The Capri Motel in Winnipeg - Great for Budget Travelers

The Capri Motel, in Winnipeg is a little different than most of the hotels and motels in the city. It has a character of its very own. In fact it has such a unique character, that it has been used as a setting for a couple movies in recent years.

Located way out on Pembina Highway, going south in Winnipeg, this motel is not in the center of the city. It isn't close to many of the tourist attractions in Winnipeg. If you are looking for luxurious accommodations or central locations, you won't find it at The Capri Motel. It isn't much to look at either, but looks are sometimes deceiving. It is an old motel with a heart.

What you will find are a number of other pluses that other hotels don't offer. This makes The Capri Motel stand out in my book. In fact of the number of motels and hotels we have tried in Winnipeg, it is our favourite. We have tried worse and we have tried much fancier. We like the Capri Motel the best. They make us feel welcome there. They aren't fancy. They are just "plain folk".

The rooms vary in size and amenities. The bathrooms vary in size. They have small dining tables to eat at.

They have television and cable of course, with an option to rent a DVD player and movies from the front office. ( If they don't have movies you are interested in, there is a Blockbuster video store south on Pembina.)

Some of the rooms have additional sleeping arrangements for additional family members.

The Capri Motel offers rooms with kitchenettes. This is not a feature offered at many hotels in the city. For us it is a bonus. They have refrigerators, stove/oven, some dishes, cooking utensils. It has a kind of a mish mash of things available in each kitchenette. Not much matches, and you aren't sure what dishes, pots and pans you will find in each room. It looks like they just get whatever they can get their hands on, to put supplies in the kitchen. In an odd way, that sort of adds some quirky character to the hotel. If you stay for very long, and want more utensils or dishes, you can always hit one of the local thrift shops.

The ability to be able to cook your own meals, helps with the budget, particularly for a long stay. It also makes the Capri Motel feel more like a simple home.

Food and supplies are easy to get. There are grocery, drug stores and even a couple thrift stores nearby. St. Vital Mall is just a skip away, going east on the Perimeter Highway.

They don't have an on site restaurant. They do have a small variety of snacks available for purchase, at the front desk. If you do want to go out for meals, they are located close to a number of decent restaurants and fast food places. Quite a few of them offer delivery services to The Capri Hotel too.

They don't offer wireless computer services, but you can hook up on dial up, if have a laptop and need to get online.

The Capri Motel has its own laundry facility, which is available to the guests of the hotel in the afternoons. This is a definite plus, especially for a long stay, or for families and frequent travelers.

Unlike many of the downtown hotels, there is easily accessible parking in front of each unit. You don't have to deal with valets or distant parking lots.

Although the hotel is a few miles from downtown, it is easy to drive where you need to go. Pembina highway is a main thoroughfare for the city of Winnipeg. You can drive to other areas of the city with no problems, using a number of different routes.

To avoid the popular Osborne area, which can get really bogged down at any time, it is better to use one of two routes to get to other areas. Of course if you are headed to the Osborne area, it is easy to get to too.

The first way to get downtown or to other areas of Winnipeg, is to head north on Pembina and take Stafford Street heading west to the end of the road. Then turn right on Academy Road, which crosses the Maryland Bridge, up past Misericordia Health Centre. From there you can get to any downtown spot.

The second easier way to get downtown is to go south on Pembina, just a couple blocks away from The Capri Motel, and hop on the Perimeter Highway. The Perimeter highway circles the whole city and has access roads into all parts of Winnipeg, from the outskirts of the city. It also gets you to any outlying areas and places beyond the city of Winnipeg. It is actually a pleasant drive around the outer edges of Winnipeg.

If you would prefer not to use a car, there is a bus stop right out the front of the Capri Motel. Luckily Winnipeg has a pretty decent bus system. You can get anywhere you need to go via the bus. The buses run fairly often. There are also a number of taxi companies in the city, but it isn't a cheap ride downtown. It is best at the Capri, to have a car to drive around the city.

Truckers and families frequent the Capri Motel. It is a down to earth sort of place, without a lot of fuss. Don't look for upscale and pampering here. It is very basic.

Unlike many upscale hotels, you can actually open windows and get real air in the rooms. You do hear road noise, from Pembina, but it isn't bad.

The staff at the Capri Motel are very helpful, friendly and approachable. The front desk staff are very sociable. The maids are easy to talk to. We have stayed there many times, sometimes for long long stays.

They have day, week and month rates for people planning to stay longer. You do need to book ahead of time for long stays. It can be a popular place, at certain times of the year.

The Capri Motel has a spot in movie history. For the trivia buffs, two movies have used The Capri Motel for scenes. The first was the movie "Seven Times Lucky" released in 2004. The second movie was the horror film "Tamara". It was first shown at Cannes Film Market and at the The New York Horror Film Festival in 2005, then to went on to general release in 2006.

The Capri Motel may not technically be anywhere close to a 5 star hotel by normal rating standards, but it rates high in the Winnipeg tour book to us. If it was a restaurant, it would be one of those little hidden spots away from the touristy areas, that are frequented by locals. They know the best places to go for a real experience, nothing fancy or frilly, just real and easy to deal with.

The Capri Motel is located at 1819 Pembina Highway in the south end of Winnipeg. The number there is (204) 269-6990. If no one answers right away, don't give up. They don't have a huge staff, so sometimes they are off doing chores around the complex for a few minutes, and aren't near the phone.