Avenue Inn & Spa — Hotel in Rehoboth Beach

I tend toward positive reviews. If I have an issue with a provider of a given service, I go directly to them and do my level best to work it out collaboratively and constructively. With the general caveat with my husband is the one who spoke to the front desk while I stayed in the room with the kids and he left frustrated and disappointed, it still feels fair to write a candid review of our experiences at The Avenue II while I’m roasting in my room at 1:30am and unable to sleep*

There are many good things to say about the Avenue In and Spa - the front desk staff are very nice and helpful. I had a massage at the spa and it was great. Cookies and milk nightly for the kids was a lovely touch. The pool was a great change of pace after crowded hot days at the beach.

The annex is really alright for the most part - yes it’s right next to the purple parrot, and it will be noisy, but it wasn’t a huge issue for us at all. That was communicated clearly and repeatedly from the outset by the hotel, which we appreciated. It helps that the rooms are very well insulated for noise. What we did hear from the purple parrot did carry on into the wee hours of the night, but it was just bass. If you’re a light sleeper, I would suggest earplugs or white noise. For our family it was not an issue and we are in room 506, which is on the street facing side directly next to the restaurant.

Parking was great and easy to manage. It’s walk up access to the second and third floors for the rooms - no elevator. Again, not an issue for us, but good to know. You’re a parking lot and a pretty skinny restaurant away from the main building. It’s not a real hike to speak of, but you are removed from the hotel itself. We still made full use of the pool and played scrabble in the main hotel lobby. Proximity to the beach is excellent. Nightlife is also great. It’s easy to pop out for a drink, snack, meal, or shopping and the people-watching from the balcony is very amusing if you can suffer through the oven-hot air being pumped out by the AC units.

Which brings us to this - you need to know that the AC is not reliable. My husband was uncomfortable in the room most of the time but tolerated it. The kids and I were mostly okay, though a few nights were definitely pretty warm in the room - until our last night (happening now lol) when the AC could just not keep up with the outdoor temperature, which I think was 93F. I say this as someone who worked outdoors for years and generally tolerates heat well - It was unbearably hot in the room every time we stopped by during the day and it didn’t cool off meaningfully until around 3am. We did contact the front desk and they sent maintenance over in the evening who provided us with a fan, but it was clear from our conversation that they couldn’t do much more than that. And we were not the only folks suffering - our neighbors were at one point splayed out in their underwear.

The other issue was water, which was totally workable for us but inconvenient. Around 5pm, when I assume everyone was trying to shower at the same time before dinner, it was seriously ice cold. Having grown up with a big family and a well, this wasn’t a huge hurdle for me, but I would try to time things accordingly. Mornings were always fine. And if we waited until later in the evening it seemed okay, too.

Ultimately, the AC is the biggest issue. If these rooms had more reliable AC, I would recommended them without issue. As they are, I don’t think I would even with a big asterisk. Being exhausted from being at the beach, and having grumpy kids made grumpier by the inconveniences of life is all made harder when you’re cooking in your hotel room. For the price of the rooms, minimally, the AC ought to work. If we came back, we would definitely stay in the main hotel. Photo of the hotel fan, who was the hero of the trip.

• I wrote this last night and decided to wait to edit and post until the morning. The room is now cooler but I got ~2 hours of sleep and am so tired I’m not fit for additional debate with...

First lets say we had a blast! This was by far our favorite trip to Rehoboth and we come annually! And we were also surprisingly disappointed and unimpressed with the hotel itself. Confused? I will explain.

Let’s begin with some good. We loved being on top of Blue Hen. I always wanted to come here but instead we had stayed at Oceanus and Breakers. I love being right in the center of town. I love the smell of the hotel, the absolutely gorgeous lobby, the balcony was private with adorable chairs that come together w room to hold a beverage or 2. Absolutely gorgeous overlooking Wilmington.

Now that thats said I also was severely unimpressed with the hotel for the cost. With The price of 750 ish for 3 nights I assumed we would be in the lap of luxury yet we were not. We were honestly side eyeing them because we were shocked that the hotel cost this much for what you got.

Before coming we had let staff know we would like an early check in because of a mediation prayer. They kept denying it which right off the bat, bad taste. I understand you are busy during peak season but the hotel was almost empty on a Tuesday morning it shouldnt be that staff was so scared to promise early check in. It ended up that we were able to check in early after all which honestly was probably the best and most appreciated part of the stay. To the GM- (our family owns a business so we know a bit about leading a crew)- sometimes we are so focused on policy policy policy that we forget that none of this makes us money unless people like us. I would say early check ins on slow empty weekday mornings in early May should be a guarantee.

