Well, what can I say about our one-night stay at the Anchor Inn?
I'm only going to speak about the room we rented, which was number 9 on the third floor.
My wife and I were making plans for a mini-vacation on Manitoulin Island, which is one of my favorite getaways. I was looking forward to showing her the sights, as she had only spent any time on the island once before in the Gore Bay area.
I know full well you can't expect a five-star facility on the island, which is a remote area that's a throwback to 25 or 50 years ago, and we were fine with that.
I was browsing through Trip Advisor looking for recommended accommodations at a good price, since we were planning on spending as little as possible while getting some good value.
We're not fussy, travelers - at all - considering we once rented a cabin in Killarney for a week that was infested by mice and didn't leave.
However, the room at the Anchor Inn proved to be our nemesis.
I knew the room was basic and had no air conditioning, and was on the third floor when I rented it.
I didn't anticipate it would be hotter than the gates of Hell and claustrophobic to boot.
After a while, the small tabletop fan in the room began to smell as if it were overheating but there was no way we were shutting it off and hope to still live through the night.
The floor was uneven, the bathroom lacked a towel rack for the bath towels. We found the rack in a desk drawer a little later.
The bathroom was tiny, as was the room.
The bed was one of the most uncomfortable we had ever slept on. It was jammed near the wall, leaving a gap of only a few inches to negotiate while dodging a baseboard heater that has seen better days. We continually woke each other up as we tossed and turned through the night in the sweltering heat.
The view out the window consisted of another wing of the building.
We had barely enough room to put our luggage down and still walk around the room.
When we checked in, (the front desk is at the bar), one of the co-owners quoted me $70 a night when I had reserved it for $60.
When I pointed that out, she said "I don't know why they quoted you the off-season rates when it's not off-season".
The website clearly states the room is $50 for the off-season and $60 in season, so I'm not quite sure what the confusion was about, although if I wanted to be cynical I'd have some suggestions.
When I checked out the next day, there was still some confusion about the rates. Another of the co-owners said to me "oh yes, you were the one who actually knew the rates."
I know you can't control the weather and couldn't predict a late-season heat wave, but still... there are lots of improvements to be made in this room, which is supposedly "one of the most popular."
All in all, I am perplexed as to how the Anchor Inn achieved the high rating it has on Trip Advisor. Perhaps the larger, apartment-sized rooms are nicer, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
I highly doubt I'll be returning to find out though.
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