Seaside Inn

I had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with my dog at seaside inn. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The trip was last minute and it was cheaper to book the room through the hotel’s website then with any of the other travel websites. The place is in perfect location; it’s 15 minutes from Bethany Beach and Ocean City MD. There is a dog beach down the road– we walked there to save a $ 10 parking fee. It was about a 13 minute walk– which the dog loved.
It could use some updated furniture but the location, price, and pet friendly environment makes up for the small bathroom and décor.

My SO and I enjoyed a wonderful week in Fenwick staying at the Seaside Inn, room 221. I gave the maximum number of stars because this place delivers exactly what we expected: quiet, clean rooms and a pleasant and energetic staff, literally minutes from the beach. As others have mentioned, the current owners took over a couple of years ago, so I’d recommend potential customers focus on reviews from 2014 and later.
When venturing to the coast, one must decide amongst several possibilities. Ocean City is not to our liking; she is in her early 50s and I am in my early 60s, and to us OC is just too junky and crowded. Rehoboth was a possibility although the traffic and commercial development were a bit of a turn off, and we wanted to be close to where the Big League Girls Softball World Series was located (Heidi played in the first series back in the day and wanted to make a return visit). Same with Dewy and Bethany which I think are the most comparable to Fenwick. I chose the Sea Side Inn based on reviews in Unilocal and in TripAdvisor.
Our room was recently updated, and while there are a couple of things that would make it better, we found it completely acceptable and comfortable. The floors have been recently redone with Pergo (or similar) which was professionally installed. Paint is fresh (as it is in many areas of the motel). The bathroom was a bit small, and the commode is just too close to the wall and door, requiring you to reach back over your right shoulder to get the tp. Not a big deal, just a quirk that we take in stride as a part of travelling! Water was hot and plentiful for showers. The wash basin was located outside the bathroom, which really didn’t bug us, although a towel rack nearby would be a good idea. The curtain in the room will be replaced soon, as it has seen better days, but it did the job nicely. We did recommend to the owners that a sheer curtain layer be added, so that you could get light without compromising privacy. They seemed open to that idea. The housekeepers did a great job cleaning the room, and sweeping up the sand that we seemed to drag back from the beach no matter how careful we were to rinse before coming in! The mattresses were a bit soft for our tastes, but then that is the case at most places we stay. No big deal. While the bed linens are not luxurious, we found them perfectly acceptable.
One reviewer commented that the pool did not get sunlight due to its interior location, but we did not find that to be the case in early August. Morning sun bathes one side of the pool, and the afternoon sun hits the other side up until about 4 or 5:00 PM. To me, having a shaded side is a huge plus. The pool deck admittedly does need some minor cosmetic upgrades, but we enjoyed the pool as did many of the other guests and their children. We also spent a couple of hours most days at the ocean — which by the way is an easy 5 minute walk, not requiring you to cross the 4 lane street in front of the motel.
The place is quiet, very quiet. We think this is due to a combination of factors. One, the place is a concrete building, solid, so sound does not carry from room to room (which I have found to be an issue at places much more expensive than the Seaside Inn.) Second, the sliding doors that lead to the small patios are well made and block traffic noise (our room faced the main drag). And finally, and I cannot readily explain this, the children and teenagers that are with their parents seem better behaved than we have seen elsewhere. Maybe we just got lucky. Maybe Fenwick and this establishment attract families that are raising their children with respect for others.
The motel is located close to several restaurants — Nantucket’s is probably the best in town for dinner, and we ate breakfast most days at Warren’s Station, which is directly across the street. There is a liquor store across the street along with a variety of places selling beach gear and souvenirs. Many other attractions are within easy driving distance (we spent a day in Lewes, and made a stop at the Dogfish Head brewery.)
What they don’t have (none of these are viewed by us a negatives — just FYI):
There is no elevator, which they do not advertise. Rooms on the first floor can accommodate those with mobility issues.
No hair dryer in the room — but all you need to do is check one out for the duration of your stay at the front desk.
No coffee maker in the room, but the coffee in the lobby is excellent and kept fresh — I was very happily surprised. It’s not the junk that you typically find in a waiting room. And I am picky about my coffee!
In summary, we agree with other reviewers who find the Sea Side Inn to be the best value in Fenwick. We plan on returning.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Seaside inn. The people at the front desk are so kind and accommodating. We stayed on the ground floor because we brought our dog. I was pleasantly surprised by my room. We got another room for one of our friends later on and his room was very nice (non pet friendly room). The pool is small, shallow, and cold but I didn’t come here to swim in the pool so it doesn’t bother me. My only complaint is that my bathroom door doesn’t lock but it’s hardly a problem. The location is great and only a short walk to the beach. I would come back for sure!

