During my eastcoast backpacking biker roadtrip i had a few goals in mind. Even though i only planned on 2-3 hotel stays, one goal was to find the cheapest and grimiest trucker / biker hotel in the east. Sunset Inn Manning takes that honor.
The people hanging out in the lounge were friendly and seemed cool... i think they worked there? They dont use computers here so checkin was a breeze. There werent very many vehicles in the lot but this place is a little out of the way considering that the previous exit off I95 had some better known hotels - but i bet they didn't have truck parking or cost less than $40 a night!
When i walked into the hallway looking for my room there was this ridiculous smell and i couldn't figure out what it was. Inside the room it wasn't as pungent and it acutally seemed kind of clean. That is until i slept off the 10hrs i had just spent on my bike and was able to see and breath again.
The bed sheets were white but had some yellow stains on them, as did some of the towels (not my stains). I hope it was just ultra strong bleach proof SC trucker sweat - no bigs, i sweat like a barbarian too. The carpet was a fun mix of colors and was oddly clumped together when it shouldn't be. There was a small fridge in to room but it was disconnected, along with everything else. I'm not sure if it's weird housekeeping staff or just SC custom. I didn't see any critters in here,but i'm sure they're around. The bathroom... that was strangely clean.
Now, i could've spent a few more bucks and stayed somewhere a bit nicer but i really was looking for this. Most regular humans would give this place 1-2 stars. It is a solid 3-4 star spot for bad m-f'n road warriors though. Oh and the smell - turns out that non smoking rooms are strategically placed in halls full of smoking rooms. read more