The Freeport Inn and Marina — Hotel in Town of Hempstead

Roaches, tripping hazards, no comforter, no parking, a door that would not lock properly from the outside, and off-key Mariachi music so loud it shakes your bed until 12 a.m. If that's not enough to deter you from staying, please keep reading. I paid money to stay at a different hotel so I could actually sleep.

We checked in to the hotel -- it should actually be called a low-grade motel -- and were immediately handed a business card. "That's the number for the front desk," the employee stated. "Some of the phones don't work in the rooms, so just call the number on the card if you need anything."

I guess non-operational phone means non-existent. There was no phone in the room. The room looked okay. It smelled dank. The air conditioner and fan did not work. The toilet smelled because every time the surrounding rooms flushed their toilet, the toilet in our room would splash up putrid water.

We left to get dinner. When I closed the door, I thought it was locked. I was wrong. I could easily pull it open. I had to slam the door and open it more than 10 times to finally allow it to lock.

When we returned from dinner, we could not park because the lot was full. The lot was full because of the abhorrent restaurant that is adjacent to the hotel. When we finally returned to the hotel room after struggling to find parking, the real nightmare began.

The restaurant was playing incredibly loud music. I kid you not when I say that it was shaking the bed. It was music from a live band. The band did not know how to sing on key. The band also did not play with drums. The band played with trash cans. It was awful.

Well, seeing as I was incredibly fatigued from the long drive in, I did not have the front desk' s "card" to call them. So, we hiked over to speak to them. And boy was it a hike.

This place has unfinished "construction" everywhere. There are sand pits and trenches. There are uneven steps. There are divets in the ground. We tripped many times along the way. Frankly, the grounds here are a lawsuit waiting to happen.

When we got to the front desk, we were told that there was nothing they could do about the music shaking the bed. And that it's "usually over with by 11:30 p.m." That's all fine and dandy, but I had to be up at 4:30 the next day and really had no sleep the night before.

The music was unbearable. It was so bad I started to get a migraine. If you have ever had one, you know that every noise you hear causes you intense pain and nausea and even vomiting. Imagine having that with sounds so loud that they shook the bed. I called the restaurant and told them this. They said they would ask them to turn it down. They only began to play louder, more off key, and bang their trash cans more.

I called the front desk. I told them about the migraine. They said they would call the restaurant. I implored of them if I could switch rooms, they said no.

Midnight came and the music stopped. Hurry! Unfortunately someone had turned up their TV to the highest volume possible in an attempt to block out the music. Apparently they left the hotel out of frustration and forgot to turn the TV off because the full volume TV was on all night. No sleep for me. And added bonus: it was cold and I had nothing more than 2 thin sheets on the bed!

I had it. I booked a hotel for the next day somewhere else. I wanted to be able to actually sleep.

I was glad I did. The next morning while I was in the bathroom, I saw a roach run across the floor.

We checked out and the front desk fortunately allowed us to receive a refund for the second night we didn't stay at the hotel. Apparently many people left in the middle of the night because of the music and they had to issue many refunds.

If you actually want to sleep, go to a different hotel. If you want a quality hotel, this is not it. The best way I can describe this place is...

My husband and I have actually stayed there 3 separate times (2012, 2014 and this August 2016)... we love it!! It's an older place, but that's part of the character. It's got a retro look outside and most of the rooms have been updated. The mini fridge is small and on a small stand, but it's always been a newer looking fridge that works well, so we don't care about the stand it's on. The rooms have two sinks, which we really appreciate. The one is older, but has a lot of counter space, a huge mirror and lots of shelves (and a wide, open closet area). The other is a full bathroom with toilet, sink and a gorgeous tiled, sliding glass door shower. We like that our rooms have each had a power strip so we haven't had to hunt for an outlet to charge our phones. The lighting in the main room isn't very bright, but there's plenty of light by both sinks. Also, there was no inroom coffee maker... we don't prefer those because most places never clean them! There is good coffee available in the lobby! And, we like the small continental breakfast because they get really good, local bagels and the area to sit outside is beautiful. The property is nicely maintained with gorgeous flowers. (There are also green parrots in the parking lot! Yes, parrots live in NY, and nest in the utility poles! They are monk parrots.) The inn is located in a very safe area, the parking lot is huge and well lit, and the nautical mile is a quick 5 minute drive away. We really like the restaurant on site (The Patio) and have been impressed with the food, service and view (right on the water, overlooking the marina). The people at the front desk are very nice and personable. The gentleman remembered that when my husband called to confirm everything that we were coming to celebrate our anniversary and he wished us a happy anniversary and gave us a room on the first floor with a small balcony. It was very thoughtful of him and it was our first time with a balcony. We thoroughly enjoyed the balcony and would recommend asking for one if they are available. We will definitely return and highly recommend...

In one word- horrible. Unless you like arriving at 11pm, 5 hours late from flight delays, to find the parking lot completely gridlocked because of the band playing at The Patio, the restaurant club for the hotel, and find no place to park. Also, if you like a band blasting outside your room with about 150 people, and more standing on the balcony watching right outside your door with their giant German Shepard sprawled on the walkway to get to your room, then this is the place for you.

We got a deluxe room, #57, for $200/night with taxes, etc. What made it deluxe was the new shower. It was nice, but not enough to warrant paying extra. Towels were scarce and 2 levels above paper towels, and there were only 2. The soap was about twice the thickness of a playing card, didn't get refreshed. The bathroom floor looks dirty, the mini fridge is sitting on the bathroom floor, the carpet is stained, door is coming off the hinges, and weirdly, the toilet is right up against the wall leaving barely enough room to sit on it. Stairs leading to the second floor are so rusted and ugly that I give spots another several years before punching through. The website is horribly misleading, the prices are way too high for a dump like this, screaming for a renovation and upgrade. Breakfast is a joke. Continental in a space not designed or conducive to eating and maybe 7 could stay in there comfortably, it's in the lobby. Woke up to hammering around 7:30 as they were working on a room downstairs. Peeling paint, old furniture, overall a dump that gives dumps a bad name. On a positive note, the night manager was extremely nice and attentive and seemed to want to do the right thing. He couldn't approve a nights credit for putting up with the band that was so loud it sounded setup on the balcony outside the room. They were good, but would rather have had the choice. Let's see if Sanjouy the owner will make things right. As of now I highly recommend finding a nice Airbnb place and stay away...