Barracuda 3

The rooms were clean, the location was perfect, and most of the staff were friendly. One woman was miserable about giving me a bag of ice. She asked for my name and room number and said I couldn’t ask again because it’s one bag per day. None of the other front desk staff gave me trouble. The shower pressure was low, and outside noise carried right into the room. The doors are thin, with light visible through the frames, so voices and traffic sounded like they were inside.

A reasonably priced hotel on the ocean block, with lots nearby, including Wawa and 7 eleven across the street. The beach is about a five-minute walk, and the sunrises are great. The boardwalk takes around 30 minutes by public transit. There’s a smoking area, though smoking isn’t allowed on the balconies. Vending prices weren’t as high as I’ve seen elsewhere, and the second-floor shared bathroom can be handy for families in the suites. Service was only so-so. I had to ask for clean towels even though housekeeping had come by. You’re allowed one bag of ice a day, and there’s no self-serve machine right now. The pool is smaller than it looks in the pictures and only four feet deep.

They charged a resort fee that wasn’t mentioned online, and the bathroom water pressure was lousy. I asked to check in an hour early, but they wanted $40, even with lots of empty rooms. An extra hour before leaving would’ve cost $50. I’ve never paid for an extra hour at a hotel before. I won’t stay here again and wouldn’t recommend it.

Heidi at the front desk was welcoming and so friendly that, if the rest of the staff were like her, we’d probably come back. Kim, the other desk clerk, was cold, and the manager wasn’t helpful when I raised a concern. Kim said our requested room was unavailable because of maintenance, but it was occupied the next day and we never saw anyone working there. There was mold in our room last year, so I hope that was what they were fixing. Housekeeping came daily, but the service was inconsistent. One day they left the bed unmade, didn’t empty the trash, didn’t replace the used washcloths, and the floors were dirty. We mainly stay here for the location during a particular event twice a year. For what we pay, I’d otherwise choose somewhere nicer.