My husband and I took our three boys on a trip to Tofino in August this year. Vancouver Island was beautiful and we had a wonderful trip however our overnight in Nanaimo at the Days Inn was awful!

There was nothing about this place that was acceptable. The pictures we saw on the Days Inn website are obviously very dated. The place is run down to say the least. The outside was ugly, the service was mediocre. The room was horrible. The worst part was the smell, I don't know if it was mold or what but it was very strong and never let up. The pool area was not well maintained but my kids didn't mind having a swim there. The sheets on the bed were clean thank goodness, but the bunk bed was squeeky and sounded like it was about to fall apart at any minute. The bedding on the bunk bed looked at least 10 to 15 years old. We tried to drive around and look for a better place to stay but didn't find anything within a few miles of the downtown area. But as we continued North on the highway the next day we passed a few options in the newly developed outskirts of Nanaimo. So if you're going to Nanaimo - make sure you drive through town and keep going until you see new buildings and shopping areas - there are bound to be some better options there.

We stayed here overnight in late July, and the first disappointment was the lack of visual appeal from the outside. If you are driving from Victoria, this is the first hotel you encounter, and this route into Nanaimo must be through the "less attractive" end of town because it was not very pretty! "Harbor View" is a total mis-nomer, you may be lucky enough to glimpse some water through the trees if you crane your neck just so.

However, it is a Days Inn and you get what you pay for I suppose. What you should get regardless of price point is friendly and decent customer service and that was not evident here. The only friendly greeting I got was from the young man who was a "trainee" at the front desk. He also called our room shortly after check in to see if everything was okay, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately the woman training him was sullen and told me, incorrectly, that our resevation was cancelled. The woman at check out the next morning was even worse, she never looked up at me, never said a word or asked how the stay was. Two weeks after I returned home I had to call the hotel about getting a copy of my bill, and the rudeness level on the phone was even worse! Twice, I was in the middle of talking when the woman at the other end simply placed the phone down on the desk and proceeded to speak to someone else at the desk! She never said "Please hold" or anything...I was flabbergasted! When I mentioned it after the first time she said she was alone there and needed to look after customers. After the second time I asked for a manager and was told there wasn't anyone there who was her superior that I could speak to!

As for the facilities, they were adequate with the exception of the hot tub and pool. The hot tub had no thermometer for us to check but the water was scaldingly hot, felt like way over 104 degrees! The pool was nice and warm, but the life saving devices were being used as pool toys, and the life preserver had a hole in it anyhow so heaven help anyone who would have the misfortune of drowning in this place!

It's not that cheap either, we paid around $90 CAD, and its location leaves a lot to be desired. I have stayed at Days Inns that are way better!