Refuge Inn — Restaurant in Chincoteague

We stayed in the Pine suite for 7 nights. The room is nicely updated and comes with a microwave and decent sized fridge plus good amount of dishes and silverware. King bed in the bedroom was hard and not very comfortable to us. Twin bed in the little alcove was a very old mattress but didn’t seem to bother my 9 year old. Pull out coach was fine for my kids but an adult probably wouldn’t find it too comfy. Nice balcony overlooking the back yard. The sliding doors did not work well and probably need replacing or at least some maintenance- one of them kept getting stuck, and the other one we couldn’t get locked unless you push in really hard. The tub had jacuzzi jets but they barely worked. Also the tub didn’t drain well at all. The pool and hot tub were nice, kids absolutely loved it. It was clean and water was warm, nice atmosphere with the plants. Breakfast was okay, some days the eggs were good and others they were square yellow blocks with a strange consistency. Scones were good. Coffee was good but the coffee mate creamers ruined it.

Housekeeping didn’t do much in our room during the stay but I didn’t say anything as i could tell how hard they were working turning over rooms and I didn’t want to add to their load. They came by late afternoon each day and asked if we needed anything but our family was in the room at the time so they didn’t come in (no offer to come back later or anything). I think 2 days we were out when they came - they emptied the trash, took away dirty linens we had piled by the door, made the beds (sort of), maybe vacuumed a little, replaced some towels. It was by no means a cleaning but I chalked it up to the ladies being tired after turning over lots of rooms. One weird thing was they would take dirty linens but not replace them. So we would end up with no sheets or blankets even though they took the dirty stuff. When we asked for more they would bring them, but you can’t call the desk - it just rings endlessly - so we’d have to go there. With 3 kids - one who is disabled - it wasn’t always easy to do that. It wasn’t a huge deal and I would have still left a 4-5 star review, except on the drive home I received an email from the owner that we were charged a $150 excessive cleaning fee. I was taken aback. There was no description or itemized list of what caused them to charge me, but some photos of crumbs on the floor, a wet spot in the carpet (there’s a reason most hotels have done away with carpet when they renovate- seems harsh to fault us for spilling on a beige hotel carpet), a piece of watermelon on the floor, possibly a picture of the sliding door off its track (can’t tell from the photo but as I said, the doors did not work well and maybe I should have complained while we were there but I didn’t, so I guess I am now being blamed for that? Not sure). And lastly a photo of the platform where the twin mattress was, which had a lot of crumbs on it. My autistic son slept there and he is extremely messy, and sneaks food, but just vacuum the crumbs, why is this something we are being charged for? Given the fact that housekeeping barely cleaned our room in the 7 days we were there, and there were no cleaning supplies aside from a broom - which we used daily - I’m not sure what they expected from us. There was a vacuum too, but never in my life have I stayed in hotel where we were expected to vacuum. I did run it a couple times, and it was so heavy I could barely operate it, plus my son is autistic and the sound really bothers him. I immediately wrote back to explain the room wasn’t cleaned during the week so naturally it was dirty when we left, and also asked for an itemized list of what we were being charged for. No response yet, but with a small family owned business I am taken aback to receive such an email - at least call me or provide more of an explanation. It felt so out of left field. It is so hard traveling with a severely autistic child and this just makes me feel even more like we can’t bring him places. It bummed me out to get that email and soured the...

I discovered this wonderful place years ago when I brought my 8 year old, horse-loving daughter to visit the famous ponies of Assateague/Chincoteague. Many years passed (life kind of got in the way!) before I came back to the island but when I did I was delighted to find that The Refuge was still the wonderful place that I remembered. Of course, it has been beautifully maintained and up-to-date. The rooms are nicely appointed and full of amenities - mini refrigerator, coffee maker, big screen tv, hair dryer, etc. Daily breakfast is delivered to your door every morning (menu is provided and orders are placed on the door handle the night before). There is a centrally located microwave if needed! Morning coffee and tea is available with “to go” cups if guests want to take their beverages out to the beach or back to their rooms. I’ve never used the pool (I’m a beach girl!) here but it looks perfect! Balconies or patios have outdoor space to sit and enjoy! The landscaping and attention to the beautiful flowers that thrive in this area makes The Refuge’s outdoor areas a feast for the eyes! Another nice feature is the large corral area adjacent to the parking lot where several of the famous ponies can be found. This area is shaded by beautiful old pine trees and there is a picnic table where visitors can sit and enjoy food or beverages and watch the beautiful ponies. Most times there will be young colts present! There’s a coin operated “treat” dispenser there if you’d like to feed the ponies. Visitors are discouraged from feeding anything other than the dispenser treats to the ponies - their dietary needs don’t included much of what people think might be okay for them to eat! There is a walkway out to the bay-type area that separates Chincoteague from Assateague where some beautiful views can be seen. The Refuge is just seconds away from the connecting “bridge” over to Assateague National Seashore. There is a bike rental place and fast food within walking distance. All in all I think The Refuge is the perfect place to enjoy all that this area has to offer. I wouldn’t stay...

The Refuge Inn was a joy to stay at for our 3-night adventure to Chincoteague for the first time. We could see the wild ponies from our second story balcony and even had access to walk up an overlook perch to gaze across the marshlands. The bedroom we booked had 1 king size bed, two sitting chairs, and 1 small buffet style table with 2-eating chairs. The bathroom was also a nice size with a deep soaking tub. Cool arm rests built-in to the tub design as well. Great water pressure and the temperature got very hot which I liked. The balcony also had two lounge chairs which were comfortable.

We also got to choose breakfast items on a door hanger the night before and then the hotel staff delivered the items to our door with a knock around 8am! In the lobby area was always coffee and hot tea for free 24/7. The pool was half covered (indoor / outdoor) which was very cool when raining and allowing us to still enjoy the amenity. The pool area also had a hotter enclosed by a fence with lots of natural plants and trees making it a serene experience. That natural feeling continued on the grounds with beautiful manicured plants and ivy, etc. You can really tell the staff takes great pride in running the property and maintains it well.

The location is not on the water but within walking distance (across the bridge) to the reserve, which had the beach, hiking & biking trails, and the lighthouse which you can walk up to the viewing area. Pretty cool experience! The pony pop ice cream trailer is directly across the street from the refuge inn as well and is legendary. Highly recommend. It's just a short drive to the old downtown area of Chincoteague which has lots of shops, restaurants, and an old time move theatre which we visited as well. All in-all, I would stay at the refuge inn again. Fantastic experience for the price, location,...