After years of dealing with an unknown and seemingly impossible to diagnose condition, I decided to go to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for an evaluation. We really didn’t have the money to go, but I knew if I wanted to get better that we had to make a sacrifice. I was told to expect to be in Jacksonville for up to two weeks, and after speaking with a Mayo Clinic social worker, I was referred to the Baymeadows Inn amp; Suites, a place that she claimed she frequently referred guests to. She said that they had convenient kitchenettes and free high speed internet service that many Mayo patients appreciated. I quickly made reservations, requesting “Mayo” rates as instructed by the social worker. I was quoted a rate of $39.99 a night, which my husband and I thought was phenomenal.
When we arrived at Baymeadows Inn amp; Suites, which wasn’t difficult to find and was only 6 or 7 miles away from the Mayo Clinic, it looked like a nice place. It was surrounded by beautiful palm trees, looked well maintained, and was somewhat secluded, which I liked. There was also a nice pool area, although it wasn’t open because it was April and temperatures were still somewhat chilly. When we paid for a week’s stay and went to our room, we were in for the shock of our lives. The “kitchenette” was merely 2 burners in the middle of a counter with a sink, a mini refrigerator and a microwave oven. There was no lighting in the “kitchen” area, so we basically had to cook in a dimly lit area.
Not only was the kitchenette a big disappointment, but I felt disgusted just walking into the place. The carpet, although dark-colored, was obviously filthy, the walls were drab, with a few old-fashioned and depressing pictures, and when I sat down on the bed, I noticed that there were paper-thin sheets on the beds, exposing a gross, extremely thin mattress that appeared incredibly worn out. When I touched the filthy mattress, there was actually some grime peeling off the thing. I ripped the covers completely off the bed and there were stains on the mattresses that were so gross that I wanted to vomit! I felt like crying when we were forced to stay in this awful place because we couldn’t receive a refund, nor did we have enough money to pay to stay somewhere else. We were stuck because I trusted that Mayo Clinic social worker.
Another thing that bothered me about this awful place was that there were quite a few shady-looking people actually living at the Baymeadows Inn amp; Suites that would walk around the grounds, staring at me and my family while drinking alcohol. I never let my 2 boys out of my sight for even a moment!
The only positive things that I can say about Baymeadows Inn amp; Suites was that they provided a full breakfast each morning in the lobby, a laundry area and the high speed internet service was nice and convenient. Aside from those three positive aspects, the “suites” are deplorable and the Mayo Clinic social worker ought to be ashamed of herself for referring patients to this scummy place! An incentive trip is a reward to motivate can be offered through the companies for engagement of the persons. All the positive aspects of hiring the services should be in the notice of the person.
