Vista Motel

I stayed here numerous years ago and all I remember is entering my room after checking in and watching the maids make the bed without changing the sheets. We went to the front office to discuss the situation and was advised that the sheets get changed every 4 days. So we pressed a little more to inquire if they also get changed when someone checks out and was advised they do not unless it falls into the every 4 day rule. I couldn’t have checked out of there quick enough and never ever went back. This motel is not recommended by me.

My husband and I had a very relaxing stay at the Vista
is a very scenic and tranquil place. Ideally located across from the beach and a very short distance from town. The place is very clean and has brand new very comfortable beds. Great breakfast included and the staff is accommodating and friendly.

We will be back! The location is great, and perfect for watching the sunset over Good Harbor beach, (as well as the moon rise) and the staff are friendly, helpful and practical. They provide a voucher for Good Harbor beach as well. The pictures are accurate and so you know to expected something dated, almost legitimately retro, and it becomes art of the charm.

Stayed here this past weekend with friends and the view was beautiful, the rooms were clean and spacious enough with a basic but nice deck to enjoy the view. NICEST staff. I didn’t go to the beach but it’s pretty awesome that they offer complimentary bags of ice for your cooler. They could not have been more accommodating. Would love to stay for a longer time!

Besides being dated this motel is awesome. The front desk was always helpful and polite. The view from our room was amazing and had two chairs. The shower was hot and high pressure something we love. The beds are hardship and the bedding is ugly but other than that we will be back !

Stayed for a long weekend with my family and was very pleased. The staff is super friendly and the rooms are clean. The location is great. You can see Good Harbor Beach from every room and hear the surf at night. Continental breakfast is simple but very fresh and just what we like when we want quick eats that won’t weigh us down first thing in the morning. The construction is older so there aren’t outlets everywhere like more modern rooms. So a top tip for the more modern family would be to bring a multi-​outlet power strip for all the things that need charging.

We love the Vista Motel and try and get here a couple of times a year with our dog. The rooms are clean and the view is amazing! It could use a few updates here and there, but other than that, we are extremely pleased with this motel. We tried a different one last year, and to say it paled in comparison, is an understatement. Their pool area is beautiful too. Just an all around great place!

Great place to relax. Beautiful view and great rooms… nice staff too. I really enjoyed my stay.

Yes this place is old, but they make up for it in everything else, The rooms are super clean the service is excellent and the view is great! Cant complain at all.

Beautiful location, great ocean view.
Nice manager, and reasonably priced. Clean room.
You might want to call for prices before using the usual booking websites.

Just got back from two nights at the Vista, and was very pleased with our stay. The view of the beach is gorgeous, the rooms were clean and functional and even had small refrigerators that let us keep our bottled water and gatorade cool. The air conditioner was LOUD but it worked well and would cool the room down immediately when we turned it on. The staff were lovely, very friendly and helpful, and the proximity to the family-​friendly Good Harbor beach was exactly what we needed.

I checked in late at night for an unplanned stay (its a long story) and was very pleased with the service and cleanliness of this place. Those of you who read my reviews have probably already noticed that I’m a bit persnickety about good service and the Vista was great in that dept. The views were incredible. The décor was so bad in my room it was almost comical, but I’d rather have paneling on the walls, ugly carpet and outdated bathroom and kitchenette but CLEAN and GOOD SERVICE than the other way around. For what I paid, I didn’t expect to have both! Definitely a good deal for the rate they charged of $ 130 a night! Plus, full cable tv and a continental breakfast…

Stayed at Vista Motel for one night in May 2012. I booked a deluxe room for $ 135. We were given an efficiency room on the second level with fantastic views of good harbor bay. The room had two double beds, a small fridge, a microwave, 2 stove plates, a small sink, toaster and coffee maker. The room had a really good TV and HBO. Really good quality furnishings — not expected in a motel. Bathroom a bit outdated, but really clean. All linen and towels were fresh and of superior quality. Staff are very friendly. The out of season breakfast was great to get us going. Overall, 5 stars. We will visit again. Highly recommend if you just want to get out of town.

Our room was located in the least expensive section of the motel which needs some attention. The air conditioner was totally ineffectual requiring us to open the windows and both doors each night to cool the room down before turning in for the night. One other problem was a dripping faucet. Otherwise the motel is situated in a convenient location, the staff is very nice and the price was reasonable.

