Coral Sands Motel — Hotel in Ocean City

The room I stayed at in the Coral Sands Motel was not impressive. In would not say it was in any way luxurious. The shower was a choice between blisteringly hot or bone chillingly cold water, never in between. Lighting for the bathroom also proved to be an issues, as the light switch is placed outside of the bathroom itself, which made for a fun way of pestering my roommates, right up until when you’re showing in boiling hot water and can’t find shower knobs.

The promised “dishes, pots, pans, utensils” for the kitchen were limited to a single pot (with many lids that didn’t fit it), no pans, and an assortment of mismatched utensils which seemed to all be taken from different sets of cutlery. Most of the cutlery, especially the knives, we’re seemingly thrown randomly in drawers without any regard for organization. There was no sponge provided, no detergent for the dish washer, no dish soap, and no towels to dry clean dishes (once all of the aforementioned materials were purchased). Housekeeping came once in my weeks stay and did no dishwashing, sweeping, vacuuming, and never took out the garbage in the bins.

The beds were squeaky and many of the cabinets hung open, slightly ajar from being improperly installed. The walls were paper thin and other guests could very easily peer inside our room from the balcony that wraps around it. Overall, the apartment room had a cheap feeling, as if it was put together with little care and enthusiasm. It was, in essence, not a very nice place to stay.

However, the amenities beyond the room proved to be quite appealing. Just a block from the center of the board walk and only a couple in the opposite direction to the main strip of Ocean City meant the room succeeded like no other could in terms of location. The ample sleeping area and large, open living space provided a well connected environment between myself and my roommates.

But the most unique and surprising aspect of the room was its atmosphere. The room served its purpose in this way better than I could have ever imagined. With some aid from the two core supplements in life, improvisation and money, the room began to show its brutal honesty. Rather than being a poorly finished room cosplaying as one wrapped in luxury, the apartment was seemingly proud of its baseness. It showed you what it was and pretended to be nothing else. The poorly appearance of the room ever so completely sympathized with the sickly, inebriated state I was in for most of the week. It was a room which you could trust, an old friend with which nothing was kept secret.

This room felt like a home, elevating itself above the ugly reality that it is just a poorly built and uncared for last choice for travelers in need for a place to stay. My roommates and I bonded in that room. We made memories, and looked back at our old ones too. We learned lessons which we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. But most importantly, we lived there, not just existing, but truly lived. The hours we spent in that room felt like a lifetime, and with each of our lives moving on separately in this coming fall, the experiences we shared at the Coral Sands Motel will be the bond which attracts our reunion in the future. I certainly know I will return to the apartment room of the Coral Sand Motel, and I am certain my roommates would...

This was our first time in Ocean City NJ (we usually go to Ocean City MD). We found Coral Sands online and given its proximity to the Boardwalk and beach, felt like it would work for the 3 nights we were there. Overall we had a decent time as we were able to enjoy being so close to everything and make memories with the kids. Some good places to eat include OC Surf Cafe, Hula Restaurant, Charlies Seaside Grille. The haunted mini golf was a-lot of fun and for $40 for about an hour for the entire family, well worth it. If you want to check out rides, go to Castaway Cove rather than the one further north - much more bang for your buck. My honest and candid review is below.||||Pros:||* We were able to check in early around noon which was great - Greta at the front desk is very nice and helpful||||You can receive two beach passes for a $50 refundable cash deposit - otherwise it is $5 per day for each adult (kids under 11 are free)||||Our room (201) was in the corner (furthest away from the stairs however) right above the main office - there is a-lot of natural light that comes in from having two sets of windows and there is a public seating area outside. Depending on how you see it this could be good or bad but it was rarely used and provided for almost a private balcony area to hang out at night||||The room itself was somewhat updated (painted, new vinyl flooring put down) and clean. The fridge worked great and kept things VERY cold. The AC worked great and kept the room very pleasant.||||Convenient to all - off the main road in (9th street). Easy walk to ACME Supermarket, TD Bank, Boardwalk, Restaurants etc. My girls (8 and 5) had a blast and we made many great memories.||||Cons:||Bathroom kind of small and not renovated. It looked like it was painted but you can still see the joint compound tape in places. The door is way too big for a bathroom - it is the size of an entry way door. Also one of the lamps did not work in the room.||||WiFi not good at all - which is odd because we were above the main office where I assume the main router is.||||The rooms are non-smoking but I could not believe the amount of smokers in general sitting outside on the patio areas or sitting areas. They were all very respectful and cognizant of people around them, so no issues there.||||There are issues with the house cleaning service. A sign on the back of the door said no house cleaning service. I asked Greta and she said it was old and to just use the door knob hanger. So we got there Friday - Saturday morning put it out and got back around 3:30PM and the room was not done. Told Greta and she had someone come in for us - swept, did garbage etc. On Sunday, we went out again, left the hanger out there, came back around 3:30 and again the room was not done. Given we were to leave the next day, did not want to make a stink, but this was the sole major issue of the trip. Not sure if the cleaning people didn't see it or something, but surely a frustration. ||||* Honestly a little pricey but we did book later...

Pros: within walking distance of the beach and boardwalk, helpful/friendly/accomodating staff, exceptionally clean room, very affordable ($150 for a one night stay in the beginning of May 2024) Cons: no peephole or secondary security lock on the door, room needed some repairs, sugar ants. More Details: we booked a last minute stay for 5 guests over the phone to arrive that very same evening (the room included 2 double beds and a pullout couch). We arrived about 30 minutes before 9 PM and the woman at the check in office was very helpful and made the whole checkin process a breeze (there were drinks available for purchase in this area as well) We were given the key (an actual metal key, which I love) and once we opened up our room it was immaculately clean and there was plenty of room to move around with two small children in tow (already off to a great start). After setting down our bags we noticed the laminate flooring in front of the a/c unit and mini fridge seemed to be pulling up as if perhaps there had been a leak at some point. No big deal for us, we were only there for a night anyway but perhaps if a family were staying in that room for several days that could become an issue. After putting our toothbrushes and toothpaste on the counter below the mirror, I noticed that the front door of the suite didn't have any manual locks on it at all or a peephole. As a mom with small children, I had a very difficult time sleeping that night because I was worried my toddler was going to wake up in the middle of the night and run out of the room. Truthfully this lack of security on room doors that open up to the outside was crazy to me. When I got up early in the morning and went into the bathing room, there were tiny sugar ants covering our toothbrushes and toothpaste. No idea where they came from because the room was truly immaculate, but there they were. No big deal, just wash it all off and move on. We checked out later that morning and it was a very easy process as well. Also we accidentally left a cellphone in the room after we checked out and the staff promptly called us to notify us of the phone so we came back quickly which was so kind of them to do. It should be noted that I didn't mention any of the 3 issues because it just didn't occur to me at the time, however looking back now the only thing that would stop me from staying again was the lack of secondary locks on the door and no peephole. Add a chain or something so little ones can't escape in the middle of the night at least. They're dog friendly and close to restaurants, so if you're looking for a place that's budget friendly I'd go with this place every time despite some of the flaws. They clearly care about their establishment and I'm sure any issues I had would be remedied after they read...