Saga Motor Hotel in Pasadena

The Saga Motel in Pasadena, is located across from the Pasadena City College. The first impression was in the check-in office which had a really bad old smell. Parking is mostly in the back. It has a really nice pool, compared to the tiny pool at the Howard Johnson’s next door. The rooms are relatively large, with a big windows. Windows either face an apartment building (North side) and the parking lot on the backside, or Colorado Blvd. And Pasadena City College on the south (Front side) I stayed in a King room on the second floor. There are no elevators, no luggage carts, no microwave. You’ll need to be able to climb up quite a few stairs if your room is on the top floor. Rooms feel very dated with the only USB or 3-Prong AC slots being on a desk. All of the rest of the AC slots are ancient two prong slots. You’ll find it amusing if you’ve stayed at other motels and hotels, when they hand you a physical key for your room. Lose it and you’ll be charged $200. There are two locks on the door. A lock in the door knob and a deadbolt lock. I thought I had the wrong key, because I didn’t realize it had a lock in the door knob, and the key provided does not work in the deadbolt lock, which I was trying to open. The bed was an old school spring mattress and wasn’t very comfortable. It was too firm. The furniture is well made and good quality, but reminded me of something I would see at a Goodwill or Salvation army thrift store. The television was the smallest I’ve seen in any motel or hotel in recent years. Not having a Microwave, for the price charged to stay here is a big disadvanatage. It had a well working air conditioner and a large mini-fridge with a separate freezer section. I wouldn’t recommend these rooms for watching the Rose Parade from the room. You wouldn’t be able to see much and the noise would be pretty bad. There was considerable noise from guests and room doors closing and opening in the hallway. The shower and restroom is relatively small, with no hand rails in the tub. You’ll need to put a rubber non-slip mat down inside. There was no-ventilation fan in the restoom. Interestingly, there were quite a few books in the room under the TV for those who enjoy reading, and I think this location might be an o.k. place for an avid book reader who wants to get away to an 1950’s t0 70’s experience. It reminded me a little of rooms I saw while watching the, “I love lucy” tv show. A continental breakfast is provided each morning, bigger and better than what you’ll get at the Howard Johnson’s next door. I met several guests while entering and leaving my room, they all seemed to be from outside of the United States, from perhaps Canada or Europe. Which honestly makes sense, because this location is primarily listed on large booking websites only, or its own website. It was clean, didn’t have any unusual old smells, chemical smells, etc. Which means it’s probably fairly safe for those with allergies or respiratory issues. This w