Waves Oceanfront Resort — Hotel in Old Orchard Beach

Overall had a pretty good experience at the waves. Definitely more positive than negative, and while the resort definitely is showing some signs of aging, Overall for a family of four including a 4 year old and 1 year old it hit the majority of our checklist.

Length of stay: 3 days, 2 nights. Mid July

Price was around $300 a night for a mid tier building as the resort is more of a compound with some buildings being more expensive than others.

Positives: Location was definitely a positive. We were about a ten minute walk to the pier and amusement park, and within easy walking distance of multiple bars and restaurants. There was an on site market for most beach and hotel room needs such as beer, snacks, etc… which was super convenient. An on site small coffee/breakfast/ice cream shoppe was once again convenient. While they could use some reorganization in the shop itself, it was nice to get a decent cold brew ($6.00) as early as 7am. Definitely not a place to grab a macchiato or anything fancy, but an iced or hot coffee and grab and go breakfast sandwich was nice. Proximity to the beach was awesome, probably 400 feet from our room, and there were some rooms (not ours) with a great ocean view. The beach was clean, easily accessible, and a nice aspect for the kids. The pool complex was great. Staying at the waves grants you access to the Seaview and Ocean house pools as well. The waves pool was GREAT for families and was quite busy. It had multiple levels ranging from maybe 6 inches deep which our 1 year old Loved, to as deep as 5 feet which our four year old loved splashing around in. There was a hot tub as well which was a good size as well. There was a staff member on site of the pool the majority of the time, however no lifeguards were present. There was also an adults only time at the waves resort after 8pm which did not seem to be strictly enforced. The seaview and ocean house pools had no cutoff times for kids vs. adults to my knowledge. We were able to check in early which was a us having arrived at 12:30 despite a normal 3pm check in time. Parking was ample, and convenient throughout the resort. Staff overall were friendly and responsive. Rooms for example did not come with microwaves- When we requested one to heat up milk for a bottle, one was brought to our room in literally 5 minutes, a great response time. Negatives: WiFi around the resort was spotty at best, and in most cases I was on my own network and used hotspot access for any additional devices. Air conditioning in the room was handled by a portable unit which was essentially hardwired in and was overall fine, but I don’t think the room ever got below 70 degrees despite the unit constantly being on and always felt like it was catching up to get the room cooler The room size was a negative for us, but we also had a pack and play for sleeping which took up some space. There was an oversized chair and desk in the room which took up unnecessary space, and with 4 total people it was definitely tight. In a room with only two adults, or a king instead of the 2 queens we had, there would obviously be more space to move around in. We did had a porch/patio which was nice for breakfast and late night, but during the day was extremely hot in the sun. Checkout time was 10am instead of the normal 11 we were used to with no option for a late checkout which was a bit annoying.

Overall we would absolutely stay here again, and as our kids get older the resort will be even more fitting for our family. There were definitely some downsides, but we felt there were far more positives and value for...

Update on September 2021. Stayed here again and its about the same. Very clean, staff is very very nice. Before going they did send out a 40% off letter which was AMAZING! I loved that. Cleaning staff was very nice. I had the same exact room as I did in 2018. Our first night we were next to people who were loud up until 3am which was irritating, they checked out the next day. The family the next two nights were very respectful. The bed for some reason felt the same, hard. Not very comfortable to my liking, but had a lot of pillows so tried to sleep on some of those. Would of rather a softer bed. All in all, still nice and would absolutely stay again in the future for a 3rd time! Great job Waves!

Posted 2018: Our stay was great! We checked in on June 15, 2018 and checked out on June 18th, 2018. The staff was nice and friendly. The main lobby was very nice & clean. We were hoping to have a possibly early check in but they're very prompt with the 3pm check in, which was fine because there's plenty to do! They did give us our parking pass at noon so we had somewhere to park.

The hotel rooms are very close to the beach, it is about a 40 second walk from the pool. The pool and hot tub were nice and relaxing. However the hot tub could of used maybe a cleaning, but nothing too bad.

The room was Very nice & clean, i didnt think it was really outdated. Nice big TV, bathroom maybe a little outdated but it was clean and great shower pressure. Plus it had a heating light which was neat. AC worked Fantastic, the beds were a little hard but it was expected for memory foam. Would of rather a pillow top. It also had a massage chair which was awesome! It had a plug & USB port next to the bed but our USB port unfortunally didn't work so we just plugged our charger blocks into the regular plugs instead

Our balcony was nice, but covered in yellow pollen. It also was not facing the ocean, but that was perfectly fine for us, we still very much enjoyed it- however this side was louder on the street view (for people looking for more quiet) but it didnt bother us.

Our biggest con was probably the thin walls. We were next to a family with young children & screaming parents until very late to early morning. Although we dont blame the hotel for there loudness. The sound of AC & Tv drown them out quite a bit. But maybe having a 1 or 2 building just for people without kids would be a nice idea, we didnt mind it but being woken up at 5am with screaming parents & kids wasnt so fun. Also a nice idea we've seen with our other hotels would be a % off coupon with your next stay, but just an idea!

Regardless, it was a nice hotel, with friendly staff, clean rooms, nice amenities, close to the ocean, a short walk to the Pier and other stores. With an ice cream and convient store right near by, and we got a very good price. Plus there was $10 all day parking right across the street if you had more cars or friends, and also rental items for your stay & beach across the street for cheap!!! The site we went on you had to pay 1 night stay and the rest upon arrival. I had to wait until i got paid and one staff member (I believe his name might of been Josh?) Was Very helpful and very very willing to let me wait until my pay day to keep my reservation.

All in all, will DEFINITELY stay at waves oceanfront again!!!! Thank you for the great...

Consistency is of utmost importance to me, whether it's about my activities or the places I stay. Initially, I had high hopes for this particular location when I made the booking, primarily because of its close proximity to the beach and boardwalk. Despite being considerably pricier compared to other options, I assumed that choosing a room with two beds separated by a bathroom meant it would be a standard-sized room. However, upon arrival, I was taken aback by its small dimensions. The ceiling was vaulted, revealing all the plumbing, which resulted in a considerable amount of noise whenever other guests used the facilities. Moreover, the water pressure was far from consistent, fluctuating between scalding hot and freezing cold in a matter of seconds, without any interaction from our end. To add to the inconsistencies, they had two televisions of different sizes in the room, with only one offering a complete channel selection. The other TV was limited to basic local networks. Considering the exorbitant price of nearly $400 per month, this discrepancy was a significant letdown, particularly since we found ourselves mostly confined to the bedroom due to inclement weather over the weekend. Not having full access to both televisions was inconvenient at best. On a positive note, stepping out onto the balcony was enjoyable; however, the sliding screen door frequently came off its tracks, preventing us from opening it for fresh air. We had to keep it closed to ensure it stayed in place, much like the bathroom door in the shower, which had a tendency to slide open or completely fall off if not propped halfway. Again, it all boils down to the lack of consistency. When you're charging guests nearly $400 a month, the room should be immaculate. Essentially, you're paying a premium for the beach's proximity, as that's the only perk they offer. If your priority is a comfortable stay rather than just being close to the beach, it might be worth considering an alternative location. On the bright side, walking to the downtown pier wasn't too bad, taking approximately 10 minutes. However, some of the other hotel guests were not as considerate as one would expect. We experienced an unpleasant awakening one night around 2 AM when the entire group staying below us started screaming and yelling outside, presumably engaged in a late-night party. Given the number of families that frequent the hotel, one would hope that they would make an effort to minimize such...