I've stayed multiple times now--like 3-4 times, and hubs has been there another time or two. All of those times were before the remodel. Here's what I can tell you: I haven't ever seen any creepy crawlies, inside my room or outside my room, leaving at 7am, 8am, 9am, or returning at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, midnight, 1am... Point being, I come and go at all hours except 2am-6am, haha, and haven't seen anything!
When I first get the key to my room, I leave my bags outside, and take a black light (they make them in flashlight form for about $10) to investigate the whole room--floors, beds, sheets, drawers, mattress seams, bathrooms, etc. And I haven't seen anything at Tropicana that makes me squeamish. No signs of bed bugs, no showing of bodily yuckies, or anything else. They don't always have a great review on my "white sock test" but that's a tough one at any motel in the area.
Of the list of places you have stayed at in the past, I've only stayed at Park Vue Inn, so I can compare/contrast with that one....
- Price: Tropicana wins this--$130 for Tropicana, and $170ish for Park Vue (with my military discount and/or returning guest discount)
- Walk: Tropicana is about 3 minutes longer
- Grounds: Both equally clean.
- Grounds, pool: PVIs pool is a bit nicer (brick and ivy-covered iron fencing provides a feeling of privacy that Trop's doesn't have at all)
- Grounds, on-site store: The Cove (Trop) has a larger selection of food and drink, Mickey & Me (PVI) has a larger selection of tshirts/sweatshirts; prices are a little better at The Cove
- Rooms, overall: PVI's rooms (post-remodel) feel more open to me than Trop's rooms (pre-remodel)
- Rooms, space: About equal, maybe a smidgen larger at PVI
- Rooms, beds: PVI's post-remodel beds are sooooo comfy; Trop's pre-remodel beds were perfectly comfortable, so if they updated the mattresses, that could be ah-mazing!
- Rooms, bathrooms: Pretty much identical--both have vanities outside the bathroom. Basic shower/tub combo.
- Rooms, cleanliness: Both pass my "grey sock test" (that is, I don't notice that they make my grey-bottomed socks any more grey). The white sock test has been hit or miss at both places. Some slight discoloration, but not any more than at home. PVI has had the cleanest room I had for the white sock test, however, it's also had the dirtiest (in the case of the pre-remodel jacuzzi room, the carpet really needed changed, but it was a room with a giant tub, some wet floors because of it, with people walking into/out of the room with shoes on that have been walking on dirty pavement for 12 hours, so I didn't like it, but I understood it)
I'm excited to try out Tropicana's remodel this next summer!
