We originally discovered the Best Western Sandman when we were stranded in Sacramento due to a cancelled flight, took a chance on this motel, and were favorably impressed. This trip was our second stay at the Sandman.

It’s motel-style, backing up to the Sacramento River. We arrived on a day when it was 110 degrees outside with very smoky air due to the Northern California wildfires. Our room, however, was blessedly cool and un-smoky. We weren’t as pleased with the adjacent Coyote Junction Restaurant, where the A/C was broken and ceiling fans couldn’t keep us from sweating as we ate our merely-adequate Mexican dinners.

Check-in was quick, but the desk clerk didn’t adequately explain where our room was. After floundering around for a while, we found it. Due to the embankment behind the building, we didn’t even realize that there were rooms on the back side of the motel. This location turned out to be a plus because we discovered the walkway to the river and adjacent bike trail. It also means that our room was quieter than the ones facing the parking lot.

Although the HVAC unit is just a window unit, it’s controlled by a thermostat on the wall. We were able to easily control the temperature to our liking, and the machinery wasn’t noisy at all.
Another glitch at check-in was that they forgot to give me the username and password so that I could log on to the hotel’s free wireless internet system. When I called the front desk, I was given my log-in information over the phone, but it didn’t work. I gave up in frustration rather than call the front desk again.

Because my daughter and I typically travel with our laptops, I always look for available electrical sockets near the beds. Many motels have every electrical outlet in use with the bed lamps, clock/radio, etc. The Sandman thoughtfully provided available electrical sockets on the sides of each bed, plus there was a power strip at the desk (conveniently mounted at desk height, not on the floor). The desk has a real office chair with a comfy padded seat, lumbar support, and a height adjustment lever, not just a straight wood chair.

The rooms come with microwave and refrigerator. Sometimes, the display on the microwave is so bright that we have to stick a towel over it in order to sleep at night. This microwave has an old-fashioned dial, so no glaring light. The clock/radio has only a soft glow that’s easy to sleep by.

The shower temperature was easy to adjust, and it has the now almost-uniform curving shower rod for more elbow room. Water came out in a nice strong spray. Housekeeping forgot to provide us with a bar or bath soap. I had to swipe the hand soap from the sink in order to take my shower. The bath light can’t be turned on without also turning on a noisy ventilation fan; I would have preferred separate switches or a quieter fan. On the plus side, the wide bathroom counter was spacious, and not overly cluttered with ice buckets and coffeemakers (those were elsewhere in the room). The Sandman provides a hair dryer.

Instead of generic abstract paintings, our room at the Sandman had paintings of the State Capitol, the Tower Bridge, and the Delta King steamboat. I appreciated the local touch.

The beds came complete with three plump pillows each, plus an extra in the closet. The beds were comfortable enough, but jiggly. If you’re a couple, you’ll feel every move your partner makes.

The breakfast room is two converted guest rooms. They provide an enhanced continental breakfast with waffles, hard-boiled eggs, and yogurt in addition to cereals, toast, muffins, etc. This is probably the first motel ever that offered soy milk for more lactose-intolerant husband to use on his cereal. I appreciated the rotator-belt toaster instead of waiting for the six customers ahead of me to use a standard pop-up toaster. My bagel came out just the right shade of golden brown, and quickly, too.

For $83/night, the Best Western Sandman is one of the best values in the near-downtown/Old Sacramento area. We’d definitely stay again.