South of the Border Motor Inn

Frances Hull

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

I love this place so much! If you love vintage hotels you have to check it out. Cute motor court rooms with your own covered parking spot. Our back door let out to nice outdoor swimming pool that was all ours during our stay. There is also a big indoor pool and a sauna by the lobby. The restaurants are nice. The Panhandler is an actual SC steakhouse brand. We didn't know that until later. Amazing steaks in a very nice dinning environment. There's stores and an arcade and of course the reptile habitat. You can stay here the whole weekend without leaving the hotel and have plenty to do. Any liminal photographers will love this place at night with all the neon and it gets very quiet once dark.

Amber Weaver

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

Would absolutely stay again! It's right along the highway, and I love the motor inn style. Stayed in a standard room, which was very 80s art deco (😍) and clean. I also liked that there was an extra sink outside of the bathroom since there were 3 of us. Didn't have time to do anything else other than grab a couple things from the gift shop, but all of the employees were pleasant and helpful.

Scott Doolittle (KenziesPapa)

4 out of 5 stars★★★★☆

I've seen this place from the road for many years. We finally stopped to stay. Front desk people were nice. You park in front of your room and it's cover parking. Super cool. Once downside there, the ground outside the door where you park was super dirty. One step outside the door and your feet are filthy and tracking tons back inside. A blower would help tremendously. We got a dog room so 8 more dirty feet. Inside the room was nice and clean. Vinyl and tile floors. These builds are old but they were well taken care of. King bed, but only two pillows. The kind you roll up under your head. Nice back patio area. Lots of security driving around in vehicles. That was nice. Some attention to detail would take this place a long way. Things like light bulbs being out everywhere. Makes you look unsafe and unkept. People on the interstate only know what they can see. Half the lights on signs and buildings are burnt out. Looks bad. The walkway that goes across the highway was littered up and had a lot of broken glass. Other than those little things, spot on. Nice place, nice people. We'd stop and stay again should we ever need to. You should to. It was fun.

Ryan Holden

3 out of 5 stars★★★☆☆

I really wanted to like this place more. Unfortunately, the experience just wasn't the greatest. We checked it off of our bucket list. If you're looking for a unique stay for the family, it's worth doing at least once. Just understand what you're getting into. Below are my honest PROS and CONS. PROS: - Indoor pool was warm and clean. Open late . - Tower was cheap and a fun experience for the kids. - Arcade is a fun spot to kill some time. - Reptile lagoon was a bit overpriced for what you get, but still fun. Many species of alligators and snakes. - Covered parking at your room. - Gift shops had a large selection of items. CONS: We got the 2 room king and double. - Neither bathroom door closed all the way. - Mini fridge was leaking. - TVs are small and stationary and beds are located on the opposite side of the room and diagonally from the TV. Challenging to watch. - Doors have pretty large gaps underneath allowing bugs to co.e and go. The smell of cigarettes and weed were getting in under the door throughout the night. - The room smelled musty. - Room was outdated. - Staff was not very friendly when we gave them a courtesy call to inform them we would be checking in a bit late due to an accident. Very dismissive and "bothered." We just wanted to ensure we weren't going to lose our room due to their check-in policy. - When we arrived at our room, a lady approached us and told us we had a cute family and continued standing there silently watching us unload and go into our room. Very awkward. For the price we paid, we expected a little better of an experience with our room. We likely will not visit again, unless some major upgrades are completed. But, again, if you're looking for a one night, unique experience so you can take a break from your travels, it is a one time bucketlist stop attraction.