First the good: Its a great location in the same area as all the other gay guesthouses. Very close to walk to the beach and other attractions along A1A. No other hotel along the beach can touch the price of this place - you'll see why shortly...

Then the ugly: If you like vintage 70's decor and fixtures, you may like this - but time has not been kind to this place. Even the synthetic drapes are period - and they show it with the originally supple plastic foam now hard and crumbling so as to show the fibers underneath. Little bits even fall off when opening and closing them! Upon unpacking my toiletries I noticed two ants fighting in the bathroom - I smashed them, stopped my unpacking and immediately inspected the bed for bedbugs - none to be found.. phew, that was close!!! Back to the bathroom - as I was um... sitting there... I noticed a few more ants on the floor near a crack in the ceramic tile. I will digress and mention that I have never seen ceramic tiles so worn in my life. The original 60's pinkish color must have really been quite fashionable in its day, but most of the finish was so worn that you could see the underlying ceramic - even on the walls... Back to the ants - a few more appeared from the crack, then dozens and dozens more. I sat fascinated and watch them swarm around, ready to pounce with my shoe should they approach me. At least they weren't red or cockroaches!

Then there are the doors - ours didn't close quite correctly. As we left one night we couldn't seem to get the 35+ year old door hardware to catch properly to lock. After slamming it repeatedly (at 11PM) we finally got it to lock - we hung our heads and tiptoed out hoping we didn't disturb anyone.

The owners seem completely oblivious to what they have - while they're very nice, I've never seen such a disregard for the obvious. How much could a new set of Martha Stewart curtains from K-Mart really cost? But - that would be like putting lipstick on a pig - I'm not even sure that this place could be renovated. It should probably be torn down!

The last thing I'll mention is the pool - heated nicely, it had a somewhat cloudy appearance. I did venture a swim but only then noticed a peculiar smell to the water. I got out and showered off - at least the ants had retreated down their crack in the bathroom floor!

My friend choose this place based solely on price - all other places started about $50 to $60 more. I won't let him ever do that again!

We found Orton Terrace to be a great place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of our daily routine. Our room was clean and comfortable and had recently been painted. Our hosts, Roger and his partner, were friendly and always willing to take a few minutes to chat and to offer suggestions for places to eat. We enjoyed the opportunity to chat with the other guests while at the swimming pool or in the breakfast room.

We arrived at Orton Terrace Guest House after 12:30 AM and we were greeted by Roger Handivdit and a pile (mess) of paper on his desk. He handed me a check in card and it had bird [--] on the corner of the card. I returned the card and asked for a new one.

He showed us the kitchen/breakfast area and smashed a huge cock roach / Palmetto bug on the side of the counter in front of us. Classy!

The room had stained carpets, chairs, rusted refrigerator doors, crumbling plastic curtains and a door that opened into another guest suite. I did not realize that it was a door to another guest room and walked in. The door did not completely bolt for full privacy/safety. Not safe. The bathroom sink and shower did not drain properly not to mention the rusted fixtures. I wish I could have checked out right then and there but it was past 1:30 AM when it dawned on us what we walked into. Another roach in the room added to the ambiance.

I woke up early the next morning and asked to talk with Roger in private. He told me "no". I told him I was very unhappy with the condition of the room and he told me I got what I paid for ($144.00 a night with tax). I was appalled. He started yelling at me in front on other clients when I mentioned that the room was dirty and uncomfortable. Instead of offering us another room he continued ranting. We checked out and went down the street to the Casa Del Mar. The Casa Del Mar is beautiful, clean and the owners/staff are gracious.

I called Expedia the day I checked out of the Orton Terrace Guest House and explained the condition of the room and the rudeness of the owner at Orton Terrace Guest House. I was told I would be refunded for the days I did not stay at the hotel. I asked for a full refund under the circumstances.

Orton Terrace Guest House and Expedia are attempting to charge us for a full stay of 5 nights although we left after one night. AMEX is involved and neither Roger nor Expedia is being cooperative.

VERY BAD EXPERIENCE AND NOT A GOOD WAY TO CELEBRATE A BIRTHDAY!

I may need to go to court, Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs, etc.

Tried Staying at The Royal Palms 100% Gay Resort on the Corner of Orton Blvd, near the beach, BUT They over booked Our stay, That is to say, When we went to check In they were BOOKED Solid. So we walked a couple doors down checking availability at near by Hotel's and Motel's. The Orton Terrace had a Nice inviting sort of look to it, So we knocked on the Office Door, Roger H. answered the door and invited us in. There was NO place to sit in the office, and If there WAS an office DESK, it was no where to be seen. However, Roger laughed it off as to say his maid service was just let go and he was currently looking for a new service to handle the office. Rooms were clean but absolutely dated, Beds Ughghgghh! But a place to lay down and strech out if you were tired. The Price was damn good for where we were located to the beach a couple short blocks to the sandy A1A. Ice Machine had no ice and when it DID finally have (some) ice, TOO LATE It was locked up at about 7/7:30 pm. Local stores hard to find. Management no where to be found in the night, But QUIET and PEACEFUL as can be . The Pool was clean, But only about 5 SQ Feet of Sun towards the afternoon, The beach had ALL the SUN YOU could EVER NEED, But People everywhere. My Boyfriend and I Did have a BLAST together celebrating our two year anniversary AND The Palms DID refund 90% of our deposit for making us find different lodging. Would I go BACK to the Orton? Hmmm. If $$ were an Issue YES I would, If $$ wer NOT an Issue NO I can't say I would. I LOVE ROOM SERVICE and CLEAN WHITE TOWLES and and ICE Machine that works. But THANKS just the same Roger Handividt.