Osprey Motel

Just left this place for a 3 night stay. It was fantastic! Obviously not the newest place on the beach, but much better than a large resort we stayed at last summer. It’s smaller and has new paint/​carpet/​etc. in the room we stayed. The rooms were clean and the beds were comfy with a perfect ocean/​pier view. The staff was really nice and our rooms were cleaned daily. It’s unfortunate others had a bad experience and felt it necessary to write irrelevant comments. Yes, it does have a small popcorn machine; they also have movie night, watermelon and other kid contests throughout the week. It was quiet and had everything necessary for a pleasant trip. This is now the only place we’ll stay on the beach.

I have stayed at many hotels and was not expecting much from this place but what we got was a nightmare. We expected a family friendly hotel and all that really meant was a small popcorn machine in the lobby, some games over 20 years old with missing pieces and seriously casual atmosphere. When we got to the room it smelled bad, the bedspreads were filthy it looked worse then I can imagine a motel 6. There was no lid on the toilet, the bathroom didnt look cleaned and we didn’t even want to take our shoes off. There were stains on everything, carpet, chairs, walls, etc. We were in the room about 30 minutes when two massive roaches were crawling on the wall. We knew we had to leave. We had already paid for three nights in advance, that is how they get you. We went to the front desk and asked for any assistance but the manager. I had him come to our room to see the roaches. He told me we needed to keep our balcony door closed at all times if we did not want roaches in the room. I told him the reason we stayed there was the ocean view. He replied «well they should die once they enter the room». Gross! He was rude and refused a refund. We lost over $ 400 and drove back to the Holiday Inn Express in Pensacola where we could actually sleep at night.

I am not sure which room Wagner d. stayed in, but fortunately we quite the opposite experience. I have traveled extensively, both domestic and internationally, and have stayed in hostels as well as 5 star hotels. That said, don’t be confused in thinking this is the Ritz Carlton. He mentioned something about hourly and daily rates for «a quickie». I can’t speak to that, but can assure you that is a bit of hyperbole on his part. Of course, he may have first hand experience to share here.
The bottom line is that this good value for the money spent; with a few qualifiers. The view is hard to beat. Each room faces the Gulf with a view of the pier which affords outstanding opportunity to view sunsets. We even spotted a bottle nose dolphin whilst having breakfast on the balcony. There is suitable parking and enough locations to dine at with in walking distance. Most notable is Shuckums oyster bar and Grille. However, right across the street is Mr. Tip Seas which offers up a dozen raw oysters for a mere $ 5.00. They need to advertise more as they are new to the location. Dusty’s deserves a mention as well. The crowd is a bit more lively and they have they sell a dozen of the best Apalachicola oysters for 5.95. Its bit more of of a walk (.7 miles), but worth it if your hand is holding another that is special to you.
I would point out that the bedding is a bit thin. We normally fly, but drove down on this occasion and had extra pillows and a blanket. Housekeeping turned down the room with these additional items as if they were part of the original bedding. Nice touch. We planned on preparing meals throughout the week. We did. However, the pots, pans, and flatware left something to be desired. If you plan on cooking a lot in a small kitchenette, and your driving, I recommend a sturdy pot and a pan to do the «heavy lifting» as what is supplied is impervious to any amount of olive oil. It will stick and you will scrub. A poor use of time by anyone’s estimation.
Ask for Ivona at the front desk. She is a gem.