HAPPY BEAR MOTEL

I think the Happy Bear is happy because he no longer lives there. I can not recommend this place unless there is no other and your only option is to sleep in your car. Reading past reviews I can see the owner has not changed his attitude in the last 10 years. While he can be friendly and helpful when he decides to for the most part his social skills are lacking. It’s amazing that hotels, motels and inns are able to secure such steep prices for their lodgings. Forget staying in Woodstock unless you make reservations 6-12 months in advance or are willing to pay $350.00 and up for a nights rest. Thus this is what brought us to Killington instead of Woodstock Vermont. When we first pulled into the parking lot of “Happy Bear Motel” it was like a punch in the gut. I don’t mind staying at old-road-side motels, I grew up on them, but this had a Bates Motel hits the real estate market feel to it. It was obvious from the exterior there was no pride in ownership. If you really want to know how things are taken care of look at the underbelly, or in this case behind the motel. (See pictures.) As far as cleanliness I’ve seen a lot worse. Of course there were several hairs in the tub but the sink and most of the surfaces appeared cleaned. When we arrived we did not like the location of our room as we could not see our car when we looked out but only a wall. I went back in the office to request room 5 as we were in room 8. He said, “No that one is not clean.” Geez it’s Saturday night. I would think they would have all the rooms on the bottom floor (there are only 8 rooms available), cleaned. So he offered room 6 with 2 double beds instead of one. I said I would take it. He said that will be “$20.00 more a night.” I was so tried and overwhelmed , I said will you take cash? First time he smiled, I took it as a yes and tossed him a $20.00. I see online a room with 2 beds is $10.00 more a night, how cheeky. There were no stores opened for me to pick up some milk so he offered me a glass from the breakfast inventory. That was kind of him. There was only one other guest at the motel on a Saturday night, which in hindsight is a plus. Note there is a bar/restaurant across the street and the noise spills into your room. I’d suggest that you keep looking for another place to stay. I looked at the online photos on their website and I don’t know when they were taken, but they are not a representation of the Happy Bear Motel. Is there such a thing? Happy Bear? Not at this place.

We love Happy Bear! We’ve stayed here twice now and will absolutely be returning. It’s simple: no frills, but location is perfect! Walking distance to numerous restaurants, bars, food shopping, ski shops, etc and only a 5 min drive to K1 base or 7 min to Skyeship base! Plenty of parking - our dog loved running in the parking lot full of snow both years we’ve stayed. There’s also a small creek in the back - nice place for a city pup to do her business while on vacation. Just remember, this place is no frills and could use an upgrade - we usually travel with our own pillows, small blankets and towels to make it more homey. Best part - Happy Bear is run by a lovely family!

Exceeded my expectations based on some of the reviews. It's not a fancy place, but the room was clean, bed was decent, and the bathroom updated (actually better than some other hotels at Killington I've stayed at that rate higher). If you need a place to crash and shower after a day of mountain biking or skiing, worth considering. Price was very reasonable and has great location. You can walk to the Garlic and other bars/restaurants. They do provide some basic breakfast food (muffins, bagels, cereal) in the morning, but limited space to eat it unless you go back to your room. It didn't bother me, but if a cozy place to sit and have breakfast is important to you, then not your motel. I would definitely consider staying again, especially if the price was competitive.