We decided at the last minute to get away for the Labor Day weekend. Worried about last minute reservations costing an arm and a leg, we called several motels/hotels in the Charleston area. Our fears were confirmed when we received news that rooms were in the $100+ range per night or sold out. Trying one of the travel sites lead us to Rodeway Inn in Mount Pleasant, South Caroliina. Using the Google Maps on my phone we saw that the motel was just across the bridge from Historical Downtown Charleston. We called Rodeway on Wednesday night, and talked to Sam. He quoted us a good rate, and even found us a discount. (I'm sure it was because they weren't as busy as they hoped after Hurricane Irene just missed the area, and Hurricane Ketia was blowing to the east scaring people away.)
So, first the Pros:
1) Very friendly staff. They did everything they could to help make our stay comfortable. (More on this later...)
2) Room was clean, and recently painted, with a new air conditioning unit.
3) Free breakfast every morning, the caveat is, you get what you pay for. The food wasn't great, but the waffles were good. The waffle mix is pre-measured in styro-foam cups. But get there early or bring along a whole lot of patience. There is only ONE waffle iron.
4) Pet-friendly. They gave us a room away from most of the traffic to avoid our dog barking excessively when she hears noises. But, we never heard any of the other residents even when I noticed the parking lot was full at night. They never complained about our labradoodle, and it only cost us a single $30 fee. I don't have any reference if that is expensive or not.
5) Location, location, location. The motel was a ten minute drive to downtown Charleston, ten minutes to Sullivan's Island (GREAT BEACH!!!), and five minutes from Patriot's Point and the Yorktown Aircraft carrier museum, and one of the two ferries to Fort Sumter. It was a convenient central location for us.
Cons:
1) The toilet didn't seem to have much pressure. Luckily when we discovered this, there was only "Number One" to flush. When we told the front desk about this, they had the maintenance man in the room within minutes. He diagnosed the problem and was able to increase the water flow, but to get the toilet to flush completely we had to hold the handle down an inordinately long time. (Friendly, competent staff.)
2) Low water pressure from the sink, but the shower head was able to compensate with a powerful stream. There was no cold water however, just lukewarm room temp from the faucet.
3) The free breakfast was adequate, choice of apple and orange juice, coffee, tea, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs on Sunday morning but not Monday. Bagels and biscuits with gravy. Bacon some mornings. Fresh fruit and pastries. I mentioned the line for the waffle iron. Limited seating, though.
4) Our tv was possessed. I mean it. Our first night, we watched a little tv before turning in. When we went to turn it off, it turned itself back on, and started changing channels. We turned off, again...and within moments it was back on, changing channels. I eventually unplugged the unit.
5) The microwave in our room was missing the glass plate. We didn't use the microwave much, so this wasn't a big deal to us.
Overall, our stay was good. Because of our limited budget, and last minute decision to travel we were able to find the "diamond in the rough". You can tell the motel has some years on it, but the friendly, helpful staff, affordability, and location make up for much of the shortcomings. I would recommend the Rodeway Inn to friends and travelers who have the same limitations we do, but if you can afford the newer, nicer amenities try looking for the places in Downtown Charleston.
Room Tip: Check satellite photos on Google Maps to determine the location of your room.
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
