Anchor Motel & RV Park — Hotel in Surfside Beach

Hold on to your eyeballs, this is going to be a long read. ||||TLDR: Don't stay here, it doesn't matter how much money you save, it's not worth it. It's gross. ||||So, to start this review, we booked this motel with the intent of staying multiple nights while we took care of business in the area. It was to be a business/pleasure style trip. We left Dallas late and arrived at the hotel about 10 minutes after 9pm. Knowing that check ins after 9 were frowned upon, we called the front desk and updated them a couple of times letting them know about where we were, and how long it would take us to arrive. They said arriving a few minutes late would be fine and there shouldn't be an issue. The first time we called, a woman answered, the second time we called and told them we were in Angleton, a man answered and said they looked forward to seeing us. ||||Upon arrival, my fiancé went in to collect the keys. I wasn't there to witness the interaction, but she told me that she was made to feel very unwelcome, and that the woman who checked her in was rude, and was not wearing a mask. She also informed my fiancé that she would be taking a $20 key deposit per room and would be inspecting the rooms before we left before she would refund the deposit. Keys in hand, we went around back to park and unload our things. ||||Walking upstairs to the room, the walkway was littered with debris, there were chairs in the path at random intervals which required hoisting of luggage over it to get by (you couldn't roll luggage past) and there were complications with getting the door unlocked with one of our rooms. I managed to get the key to work by physically forcing the key in while wiggling it until it seated and allowed the lock to turn. That done, I went back to the room I was staying in to finish unloading. ||||Having had a poor experience at another hotel in the area recently, we decided this time we would bring "a layer of protection" against potentially dirty bedding, so we had some sheets, pillow shams and a blanket in the event we needed it. I'm very, very, VERY glad we did. More on that later. After hauling all of our things to the two rooms, I decided to take a look around.||||When we walked in, the dank smell of the room was quite evident with a slight undertone of urine. The beds were made as you'd expect, but that's about the only nice feature I can describe, what comes next is straight out of a nightmare. ||||The gray carpet was wet/damp in places. The "kitchen" was dirty, the sink had what looked like dried soda in it, there was a bread tie on the microwave and a bread metal twist on the counter. There was dirt/dust on every thing in the room, and the higher up you went, the thicker it got. In fact, the further into the room I got, the more grossed out I got. ||||After driving from Dallas to Surfside, I really needed to relieve myself. I walked into the bathroom to be completely and totally horrified and grossed out. Not much grosses me out, but when you see something you can't identify next to a toilet in a splatter pattern, you get grossed out. I don't care who you are, unless of course, one of the staff of this hotel. They must have been completely fine with it. Hey, at least the toilet had the blue water in it, right? I shimmied as far away from the offending splatter and took care of my business. I opened the lid, which was hanging on by a wish and a prayer, and relieved myself. The blue water went away upon flushing, and was replaced with yellow dingy water. So I flushed again, thinking there was some residual staining from the coloring they'd put in. Nope, apparently they'd only squirted it in the bowl, the water filling the toilet was actually tinged urine color. ||||The shower was dirty, there was hair in the tub, the walls of the tub were stained/dirty. The sink in the bathroom was stained/dirty. The floors, as mentioned previously, had obviously not been mopped, swept or otherwise cared for. The countertops were grimy, and the water coming out of the tap of the faucet was also the same color as what was filling the toilet. The door of the bathroom wouldn't shut unless you put your shoulder into it.||||I went back into the main area to heat up a sandwich I'd purchased earlier in the day. I open the microwave to find the previous residents crumbs left behind in it. Thankfully my sandwich was wrapped, so I set it in and turned it on. I had beverages I'd brought for the road trip, and went to put them into the fridge while the meal was warming up. The refrigerator was "empty" but certainly not devoid of grime and dirt. This didn't surprise me, as filth, dirt, grime and disrepair seemed to be the ongoing theme of this place. ||||With the comment made regarding "Checking the room" before we got our deposit back being made, I made sure to take plenty of pictures before we settled in so that we wouldn't be blamed for the state of the room. They are attached below. Do yourself a favor, skip this place. Please. For your...

