I visit North Tonawanda, New York three to four times a year. Nearly every time I stay in a different hotel. Recently, I discovered this place in a desperate search to avoid pricey hotels in which New York is infamous. So, far, this is the cheapest place I could find yet and it was certainly by luck. I stayed in a two queen bed room for five nights for just $215 with tax included. Keep in mind that New York sales tax is a 9%. Needless to say, it sounded too good to be true. I wondered what could be the drawbacks.

On July 19, 2009, I arrived at the Blue Falls Motel. It’s so quaint that I passed it up at least twice trying to find it, yet it’s right there on Niagara Falls Boulevard. I originally booked a single king bed room online, not realizing how small the room was in size. Again, I was looking to save some money this trip. I could literally stretch my arms out and touch both walls. I needed more room so I opted for the extra $15 for two queen beds instead, hoping the room was bigger. Indeed, it was much better overall. I was a happy camper.

I stayed in room #10 for all five nights with pleasure. I never heard a peep from the front desk. Now, some people would insist on housekeeping service first thing every morning. Well, some of us aren’t so grateful about having dust kicked up from a vacuum or the smell of cleaning fluids lingering about in the air. I’m also not too fond of strangers roaming about my “space” while I’m away enjoying the sites that Niagara Falls has to offer. For me, this was actually a plus. I’m sure they would’ve cleaned my room daily if I’d insisted, but my allergies told me no. Basically, I just asked for clean towels when I needed them and I was content. Incidentally, the towels actually looked clean. I am rather picky about that and sometimes bring my own towels even to pricier hotels.

When I checked in, the man was very pleasant. He even made conversation about his “ventures” to Kentucky in his previous years. Of course, this was chalked up to “my good side”. Still, yet, he was very friendly and I’m pretty sure he has a permanent smile imprinted on his face. He just looked like a happy kind of guy. That really put me at ease in the unfamiliar surroundings. Call me old-fashioned, but you can tell a lot about a place from the people who work there.

During the five nights between July 19 and July 24, I slept great. This is of utmost importance to me because I cherish my dreamland and beauty rest haha. The parking is a bit cramped and I had to ask for clean towels. Aside from these two factors, I can’t complain. I keep thinking of the hotels I’ve stayed at where I paid $200 a night, plus tax. Sure, they were gorgeous with shiny chandeliers and gourmet room service, but I would much rather have something simple and use that money to enjoy some real food and take in some site seeing.

I must also add that this place does accept cash graciously. This is a big plus for someone who actually hates using a credit card. The rooms have your basic tv service, a fridge, microwave, a/c and phone. Although, you won’t get a room with a “falls view” but who cares. I don’t stay in my room much anyway. It was actually nice to open a window with just a view of a privacy fence. Noone to peer in at me. I could just open the window and let some fresh city air inside the room, which is far better than an a/c which drives my allergies crazy.

Would I stay here again? As a matter of fact, I will be staying there the first week of September of this year. So, the answer is definitely a yes. I look at it as fancy camping. I felt safe and it’s clean and that’s really all that matters to this country gal. It’s one of the few places I’ve seen that actually operates “within its means”. You don’t pay a high price to look at a gorgeous chandelier in the lobby. Those type of places are nice for special occasions. So, bottom line…Blue Falls Motel in North Tonawanda, New York is dirt cheap, clean and quiet all rolled in one package. It is nice to have a little extra pocket cash and who doesn’t like cash?

Rating: 7