Roadtripping to West Virginia – Stay Kool at the Koolwink
On our long weekend to West Virginia, we set up shop in the town of Romney. The local motorcycle dealership, Romney Cycles, was hosting a camp and ride. Though Kenny and I weren’t participating in that event, it was the spark that put us there.
There’s always one weirdo who does things a little differently
We did stop in to the dealer to have a look around. What a place. I’ve never seen so many motorcycles on a showroom floor before. They seemed to have 3 of everything.
The staff made their presence known and was available but didn’t hawk you, which was nice. If I were a local, I’d definitely make an effort to shop there.
Rather than camping, Kenny and I decided to grab a room at the tres fantastique Koolwink Motel. It was so charmingly retro. Our friend Mod Betty over at Retro Roadmap actually profiled it a few years ago.
The rooms were clean and the beds were comfortable. Plus as the evenings wore on, the motel was full of other nice motorcyclists who were in town for the Romney Cycles event.
But, I think my favorite part of the stay was the outdoor navigation station that allowed me to plan our day’s ride and drink my morning coffee 🙂
Isn’t Mr. Koolwink just the cutest?
When you hit the road are you inclined to stay in a mom & pop place such as the Koolwink? Admittedly, I generally go for a chain but after my experience in Romney maybe I’ll be a little more open minded? ::crosses fingers::
Such a fun trip!! And here is an extra kool 🙂 for you!!!
I am heading on road trip next week…US Hwy 2 from Ironwood, MI all the way to Shelby, MT. Can’t wait!!
Awesome! I will of course be following along with all of the photos you share 🙂
I promise plenty of photos and write ups!! Return trip promises to rock too as I take US 212 over the Bear Tooth Range from Yellowstone! Watch my site and Facebook starting May 20.
Though I’ve never stayed at the Koolwink, I’ve seen the outside many times. It’s ways clean and well-kept. I’ve seen a lot of other similar small places and think the ‘wink is an exception. There are lots of nice, private motels, you just have to do good research in advance.
Went to an odd little hotel in Niagara Falls with the motorcycle riding ex-girlfriend. The owners were a bunch of dudes and girls in their 30s from Australia. Very strange. They liked to get drunk at night though and were quite excellent. Even at 4 AM when we locked ourselves out of hotel room.
That Mom & Pop place (or in this case surfer dude and dudette place) definitely yes.
Went to another Mom & Pop place, with the same ex, it was a bed and breakfast, turns out there were other couples in there. We came home from a night out partying to find a dude fully naked in the kitchen eating the apple. When we were checking out we could hear loud sex. Soooo… yeah… might not be going back there…
These are the stories you remember with a smile though 🙂
Adorably cute. And I’m a huge fan of retro-style which this place has in abundance. We need to avoid large chains and patronize small businesses.
I love staying at quirky places. And I’ve found the mom and pop places are usually the most willing to haggle on their rates when you walk in asking about a room for the night.
And as Adrian mentioned… good or bad, the mom and pop places are the ones that give you good stories to tell.
Oh my gosh. I love Mr. Koolwink. This is the type of place we always look for. I just love the older places that you can drive up to the doors and unload. Love that the bikes can be parked in front of the rooms. I think you found a gem!!! Love, love, love it.