Review: Galax Motel; Galax, Virginia

It's cheap. That's the number one reason the Galax Motel stuck out during my search for lodging in Galax, Virginia .
With tax the rooms were $30 apiece, and so I booked two rooms.

For a place that looks from the road like it would be ragged inside, the rooms (both smoking and non-smoking rooms are available) are not that bad.

About a mile from historic downtown Galax (a fine little southern town with some great bluegrass/old time music history) the motel is one of those places in this world that have survived despite the nearby chain lodging that has cropped up.

I think there's a few reasons for the Galax Motel's survival, including the fact that it has free Wi-Fi and DSL connections with each room.

Other upshots include: 1) the two rooms I rented had college dorm fridges. 2) there was cable TV. 3) the bed sheets were clean.

But the downsides included: 1) the wall-mounted reading lamp next to the bed in my room was busted. 2) the shower knobs were temperamental.

I was also disappointed having reserved two non-smoking rooms and only being given one, which my uncle ended up staying in. Although, I will say that the smoking room I had wasn't terribly musty.

I found it funny that the room my uncle stayed in was non-smoking but had a window that opened at the front, although my room was smoking and had windows that wouldn't open ... basically, it was in the low-70s and sunny outside and so I just left the room door open as I settled in for the evening. (My uncle, whom I consider to be a well-traveled man, commented that the Galax Motel was the first place he'd seen a room numbered "0".)

With low-rent motels there can be, at least for me, a sense of, "Is this place safe?" and "Is there going to be a lot of niose?" I felt completely safe and my uncle, who can be a light sleeper, said he didn't wake up during the night.

On the face of it, the Galax Motel is place that could use some repairs, but at its heart, to me, it was a local business to spend money at where the front desk workers were helpful and polite. For travelers who like for even the motels and hotels they stay in to be a talking point of a trip, they'll probably like the Galax Motel. If for no other reason than it's cheap.