Snug Harbor Marina & Resort — Hotel in Chincoteague

Snug Harbor is quiet and private. At night, there are few lights and you can really see the stars. just wow. Hear the lapping of the water. Over the channel comes the ocean breeze, full of the salty sea air. The moonlight gleams over the water, spilling over the weathered docks and piers. At night, the Assateague Lighthouse flashes rhythmically across the channel. Our room was clean and comfortable, quiet and dark at night, private, and oh so calm. Chincoteague offers "water access", "water views", "water front" but gee, Snug Harbor is RIGHT ON the water. Really - right THERE. Along with that, it is a tiny marina with skiffs bobbing waiting for you. There are kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. And then there's the comfortable pontoon boat for tours by Captain John, the smooth-voiced, calm, knowledgeable guide to Chincoteague waters, nature, and history. Sit on the floating docks to enjoy the bobbing of the water - the smaller birds flutter about joyfully chasing each other. Various birds skim across the water careening and soaring gracefully. If you are lucky you'll see a Skimmer flapping close to the water, skimming with its beak to find its food. Watch the black long-necked Cormorant bob and suddenly pop up- running across the water, flapping its wings and taking off. What a sight. The gulls fly above laughing at their private jokes [was it something I said?]. In the morning enjoy your own coffee, sitting on a deck chair or stool, watch the quite sunrise. Peaceful and serene. Heart-healing. Snug harbor offers about 15 "rooms", all different from what I saw. Some bathrooms are more modern than others, ours was quirky but fine. Some accommodations are efficiencies for two people, some have more than one bedroom, several beds and futons for larger groups. All have full kitchens with supplies for eating and cooking along with a coffee pot, toaster, microwave, full-sized stove and fridge. I've been visiting Chincoteague for over 35 years. I've tent-camped, RVed, stayed in the cheap hotels and motels, luxuriated in the fancier expensive new large hotels but Snug Harbor is a better Chincoteague experience. The closest to and ON the water hotel on the island that there is. Private. Quiet. Clean. Pet-friendly. Family-owned and run. In all the places I have stayed on the island, the kind-hearted, hard-working staff was the friendliest I have experienced. They happily chat and joke with you, [while attending to customer needs] and are right there for anything you need. John, the owner, is a descendant of the first settlers on Chincoteague - yea, all the way back to the 1700s. He took over Snug Harbor from his parents, being one of the oldest businesses on the island. He knows the life, the history, the nature, the struggles of the Chincoteague story. Polite and quiet in conversation, he warms up and might share more and more about the business and the intricacies of all that makes up Chincoteague. What a story he...

Overpriced out of date advertising for boat rentals. Cost was near 3X what was advertised after "credit card fees and taxes" Very limited in where you can go especially with water levels low. They don't let you go out of their sight to the bridge and Tom's cove. They do not offer half day discounts or hourly like the advertising brochure they have in their cabins claim. Mosquitoes a huge problem in their facilities. We had much better experience in other nearby accommodations. Read their smug replies and you will see the arrogance and greed. Everone always has the time of their lives and the ones that don't are "cheap skates" or "bad apples" The 60 yr running business can do no wrong. I'm certain the place was not run this way in the past as it would not have lasted. Not sure how long it will last with the way these owners are running it. IE responses to honest feedback are very telling: "Thank you for your nice feedback. It was such a pleasure to serve you and hope to see you again real soon. We are so confused at your feedback the staff asked everyone from your group if they had a nice time and everyone said they had the best time of their lives. They got to see the ponies and the kayak trip was the best thing they did on vacation. The only person that didn't have a good time was the cheap skate that tried to put his own kayak in at our ramp without paying, not very nice. Sometimes we have to teach our customers manners and how to act in public but sometimes our students don't appreciate the free lessons...

Just returned from our family vacation in Chincoteague. While we didn't stay in the cottages at Snug Harbor, we go there almost daily. We are fortunate to own a town home just down the street from Snug Harbor Cottages & Marina. My family loves to go visit the owners, John & Basia Shields as much as possible. We enjoy watching our daughters crab from the dock, while we enjoy a cold adult beverage. We love listening to the reggae music that seems to be on a loop of continual play, but we've never tired of it. The music mixed with the beautiful scenery and soft breezes while sitting there at the dock --- Well, we literally are sitting on the dock of the bay....watching the tide roll away~ A little piece of heaven on earth. Families come to rent small boats, kayaks or the new paddle boards. They go for fishing or sightseeing, and John, Basia or Josh (cool, handsome young man who was a guest & now - summer helper) are ready, willing and able to help with it all. I always recommend Snug Harbor visits FIRST when I learn of someone traveling to this island. If you want to unwind, slow down, refresh &/or renew -- this is one of the best spots to do that. The staff won't be slowing down -- that's for sure. Snug Harbor is a family owned & operated establishment and has been for --well - forever - I am 99.76% sure! They know the island, the water, and work hard day & night to ensure that guests enjoy their visit...