Joy Sands Motel, Port Bolivar

I have stayed at Joy Sands for years! You will understand, If you come with an attitude of this beats camping on the beach! Bring your own pillow, some kitchen items, a little Febreeze ( to freshen the room), paper goods and a reasonable level of expectation! This is NOT the Ritz Carlton and you aren't in Miami Beach! It's been standing for years, so it's older, but it survived Hurricane Ike. I love the kitchenettes and my favorite room is 11 (it seems bigger because it's on the end, but it is actually the same size!) You can even have a shaded picnic under the building where Jennifer will allow you to borrow the grill (if it's in shape enough for your standards!) I refuse to stay at another place in town! Unless we rent a weekly cabin, which is a minimum of three to seven days, and have a group, four or more, this is the best deal on the peninsula!

I stayed at the Joy Sands for the first time over the weekend. My home in Crystal Beach was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike and I came down for the weekend to meet with adjusters. I will say this: Most of what you read about it is quite true. It is not swanky great, but it is very conveniently located next to Coconuts bar and restaurant and within walking distance of the beach and it has fridge, microwave, nice staff. Again, convenient. It is expensive for what you get, but this is a motel at a beach. There are only 3 motels in Crystal Beach. They all cost the same and are all equally "acceptable", but not overly nice. So, take it or leave it, but this is as good as it gets until they build a Hilton!

Our room was not clean. We were there for 3 days and got no fresh towels or sheets. The shower was rigged up by someone with no plumbing experience. We weren't expecting five stars, but a clean room with a working shower was expected. The best thing about the room was the air conditioner - it worked very well.

For the price this place is not bad at all, the beds are comfy, and the convenience of a fridge and microwave, and a kitchenette saved us money on eating, its close enough to walk to the beach and the people that run it are friendly...The best thing was we took our dogs without having to pay extra and no complaints from the owners, they also had cable which was a perk cause the little ones were able to watch cartoons! The bad things about this place is that our room did smell a lil musty but it was tolerable, and it would have been nice if they had a shower down stairs to rinse off in after the beach.

I liked the location. It is near the beach and around some resturaunts.The people that own the motel were awesome! I would go back, but bring my own pillow! I liked how the people around you would always know their names and would end up hanging out with them!

My mom and I and my two little girls stayed there over spring break last year. It was good for the price...rooms were clean and available without reservations, which was good. A little noisy with partiers next door, but thats expected over spring break.

At almost a hundred bucks a nite, this joint is worth less than half that. It's a true 2-star motel, not dirty, but nothing anywhere near 'special'. There's very little in the way of cool things in the neighborhood; except that it's not too far from the stretch of beach they call "the zoo". My guess is that the managers created the first review, because of the broken syntax. Bolivar is a place I've learned to love, but I hate it when the locals take advantage of me.

very clean and friendly, down to earth almost like being in your own cabin. reasonably priced hotel without all the bells and whistles. something about it just had an old-fashion family value to it which made it really nice. i will go back. my son loved it.