It’s not a surprise that for a local establishment without corporate backing or franchising to remain economically viable, a few things need to happen: a) the establishment is nestled ideally in a place with heavy seasonal traffic, b) the establishment must have proprietors and employees who in fact, go above and beyond the requisite extent of customer service offered by the majority of chains, and c) the establishment must have some type of charm or draw. The Vista Motel met all of these criteria with flying colors, and in depth:
Location: 5 out of 5
The Vista Motel is located on a hill overlooking Good Harbor Beach. The view is great, and parking is free. In close proximity is a shopping center that contains a grocery store, perfect for if you are staying in one of the Vista’s rooms that comes with kitchen amenities. The location is also convenient to «downtown» Gloucester, should you be taking part in whale watching, or just patronizing the local restaurants.
Cleanliness of Room: 5 out of 5
Seemingly, the staff at the Vista take great pride in offering their customers very clean rooms. Although not the newest by any stretch of the imagination, everything was cleaned very thoroughly, and it was clear (at least to me), that they employ such secrets such as Barkeeper’s Friend, because some items that typically experience fading and discoloration were well… quite new looking.
Amenities of Room and Motel: 4 out of 5
This is a local establishment, not the Four Seasons. There is no room service, there is no spa, there are no boutique toiletries. The soap and shampoo they provide is fine. You’d find them in a place like Comfort Suites or Days Inn. The breakfast room is attached to the main building, and they serve cereal, donuts, and variations of bread. We were actually upgraded to an efficiency that had a coffee maker, microwave, small fridge, and even two stove eyes, replete with some pots, pans, and utensils. I suppose if you are in the area for a week, and want to go to the grocery store to get items for a boil, the stuff they provide could adequately meet the requirements of said task. As I only stayed for one night, I wasn’t able to take advantage of any of that. Some rooms have balconies, some rooms have only a little patio area. Our balcony room overlooked the bay and was right above the heated pool. It was very relaxing to watch the sun set, and then the sun rise, from the balcony. Speaking of the heated pool, the hours are adequate (8am to dark) if you’d prefer to swim in chlorinated water as opposed to bay water.
Cancellation Policy/​Reservation Policy: 4 out of 5
For a local establishment, it’s fairly generous. If you don’t give them one week’s notice, they charge you 25 dollars. Sure, it’s not as generous as most hotel chains where you can cancel the day before without any penalty — but you have to understand that part of surviving in a market like this with an establishment like the Vista is unfortunately — making sure that your bottom line allows you to stay buoyant over the winter months. If you give them more than one week’s notice, I think it’s a 6.50 charge. The reservation process is old school. You call and talk to a live person. Her name is Priscilla. She is genuinely nice, but also seems to be very no-​nonsense. You can drop her name at the Seven Seas Whale Watching place, and they will give you 5 dollars off (though I myself did not take that tour).
Pricing: 4 out of 5
D’oh. Probably my least favorite of what I encountered. I can’t complain too much because in checking out all of the local motels in the immediate area and in the Portland, Maine area — the prices seemed to be similar. We went in August of 2011 and the price for the room that we had originally reserved was 135 an evening (partially obstructed standard room). Upon checking in, Priscilla took a look at the rooms that were available, and gave us an upgrade to a second floor efficiency, which usually sells for 185 $ an evening. I mean — there are practical reasons for doing this; for example, if a walk-​up wanted a room and could only pay under $ 150, selling the standard room would be much easier than one of the more expensive rooms. So yes, they may lose 50 dollars on the larger room, but if they can recoup 135, they still come out ahead. However, I still thought it was nice that we were upgraded at no additional cost to us. Therefore, still a 4 out of 5 in this category.
Customer Service: 4 out of 5
Priscilla was very straightforward and easy to work with. She explained the policies of the motel very clearly, and gave us tips for checking out the area. It was great that she gave us the upgrade to the efficiency from the standard room, and it was nice to see her having breakfast the next morning in the dining room, along with everyone else.
Overall: 4 out of 5
Excellent stay at the Vista Motel. Highly recommended in the Gloucester area, and I wish them all the best!