Mother Earth Motor Lodge — Hotel in Kinston

The retro vibe was amazing. We live in Little Washington and wanted to get away for the weekend and do something fun with the kids without driving forever. I remembered there was a water park in Kinston so when I searched for hotels and this motor lodge popped up, I was intrigued. There was absolutely no talking me out of staying here after checking out the photos and reviews. We booked the double suite and felt right at home as soon as we walked in the door. I regret not reading the binder with all the info offered until right before check-out. I noticed a lot of stuff on that last morning that I definitely would have taken advantage of (same day laundry service for example) had I just paid a bit more attention. We had a living room area with a couch & chair, coffee table, eating table & chairs, huge lamp, mini fridge, Keurig, microwave, and a 42 inch tv on a dresser type stand. The bathroom was spacious with a walk-in shower with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel & soap, sink, big counter, hair dryer, cubby type area for towels, and toilet. The bedroom area had two double beds, a nightstand in between with an alarm clock, telephone, and lamp, a tv on a dresser, closet with laundry bag & slip, desk with a lamp & chair, and a huge window with curtain. There was a thermostat in the hallway to set the room to your ideal temp. There we're lots of different complimentary items in the room. Breakfast was offered from 6am-10am in a room right by the lobby. There was a good variety offered. The pool is great and super pretty at night. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy. My 8 & 15 year old son and 3 year old nephew absolutely loved the pool and it was hard to get them away from it. If my 8 year old wasn't in the pool, he was playing putt putt golf. There was a cute little smoking area set up outside near the golfing area. They also had shuffle board, ping pong, 2 "porch" swings, bike rentals, and 3 outside grills. Many items were offered in the lobby to purchase such as feminine products, deodorant, alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages, snacks, keepsakes, cards, etc. I would highly recommend staying here at least once in your life. The water park is less than 10 minutes away. There are many restaurants within walking distance and many that offer delivery. I had never actually heard many good things about Kinston, but this is truly a hidden gem. 10/10 definitely...

I had an absolute great time even though it's kind of overpriced for what they offer. But that isn't my big Problem with these guys, most places charge you a $100. Incidental up front, in case anything happens with the room.These guys didn't do it which I thought was odd. That's because they charge smokers whether you smoke in the room or not, a two hundred and fifty dollar fee, after you leave. Their excuse was, they found cigarette butts in the trash can. That's because all the cigarette butts do we smoke? I put into cans or the trash can when I got back to my room. Because the whole entire time I stayed there all the other trash cans around the whole facinity, where flipped upside down. Had I took my own trash from my room, guess what? I wouldn't be charged two hundred and fifty dollars, which is unfair.They have put me in the negative after charging me seven hundred dollars foo 5 night. I asked for group rights or anything to help me extend my stay. I extend my stay three times because I enjoyed the places around. Only to be hit with a fee because I didn't take my trash away from the room. I guess I should have just left my cigarette. Butts on the floor in front of my room, they can simply watch the camera, me and my wife were both walking around at four o'clock in the morning, smoking cigarettes. The beds are absolutely terrible. They had no silverware for guests. The pool was completely dirty.We had to ask the staff three or four times to skim the pool. Oh, and all those amenities you have to pay for them separately. Nowhere on the website, it said...

Booked reservation through 3rd party booking site months in advance - chose / indicated need for pet friendly room. Arrived and signing paperwork at check-in - desk attendant said that paper I was signing confirmed no animals in room. I indicated I had booked pet room - and did have my dog - and desk attendant told me that I was NOT in pet room and no pet rooms were available. Asked for options - desk attendant said that they would make an exception BUT that the housekeeper would do an assessment after I left, and at housekeeper / management discretion they would charge me a "deep clean" fee. I asked how much that feed would be and the desk attendant said they did not know - it was at housekeeper / manager discretion. I said that it was not reasonable to believe a guest would say "I agree to let you charge me a fee that you decide at your discretion for any amount after I have left" -- so the desk attendant suggested I cancel and find another room! I did so, then went back to a travel search app, chose "rooms for tonight in Kinston NC - pet room available"....And Mother Earth Lodge came up again! I went back into the office and showed to the desk attendant - who said "that does not mean we have pet rooms available". I give this 1 star rating without having stayed there -- I ultimately did find another hotel for the night. Mother Earth Lodge might be a very nice place - but be sure that you read your reservation carefully (especially if traveling with pets) and be 100% clear what is - and is not - included in your...