A recent trip to the town of Monroe, Washington for a seminar found me traveling on a tight budget and sharing a room with my mom. We opted to share a double room at the Best Western Baron Inn in the center of town. Overall, I was pleased with our room and thought it represented a good value for our money.

There's nothing remotely noteworthy about the appearance of the hotel from the outside, nor even from the inside. This is a corporate, budget hotel entity without much to distinguish it. The lobby's appearance has little personality but is pleasant in a bland sort of way. We were able to check in quickly thanks to the help of a polite and efficient young employee. He gave us card-keys and directed us to our room on the second of three floors.


Our room

We took the elevator to our room and found that the card-keys did not work. Returning to the desk, I was given an apology and quickly supplied with cards that did work. Though the hallways were noticeably hot and stuffy during our summertime visit, we found our room nicely cooled when we entered. We had a decent room on the back of the building with a view of the pool area. The room was mostly tidy and clean; nothing very special, but completely adequate, particularly so for the price. There was a small sitting area right by the door with a fold-out couch, then an open plan "closet" opposite a decent-sized bathroom and then the sleeping area. We had two large tvs, a few chairs, end tables flanking both the fold-out couch and the queen sized bed, a coffee table, dresser and a luggage rack for furniture, all of which appeared to be fairly new. There were also two phones, an alarm clock and two "extra" pillows for use on the couch. A tiny kitchenette in the bedroom area included a coffee maker and a small fridge which we found useful for leftovers and orange juice. The sleeper couch was already made up with sheets and I found it quite comfortable to sleep on. My mother said the bed was comfortable too. The air conditioner worked well to keep the room cool and to provide a bit of white noise to muffle any night noises which might otherwise have bothered us.


The bath

The bathroom was reasonably spacious for this type of hotel. We enjoyed good water pressure and plenty of hot water when we showered. A few basic toiletries were provided, as well as plenty of towels and a hairdryer. As far as I could tell, everything was clean and hygienic.


Service

The staff at the Baron Inn was definitely of the young and not too long-term type, but they were uniformly friendly, competent and helpful employees. We found our room nicely cleaned when we returned on the evening of our first day there. We were able to get good driving directions to local businesses from the staff.


Amenities

Breakfast is included in the price of the room. But as my mother and I both try to avoid carbs, we went elsewhere to eat. Checking out the continental buffet, I did notice on the second day that the carbs extended to Belgian-style waffles, and there were fresh bananas available. To my surprise, a crockpot also offered creamed chipped beef, which my mother referred to by a shockingly vulgar military nickname, much to my amusement. That didn't induce me to try it though.


The Best Western Baron Inn is located along a state highway and therefore within very easy walking distance of several restaurants and a five minute walk of two supermarkets. We tried the nearby highly praised Ixtapa restaurant for Mexican the first night and were utterly underwhelmed by our fajitas and salads. I recommend you make the drive into nearby Duvall for the Thai food if you're staying here. Breakfast at Petosa's was better as the omelets are easily large enough to split one between two people and service was snappy.

There was a small outdoor heated pool at the back of the hotel as well as a small hot tub. A few lounge chairs provided a place to relax, but only a screened chain link fence separated the pool from the busy parking lot, so I'm not sure how relaxing it would be to hang out here. Still, it's a place to get the kids wet on a hot day. There was also apparently a fitness room that I didn't have time to check out

This hotel is set back slightly from Highway 2 and there was no sign near the road indicating the location of the hotel. I only found it easily because I happened to know that it was located right next to Petosa's restaurant. If you're not familiar with the area, be sure to keep your eyes open and have good directions to get there.


Final Thoughts

Having just returned from a trip that took me to four hotels in one week, I'd say the Best Western Baron Inn offered the best value for the price. I have no major or even minor complaints about the hotel itself. I don't expect too much from a budget hotel, and this one covered all the basics quite well. I would not hesitate to stay there again if I needed lodging in this area. My four-star rating reflects the high price to value ratio rather than any particular opulence or special service.


If you're looking for lodging a little bit closer to Seattle, you might consider the Marriott Residence Inn in Redmond. And while you're in this area, definitely check out the amazing Snoqualmie Falls. It's free!



Recommended: Yes