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Background:

On a recent trip from Astoria to Spokane and on to Salt Lake, my wife and I stopped for the night in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We stayed at the Best Western Driftwood in which is a special place for us since we spent the first night of our honeymoon at this motel. This is the second time we have stayed there since.

The Motel:

The motels address is: 575 River Parkway, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402
(800) 939-2242

The Motel is located just across the Snake River from downtown Idaho Falls and is just across the street from “the falls”. I believe that the Driftwood is made up of two separate hotels that where joined together. The main section with the front desk looks like the classic 30s to 50’s motor court motel with parking in the rooms in a u-shape with parking in front of the rooms. The second part looks like a late 60’s to 70’s motel with a pool in the center, the parking going around the pool and the rooms around the parking lot. Also you can see where the front desk of this section once was.

To reach the motel from Interstate 15, get off at the Broadway exit, turn east, go about three blocks, turn left just before the bridge that crosses the Snake River onto River Parkway. The motel will be on the left just up the road past the Red Lion.

The motel features rooms with one queen bed, two queen beds, a king bed, family suites and Jacuzzi rooms.

The motel offers free use of bikes and offers free high-speed Internet service. There is a business center in the lobby that also has a computer featuring high-speed Internet service.

Check In:

My first shock came when I walked into the lobby and to the front desk. The front desk, which is located in the older section of the motel, used to be very small. It looks like they took out what was once the manager’s apartment and replaced it with a huge lobby, which is attached to the area that they serve the continental breakfast in. The lobby is beautifully decorated and has a large couch and chairs.

The front desk clerk was friendly and was very efficient in checking us in.

The Room:

I didn’t even notice when we where giving our room number or key, but when we drove around the u and arrived at our room I realized that the clerk had giving us the same room that we had stayed in on our honeymoon (room 87).

The major change was that it had gone through a major refurbishment. As you enter the room on the side with the window you have a table and chairs. Against the next wall there was the queen-sized bed along with two nightstands on each side of the bed once with the digital clock. On the opposite was a writing desk, an armoire with the television, followed by a microwave and small refrigerator. Past the refrigerator is the area for luggage with one luggage stand. Directly ahead from the door is the vanity that has a single sink. The bathroom has a full sized tub, toilet and sink. The bathroom is kind of small but with the vanity but makes up for it by having the vanity outside the bathroom.

The room’s furniture is a deep cherry wood and gives a very elegant feel to the room.

The other time we stayed here they gave us a free upgrade to the kitchenette unit. That unit was huge (above the former office in the newer section of the motel). As you walked in the King size bed was to the right with nightstands on either side. In front of you was the full size fridge, stove, and microwave and the kitchen sink. To the left was the table and chairs in front of huge windows that overlooked the greenbelt and the Snake River. The bathroom was the only small thing in the room, which was just to the right of the kitchen but did include a toilet, vanity and full size tub.

The rooms also have a coffee maker, hairdryer, iron, and ironing board.

Breakfast:

As mentioned before breakfast is served in a room just off of the lobby. The room is small but you can always take it back to your room or into the lobby. The breakfast offered Danishes, toast, waffles, milk, and juice. Pretty standard fair and rates pretty average.

The Good:

The motel has a beautiful location, beautiful rooms, and friendly service.

The Bad:

The standard rooms are a little small because of the age of the motel; especially the bathrooms and the prices during summer can be very high.

Check Out:

Check out was friendly and efficient much like checking in. There was a couple of people ahead of me when I arrived in the lobby but in less than five minutes my invoice was printed and we where on our way.

The Area:

As mentioned the Driftwood Inn is right across the street from the Snake River. It is located along a green belt and you will see many people out jogging, feeding the ducks, taking picture of the falls, or just enjoying the beauty around the river.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple is located across the street and does make for great pictures when the sun is setting. The golden colors highlight on the building and it is beautiful.

The Visitors center is located just south of the motel past the Red Lion Hotel. A brand new Super Wal-mart is located just a couple of blocks away. There are several restaurants in the downtown area just across the Broadway bridge from the motel (Broadway is the next street south of the motel).

One restaurant that I would recommend is O’Brady’s. It is located on Broadway just west of Interstate 15 next to the Motel 6. The food is good, the prices reasonable, although the service can be slow at times but it is friendly. Another restaurant I would recommend is Smitty’s Pancake and Steak House which is located just about a block from the motel on Broadway. My wife, niece and I had dinner there and the food was very good along with good service. Prices are a little higher than O’Brady’s.

In addition Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Craters of the Moon are all less than a 120 miles from the motel.

Conclusion:

The Best Western Driftwood Inn is an excellent place to spend the night, weekend, or more. It is just a couple of hours drive to three national parks, the service is good, and rooms are nice. Consider spending the night when you come this direction.

The hotel has a website at:
http://www.bestwesterndriftwood.com/index2.html





Recommended: Yes