Addy Sea Historic Oceanfront Inn — Hotel in Bethany Beach

If you want the quick blurb: Possibly the best place I've ever stayed! Newlyweds on our honeymoon, and my wife & I were overjoyed!

If you want more details: We've separately stayed many, many places across the country and several other countries, and, my wife and I agree, Addy Sea might very well be the best lodging we've ever experienced. I'm writing this a couple weeks after our stay, and in that time, we've both enthusiastically recommended Addy to dozens of family members, friends, and colleagues.

The staff is stellar. Always available, always smiling and happy, always positive, always accommodating. The food staff was bright, cheerful, and attentive, which is appreciated in the morning, lol. A staff example that stood out to me... While we were on the beach, I had to go back up to our room for something and a cleaning staff member was in the hallway outside our room. She asked how our stay was and if we needed anything (smiling and positive demeanor the whole time). I said everything was great but my wife mentioned how we might want to get some hand sanitizer when we're out later at the boardwalk shops. The staff member reached into her supply closet and gave us a whole bottle of hand sanitizer! Yeah, it's just a bottle of hand sanitizer, and while it's a little thing, those little things help make the difference, ya know?

Speaking of little things, their attention to detail was unparalleled. Their glass dispenser on the porch filled with iced water and cut fruit was a great touch we and other lodgers repeatedly took advantage of. Again, just an example to illustrate... My wife is lactose-intolerant, and before they even cooked our breakfasts, they asked her which substitute options she would most enjoy eating, while also asking about her lunch sandwiches and having special snacks set aside just for her during tea time. All the food & drinks were delicious, by the way, and the quantity was just right--not too little where we were still hungry, not too much to get over-stuffed. The aesthetics from the tableware to the stair bannisters were tasteful, sophisticated, and hearken back to a previous era.

Another point well worth mentioning is the convenience. You're pretty much on the beach. No clambering in flip flops for blocks to get there. And the parking lot you get your pass for (it's good everywhere in town except on Garfield) is right along the property. Addy is far enough away from the "downtown" area to be quiet, but still only a 5-minute walk. And the establishment provides the umbrella, chairs, and towels, so you don't have to bring all that with you to Bethany Beach.

The room was great! We stayed in #8. Lots of skylights, heated bathroom floor, comfy and immaculately clean, and a beautiful antique-looking chest of drawers. No tv two thumbs up! Light and airy, we were very happy in it during our 2 nights, and my wife wants to choose that room again when we return (oh, we will return!). With their no-kids, no-pets (thank goodness since I'm allergic to cats and dogs) policy, Addy Sea was also quiet.

Pricing can't be beat! Even for our honeymoon, we watch our spending. We looked at other lodgings from Rehoboth to Ocean City, and Abby's price point alone was competitive. When you factor in breakfast, bagged lunch, tea time, water, town parking pass, bicycles, private beach (with lifeguards and beach patrol--shout-out to the phenomenal Joe!!), and included beach umbrella, chairs, and towels--and then the quality of service, rooms, and food--Abby is far & away the best bang for the buck. We're elated to have found this gem affordable for a young couple! And knowing we can afford to return time and again, that's extra special.

They also have a nice little souvenir area from which we purchased some items.

Just a personal side-note: We found out that one of our colleagues (I and my wife are librarians) here in eastern Pennsylvania is family of the owners! Such a small world, lol!

I can't think of any reason to not stay at Addy Sea. Truly exceptional. Among the best...

TLDR: This place is even more awesome and comfortable than it looks. It has excellent staff who like working with people, great, food, cozy accommodations, a lot of history, beachfront placement/easy town accessibility and is a much better alternative to a hotel room for the same price. It is particularly suited to couples, hikers, cyclists and it serves both extroverts (me) and introverts (my partner) equally.

My partner and I took a week in mid-November to get some quiet rest and relaxation and Addy Sea was the perfect solution. Starting with the week prior-- I, in my zombified state-- confused our reservations for those of the following week. Cindy (the concierge on duty at the time) graciously tried to help us find accommodations and offered to include us at their daily afternoon tea event. While we declined the offer at the time, we really appreciated the consideration.

The following week, we checked in without any issue. John (one of the other concierges) was extremely informative and quickly helped us navigate parking, rooming, utilities and in-town events-- in addition to being a great conversationalist. When we arrived at ~3:00 PM, they already had the afternoon pastries for tea time prepared for us in the dining room with toothpick-mounted signage reserving a pair for us. They had a wonderful assortment of teas and porcelain to go with the pastries and we were able to happily munch on our treats while we chatted with the other guests in front of the parlor fireplace.

