If you (and your kids) have gotten used to the typical chain hotel experience, with "exercise rooms" and big-screen TVs and indoor heated pools, then you might not want to book a stay at the Blue Moon Motel. There's nothing wrong with exercise rooms and big screen TVs and the rest; it's just that a lot of the negative/disappointed reviews on TripAdvsisor seem to have occurred because people were expecting one thing and got another, despite all the advice to the contrary.

The Blue Moon is a completely charming, family-run motel that might remind you of the kind of places you stayed as a kid, if you're a thirty- or fortysomething. It doesn't have every single amenity mentioned above, but it is clean and comfortable and has lots of personality besides.

Our family of five stayed at the Blue Moon for two nights on a trip to Niagara Falls. The Blue Moon isn't right on the main drag by the falls; if you'd like to put a little distance between yourself and all the shops and attractions (it's pretty bustling down there from early till late), then that might not be such a bad thing. The Blue Moon is only about 10 minutes away from the falls, though, and is maybe a half-hour from Niagara-on-the-Lake.

There's a basic breakfast at the Blue Moon -- cereal and muffins and the usual stuff. There's an outdoor pool and lots of places to eat outside. And there are flowers everywhere, which certainly sets the place apart from a lot of the motels that have a similar footprint. Essentially, it looks a lot nicer and homier than most of the other places you'll see nearby, and that impression holds once you get inside.

The owner was very helpful and spent a lot of time directing us to various local attractions. She even warned us that the shower in our room ran out of hot water quickly sometimes. (That turned out not to be the case, and believe me, I have kids who can use up hot water in a hurry.) The rooms are small and it could be that they could benefit from a more current makeover at some point. I couldn't say. All I cared about was that they were clean and pleasant, and they certainly were.

Don't just take my word for it. My kids have had plenty of the chain hotel experiences. They thought the Blue Moon was cool, and they want to go back. The next time we're in the Niagara area, we will.

My family & I were only at Blue Moon for one full day and only stayed one night as we were on our way to Toronto the next day. The place is clean, quite adorable with lots of pretty flowers. The pool was surprisingly nice, though we didn't get to enjoy it, we saw some guests enjoying a swim. The rooms aren't fancy, but well worth the price and they have a full kitchen (there were even dishes in the cupboards). The staff was friendly, and were a great help with finding tourist attractions, providing maps for the area, as well as giving great advice. They also have coupons for certain must-see attractions, so don't forget to ask!

Free wi-fi, free phone calls within the continental U.S. and Canada, and a plentiful breakfast in the lobby were all a nice plus.

If you want fancy, this isn't for you. If you want an affordable, clean place to rest while you spend your money on what you REALLY want to see in Niagara Falls, then this place is highly recommended.

After reading reviews of several campgrounds, my husband and I spotted the Blue Moon Motel not far from the campground. I read the reviews which were for the most part positive and we gave them a call! The Consierge was so nice and lovely! She's a font of information and very willing to help! We arrived and she was waiting for us! This place is not for those looking for an ultra chic and modern sterile room, oh no, this is great for people who have children; there's a pool and a playground. It is a true Mom and Pop but clean and comfortable. It was great for us as we didn't want to be near the noise of downtown Niagara Falls. We loved being able to make our own dinner. There are three grills avaible for use. There are several areas to sit and have a read or relax. I've already recommended this place to a friend and would again and again! Good value for the price.

My family (2 adults and 2 teens) spent four nights at the Blue Moon in July. We paid 130 per night for the weeknights and 140 for the Friday night. We wanted a motel away from the hubbub of the Falls tourist area (so we could easily visit other attractions in the area) and also so that we could have easy access to the outdoors during our stay. We were attracted by reviews commenting on the pool and the firendliness of the owners. The Blue Moon satisfied these criteria; but there are a number of negatives that I have to report.
First the motel is a tired property in a tired motel strip (there was an articile in the local paper while we were there about 2 nearby motels being torn down). Lundy's Lane is convenient to the freeway and many restaurants but most of the motels look pretty bleak. What sets the Blue Moon apart is the landscaping: the pool and play area are great and there are many flower baskets and vines making the place look attractive (see photo of upper balcony attached). I also loved the latin music piped in by the pool.
The problem is that the rooms are old, musty, and not very clean. I have alergies and can not imagine staying in this hotel in the winter. We had a one bedroom with a pull out sofa bed (and kitchenette) in the main room. There was no dishwasher - we had big concerns about the cleanliness of the plates and cutlery. There was a tip envelope on the TV (tacky): we tipped $5.00 per day and noticed that the room got better over the course of our stay. Our toilet was not working very well and had to be plunged a number of times. The air conditioner in the bedroom (where we put the kids) was so old and loud that I pulled the plug to turn it off. What I didn't notice on the socket were the faint words, in magic marker, (to the effect): "Caution AC only - 250 volts". My son plugged his iPod charger into this socket and it blew the charger. Without asking me, he attempted to unplug the charger and received a shock. Then I noticed the faded marker words on the socket. If there is a danger in a motel, it should be clearly marked at all times.
As another example of the upkeep, the kitchen window did not have any drape (see photo of kitchen). I could see that, at one time, there was a curtain rod on this window. I guess when the rod fell down, they left the screw holes but did not replace the curtain. The problem is that this was the main room where my wife and I were sleeping on the sofa bed. Despite changing time zones, we were up with the sun.
The motel has a small laundry room that can only be described as a dump.
There was a nice shared patio with picnic tables and a bbq outside our room. However, the area was frequented by smokers (there were also mounds of butts in ashtrays in the picnic area near the pool and in a second patio area downstairs). It made no sense to me to have a non-smoking room and then have smoke wafting into the room from the patio outsice. This motel needs designated smoking areas outside that are away from the rooms.
Reviewers have accurately described the owners as friendly and helpful. Because if this, I am reluctant to provide a negative review. However, they need to get back to basics: update the rooms and keep them clean.
In conclusion, this motel has some pleasant outdoor areas. Families will get more space for their money but I do not recommend staying here at any time other than the summer. You would not want to be couped up in these stale rooms in colder weather. If you do stay here, bring your cleaning supplies and wash your dishes before use.