What a great surprise. My wife and I wanted to add a night at the beach after a recent trip to Orlando. I looked up and down the east coast from Cocoa Beach to North Myrtle and could not find a hotel with great reviews that we could afford. Then I hit on this hotel and it seemed like the perfect fit for us. In our budget, right on the beach and fantastic reviews. Was it too good to be true? We rolled the dice and won.
First, the caveats. However these in NO way detract from staying here. Just know before you book. #1 - Your deadline for cancelling is several days before check in. We arrived on a Friday and the Tuesday afternoon previous was our cancellation deadline. Not a big deal, but just be aware. #2 - This is a "cashless" facility so you will need a credit and/or debit card. #3 - Upon check-in you will be charged a $100 fee for incidentals which will be credited back to your account in one week. Again no biggie but just be ready for it. $100 might be a big deal for some. #4 - Check in time is 4pm and check out is 10am... however I have to give a huge thumbs up to the front desk staff for getting us checked in much earlier. We arrived about 1pm and asked really nicely if they could get us in early since we were there for only one night. They ended up getting us in at 2pm so we could grab a walk on the beach before dinner. That was HUGE for us. Which brings me to the long list of positives about this location.
It is a smaller facility, run by a small, seemingly tight-knit group of folks who are very personable and eager to see to the guests' needs. At some larger hotel chains, you can sort of feel like a cog in the machine and like the staff just wants to charge your card then forget you are there until you check out. At the Daytona Seabreeze, you can tell that the employees really care about the guests and want to make sure everyone has a great experience there. So you're getting the combination of a nice, higher-class establishment that feels like a luxury resort, with the benefit of a "down-home" staff that feels like a family. It's almost like staying at your rich uncle's house right on the beach. :)
The decor is tasteful but a little bit funky with humor infused throughout. I believe every room here (approx 120-150 in all) is oceanfront with balconies. While on our balcony we were looking at the other pool areas up and down the beach and this Seabreeze location has a pool area that is equal to or better than all the others we could see. There is a fire pit, a nice pool, a jacuzzi, many nice chaise lounges and a nice wooden stairway down to the beach.
We had never been to Daytona Beach Shores before and were really surprised how nice the beach was. The community here is sort of like classic "Old Florida." This town's heyday was probably sometime in the 70's, but it's still pretty nice. Up and down Atlantic Avenue you can tell there is still some leftover damage from recent hurricanes. Also some sections are nicer than others, but there are two big grocery stores ( A Winn-Dixie and a Publix) and many different restaurants and businesses. We saw two different Starbucks within five minutes of our hotel. Despite this neighborhood varying in quality from block to block. the whole beach here is pretty much amazing. Wide, white sand beaches that were FAR from crowded and very relaxed. The crowd when we visited was mostly the 50s-70s age range and not a lot of kids running around. We enjoyed that. All the other guests were so nice. We usually don't make a lot of small talk in elevators, etc... but had nice, funny exchanges with the other guests here several times.
Lastly the rooms here are very nice and well maintained. We had a suite with a queen bed, living room area and kitchen plus a bathroom. It was clean and very comfortable. Great little balcony with chairs and table. This hotel is a great choice for anyone looking to stay at Daytona Beach Shores and not spend a fortune, but still have a good, clean place to...
Read moreNice renovated rooms, but significant downfalls. Let me start out by saying that staff and the rooms and public areas were nice and equipped with what you need. However, if you have a 1 bedroom, it is not much larger than a hotel room. You will never be comfortable with 3 or 4 adults in the room, kitchen, etc. Also, the resort wasn't booked (we went in early Fall), but they found it necessary to put us in room 202, which was right near the stairs and trash shoot, which meant that we had noise almost constantly. Especially when others deposited glass bottles in the shoot all day long, including in the middle of the night. The entrance doors are paper thin and everything can be heard through them. We also had a difficult time keeping the unit cool. It was so hot in the pullout sofa bed/living room, that we couldn't sleep. Even turning the thermostat down. There is only one heating/cooling unit and it is in the bedroom, which is the farthest room back. If you close the "blinds" (there is no door, just blinds that open and shut between the two sleeping areas) then no other part of the unit is cooled. This is a bad layout. There is a fan in the wall between the rooms, that I assume is to help disperse the cooled or air, but in room 202, it didn't work. The ceiling fans were a help, but not a solution. I was upset that they offered a nice coffee machine that made flavored lattes, cappuccino, etc. but they shut it done at 11 a.m. each day. Very disappointing. If you have more than two persons in a 1 bedroom, there is really nowhere to sit if your guests go to bed on the sleeper sofa. The bedroom has no chair and it was dark on the balcony by 6:30 p.m.. Therefore, if you want to watch TV or read, you have to lay in bed. My other complaint is how long that it is taking to get the pool area completed. I booked a year ago and was told that it would be done in the Summer 2023. It is Fall and nothing is even started! There isn't much to do at this resort, so the pool is a big deal. Also, big downfall is that they have a nice new seawall and beautiful view of the Atlantic, but nowhere to enter the beach. You have to go two resorts north and enter and then walk two buildings back in order to be in the front of the resort. It would also be nice if they had beach chairs and umbrellas to use or rent. I may return if we can get a bigger unit and be assured that I won't be housed in such an undesirable location; and only after the pool is finally open. They have done a good job with the renovations of the rooms. I hope that the resort owners listen to these reviews and make necessary changes. Thos place...
Read moreDisclaimer: Past employee of this location.
Guaranteed 4pm check in has been temporarily suspended. Due to staff shortage and extensive covid cleaning and sanitizing protocols, while we strive to have the rooms ready by 4pm, please be aware that check in is no longer at 4pm. Very clean, large rooms. Oceanfront property with a fire pit, gym, and sun decks. No daily housekeeping but linen exchange is provided Mondays and Thursday until 11 a.m. Simply dial the front desk, inform them what dirty linen will be exchanged, leave dirty linen in laundry basket outside room door and an employee will remove the soiled linen and leave the requested clean linen. Signs posted about social distancing and mask wearing; employees wear masks and gloves whenever seen. Kitchens are fully stocked from plates to silverware to appliances, can even request a Keurig or rice cookers at no charge. Dishwasher in unit with dishwasher detergent provided. Also has washers and dryers free of charge on several floors and laundry detergent is also provided. Room types available are: -a spacious two bedroom three bathroom unit with a pull out couch. Full kitchen. Dining table to seat six. -large two bedroom, two bathroom unit with a pullout couch. Full kitchen. Dining table to seat six. -one bedroom studio with one bathroom, pull out couch and full kitchen. Dining table to seat four. -two bedroom one bathroom handicapped accessible room. Pull out couch in unit. Full kitchen, dining table seats four/six. -Presidential unit is an extravagant four bedrooms, three bathroom. Master bath has separate walk in shower and a jacuzzi tub. Two bathrobes are provided along with a fireplace and wine cooler. The only room with an indoor entrance and access to the pool directly from room. Has a fully stocked full sized kitchen with Keurig coffee maker built into the fridge door. Dining table for eight. Also has a game room equipped with mini fridge, wine cooler, sink, pool table, blu-ray DVD player and large flat screen TV.
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