This is a nice inexpensive locally owned and operated seaside hotel. Nothing fancy but very good quality. Rooms are well maintained, clean and appear to have been recently remodelled. Air conditioning works great and lots of hot water. Wifi is weak, free ice maker rarely worked, no coffee makers in rooms and sheet were scratchy. But I can live with all of that to be one block from the beach. Peak season, we paid $ 199 for three nights! No place cheaper on the shore. Staff is very nice and accomodating. Never used the pool but it looked clean and refreshing if not a little small. Noticed a few dogs staying there — nice that they allow that. Very very quiet — concert walls means no sound from other guests. We will be back again and recommend to others.

Room is what you expect for an older concrete hotel. You can tell that there is effort in keeping the place up. Room was clean, staff helpful.

I stayed at this hotel and the place was home away from home. The rooms were large and comfortable and clean. The hotel is close to the beach. The staff is very accommodating and I would definitely go there again. It’s my understanding that these are new owners. It could only get better as time progresses. I liked the free coffee in the lobby and free WiFi.

My friends were getting married on Fenwick Island beach and on the invitation, Seaside Inn was one of the accommodation suggestions. I called 3 months in advance and reserved a room that was pet friendly since I was bringing my small dog (under 15lbs). The manager/​owner that I spoke with was extremely nice and accommodating. I let him know the wedding was at noon and would need to check in early, he let me know it was no problem and to just get to the motel when I could.
The day of arrival, the room was not ready. I let the front desk know and they asked that I wait an hour or so while they set up the room. They cleaned a room right away and we were able to get into it in less than an hour.
The room was on the first level and decent. It was just cleaned but had a very strange smell combination — old floral lady perfume and chemicals. The room was updated but not the absolute cleanest. The bathroom sink and tub was stained. The toilet was outdated and the floors were grimy even though they were just mopped. One of the fleece bed covers were also stained. It had a large balcony with a view of the parking lot. So no privacy at all. I couldn’t even open the curtains without people parked or standing in front of our unit and seeing EVERYTHING in the room. We just kept the curtains closed the entire time which was a bummer because we really wanted to enjoy the beautiful natural daylight we had coming in.
After laying on the bed for a couple hours, I began to feel itchy. And was unable to sleep throughout the night. The other guests next door had a dog that barked ALL night. It sounded like the pet owners weren’t even in their room all night. The bed made us feel dirty and itchy. The laundry room was across our unit and on ALL DAY.
The location is right near the beach and a easy walk. It’s on the quiet side of Coastal Highway but has restaurants and things nearby that are walking distance. Including a cute little pet shop with pet supplies. The parking is easy.
The best thing about this place was the location in regards to the beach and the front desk service. You can tell this is a family business and they take pride in their work. But for the quality of the rooms and the price, it wasn’t worth it. I don’t see us coming back here in the future. There are a lot more pet friendly hotels in the area that are much cleaner and nicer.

Small pool. Small room and the bathroom sink is actually in the main room, which I did not like at all. There was little room to put things on the counter. But, This older hotel was well kept, and staff was friendly. The bed was comfy. Balcony view had no real view, just the neighbor property and two old pine trees. Weak coffee that smelled burned late in the day. Dog friendly for those who need it, and we weren’t bothered by them. Easy trek to the beach which was nice.

Absolutely great location! Staff are over the top accommodating! I really enjoyed our stay here and will be staying here again and again! Plus the pooch can stay here and he LOVES it

Stopped here last night on my way home to Miami from NYC. I was searching for pet friendly hotels and decided to take a chance and stay here. Im glad I did! Its so close to the beach, less than five minutes. They were really friendly and helpful and the room had everything we needed a king size bed, a hot bath, and clean towels. I would definitely stay here again.

I’ve read so many negative reviews and all I have to say is — you get what you pay for. This was the cheapest place we could find in this area and the location of the hotel is perfect. A close walk to the beach.
They gave us a room on the first floor first but we asked for a different room because we didn’t want people looking into our room from street level. The third floor room we got was wayyyyyyy better. The first had crappy carpet and smelled like cigarettes.
The room we ended up in was average to good for the cost. Newer carpet, nice balcony. The staff was friendly (even when I locked us out) and the room were sufficiently cleaned every day.
If you want a five star hotel at the beach, be prepared to pay. Seaside Inn is a great value and I would definitely stay again.

