My friend and I stayed at the Best Western Fairfax on Saturday, November 15, 2008. One night was more than enough!

Firstly, this is a motel not a hotel. Second, let me say that from the time I drove up and walked into the lobby, I realized this hotel was a step below where I would be comfortable staying. That said, my friend and I were real troopers. In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t choose this hotel. It was chosen by the organizer of my hobby event. The event took place in the hotel’s “ballroom” and it made sense for us to stay at the same hotel since the event ended at 11 pm and we didn’t want to drive home at the end of a tiring day.

Reception staff was pleasant and allowed my friend and I to check in early around 10 am or so. We both asked to be in rooms close to the ballroom. Instead of being placed in a room on the even number side (overlooking the pool and closest to the ballroom), we were placed in the odd side which was near the parking lot and further away from the ballroom. Since almost everything is outdoors we were forced to walk back and forth in windy cold weather over wet concrete. In rain, it would be miserable, so keep that in mind if you’re coming in spring or winter.

I stayed in room 349 and my friend in room 351 on the third floor near the parking lot. The room had a musty odor on walking in. However, everything worked (ac; lamps, lights, TV etc.). The room appeared clean.

The room had the basics – AC/heat unit; 2 double beds; large TV; dresser; work desk and chair; lounge chair and ottoman; fridge; microwave; closet; sink outside the bathroom; and shower. There was free Internet service in the room, although I’m not sure if it was wireless.

According to the organizer of my event, the hotel had been recently renovated. My jaw dropped when I heard that! If the hotel as we were looking at it was recently remodeled, then what did it look like before?

Pros
• Free Internet

• Restaurant staff was very pleasant and helpful.

• I had the buffet breakfast for $4.50 (it was pretty OK if you want juice, tea, coffee, toast and jelly) I believe they also offered biscuits, gravy, waffles, pancakes and sausage as well.

• Our lunch and dinner was catered by the hotel – lunch was great since we had hot sandwiches (I had the cheese steak sub which was very good). Dinner was fried chicken, salad, carrots, tortellini in sauce along with cheese cake and chocolate cake. I loved the salad and carrots and cake :-)

• Good supply of vacation brochures in the lobby – I guess so you could find other things to do away from your dungeon of a room. :-)

Cons
• This is a motel, not a hotel so there are interior corridors. This made it very noisy because of all the wind and my door kept shaking back and forth because of the wind. I eventually put luggage behind the door to take care of the shaking door but this would also help in case of an attempted break-in!

• The hotel is not very disable-friendly as there are tons of steps to climb everywhere. There was no automatic door at the front to allow someone disabled or with luggage to enter without a hassle.

• The elevator is outside and is a joke! In bad weather you need to go to the back of the hotel, up a wet ramp and wait for the elevator to come down to you. The elevator can hold about 2 people with luggage at a time. Once you go up, you need to walk through a smelly kitchen to get to the “ballroom”. Did I mention the bad odor that emanated periodically from the kitchen as we sat in the “ballroom”?

• The bed was very hard although the sheets were clean from what I saw. Lots of pillows were provided although I always travel with my own.

• The hotel was very dark and I’m not sure if it was deliberately done to hide dirt or something. It had dark carpet and dim lighting most places we walked.

• Room had a weird, musty odor. In the lobby area there was a sweet cloying scent.

• I’m not sure if there is any security at the hotel. If there is, they were every place I wasn’t.

. Shower in my room did not drain properly. If there's anything I hate it is standing in the tub in water up to my ankles because the drain is clogged.


From my prior reviews you can tell that I always try to find something nice to say about most properties where I've stayed. In the case of this Best Western it was a real trial to come up with much. If anything, it gave us lots to laugh about and will be a travel story for the ages. Needless to say, my friend and I hot-footed out of that place on Sunday morning.

If you have time when planning your trip to Fairfax, Virginia or its environs, do some homework and stay elsewhere. I wish you safe travels.

Feel free to email me with specific questions.

Dawn