After hearing about North Charleston from friends that had lived in the area, I was a little scared. My boyfriend and I would rather spend our vacation dollars on good food than on a hotel room that we won't be in very long, so we usually stay at the economy-level places. After researching Travelocity, Hotels dot com, Orbitz, etc., I was pretty worried about finding a decent one in Charleston. Out of all of the $50-$80/night places, this was the only one that had good user reviews. The reviews for similar hotels in the area were overwhelmingly scary, while the reviews for this Red Roof Inn were very positive. I was not disappointed. We had the non-smoking "Business King" room for $59+tax (AAA rate). The room was large and had a desk with lamp and chair, a 3-drawer dresser with a large TV on a lazy susan, a mini-refrigerator and microwave, two bedside tables with an alarm clock, and a side chair. The hotel has been recently renovated, so everything was new and clean. The bed wasn't super-nice, about what you'd expect for a bargain hotel, but the pillows were nice and fluffy. We didn't interact with the staff much, but the front desk staff were friendly. The area isn't the greatest as it is right next to the highway, but we didn't notice any sketchy people hanging around or hear any highway noise. It is near a mall and has all manner of chain restaurants nearby (but who would want to eat there when you're in *Charleston*??) It's about a 10-15 minute drive to the Meeting St / King St shopping area. In summary, I would highly recommend this Red Roof Inn. If you can afford to stay somewhere nicer in the city, do it, but for the cheap traveler, this hotel is definitely worth it. My only complaint would be the rough, thin cheap-o toilet paper.
Pros: Nice, clean place to sleep and shower near Charleston
Cons: Bad toilet paper
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