My husband & I and our daughter & family were invited to Maine for a christening this past weekend. Since we were only staying one night and just needed a clean place to lay our head and clean up in the morning, we decided not to spend hundreds of dollars for the higher end hotels. So I began a web search for local motels. This is how I came upon the Saco Motel...AAA rated and owned by the same family for 33 years.

I've stayed at many motels over the years, so my expectations were just that along with their web advertisement of "helpful, friendly & courteous staff."

Our experience with "helpful" involved a stop at the office to inquire about nearby shoe stores since my daughter had forgotten to pack her Sunday shoes. My reply was "look in the phone book. There's one in every room." Hmmm, not very helpful for a non-local.

Now, it's October and the nights in Maine are getting pretty chilly. Our rooms still have the... more