I picked this place because of the good reviews… they definitely led me astray. I booked through Expedia and they couldn’t find my reservation. Fine, no big deal. They did have vacancies so they just gave «upgraded» us to a king room with a couch. We walk in and the room is still dirty, the maid hadn’t come through yet. Go back to the office, let them know, they check the next room which was a double queen (no more kings) and I’m still fine, totally understandable we caught them offguard. The room reeked of mildew and staleness. We immediately opened the sliding door and turned on the AC (it was hot). The room continued to smell and when we stepped on the carpet with our bare feet, it felt damp and dirty. I kept my flip flops on the entire trip (extremely uncomfortable). We started to settle in, immediately took the comforters off the beds (didn’t trust them). Then I noticed a dirty q-​tip and an earring on the floor next to my bed. The sheets weren’t even tucked into the bed properly, half of it was hanging off one side. Everything just felt old and dingy. We realized that the smell was seemed to be getting worse, so we realized that the AC unit (the cover was off and broken, sitting on top of the unit) was the source of the bad smell, the filter hadn’t been changed in G-​d knows how long, it was filthy and emitting a horrible dirty feet smell. So, we kept our sliding door open the entire time to try to air out the room, it still smelled unfresh no matter what we did. We fell asleep and from 1 – 2 a.m. someone kept slamming the very loud doors over and over again. Fantastic. That sparked my writing this bad review in my head while I laid there. The 2^nd day we stayed, we woke up to incessant banging from the room next to us getting renovated. In the shower, an old used bar of soap was left in the tub. Gross. When we walked outside, there was old carpet and insulation pulled up blocking the hallway to our escape. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to put guests in a room next to construction (especially when the hotel was pretty empty). While we were gone, the maid came through the room, but did not change the sheets (still half off the bed) but tucked the comforter back on the bed. In the bathroom, she forgot to take the dirty towels under the sink and didn’t give us fresh ones (the old ones mysteriously stayed wet the entire time because of how damp the room felt). The place is old, yes, that’s fine, the service is good because they’re so nice, but there is no excuse for how dirty and half-​assed everything seemed to be. Get the carpets steam cleaned, get new maids, air out the rooms and change the damn AC filters… Unfortunately, it rained the entire weekend and we spent way more time in the room than we wanted to. Upside is the beach is very, very close. And there is a tiny pool which we didn’t go in. Honestly, I didn’t trust it. Oh and I paid $ 200/​night for that weekend. That’s not cheap. I have never stayed in a place where I’ve felt so uncomfortable and I’ve stayed in many beach hotel/​motels. Total waste of money. I feel bad because they’re really nice, but I felt skeeved out and uncomfortable the entire stay.

Decent accommodation, super close to a really great, quiet beach. Also close to a few pretty good restaurants. Our room was nicely cleaned each day, albeit late in the day, which was fine by us. Easy to get extra towels, etc. The fridge and microwave came in handy, to cut down on having to find a restaurant for every meal. Word of warning for those with back issues, the bed and pillow are a pretty uncomfortable pair. Back pain both nights we stayed.
Overall, we got what we wanted, a budget friendly place to sleep, so we could relax and enjoy the beach all day.

Very friendly staff (owner maybe??) at the counter. Because he was so perky and polite on the phone when we called to check prices, we decided to stay on a Friday night.
The rate was good, considering the holiday weekend.
The room itself was what we expected– clean, good sized with a tv, microwave and mini fridge. It’s no Marriot but it was well kept and comfortable.
The location was also convenient to everything you could want between Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach and Ocean City.

It’s a well-​run family-​oriented place a block from the beach. Rooms are very basic but reasonably priced. Friendly staff, good location in a quiet area.

Well, the Seaside Inn isn’t actually 4 star accommodations, but it’s 4 stars for what it is and for what you get.
It’s only $ 69 a night when you stay during the week. The location is great… only a block from a nice beach and only a few minutes by car to Ocean City.
It’s VERY simple and even somewhat outdated, but it was clean and it had a mini-​fridge and microwave which was really nice. There are also balconies for every room with some chairs and it’s also great for drying out bathing suits and towels.
There was also a pool, but we didn’t use it because it was swarming with loud little rascals the whole time. :-)