We just returned from a trip to New Brunswick and PEI. We stopped in St. John for a night and stayed at the Hillside Motel. It was very pleasant and clean. Kant was very kind and helpful. The hotel was a ten minute drive to the city center and Kant recommended a very good, very cheap place for breakfast right around the corner. I was less impressed with St. Johns.
This place is old, but clean and very accomodating. People who can't handle old, and you know who you are, should go elsewhere. We did laundry, commuted back and forth to the City Centre, and visited the Reversing Falls multiple times (a must). We even slept with the windows open. It's that secure. We even came back on our return trip, but it's old.
My wife and I are in the midst of a 1,200 mile bike ride, and we wanted a fairly priced, clean motel. Hillside fits the ticket perfectly. Kant (the owner) was most helpful not just when we checked in, but also'when we needed to call a bike shop and make reservations for the Nova Scotia ferry (our cell phones do not work in Canada). The hotel also has a great view of the Bay of Fundy from up high on a ridge. The motel is within 1.5 miles of route 1.
In addition, the recommendation toeat dinner at AJ's was fantastic. This small restaurant was unassuming, not fancy, but with good prices and great food. We even could have a glass of wine.
Hillside motel was a sweet motel and the owners were oh so pleasant and accommodating when we arrived. They were able to upgrade us to a large sweet which we loved even if we didn't have a view that didn't matter. The only thing was the bathtub. The bath mat did not stay stuck down to the tub and the tub was so new and slippery that it slipped right from underneath me and I fell and thankfully only bruised my shin. Later my parents and I agreed that the great hospitality only goes so far and the bathtub being such a deathtrap at the Hillside motel really lost points from us. We ended up putting the floor mat into the bathtub it really seemed to help from slipping. I would have loved to have given this five stars if it weren't for that scary bathtub.
I’ll get to the point: the main reason to stay here is your host, Mr. Kant. He provides the friendliest, most informative reception I have ever received. He always seems to be available and is very helpful.
His motel is on Manawagonish Rd., a very good location for visiting Saint John. Despite the other motels on the same road, it is residential. You will have to drive a ways to find a restaurant, but, if you are on the upper level of his motel, you will have a beautiful view of the Bay of Fundy and the Irving Nature Park. Since I find downtown Saint John overrated as a tourist destination, I recommend you stay in this area and at this motel.
The Hillside (don’t confuse it with the Hillcrest!) is very old and the rooms small, but with excellent lighting. They have a fridge, microwave, tiny dining table, and (in mine at least) a small kitchen sink with dishes and silverware. I didn’t see any air conditioning, but you can open windows in the front and back to get cross-ventilation, which was great.
The TV was small and the remote ineffective, but they offer a good selection of channels. There is no telephone in the room, but there is a pay phone right outside.
The bathroom was surprisingly large given the room size, but with little counter space. The toilet is too small for an adult man. One important warning: the water in my room (again: upper level) was dangerously hot. If your neighbor has been using it, it will come out hot very fast in the bathroom. You need to watch children. The motel was very quiet, my top criterion.
I consider this motel to be an outstanding value. If you are looking for a quiet, safe, comfortable, inexpensive place with a great view rather than luxury, I recommend it highly.
Scooper47’s top tips: 1. If you find Correlle coffee cups in your room, do NOT put them in the microwave!
2. The two best things to see in Saint John are the Irving Nature Park and the Carleton Martello Tower. Downtown and the reversing falls are duds.
After coming off the ferry from Digby we needed a place to stay and we were exhausted after a day of driving around NS. Sadly, we arrived the night of a Kiss concert finding lots of motels full. So we were happy when the manager Kant gave us a room. Others have written about the odd rooms located under a house, with traffic upstairs and a noisy toilet, but we appreciated having a clean room for the night.