All of the amenities sounded extravagant online , the 8 pm cookies and milk, the gourmet breakfast, the pool and hot tub. But this was all more nostalgic of a nursing home vibe. Instead of a breakfast worth staying in for, it was mostly cold eggs, old looking yogurts and cottage cheese and tons of eyes staring at us awkwardly. The cookies were familiar of when people line up on food lines, some are running to take as much as possible and some watching others.

The front desk varied a lot. Some people were kind and sweet and accommodating and some looked like you ruined their day by asking a question or asking for change for the vending machines. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble so I wont name names (and again some were lovely) but front desk needs a new training session on customer care. Instead of naming names for who wasn’t helpful I will say who was. The woman with glasses and a chipper voice was lovely and was what we were expecting when coming here. Unfortunately her colleagues did not all learn from her yet. When people pay this price they’re expecting luxury- The Avenue is either unable or unwilling to provide that.

Going back to some good- The Blue Hen employees were magnificent and were exactly what customer care is supposed to be. The prices of wine were way overpriced but the Froze was amazing and the happy hour very attentive near the fire. The hot tub being outside was incredible. Much better than an inside sweaty one. The pool was way too low at 5 ft for deep end but still fun.

Lastly all in all we went out every night to the best restaurants in town, had wine sent up to the room which we loved! And thank you for the 2 wine glasses this is why we decided on an overpriced bottle- we were so excited to drink our wine and get some souvenirs it was lovely. And the spa! I got a massage the second day and it was detoxifying! Of course you pay a pretty penny but all that is worth it. Id say my advice is with the offers of breakfast, cookies and staff itself remember you aren’t doing customers any favors. They’re doing you one. They pay big bucks and if you want to charge that thats great but we didnt make our money by paying for great and getting good. But you got to step it up and be worth the price...

This review was very long and there is a character limit. so it’s chopped off. I debated whether or not to post this review as I am doubtful it will change anything. but after thinking about it, I wish I would’ve known some of these things before I booked my stay. It appears many people love this place and are happy with what they get for the money. They claim on their website - “we have been rated as the best hotel in Rehoboth Beach by thousands of guests” and “ the rooms are designed for comfort, function, and above all a good nights sleep”

However, we had the worst nights sleep, the room was not functional. Perhaps this review will get you to lower your expectations. If you think you are going to an outstanding property at The Avenue you may disappointed.

Granted, this is not Naples FL nor is this Palm Springs CA, it’s a small town beach community, I had no high expectations, but what I did have was the expectation of a comfortable bed, ample toiletries, and a nice bathroom. We checked into a higher tiered room. got there on a Wednesday afternoon and were told we would receive a call when the room was ready. After a couple of hours, we went to touch base as my cell phone wasn’t getting service. The staff could’ve been a little nicer. I watched multiple guests checked in early and I didn’t deserve the curtness. I understand that hospitality is stressful but that’s the first impression a guest receives and it wasn’t good.

I believe that one of the keys to a good vacation is a good nights sleep which starts with a comfortable bed - however you may not get this at this property. The beds may have been comfortable when they were first purchased, but these Symbol mattresses are now sagging. (don’t trust me look up the reviews for these mattresses - they are amazing when they’re new and horrible when they are not.) Our bed was sagging in the middle, and angling downward on the sides.

There wasn’t a place to put your belongings. Just a small closet with about eight hangers, but no counters or shelves…you will end up using the only chair in the room for your items. And because that is the only chair- you are left with only the bed and outdoor adirondack bistro style chairs to sit on.

I did not bring shampoo /shower gel as I expected these would be provided. The room came with two small tubes, (one of shampoo and another of shower gel). Ok for two people for one night, but we were staying three nights. They did not replenish when they made up the room up each day. It was a similar thing with the toilet paper. (deleted section due to character limit)

To be fair, I will mention the two things I appreciated. I appreciated that they promptly address our slow draining sink and we appreciated having beach chairs available.

The one thing that was the most disappointing was when I first brought up how uncomfortable the beds were their first response wasn’t that they were sorry or that they wanted to know more. The first response was “well there’s no refunds.” we don’t mind spending the money, but it really is a shame that the hospitality is so lacking. I really wanted to like this hotel as I love Rehoboth. if only a few of these things happened, I would’ve written it off as someone was having a bad day, but we consistently had bad experiences...