Pros: The owner was friendly and we loved the personalized communication before our trip, making sure that we knew how to reach them after hours, in case we arrived late. The room was clean, sand-free (which is almost miraculous for a beach-side motel) and 100% bug-free (we did a Very thorough search for bedbugs). It had a large, apartment-sized refrigerator, kitchen table, stove & oven, microwave, and sink. The pictures had made me expect a polyester, 1970s bedspread. Instead, the comfy beds had handmade, quaint quilts.

The hotel is right on the beach. There's a fantastic, relaxed vibe all around that area. As soon as we arrived, we went out on the beach and swam, then watched the sunset. It was a positively zen moment. There's a fantastic bar and grill, just a short walk away.

The shower had good water pressure and all the plumbing works perfectly. The bathroom was clean.

Cons: The floor was tile or linoleum. It was extremely clean. But a carpet or some throw rugs would've helped prevent an institutional look.

The motel office smelled so badly of cigarettes, that upon entry, I had to turn around and walk right back out. I ended up sending in another member of my party to do the registration, since cigarette smoke and tar don't make him sick the way they do for me (and, probably, for anyone else with asthma).

The shower bar fell down multiple times. There was a giant hole in the bathroom wall with what looked like mold within.

When my kid sat on one side of the large bed, the other side raised up so high, I thought it was going to flip over, upside-down. It didn't. I'm not sure what it was that made the mattress seem so flimsy, but it was perfectly safe to sleep on with my kid, and very comfortable. If a solo person tries to sleep on that bed, though, they will probably need to lay in the middle to avoid rolling off or flipping the mattress during the night.

The building's sturdy exterior woodwork shows water damage, which is probably a common issue for businesses on the beach. But you need to watch your step as you go up the warped stairs, and don't mind the plywood, as the boards beneath it feel stable.

I would stay at this motel again for a 1-day stay. But I would specify that I want a room without a hole in the bathroom wall. Other members of my parties swore they wouldn't return, out of a fear of black mold.

We stayed there because I waited too long to book a hotel room for our 1-day stay in Galveston, limiting my options. It was about half the price of everywhere else I saw. It is very clear that the owners are putting in effort to make it a welcoming, clean, safe space. But I admit that I probably won't want to stay there for a multi-day visit if I can get a good deal for a different beach-side motel...

If your requirement is A) close to the beach and B) a "bed" to sleep in this motel may fit the bill.

The motel offers nearby beach access contrary to other booking site reviews which claim "beachfront accommodations" which, by nature, imply the motel is on the beach. It isn't. Instead the motel is located within short walking distance to the beach. Head down an access road and then the short boardwalk and you're on the beach. Less than a 5 minute walk. Additionally you are offered the ability to extend your checkout time to 5PM by paying an additional fee. The room had a small mini-fridge and microwave.

Those were the highlights of our stay.

Now onto the low-lights: You need to pay a $20 key deposit. The key you receive is a normal house door key. My guess is the motel got sick of people losing their key in the sand/ocean and started charging a deposit as incentive not to lose the room key. Both queen mattresses felt well beyond their useful life. They felt similar to sleeping on cushioned plywood. It was a maze between the front door, the two beds, and the bathroom barely wide enough for a wheeled cooler. Water pooled in the middle of the bathtub with poor drainage. The shower curtain rod fell down on us. The bathroom doorknob was just a normal household entryway door deadbolt. The toilet would almost overfill in order to flush. The sink barely drain. The water stank. Bring your own EXTRA towels for the shower (plus a hairdryer and toiletries). A hand towel and washcloth was provided; however no shower towels were. We had to use our beach towels. Water would pool up on the bathroom floor. Cable TV with the cable, exposed, hanging down from high up the wall above a bed. TV had a lot of dead channels (loud static). Electrical outlets had plugs fall out and ill fitting face plates. Purple-ish painted plywood ceiling with significant gaps and visible screws. No apparent place to rinse off beach sand before tracking it all throughout your room. We did find a water faucet near the soda machine however the water was turned off elsewhere. Room door was finicky to lock. It involved pushing the door inward to first lock the deadbolt and then pulling backward to lock the doorknob.

If you can get the room for less that $40/night (including all taxes) and prepare properly in advance for a stay here it's OK. At $65+ I'd recommend to stay elsewhere.

My advice to the owners/management- Fire/hire a dedicated maintenance person. Fire/hire dedicated housekeeping. Drum up significant capital (perhaps sell the "RV Park" lot?) and start making massive repairs.

Overall the motel has potential to be greater however it will take significant capital and time...