The Grey Gull — Hotel in Ocean Shores

How can there by any bad reviews? From what I see each room is decorated and furnished differently. Ours was AMAZING and super comfortable. It had a murphy flip-down bed as a spare bed for the kiddo and a king size bed for me. The mattress was very comfy and the kid had no complaints either. The water is SUPER hot and gets very hot very quickly so no waiting for that either. The carpet was clean and everything was immaculate. I heard that were some rooms that were out-of-date, whatever that means. Ours was just fine and very comfortable. I didn't get to enjoy the trail to the beach, but we did enjoy the heated pool (84 degrees) and the hot tub which is very pleasant. The staff put out lounge chairs, floats in the pool, and towels for those enjoying the pool side. Being on the first floor didn't give great ocean views, but we had the convenience of unloading the car without having to traverse through the lobby and into the elevator. It was completely furnished, pots, pans, etc. The towels were a bit small and if there was any complaint or anything even a little remotely not satisfactory is that there was one dish towel and one wash rag. At least two of each would be better because I had to use the same wash cloth for 3 days. A scrubber or a scouring pad/sponge would be great. Towels with a little more "umph" to them would be awesome too. Aside from that, everything was great and while it's not a fancy place or a resort environment, it is very comfortable. I've already got my reservation for next year. The room was fine. First floor had no views except the pool and that was okay by us because we spent the entire day at the beach anyway. Everything was furnished and everything very comfortable. If someone is looking for a 5-star fancy place, this isn't it, but if you want a comfortable room to crash in for the night, this...

NOTE: The location and the customer services provided here are great. This review is for room #110.

We planned to stay here for 3 days/2 nights but checked out after the first night. While the shabby-chic decorations were fine (it's an older beach-side resort, after all), there were some things that we just couldn't get past:

1. stains on the carpet in the living area (this is a pet-friendly room and while accidents certainly do happen, we expect a clean carpet)

2. broken window in the bedroom (pretty sure this is a significant safety issue)

3. bedroom door wouldn't open all the way as it was blocked by a dresser making it difficult/inconvenient to access the window-side of the bed (pretty sure this is also a safety issue)

4. uncomfortable mattress (way too firm) and sub-par bedding

5. window curtains in the bedroom were not properly fitted - had to use one my hair clips to fully close the curtains to keep the light out at night

6. super cheap TVs - while a beach vacation is not about watching TV, it's nice to have modern technology for when you actually do want to watch TV (like when it's winter and raining and the pool is closed for the season)

7. noise from the unit above - not sure what, if anything, can be done about this but noise travels freely from the upper unit to the lower unit, especially above the bedroom

People have different standards and expectations for what is acceptable and comfortable but, for us, this place missed the mark. It was unfortunate because, again, the staff and the location of this hotel is excellent. As each unit seems to be independently owned, there may be some nicer room options here (especially if you are not traveling with your four-legged family member) - but we won't be returning to find out and cannot...

Great location and terrific for our family of 4+dog! Very nicely appointed apartments and inexpensive.

During the winter, I knew the pool would be closed, but the hot tub and sauna remained open, the lobby was staffed (not 24hr) and the lobby library and coffee bar were surprisingly nice!

The kids really enjoyed being so close to the beach and all the activities in town during the winter.

We stayed at The Grey Gull in 2015 (B.C.) and had a 3rd floor room. I liked the5th view from the 200 level (211) that had a not so peek a boo (more like boom!) view of the water without the eaves obstructing the sky.

The staff was very friendly, which is surprising often during winter beach travel.

The apartment had pots, pans and dishes for 4. The kitchen is not huge but enough to work with and the appliances all worked well.

I'll definitely recommend The Grey Gull to family and friends as it was perfect for us!

FYI there was a baby gate and box fan in the closet. Pull-out seemingly queen sofa, and gas fireplace had a hot-tub style timer switch. 211 is at the top of the outer stairwell, near large garbage and recycling...