Quality Inn, Boca Raton, FL: Dirty, Buggy, Smokey, Bad Wi-Fi, TV

Dirty. It's possible that our room at the Quality Inn in Boca Raton, FL was dirty because the housekeeper misunderstood our instructions. We asked that the room be prepared without air fresheners or perfumed cleaners. Instead, it probably wasn't cleaned at all, since the bathroom floor was sticky with urine and the sink handle and spout were caked with shaving cream. Rather than deal with more "misunderstandings," we cleaned it ourselves.

Buggy. We also exterminated the tiny ants (or termites) that infested the sink the next day and the chest of drawers across the room, the day after. That seemed safer than counting on dirty housekeepers to bid the bugs be gone.

Cramped. Ours was supposedly a "deluxe" room with a king bed and a queen, instead of two queens. Compared to rooms at about the same rate in Best Western and Hampton Inn hotels, it felt a little cramped, but that was OK. The microwave worked, as did the refrigerator, although it hadn't been defrosted in ages.

Smokey. What wasn't OK was the pervasive odor of tobacco smoke. It was ostensibly a non-smoking room, but it obviously had been used by a smoker. The stale odor of smoke attacked us every time we entered to the room. The staff smoked, too, which is probably why they also allowed guests to smoke in the corridors and close to the building.

Iffy Wi-Fi. The inn had two unsecured wi-fi networks, both with weak signals in our location, but they worked -- most of the time. Sometimes they just shut down. Sometimes they logged us off and couldn't be reacquired without rebooting our laptop. Sometimes they worked all day. Their wi-fi was administered by an off site provider whom we were supposed to contact about problems. Sure...

No TV, No Gym. And the TV didn't work. But we were too busy cleaning, exterminating and tinkering with the wi-fi to watch TV anyway. There was no exercise room.

Positives. The plumbing worked, the staff was OK, the beds were clean and firm, and the a/c and heating unit was fine. The inn looks trim from the outside, and the rooms had been recently painted. We didn't try the pool, which looked clean, or the continental breakfast. The price was moderate, but the larger, newer, upscale Boca Raton Plaza Hotel & Suites next door cost no more.