Sands Motel — Hotel in Marianna

We could not find a camping area and it was getting dark. I remembered seeing this motel as we drove through the town, so we decided to try it. My wife and I have stayed in many older independent and family run motels. Usually they are OK, sometimes they are charming, but we have never stayed in one nearly as bad as the Sands in Marianna, Arkansas. After trying to open the door to our room (it opened less than halfway because it got stuck on the carpet) We were greeted with a king-size bed that took up almost the entire room. We were happy to see a small fridge and microwave we could use, but there was only one working outlet in the room and everything was plugged into it, except the fridge. There was no place to plug in the fridge without unplugging something else. So the TV, cable box, and microwave were plugged into an extension cord that ran to the only outlet by the bed, which already had a lamp and clock plugged into it. I went to the desk to ask about this and to get another towel (there was only one in the room). The manager came to the room and said he was sorry, but that was the only non-smoking room and it only had one working outlet. He offered to give us our money back, but we had been driving all day and could go no further. To top it off there was no internet service, bad channel selection on the TV, unless you want porn, and all for a rate above what you would pay for a room in a two star...

There is no way I can convey how horrible this motel is. It is one of the top two worst motels I've ever stayed at...ever. The 'bed' was 2 mattresses stacked on top of each other. The rooms were absolutely disgusting. The room was extremely tiny and filthy. This motel actually rents by the hour and shows adult movies so that gives you an idea of what's going on here. I slept with a chair wedged in front of the door. I didn't feel safe here at all. No smoke detectors in the rooms. The mirror was on the wall at bed level (?!). This place is such a 'funky hot mess' I can't believe it hasn't been shut down by the local authorities. There are no phones in the rooms. They (needless to say) don't do breakfast here. Heed this review and avoid this place at all costs. Forest City is only a few miles away and has plenty of...

Marianna is my hometown. I graduated from its high school 55 years ago. A classmate and I returned to Marianna to attend our 55th high school reunion and ended up staying at the Sands Motel after the morning gathering and the evening get together.||This is the only motel (or hotel) in Marianna and was old when I left town after graduation, . . . so the motel must now be around 70+ years old. It most definitely needs a facelift, and its old standalone restaurant is now a dilapidated derelict (in the middle of the parking lot), and should probably be torn down.||Having said this, it was adequate for our needs (aka an evening’s rest) before...