When we went to our room (Captain's Quarters), we found chocolates on our pillows, informational guides on the dressers and a pair of water bottles on our fridge. We were both caught by surprise-- and very impressed-- at the level of detail and work the staff put into creating a luxurious atmosphere for the guests, especially for a bed and breakfast. I also wanted to call out the Captain's Quarters for special recognition. While the other, larger rooms on the higher floors may have more space and better views, the Cap's Quarters is the only one with its own gas fireplace. If what you want is to read your book of choice in a cozy velvet armchair next to a warm fire (preferably with a nice port in hand) after a long Autumn day of exploring Bethany, the Captain's Quarters is the best room in the house (and arguably, the town).

The next morning, we woke up to a wonderful (locally sourced) breakfast. The staff (Camilla -- our wonderful, extremely helpful host who patiently answered my barrage of questions) and her coworkers prepared a hot meal (hot quiches and crepes during our visit) accompanied by more a more traditional continental setup. Camilla and Co were extremely conscientious about the dietary restrictions and verified our allergy notes before they cooked the meal. We were also offered the option of purchasing a lunch option (mostly sandwiches, salads, etc, but all very tasty-- especially the turkey and brie) which was both convenient and very reasonably priced. The dining roomwas a cozy setup, with lots of comfortable seating and an active fireplace in the corner. The tables were placed in pairs throughout the room. They were close enough together to strike a conversation with one's neighbor's but there were also enough of them to sit away from everyone else if needed.

The B&B remained busy throughout the week (I noticed 4-5 other couples) and we noticed that the staff were preparing a holiday event throughout our stay. We had a lot of fun tech/gaming/history conversations with Andrea (concierge) and learned a lot about the house's interesting history from Cindy and Andrew.

There were plenty of things to do around town, in terms of food and stores (we were pleasantly surprised to find a tabletop gaming venue in town that was open during the off-season). All of it was easily accessibly by foot, though Addy Sea provided loaner fixie bikes for those who were interested. There were lots of local trails nearbv (though plan carefully since some are closed for...

I stayed here last year. A good friend of mine booked a 1 night stay for me as a surprise birthday gift. It’s an old place and the doors and stairways are very low. I found it uncomfortable to walk around the building but I guess that gives the building its charm. But hey, what can I expect from a 120 year old building. it’s just how most buildings were built back then.

I only have one other complaint and honestly you may think I’m crazy, and that’s okay. I experienced some really really weird things during my visit. I wasn’t a huge believer in this stuff but now I am. There was definitely some major paranormal activity going on upstairs on the second and third floor. I was trying to sleep in my room on the 3rd floor and around 1:30 am I awoke to the sounds of people running in the hallway. It went on for several minutes. It sounded as is 2 children were running back and forth down the hallway. It was very loud and the Footsteps could easily be made out. After about 5 minutes I got up with my pocket knife with me just in case and opened the door. Nothing. It was as if whatever it was just disappeared completely. I Closed the door. Immediately I heard, and felt very quick heavy footsteps again just feet from my door. I quickly opened it again. Nothing. By this point my heart was pounding and I was really confused on what was going on. I closed my door and tried to fall back asleep. about 5 minutes later my doorknob to my room started turning like crazy. Someone or something was trying to get into my room. As the door knob was still turning I opened the door as fast as I could. Nothing. I decided to take a video with my phone. I already had my phone flashlight on and had it in my hand. Then right as I was pulling up the camera app, my phone just completely shut down. What are the odds of that. My phone was at full battery and this has never happened before. I went and got my iPad that I was watching a movie on earlier that night. Same exact thing happened. I then barricaded my door close with the chair in my room for peace of mind and put my AirPods in after my phone mysteriously tuned back on in hopes to fall asleep. Also throughout the night, it sounded like someone was on the roof walking around. I don’t know what that was about but I definitely heard something.

I kind of went off there. Obviously I had a very unique experience there, and from reading the other reviews it seems like I’m the only one who had this issue. I’m giving the Addy Sea in 4/5 stars because I don’t want to hurt the inn’s reputation. Besides these weird unexplained events, everything else was pretty great. Good service and great view as well. If I didn’t have all that weird stuff happen I would totally come back for another visit but after what happened I probably won’t be back.

Hopefully I don’t scare too many people away with this review but I really wanted to put this out there in case others had the same/ similar spooky experience that they were too hesitant to share. Maybe someone can relate to me on this...