout time and even provided a storage closet for our luggage free of charge! Everyone from the cleaning staff, to the kitchen, to the pool maintenance person ... Everyone spoke to us and made us feel welcome each day. Marvin, we will bring you a mimosa next time we come through!

Final thoughts: there were many hotels close to the Marines base that we could have chosen. Some were a little closer, but this one (about 15 mins away from base and 30 mins away from north Topsail beach) was perfectly situated near everything we needed during our stay and wasn't run down or dirty in any way. Sure, the nightly rate was more than some of the others, but was totally worth it - especially considering the quality of the breakfast buffet and the facilities themselves. This was the first big event for our Marine that our family has been able to attend due to Covid restrictions. I'm so glad we chose this hotel for our stay. Like many other military families, we don't often get to see our daughter. What a nice place to enjoy with her during this special time of celebration :)

Thank you,...

We stayed at this hotel for a week. It was clean and decently comfortable. The fully stocked kitchen was nice and the my family loved the breakfast buffet. The hotel was quiet. Although we were on the third floor. I had some family come to say goodbye on our final night. They got a bit loud. The people under us were disturbed. Someone from the front desk came and politely asked us to keep it down. So if you have an issue, staff are kind and professional in addressing any concerns.

There were some issues, one being a little more distressing. The first was that the beds are quite hard. I didn’t mind this. I think there was some sort of mattress pad on it. I liked it but my husband has a bad back. This was very difficult for him.

Another issue was that our sofa was in terrible shape. The cushions are broken down quite a bit.

The tv’s are not equipped with Roku or anything. You have to flip through channels the old fashioned way. But there is a DVD player in there.

Also, after leaving, I noticed I was charged $56 dollars. I called the hotel and they said I was charged a pet fee. We flew from Maine and had no pets with us. However, most of our family and friends do have pets down there. So I thought it was reasonable to assume we picked up pet hair at any of those places. The hotel did determine it was a miscommunication and refunded the money to my account though.

The worst problem for me was that we had a roach come in our room. It was the only one we saw for the entire week. I reported it immediately to the front desk and they said the room would be sprayed while I was out. I have no way of confirming that happened. However, like I said, we only saw one. I suspected this may be a bigger issue for them when I read that someone else reported cockroaches and it was suggested they might be water bugs instead. I was told the same thing. And another reviewer reported bed bugs and was told they may have actually been ticks. Who knows. I’ll include the picture I took. You can draw your own conclusion.

I will stay again after they’ve had a couple years of reviews without bugs because it actually is a really...